Brakes Failed problems of the 2009 Toyota Prius

My car's brake actuator failed while I was on highway. Gladly nothing dangerous happened but I am concerned others will face the similar situation with worst scenario. Toyota told me the warranty expired and quoted me $2600. Please ask Toyota to extend the warranty.

Abs actuator. The diaphragm in the brake accumulator fails. This is a known recall. However mine is beyond their extended warranty on the recall of both past ten years and past 175000. Dealer estimate was $2500 to repair. This is an essential safety recall due to the fact that when it completely fails the vehicle loses powered braking leaving only emergency brakes and engine braking mode which are inadequate and not designed to stop the vehicle by themselves. This should be a lifetime warranty recall not an extended warranty recall.

The contact owns a 2009 Toyota Prius. While driving 25 mph, the brake pedal seized when it was depressed and all the warning indicators illuminated on the instrument panel. The contact managed to pump the brake pedal three times and the vehicle came to a complete stop. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the brake assembly failed and needed to be replaced. The failure recurred and the vehicle was taken to Toyota of braintree (210 union st, braintree, MA 02184, (781) 848-9300). A second diagnostic test was conducted, which rendered the same outcome. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and informed the contact that the VIN was not included in a recall. The failure mileage was approximately 84,500.

I was driving 10-15 mph in the middle of my small town, coming up a slight hill on a street that leveled out shortly before the site of the accident. As I drove up onto the level part of the street, I saw that there was a long line of cars stopped ahead of me, waiting for a traffic light to change. I was about 2-3 car lengths from the last car in the lane of traffic, when the last car in the line of cars ahead of me braked very suddenly, and as I was coming up to that car, I also stepped hard on my brakes - and - my brakes completely failed! I will have nightmares for the rest of my life of those next few moments of pressing on the brake and seeing my car ignore me and continue forward, right into the car in front of me. And, I felt that my car accelerated, as the brakes failed, which made the situation even worse. My car hit the car in front of me (car #2) which hit car #3, which hit car #4. My car was declared a total loss, the car in front of me was badly damaged and had to be loaded onto a flatbed truck of the collision company. Cars #3 and #4 could be driven away; car #3 had some damage to the front and back of the car, while car #4 had some scratches on the rear bumper. I was never notified of any safety recall for the brakes of this car, but I was often alarmed when the brakes seemed to slip or not work for a few seconds each time that I drove over a small bump, pothole, manhole cover, etc. During the six years that I owned and drove this car. There are many other Prius drivers that have written to the edmund. Com and other websites to tell of their similar accidents or near accidents. Please warn the public and particularly Prius owners of this danger. These cars are not safe!.

The contact owns a 2009 Toyota Prius hybrid. The contact stated that while attempting to brake, the traction warning light illuminated and the brake failed to respond with a reduction in engine power. The contact stated that the failure only lasted for a moment before returning to normal function. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but the vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 67,000. The current mileage was not available.

I was moving toward a stop sign and slowing as usual. The road is level and it was dry. Suddenly there seemed to be no braking and the next thing I knew I had been hit by a truck traveling at right angles from my left. I apparently went through the stop sign. I brought the car to a stop safely at the side of the road to check on the truck which had swerved into a fence. The driver of the truck was cut by glass. My car had the bumper and grill torn off and unibody bent. This was a brake failure. Unlike some reports, the road was not rough. This was a low speed failure. Another few feet and my driver's door would have been hit and I could have been seriously injured.

Momentary brake failure when driving over potholes. Also, brakes are "grabby" at very low speeds. Both conditions have existed for several months. Nothing has been done to correct the problems.

On a daily basis, my 2009 Toyota Prius loses control, skids, (the traction light goes on), fishtails and has brake failures on ice and snow. When I hit potholes or big bumps, the car accelerates and I have to quickly brake. The northbrook Toyota service manager drove it today. The car lost control, skidded, the traction light went on, it fishtailed, and the brakes failed on the ice and snow. His comment was "that's the way the car is. It doesn't drive well on ice and snow". We couldn't find a good pothole for the car to demonstrate the acceleration today. I was told by an automechanic that works on our other cars that the 2009 and 2010 Prius have problems with their brakes. Presently there is no recall for the 2009 Prius. I am afraid I am going to kill someone at an intersection when I can't stop. Yesterday I had 2 catholic nuns in the car and the car failed to turn left at an intersection, almost fishtailing into an embankment before it righted itself. A Lexus SUV behind me almost hit me while trying to avoid me. I am hoping that no lives will be lost, or severe injuries occur, before these problems are acknowledged by Toyota and fixed.

1. Brakes fail to work properly 2. Occurs at least once or twice weekly; consequences -- emotional duress and concern; no accidents yet, thank god. 3. Nothing has been done to correct this yet. I went to my Toyota dealer, Toyota cavender in san antonio, TX 48 hrs ago to get usual oil change and to get the brakes checked for this problem. I was told by the service dept. That they were closing in an hour and the Toyota Prius technician was not there. I had to call for an appointment with him -- even though my brakes had nearly failed to stop when I pulled into the dealership service area.

I was driving home from work in my 2009 Prius. When coming to a traffic light (icy conditions) I took my foot off of the accelerator, started to coast and then began to brake. I had total brake failure. The car kept going and I heard a thumping like the anti-lock brakes were trying to engage. I finally had to throw the car into neutral.

2009 Prius brake failure in less than 1" snow covered road. Car slid to stop with no brake control. Pedestrian in road uninjured because they moved out of car path!! second time no brake control in snow. Car had been recently inspected with no brake findings. Will no longer drive car in snow until remedied.

Toyota 2009 Prius brake problem 15 Jan. 2010 I took my 2009 Prius to lakeland Toyota (my dealer), lakeland florida, USA 33880. The brakes had gone all the way to the floor. They have a maintenance record of the event. At the time they could not find any mechanical problems in the brake. I was driving on a rough road on a cold day just prior to the brake failure. Please expand the Prius recall to include the 2009 year.

On Dec 11, 2009, I was driving down a street in cambridge, MA (I had a coworker in the car) and we were in stop and go traffic at a stop light. The car in front of me crawled up to approach the light after several cars had gone through-then stopped @ the red light. I proceeded to do the same. When I applied my brakes to stop there was no response, so I pressed down harder-still no response. I then began to pump my brakes to avoid the accident but there was still no response from the braking system. If the braking system had not failed I would have more than enough response time and distance to stop but my car kept @ a steady speed and ended up rear ending the car in front of me. No one was injured but there was minor damage to the car in front of me and $1800 damage to my car. I've had other instance where I've hit potholes in the past while slowing down- and the brake system would stop momentarily from working. I work in the boston area- where I'm constantly in stop and go traffic. I've experienced 2 previous times slight brake delay-which I've compensated for and give myself more room between my car and the car in front of me. In addition there was one instance 4months ago where I was coming to a stop- and I heard one of the motors (I'm assuming the electric b/c it charges as you stop) rev up and my car jilted forward- as if I had stepped on the gas but I had my foot on the brake the whole time. That was the only instance of that. I've had my car since April 2009 and when the two instances of brake delay occurred, I had the Toyota service center check my brakes and they came back stating they were fine. After the accident I did report the failure to Toyota and have yet to hear from them about it. I would like to note that there are several sites online with customers complaining about brake failing/delaying at speeds less than 20mph.

Brake failure when going over rough pavement or pothole in both 2005 and 2009 Toyota Prius. We have owned two Prius, a 2005 and now a 2009, and both have exhibited the braking anomoly that is being described in the press as only occuring with the 2010 Prius. I experience this failure frequently. The failure occurs only briefly -about one or two seconds and we have never had an accident because of this. However, it is disconcerting and if this is a malfunction, it should be taken care of for all Prius, not just 2010.

Hi there, I have a new 2009 Toyota Prius. A couple of days ago as I was pulling into the parking spot at the garage my foot on the brake, the car started all of a sudden moving very smoothly without any resistance regardless of my attempts to stop it. It was hitting the wall in front of it a couple of times until I managed to power down the car. The front bumper of the car is completely destroyed and will need to be replaced. I took the car to a dealer to check brakes thoroughly. They did and told me that everything is fine with the brakes. Personally I strongly believe that the brakes have mind of their own and I sincerely hope that they will not fail on me in traffic since I am a mother, I have a 1-year old boy. His safety is a top priority for me. Right after my car was purchased it had to stay at a dealer for a week since there was some electrical problem, I believe with doors. Both that fact and now the brake failure make me wonder if my car is a lemon. Please help to sort this out. Thank you!.

The contact owns a 2009 Toyota Prius. While driving 5 mph into a parking space, the brakes did not work when the pedal was depressed. On two separate occasions, the vehicle struck a garage door and the contact rear-ended another vehicle due to the brake failure. There were no injuries. The dealer has not been notified. Currently, the vehicle is in the repair shop for the body damage, not for the brakes. A police report was filed. The failure and current mileages were 1,200.

The contact owns a 2009 Toyota Prius. While driving approximately 25 mph on a lightly snow covered road surface, the brakes did not respond when the pedal was depressed. The vehicle failed to slow down. There were no warning indicators illuminated on the instrument panel. The contact crashed onto the curb in order to stop the vehicle. The driver was uninjured, but the vehicle sustained severe damage. The vehicle was towed to an authorized dealer for inspection, but they could not determine the cause of the failure. The vehicle is in the process of being repaired. The failure and current mileages were 480. Four days after purchasing the vehicle, the consumers was heading down a gentle incline toward a traffic light at an intersection shortly after a light snowfall, the street was wet, but there was no ice on the road. As she braked to slow down, she noticed there was no deceleration and continued to press down on the brake pedal to no avail. To avoid crashing into other cars, she veered sharply to the right into a curb and came to a stop. The vehicle sustained extensive damage to the wheel, axle and undercarriage. The vehicle was towed to the dealer and after the inspection, the consumer was informed there was nothing wrong with the vehicle. The dealer implied the she must have applied the brakes incorrectly and was not accustomed to abs. A few months later on another wet rainy day, there was a similar incident of brake failure. Updated 04/15/10.

S10 appropriate handling re Toyota brake problem fm owner of a 2009 Toyota Prius. Four days after purchasing the vehicle, the consumers wife was heading down a gentle incline toward a traffic light at an intersection shortly after a light snowfall, the street was wet, but there was no ice on the road. As she braked to slow down, she noticed there was no deceleration and continued to press down on the brake pedal to no avail. To avoid crashing into other cars, she veered sharply to the right into a curb and came to a stop. The vehicle sustained extensive damage to the wheel, axle and undercarriage. The vehicle was towed to the dealer and after the inspection, the consumer was informed there was nothing wrong with the vehicle. The dealer implied the consumers wife must have applied the brakes incorrectly and was not accustomed to abs. A few months later on another wet rainy day, there was a similar incident of brake failure.

Fax on behalf of re a safety concern related to their 2009 Toyota Prius; respond attn caroline/nyc office. Four days after purchasing the vehicle, the consumers wife was heading down a gentle incline toward a traffic light at an intersection shortly after a light snowfall, the street was wet, but there was no ice on the road. As she braked to slow down, she noticed there was no deceleration and continued to press down on the brake pedal to no avail. To avoid crashing into other cars, she veered sharply to the right into a curb and came to a stop. The vehicle sustained extensive damage to the wheel, axle and undercarriage. The vehicle was towed to the dealer and after the inspection, the consumer was informed there was nothing wrong with the vehicle. The dealer implied the consumers wife must have applied the brakes incorrectly and was not accustomed to abs. A few months later on another wet rainy day, there was a similar incident of brake failure.

We bought a 2009 Prius on 2/14/09. On 2/18/09 while driving 25mph on a local road during light snowfall, the brakes failed. To avoid hitting the car in front of her, my wife steered into the curb sustaining extensive damage to the wheel, axle, and undercarriage. The car was towed to our local Toyota dealership. They found nothing wrong with the braking system and maintained the accident was her fault. A few months later we experienced another brake failure incident, this time without any accident as we were traveling at a slow speed and were able to decelerate by turning up an empty incline. Again the dealership maintains there is no problem. Since they can't find anything wrong with the brakes when they test them, they say there is nothing to fix. We speculate that there is a computer software problem, but Toyota is not yet acknowledging that this is the case for the 2009 model. Updated 04/19/10.