16 problems related to brakes failed have been reported for the 2012 Toyota Prius. The most recently reported issues are listed below.
Brake booster slowly failing. . . . When pressing brakes it doesn't smoothly hold pressure.
On 11/3/2020, several warning lights appeared on the dash. After researching the combination of lights and sounds from the brake pedal I determined that the brake actuator is failing. Per my research, continuing to operate the vehicle can result in a loss of braking assistance. Other Toyota Prius models are covered under extended warranties (reference zjb), but the Prius v models, which use the same actuator, are not. An accident/incident has not yet occured, but this seems like a huge case of negligence on Toyota.
A recently purchased used Toyota Prius v which was owned by a dealer a matter of 2 months ago was sold to me and the abs/brake actuator failure began. The vehicle is outside of the 150k/10yr warranty they want to cover, however is extremely dangerous and has already nearly caused me to be in an accident as the brake power massively fluctuates. I was driving on the highway at the 75mph from phoenix to tucson approx 120 miles. The light came on part way through and suddenly the brakes went from being sensitive and responsive to needing a lot of pressure applied to properly slow. When a diesel big rig swerved in front of me to avoid an obstacle that I would easily have been able to brake from typically, I was nearly slammed into the back end of him with very little power. The light flipped back off about time I made it to tucson, then when coming to a stop at a dangerous intersection on my way through city streets home crossing kolb and valencia (a site of many an accident), I nearly went into the intersection when the brake system suddenly cut out again. When I spoke to the local dealership this morning they told me this was a known problem but since it was out of warranty I'd have to cover 2500 to replace what is a known defect with this vehicle. That's bullshit and dangerous.
Engine -engine have broken head gasket. Coolant reservoir started to drain. Coolant slowly leaks in internal combustion engine due to broken head gasket. Causing shaking engine because coolant cannot combust inside the engine. -also egr cooler was fully clogged by carbon that caused failure of carbon air circulation. Brake slowly failing brake actuator in the process. When pressing brakes, whining sound is present and brakes slowly fails to hold pressure in the system when brakes are applied. -brake system was fully inspected and no leaks were found and brake fluid holds in full level.
Complete brake failure on the freeway!!! abs, brake and traction control lights lit up. Almost crashed! code c1391-abnormal leak in brake actuator pump. How long will it take this agency to make Toyota fix this?? its a safety issue!!! stop picking your asses and do something about it!!!!.
Brakes failing, getting a c1391 code, leak in accumulator. Toyota has a warranty enhancement for this issue on the 2010 model but it has not extended to 2011 or 2012 models. I contacted local dealer and national representatives and was refused any assistance from Toyota. This issue happened twice over the last two days, both times while vehicle in motion on a city street. Warning lights came on and almost no stopping power.
Brake activator unit failed after 4 months of reporting the issue to Toyota. It follows the conditions indicated on Toyota wen zg1. Vehicle was in motion at highway speed when braking malfunction occurred. Vehicle was controllable and allow for secure stop. Brake response was sluggish and hard on the foot.
On Jan. 3, 2018 while moving at a minimum speed (less than 15 mph) I applied the brakes and several warning lights illuminated (brakes, abs, traction control) along with a warning sound. This was on a city street, driving in a straight line. I was able to brake to a stop. I then attempted to continue to drive at a very low speed but soon lost all ability to brake the vehicle and I coasted to a stop. I had the vehicle towed to a local Toyota dealer. I was told the brake actuator had failed and was charged $3288 plus tax for the repair. I received the car on Jan. 9, 2018 from the dealer. On Jan. 12, 2018 the car failed once again in the exact same manner. The dealer kept the car until Feb. 1, 2018 at which time they returned the car to me at no charge, stating they had changed the same exact part as before. The car has 84,000 miles and I purchased it new. I understand Toyota has issued recalls for this issue on other models but not on my vehicle. I have retained my repair invoices but am unable to upload them at this time.
On Sunday December 17, 2017 at about 3:00 pm I was driving with my family (wife and two kids) in south florida on us highway 1. The weather was clear and I was traveling about 55 mph. Then without any warning a number of trouble indicator light illuminated on the dash. When the lights came on I was driving in a straight line with just enough gas pedal input to maintain my 55 mph speed. Startled by the lights I lifted my foot off the throttle and attempted to apply the brakes. When I attempted to apply the brake pedal I had little to no brakes and I had to �stand on the brake pedal� (press it as hard as I could) to get the car to slow and eventually stop while pulling onto the shoulder of the road. I was scared and shocked at the same time. I turned the car off and back on thinking it might fix the problem. It did not. I was able to get the car home and the very next morning took it to south dade Toyota. I was able to get it home and to the dealer by driving very slow keeping a very large space cushion and standing on the brake pedal when I needed to stop. While I did not crash understandably I was scared because you should not just lose brakes out of the blue. At the dealer they informed me that the brake actuator failed and needed replacement costing $5734. 94. I did research and found that Toyota issued a warranty extension zg1 for this exact problem but was told by the dealer that my VIN was not part of the program even though my vehicle experienced the exact problem. I reached out to Toyota cooperate and while they agreed that yes I had the same problem my VIN was not part of the program (they gave me a case # 1712180647). However they did offer $2207. 57 as a good will gesture towards the repair. I paid $3527. 37. Toyota knows of a life safety problem and has chosen to limit the program. My mileage was 106,451 and under the program would have been covered.
November 4, 2017 - car was parked in our driveway. Put the car in reverse to back out of our driveway. The brakes failed. No matter how many times the brake pedal was repeatedly pushed down, the car just would not stop. It actually felt like the car was accelerating! the car ran over our mailbox at the end of our driveway. The mailbox got dragged under the car and the car rolled out onto the street. Finally, we pushed in the power button and that was how we were able to get the car to stop. Our mailbox got totaled and damage was done to the undercarriage of our car, as there is twisted metal hanging down scraping the ground. The brakes started to work again a few minutes later, as I was able to pull it back into the driveway off of the street. On September 19, 2017 � car was parked in a parking lot. When reversing out of the parking space, the brakes did not work. After repeatedly pumping the brakes, they finally engaged just before it hit a car parked behind us. We thought this was a freak one-type event, so we didn't report it.
When driving on uneven ground, like pot holes, the brakes fail. Literally if you have your foot on brake when driving over a pot hole, you can feel the brakes release and the car won't stop. I've had similar issues on bumpy ground. The car has always had the problem since I purchased it, probably on a weekly basis, and I've wondered about the safety and whether it's just related to abs. I've also inquired at the dealership. Luckily, I've never been in an accident because of the problem. But, this weekend my friend with a Prius had an accident because of the problem, so I decided to report my complaint.
The contact owns a 2012 Toyota Prius. The contact stated that while driving approximately 25 mph and making a turn, the brakes failed to respond upon engagement. The vehicle came to a stop after the contact applied the brakes several times. The vehicle then resumed without the brake malfunction. The vehicle had not been diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the defect. The approximate failure mileage was 12,000. The VIN was not available.
The contact owns a 2012 Toyota Prius. The contact mentioned that while driving 35 mph, the brakes failed to respond. The vehicle was taken to the dealer. The technician was unable to diagnose the failure. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 4,600 and the current mileage was 4,900.
I was exiting the park and my Toyota Prius' brakes failed, careening me onto a major thoroughfare (south orange avenue) on a hill, while my car began accelerating. I hit the park button and my car slowed until I was able to get control again and turn up a hill to a stop. When I turned my car off and on again, the brakes were functioning normally.
Brake noise when pulling forward in am . Dealer said fix is coming for months, service bulletin never came out. Worried that may lead to brake failure.
As I was approaching a turn I began to brake and the brakes failed. I tried pressing the brake pedal harder and making sure that I had proper foot placement and it felt like the car accelerated at that point. Since the car was not slowing down I was unable to make the turn and ended up crossing the road diagonally and going up onto the curb. Once the car was over the curb and in the grass the brakes finally engaged and the vehicle came to a stop.