general problems of the 2013 Toyota Prius - part 1

Failure of the intelligent power module (ipm) within the inverter assembly.

2013 Toyota Prius v has 3 recalls for the same issues but my VIN # says there isn't any recalls associated with it. I need help. It stalled on me on my way home from work luckily not on the high way now it's throwing code c1310 c1259 c1241 it won't crank all it does is click. I replaced 12v batterychecked all connectors.

Around may 2025, the brake booster and pump in the car stopped working. There was no clear warning lamp or indicator prior to it failing. While driving on the highway, the part stopped working and significantly changed the car's braking power. Rather than smoothly braking as it did before, the car's brakes have significantly less braking power. The defective part also affects the car's abs system, making the car unsafe if a sudden stop were required as the brakes will lock up and the car will lose grip on the road and start skidding. Significantly longer braking distances is needed and it's not clear the car would be able to safely stop at a short distance in the event of an emergency. It's a miracle we didn't get into any accidents when the part suddenly failed. There is a significant risk that failure of this part will be the cause of a car accident when the car suddenly no longer brakes how the driver is used to. Toyota has previously offered an extended warranty on the part, but the part did not fail until shortly after the warranty expired. The car has been within my family since it was originally put into service and none of the owners were ever notified that the part could be replaced or even fail in such a manner. The problem has been confirmed by a dealer but they have only offered to fix it at a significant cost. The vehicle does not feel safe to drive. Warning lights only appeared after the part failed but they weren't particularly helpful in diagnosing the problem in the moment because 4 different lights turned on all at once.

The brake booster assembly (part number 47070-47060) on my 2013 Toyota Prius has failed. This component is critical to the proper functioning of the braking system. It is currently still installed in the vehicle and available for inspection upon request. As a result of the failure, the abs warning light, traction control light, and brake warning light are all illuminated on the dashboard. The braking performance has noticeably declined — the pedal feels inconsistent and at times unresponsive. This has created a significant safety risk while driving, especially during sudden stops or in wet conditions, as it compromises the vehicle's ability to brake efficiently and predictably. The issue has been confirmed by a Toyota dealer (or independent mechanic if that’s the case — feel free to change this line accordingly). The dealer diagnosed the issue as a failure of the brake booster assembly, which aligns with known failures reported by many other 3rd-generation Prius owners. The vehicle has not been involved in an accident, and has not been inspected by the police or insurance representatives. Toyota previously issued a customer support program (csp zjb or zg1) covering this part, but it has since expired. I only recently began experiencing symptoms and was unaware of the csp until after contacting Toyota. Prior to the warning lights, I experienced intermittent symptoms such as a soft or delayed brake pedal, and an unusual sound from the brake system when the vehicle was turned off. The warning lights first appeared around [insert approximate mileage or date here], and have remained illuminated since then. Given the safety-critical nature of this component and the known defect history, I am requesting assistance from Toyota in the form of goodwill coverage or reimbursement, and would like this issue escalated for further review.

I was driving and suddenly the car started beeping and the brake, e-brake, abs, and traction control lights came on. As soon as I found an opportunity I tried to brake but the car would not stop and the brake pedal became really hard. I had swerve to avoid hitting cars in front of me. It was the scariest moment of my life. I shifted the car from d to b to use the engine braking. I finally was able to slow down enough to turn right on a side street and pushed on the brake pedal with all my strength and it finally came to a stop. I was lucky I didn't have a collision or strike a pedestrian, that I also drive defensively and leave enough space in front of me, and that I was on a surface street and not on a freeway which I frequently use because if I was I would have surely crashed. This is not right. Brakes should not suddenly fail! under any circumstances. It was confirmed by a mechanic that it's the brake booster and brake booster pump assemblies had failed and had the following codes c1252, c1253, and c1256 were found. The same issue and codes reported in TSB pol18-03.

While driving on the highway, abs, "brake"/e-brake, traction control lights lit up all at the same time out of the blue. No prior engine lights/codes before this incident. During that trip, brakes felt more difficult to press, loss all brake regeneration for the hybrid battery but was still about to brake for that entire 100 miles trip. As of now, the car is still able to brake but it looks like it's just primarily using the mechanical brakes all the time now. It still has that different brake feel compared to when before all those engine lights went on. Regenerative braking is no longer working. Brought the car to the shop at was given the error codes c1391 and c2315.

The contact owns a 2013 Toyota Prius. The contact stated while driving approximately 5 to 10 mph, the vehicle stalled. The contact was able to restart the vehicle, but the failure persisted. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who replaced the battery on two occasions, but the failure reoccurred. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 173,699.

Took vehicle for state inspection on 2/13/2024, failed inspection because of brake warning lights. Slip indicator, electronically controlled brake warning light, brake warning light, anti-lock brake system, and low tire pressure lights are all on. I have looked into it, and it seems the brake actuator/booster used to be under warranty, however since this is a 2013 in 2024 with almost 210k miles on it, it no longer qualifies for the original recall.

Abs brake warning light on-stays on-this just happened within last 2 weeks. Not sure on safety measures but unsure if I keep driving it the brakes will just give out. The problem has been confirmed and seen by tire max but no diagnostic tests were ran. The just saw the light was on. No one has inspected the vehicle component by the manufacturer, police, or insurance company. No warning lamps prior to the problem but the abc warning light stays on while cranked and it first appeared about 2 weeks ago. I do want to add that a similiar recall or warranty had been put out by Toyota on sept 4th 2020-(t-sb-0089-20) for 2012-2014 Prius v & c stating: "some 2012-2014 model year Prius v hybrid vehicles may exhibit a condition where the brake, abs, and/or trac warning lights are on and/or a check vsc message displays. Diagnostic trouble codes (dtcs) c1391, c1252, c1256, c1253 may be stored. This condition may be caused by a small internal brake fluid leak inside the brake booster assembly with master cylinder. The warranty was for Prius v or c but my Prius(no v or c) has been affected with the same issue but Toyota will not honor this warranty or recall due to the problem not showing as specific to my VIN#. So I am reporting this problem so it can be submitted that there is a similar problem with my Prius as well as the Prius v or c so others could submit their problem as well. I cannot afford to fix this myself. I need Toyota to back up their cars.

Brake system failure. Traction control light, brake light, abs light, and brake system warning light all lit up on dash. The regenerative braking is no longer working or charging battery. Obvious loss of stopping power. Does not feel safe to drive at all. Toyota wants $3,000-$4,000 for the repair. Toyota should be held liable for these failures causing crashes and potential fatalities. This should already be a recall.

Check hybrid system. Stop the vehicle in a safe place. About 90,000 miles 2013 Prius bought brand new and regular all dealer maintenance completed. Lost power on the road and very slow pickup. Not drivable and very unsafe car. Thanks.

Inverter and brake booster.

My vehicle has under 150,000 miles. I was driving on the highway and my Prius lost power and left me on the side of the road. I took it to Toyota to run a diagnostic in elk grove CA. I was told the ipm inverter, control computer had to be replaced and it would cost me $5,200. 00. This is a real disappointment because I don’t have this money to fix the vehicle.

According to Toyota dealership, "will need to replace (mg1) hv transaxle unit as 1st step in order to to be able to proceed with diagnose and checked for any other shorted components". Vehicle is available for inspection. Vehicle was being driven on a city street towards a red light when the vehicle experienced a jolt and lost complete acceleration power and a "check hybrid system" was displayed on the dashboard. Luckily all vehicles behind were already coming to a stop for the red light, otherwise, the safety of my family and myself may have been put in more serious harm. Vehicle able to crawl to a nearby gas station. Attempted to use remaining battery power to drive back to residence nearby, but lost all battery power/function and puled into a bus lane where vehicle was towed from. There were no warning lights or messages displayed prior to the incident. Toyota dealership performed dtc verification 3 times and found to verify p0a94 detail code 172 is the persistent dtc when memory is cleared. They also inspected the vehicle for concern and were able to verify check engine light is on, vehicle is on "limp mode" and does not "ready on". The vehicle has not been inspected by anyone else other than the Toyota dealership.

While driving on highway 316e on March 31, 2022, at approximately 10am, at some point, as traffic started to slow down and I applied my brakes I was dumbfounded when my car would not stop! it was frightening, as I watched my car get closer and closer to the large truck in front of it. I kept applying the brake and then pumping the brake. The brakes kept failing and had no pressure or tension in them to stop the car. The brake pedal was flat on the floor. But, thanks to a sufficient distance between my car and the truck in front of it, it rolled to a stop just short of crashing into the back of said truck by an inch or two. Sometime in October of 2024 , I spoke with a service rep at marietta Toyota about a whizzing sound that appeared to be coming from under the hood on the driver’s side. This sound would occur while I was driving and even when I turned the car off. It would continue making this whizzing sound sometimes for as long as 45 minutes after the ignition was turned off. I took the car back to marietta Toyota and the service rep said the problem was related to the weather. On December 24, 2024, at around 11:00am est, I parked my car in the parking lot in front of a print shop. The weather was clear, and the pavement was dry as I pulled my car into a clean, unfettered spot. Upon returning to my car, I could see a fresh puddle under the front passenger side. I ran my finger across the liquid that presented itself as a clean, thin oil that was as smooth as silk. It was odorless and sat in a pristine area looking freshly run out from the underside of my car. On February 27, 2025, when driving in the middle lane on highway I-20 west, the abs warning lights came on my dashboard screen along with the image of a skidding car. I was frozen with fear and did not know what would happen next. I would have to cross over multiple lanes to exit off highway 1-20. I put on hazard lights and drove at 25-35 mph. Took car in for diagnostic and repair.

Driving down the road and the brake light, abs light, vsc light and a ! with a circle around turned on in the dash. My breaks almost stopped working I almost hit the car in front of me. I've been try to figure out what's wrong and keep hearing this is a brake booster/ actuator problem. I have parked the car due to the brakes barley working.

The contact owns a 2013 Toyota Prius. The contact stated that the hazard lights would activate inadvertently and was not able to be turned off as designed. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer but was not yet diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure but offered no assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 124,000.

The car has been stopping on me anytime I go 35 mph or more. The check hybrid system warning light appears then the far shuts down. I have been having this problem for over a year now after Toyota techs have performed all other software updates. I have replaced hybrid battery 12 v battery both water pumps sensors along with a low mile engine. My year car is on all recall list except the inverter replacement which is the problem. I have spent several thousand dollars on a no end issue .

Another vehicle jumped the light, cutting me off, and I hit him. My car sustained massive front end damage, and the radiator was leaking. I sustained a broken rib. The airbag failed to deploy. I was taken by ambulance to a hospital. My car was not inspected or impounded - the police had it towed to a body shop. My insurance company will inspect it.

The contact owns a 2013 Toyota Prius c. The contact stated while driving approximately 40 mph, the vehicle shut-off without warning. The contact pulled over and was unable to restart the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to a local mechanic but was diagnosed nor repaired. The contact stated that several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The manufacturer was informed of the failure and the contact was informed that the VIN was not under recall. The failure mileage was approximately 80,000.

We have been experiencing on multiple occasions car while driving will slow down, hybrid safety warning light on dashboard will turn on and tell us we have to go to a safe area and turn off car. The car will automatically shut down like a golf cart feeling. We have had near incidents were we have almost crashed. The car now will not go past 35 miles. We brought the car to a Toyota dealership because we noticed their was a software update recall. When we left the car repeated the warning again about 5 minutes leaving the dealership. The dealership has not helped us and refuses to fix car. We mentioned to them that there have been many complaints regarding the same issue.

I was loving my Prius until yesterday June 9, 2021 when I took it to Toyota of riverhead, NY to have my hazard lights checked because they would not shut off. I was told that the technician found abs actuator shorting out causing the hazards to not go off. The replacement would be $2664. I had the fuse removed because it was causing my battery to die with the hazard lights being on. I was also advised by tonianne rempel (service advisor) that Toyota was familiar with this problem with 2013 Prius. I have a problem with Toyota knowing that there is a problem with the hazards for this is potentially dangerous for it makes your battery die and leaving the owner stranded. This should have been a recall. I had removed the fuse so now I have no hazards or directionals leaving me to use hand signals. Which is extremely dangerous for other drivers do not look for driver using hand signals. This embarrassing for Toyota drivers seeing that somebody driving a Toyota is using hand signals because the directionals don’t function. Toyota should have done a recall knowing that this hazardous situation exists. I am asking Toyota to pay for this repair. I do not have $2664 to repair this hazardous situation that should have been addressed by Toyota and leaving me in a very dangerous situation without hazards or directionals.

Without warning my 2013 Prius c stalled on the freeway with a hybrid battery warning. When the car was shut off it had intermittent problems with starting. After jumping the car battery , it ran normally again for some time before the stalling problem persisted. The hybrid battery stopped running and I received a warning light. Diagnostics at my repair shop said it was an inverter issue. I see that Toyota has recalled several models for similar issues with the inverter. When the car is jumped it seems to work for a short time before stalling out again. Has created a real safety issue for me and there is a real lack of information on behalf of Toyota on whether or not it will be covered under existing models. It seems like every model Toyota from this year was recalled for an inverter issue. The car does run normally on occasion, charges the battery, and will run on ev, but mostly remains in a stalled out low power mode after it has these stalling episodes. E diagnostics have stated to me that the car batteries are healthy and I relplaced the 12v and several fuses etc throughout this process with similar results.

While in line at a church food bank, with cars in front and in back of me, the Prius c suddenly lunged forward. While my foot was on the brake, I hit the car in front of me. The impact was strong enough to cause almost $1400 worth of damage to the car in front of me and more than that for my car. My car's fender is damaged as well as the lights and hood of the car. My sister was in the passenger seat and nephew in the back seat. My sister told me that all she could see when the sudden movement started was my foot on the brake. She said that from where she was sitting, she could not see if my foot was on the gas pedal but could clearly see when my foot was on the brake. So lucky that there were no injuries either to the husband and wife in the car in front of me nor to my passengers. There is no reason for me to have accelerated that fast when the car in front moved a fraction of feet at a time. I would release the brake and the car would move slowly until I applied the brake again. The Prius was inspected by Toyota at a dealer and we were told they could find no sign of anything wrong with the car. There were no warning lights or messages before the sudden acceleration happened. Due to the possibility of it happening again, we decided to park the car in case any litigation could be processed. We have been denied by many law firms due to the fact that there were no serious injuries and the age of the car. About a month after the incident, we bought a new Prius and if unable to litigate, will sell the car for parts. My fear is that it may happen again and could seriously injure or kill someone or the driver and/or passengers in our 2013 Prius. We will not allow it to be driven again and will either junk or sell for parts. Is there any recourse for us to pursue to be refunded for the damage that we paid to the couple whose car we hit, a rental until we bought the new car and refund for the 2013 Prius. Thank you very much for your attention.

Hybrid warning light comes on out of nowhere. Code 3107: lost communication between srs ecu and power management ecu. All wires are otherwise good and no corrosion is apparent. This miscommunication means that the airbags are not working properly. Battery is healthy according to Toyota dealership. Hybrid warning light comes on intermitently to show when miscommunication is happening.

Toyota is trying to cover up the true number of vehicles subject to the hybrid system recall. . Toyota claims this vehicle is not the subject of recall, yet the vehicle displays all the symptoms described in the recall. . 1. ) the vehicle was in motion at freeway speed on westbound hwy 92 on 12/27/2020 at approximately 6:30pm 2. ) the vehicle lost all power. . Dashboard lights came on. . Error message said "hybrid system failure" 3. ) power to braking and steering remained 4. ) vehicle went off the freeway, with no power, down an exit ramp, and came to a stop, luckily, in a legal parking place, at the curb on DE anza blvd. . This is what Toyota said publicly: �the involved vehicles were designed to enter a failsafe driving mode in response to certain hybrid system faults�, the automaker explained. �Toyota has found that in rare situations, the vehicle may not enter a failsafe driving mode as intended. If this occurs, the vehicle could lose power and stall. While power steering and braking would remain operational, a vehicle stall while driving at higher speeds could increase the risk of a crash. �.

Car died last night (10/27) aaa not able to jump battery. Bad fuse. Towed to sf Toyota on geary bl. Taken car to shop three times since purchase 7/22/20 for problems. Also told nothing is wrong. This appears to be a safety issue. Also I was told car was damaged, not in major accident. Has signs of heavy damage from 3 accidents. It only has 54,xxx miles on a 2013 Prius c.

The car gave a triangle of death and looked it up if any recalls had been made that could possible cause this issue and there was 1 that called for an update to the system which I had done and they had told me if it didn't take they would have to do the invertor which was apart of the recall. A week after the system update the same issue arose and they refused to replace the invertor which drained the hybrid battery and ruined it also . This effects the driving ability and causes the car to shut down the lights to not work . It can stale at any given time and will not have power to continue.

This vehicle has a push start and keyless remote fob. The engine was started properly with the keyless remote inside of the vehicle. I stepped out of the vehicle and the key was left outside of the vehicle. I drove away and the engine was still running. There is no safety feature that notifies you that the key is outside of the vehicle or stops the engine when the key is out of range.

Driving on a highway on my way to work suddenly the my 2013 Prius c engine completely stops. The check engine light and check hybrid system light came on. The car completely shuts down and now I'm a sitting duck good thing people slew down for me and even help me push my car to the side of the road safely. This is a very dangerous situation and needs attention. Ived taken my car to antioch Toyota and emphasize that I saw 2 recalls on this website but the did not believe me and they are charging me over $4000 to fix it. It's not right for them to just check their system and not check a NHTSA website for recalls and complaints. It's very irresponsible for them not to check for recalls.

While in motion, the vehicle switched out of ready mode. The vehicle did not switch back into ready mode. Body damage incurred during emergency stop, due to vehicle going at about 35mph when the malfunction occurred on a surface street.

The contact owns a 2013 Toyota Prius c. The contact stated that while driving at slow speeds, the vehicle stalled as a system failure warning message appeared on the instrument panel. The vehicle inadvertently turned. The vehicle was restarted but shifted into limp mode with the message displayed. The contact was able to restart the vehicle then drove the vehicle to the residence. Upon investigation, the contact discovered NHTSA campaign number: 20v369000 (hybrid propulsion system) and 14v053000 (hybrid propulsion system, electrical system) which she linked to the failure. Neither the dealer nor the manufacturer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 66,000.

Got a 2014 plug in. . I smell some elctrical burn under the hood. . . It feel like come from the invter I see a 2nd recalled on the 2018 but I never got a recalled letter.

Hybrid system shuts down while driving without warning and happens every day.

I was driving and pulling out into the road and upon accelerating the car jumped and then suddenly stalled - luckily I was able to move it to the side of the road. After restart the car is running slowly as far as pickup and all the yellow lights are on. It seems this was a recall in oct. 2018 and I think now my inverter is blown or not working. Taking it to the dealership to diagnose.