Brake Disc Pads Problems of Toyota Prius

My wife was driving her car to work, an audio warning and lights on the dash came on indicating that the abs system had a problem. She was able to pull to the side of the road and turned off the car. She started the car and the lights had reset and no sound. Later in the day she started her car and the symptoms happened again but the brake pedal was mushy. I got the car home and looked at the front and rear brake pads and replaced thinking that was the problem. It did not work. After doing some research I found what the problem could be, Toyota had a item called a brake actuator that seems to fail after some time. After reading some forums it sounded like there were alot of people having the same issues. Toyota wants around $6,000 to replace this unit and it isn't as easy as replacing a couple of brake pads.

See all problems of the 2007 Toyota Prius 🔎.

My car has been having this issue with braking and dashboard lights with 'brakes, abs, vsc. Have taken it to the dealer and have spent thousands of dollars already. Replaced the brake system (pads, drums, etc. . ), catalytic converter, hybrid battery. Every time I drive out out of the dealer 'all is good' as codes were cleared but a few months after, the lights are on again. These issues have cause are causing my car to be acting up while driving and trying to break at stop signs and crossing lights by delaying to stop on time. This is a safety issue and needs to be addressed by Toyota in assisting us with repairs. Unless they'll wait for a tragedy before doing something about it. Have called the dealer and they always say 'it could this' or 'it could be that'. So far the repairs they have done is supposed to fix the current issue with breaks, lights on the dashboard but now abs can be related to the actuator and that will cost me around $3,000! which I cannot afford anymore. My car is paid for and I've spent almost $7,000 in 'repairs' and of course all vehicle's warrantees had expired when I took it in. In reviewing multiple complaints, this seems to be an issue with these abs and vsc problems and there should be some type of recall to fix them, otherwise as customers we're losing faith in Toyota and/or their dealers. I love Toyota cars but going through these experiences with costly repairs may change my mind in going with another brand.

See all problems of the 2008 Toyota Prius 🔎.

Even though the break pads are new, the breaks are not working at all when vehicle is in motion. They do not feel tight. The vehicle looses stability in curves at a low speed ( slips) and keeps moving even when breaks are pushed to the end. All the break lights are on. There are several recalls regarding the breaks of this vehicle year 2010 and none applies to the vehicle VIN number. It it not reliable at all in the highway. In order to brake the speed must be very slow and the distance must be way more than normal.

See all problems of the 2010 Toyota Prius 🔎.

Brake acutator failed again after 1 year of use. The brakes failed on this car a year and a half ago, resulting in pedal to the floor and many warning lights going off. Dealer and Toyota replaced brake actuator through hidden warranty I had to fight for them to pay. Drove car out of dealership, and it made a squeaky sound coming from under hood, not from brake pads. Turned car around and they took it back. Said they bled air out of brakes. Squawk came back and on next oil change, told them. "no codes, so don't worry about it. " was the diagnosis. Squawk continued over the next year and a half, and the same reply from service advisors. "no codes, no worry - maybe we need another brake bleed, but not mandatory. " 2 more oil changes at dealer, and the last time, I mentioned the squawk again and the brake bleed to a new advisor and new ownership. "needs a brake actuator - and we will not pay for it this time. " I reported the problem to them many times during the one year warranty of the actuator. Now they want me to spend over $2500 on a new actuator because I was a few months out of warranty on new part. Toyota also refused to pay. The brake actuator and accumulator have failed on this car and our other Prius a total of 4 times now. This is obviously a major safety issue, and I'm really surprised you are not working with them on a mandatory service campaign. The service manager said they see this issue over and over again, and that Toyota did a full redesign of the braking system on the new 2017 model year. Brakes are the most important system on a car. Without them, an accident almost always follows. Please initiate a recall on this as soon as you can. Thank you.

See all problems of the 2005 Toyota Prius 🔎.

Failure if the abs brake actuator after 105,000 mile in February 2019. The actuator would run every few seconds while the vehicle was on causing the the rotors and brake pads and trims to heat up excessively. This is a well known and documented problem with generation 2 Prius.

See all problems of the 2006 Toyota Prius 🔎.

A lot of lights lit up on the dash. The regenerative braking quit working and the brake pads wore out really quick.

See all problems of the 2013 Toyota Prius 🔎.

Total loss of brakes while driving on highway. Passed through red light near miss situation. Towed to shop and cost of repair exceeds $2000 for this involved repair as this is a complicated braking system. Part of the abs system called the accumulator is defective in these cars and can result in spontanious brake failure. You are always supposed to have some braking even if the assisted brakes malfunction. Suddenly, our car had no brakes at all. My wife was driving the car when the brakes failed. She had zero brakes from the pedal and the peddle style emergency-brake had locked up and or wasnt enough to stop the vehicle. She nearly had an accident. Braking system should not give out on a vehicle that gets very little wear to the brakes due to the extra regenerative braking system. Our brake pads and shoes have lots of life still. This is purely a design flaw in the braking system and I believe these vehicles are a hazard on the road. I have loved the car until I experienced this brake failure.

Various alerts lighted, brakes, abs, anti skid. Lost some braking. . . Too soft and funny like. . . Needed pumping. Cost of repair to replace brake pump system including tha actuator(buster). Brake pads for $3,700 +. At Toyota calesa in puerto rico.

See all problems of the 2012 Toyota Prius 🔎.

While driving on the highway, without warning, I lost power assisted breaking ability - accompanied by a number of dashboard warning lights. I was able to safely stop the vehicle using manual breaking. I had the code checked and have learned that the (code 1391) brake accumulator failure is a common issue in the Prius and has been subject to a recall/replacement for the years prior to my make (I believe 2008-2010). Clearly this is still an issue and the sudden/no-warning failure of the system causes an alarming and potentially dangerous loss of breaking control during high speed driving. Luckily, I was not using the breaks at the time of the failure and was able to determine that the manual break pads were serviceable but I needed to rapidly increase the pressure on my breaks to slow down sufficiently to avoid an accident.

See all problems of the 2011 Toyota Prius 🔎.

I own a 2010 Toyota Prius iv. I concur with all that has been documented about abs and braking issues with the Prius. Two weeks ago my brakes started to sqeal. I took it to a mechanic and was informed all was well (brake pads,fluids, oil). A week later the brake and abs indicator came on in my vehicle. The braking distance is elongated as I have to pressed firmly on the brake for the car to stop. I took it to my mechanic who reset the car. I drove from the mechanic and all appeared to be fine until I hit a bump in the road. The indicators came back on immediately and the braking changed. I had to pressed the brake pedal all the way down in order for the car to start. The car always surges forward whenever I hit a pothole, bump or any rough surface. In hin sight, when I first bought the car I had a fender bender because the car lurched forward when I was parking. I am now discovering this issue is a knwon issued with Toyota; particularly the Prius. Fixing this problem seems to be expensive. Toyota should cover the cost via a recall.

Tl the contact owns a 2005 Toyota Prius. While driving various speeds, the vehicle failed to stop in a timely manner when the brake pedal was depressed. The contact had to apply force to the brake pedal to stop the vehicle. The contact had the brake pads replaced four times by two different independent mechanics, but the failure recurred. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer for diagnostic testing. The manufacturer was contacted and stated that the brake actuator warranted repair had expired. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was not available.

Approaching a stop the brake pedal in the Prius will suddenly lose resistance and will need to be pushed to the floor where the brakes will finally engage and the auto will come to a hard stop. This happens randomly and is difficult for a mechanic to duplicate. I took the vehicle to a trusted mechanic (not the Toyota dealership) and he confirmed it is an hydraulic problem and that pads/drums/etc. Are ok. A recall was issued for 2010 Prius's describing this exact situation but my VIN number was not included in this recall. Recall details the brake booster pump contains a compartment filled with nitrogen gas. This nitrogen gas can leak into the brake fluid causing reduced hydraulic pressure during application of the brakes. Reduced braking efficiency can increase the risk of a crash. Dealers will replace the brake booster pump assembly as necessary to correct this concern. Our quick take reduced braking performance may be experienced due to a brake booster system issue. What should you do? Toyota will begin notifying owners of the affected vehicles during July, 2013. If you notice problems with the braking system, or you don't receive notification and you feel you should have, please contact your dealer for further instruction. They may ask for your vehicle identification number (VIN), so please have it handy when you call. On Jan 16, 2018 I called my local Toyota service department and was told nothing could be done as I have no outstanding recalls on the vehicle. I then called Toyota on Jan 17 and they told me much the same and opened a case number for the issue. This issue seems to be covered on NHTSA number 13v235000. I am requesting NHTSA advice as to how to proceed.

Unusual loud clicking and screeching sound as well as vibration feeling under the brake pedal while pressing the brake pedal and brakes don't feel powerful enough despite just getting new brake pads at the dealership and there is much longer distance needed for braking and bringing to a full stop. This has progressively increased since last noticed about 11-12 months ago when the odometer was arount 95000 miles. It started spontaneaously on its own. There was no accident or impact of any kind.

Driving down highway at posted speed limit (75mph), I tried to slow down due to traffic and noticed my cars ability to brake was severely compromised. I then noticed my cars brakes, abs, master warning and vsc lights had came on. Given that my car has 103k miles on it, I figured it is time for a brake pad service. With the limited braking ability, I decided to make the short drive to the Toyota dealer for brake service. After the dealer inspected my car, a representative told me that it is not the brake pads that are causing the lights in your dash to go on but rather the brake booster. They advised me that it is not recommended that I drive the car anymore until the issue is remedied by replacing the brake booster at a cost of over 2k. I had to also incur the cost of a rental since the booster was not in stock and would take over the weekend to receive. I was taken aback by the total cost of the service but had no choice and proceed to get it repaired. Upon receiving my car a few days later, I drove to work and upon my return home, the issue repeated itself with all the lights on the dash lighting up and the cars braking ability was again compromised. Extremely irate, I drove directly to the dealer and upon inspecting the car they told me that it is now the accumulator that needs to be replaced. This time the dealer absorbed the cost of over 3k to replace it. I researched the internet for any known recalls and found the issue was being addressed by Toyota with a recall however my cars VIN was not part of it. It is my hopes that you make Toyota aware of the safety issue and initiate a recall on all 2010 Prius models and not just some. I would also like to get the cost I incurred with this safety issue reimbursed at some point.

As the hybrid battery for my 2005 Toyota Prius began to fail, I noticed a degradation in my braking ability. My brakes would slip out on me unless the gas engine was running� in driving that relied on the battery, I essentially had non working brakes. When I had the hybrid battery replaced, a multi-point inspection revealed my front brake linings at 8. 9mm and my rear drum linings at 3mm (which is still in excellent range). This was clearly not a case of worn out brake pads; and replacing the hybrid battery restored my braking function when running on battery power.

The contact owns a 2005 Toyota Prius. While driving approximately 15 mph during inclement weather, the brake pedal was depressed and the vehicle jerked intermittently without warning. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the brake pads needed to be realigned. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure recurred. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 133,000.

Took car in for service at 40,251. Was told brake pads are at 1mm for both rear brake pads, and that rotors were rusted. Told for safety it should be replaced at this time. There had been no indication that brakes were faulty. No warning lights, no noise, no change in braking sensation. Prior service at 35,397 indicates brakes in good condition with both rear pads at 7mm. Also, no mention of rotor rust. Service done at 30,109 also indicates brakes in good condition with rear pads at 7mm. Multipoint inspection paper for 40k service was not attached to bill. Requested inspection paper for 40,251 service, and all other inspection papers. Car was bought at warren ohio Toyota, and was always taken there for service. Was told no inspection papers are kept longer than 6 months, and they could not provide any information about this cars previous inspections results. The most recent inspection paper was mailed to me. It indicates the rear brake pads were at 0mm and 1mm. A 0mm pad. There was nothing that occurred during driving to indicate the pad was down to metal. I have contacted the warren ohio Toyota general manager and service manager with my concerns over this rapid decline in the braking system with no warning in less than 5,000 miles of driving. Most of the driving I do weekly is highway miles. I have not received any response from the general manager or service manger despite repeated calls and emails. This rapid decline in my braking system with no warning is a serious safety concern. Either my 2012 Prius v has a faulty braking system, or the brakes were fine and Toyota of warren ohio lied about the condition of the brakes.

Brake (red color) warning lights appear while driving at 55 mph; yellow color indicator on abs, vsc. Once these warning lights appear, I somehow lose 25-50% of my braking power. Not sure what is wrong despite getting brand new wheels, replaced all-new rotors, brake pads, oil and filter change. This is the 5th time it has happened in the last few weeks. Toyota should be held liable and to replace the full cost of any necessary fixes to the hydraulic brakes or run a diagnostic of the entire vehicle's electrical or brakes system or anything that leads to the dashboard warning lights at 100%. This will be a serious issue because it can lead to serious accidents if owners of this vehicle experience the same issues.

In the past (starting at 2,800 miles) and reported numerous times to the dealer (huntington Toyota), Toyota corporate and the NHTSA, whenever the car went over a rough road service while braking at about 10 miles an hour the regenerative braking would cut out and give the sensation of the car surging forward requiring much greater braking effort to bring the car to a stop. The brakes would reset after a full stop and they would act normally until the next time braking was done on a rough road surface. Toyota claimed that this was normal behavior for the Prius abs system, even after the firmware upgrade was applied. This time the brakes did not reset after a full stop and every warning light on the dashboard lit up. There was no regenerative braking available. The car was brought to the dealer who has had it for more than a week, and is replacing major brake system components under my extended warranty. I was told that without the warranty these repairs would have cost me over $4500. This has been an ongoing and dangerous situation, which may be finally resolved after all of the brake component replacements. As an aside, the brake pads show significant and unusual wear because the regenerative braking did not work as it should.

Purchased Prius v in March 2012, June 2012 took vehicle in for service and to have dealer look into noise coming from rear brakes. Dealer stated they could not hear the noise and saw nothing upon inspection. Noise became more frequent and louder, took vehicle back to dealer and they could hear the noise. Upon inspecting the rear brakes they found rear rotors had abnormal markings in them from improper machining. Brake pad friction material glazed. Rotors and pads replaced. After a week the noise returned. Took vehicle back to dealer and was told this was a problem which Toyota has been experiencing for months but has found no solution too. Was told I would be informed when a solution was found and I could bring the vehicle back then. I feel this is a safety concern which needs to be looked into.

Low-speed brake failure: accelerated lightly away from traffic signal to approximately 5-7 mph, traffic then slowed, applied brakes normally with no noticeable deceleration or pedal resistance. Removed foot from brake and then reapplied brakes very hard, pedal again offered little resistance, no noticeable deceleration. Roadway surface dry, free from dirt/gravel, smooth with slight downgrade, temperature believed to be slightly above freezing. Impacted car ahead at low speed – no airbag deployment, minimal damage to this car (est. $750), additional minor damage to two cars ahead. After crash, shut car off. After restarting car, brakes appeared to work normally. Upon inspection found no fault codes present, no warning lights, brake pads had substantial material remaining, brake fluid level normal, tires with substantial tread depth. Car has been maintained in accordance with manufacturer recommendations since new, all recalls have been complied with. . Car was fully warm, had been driven 14 miles since start. Car had been operated at freeway speeds for last 5-6 miles before traffic signal. Based on past experience along this frequently traveled route, hybrid storage battery was almost certainly full from energy stored during deceleration from freeway speed on exit ramp, thus hybrid system would be unable to deliver regenerative braking at time of bake failure/crash.

Two months ago, I purchased a used 2007 Prius and have been experiencing some odd incidents with the brakes. For instance, when I was exiting the freeway last week, I ran over a small pothole and the car lunged forward even though I was braking the whole time. Also, when I drive at speeds higher than 60 mph and press on the brake, it always feels like there is a slight delay before the brakes actually take hold. It feels as if the brake pads on the tires are momentarily disconnected (for less than a second). I asked the Toyota dealership if the 2007 model has been affected by all of the recent recalls, but they reassured me that my Prius is fine. Nonetheless, I wanted to report these incidents to the NHTSA in case others are experiencing similar problems. Thank you.

This has occurred on multiple incidents. This car does not stop properly on rough roads. When hitting a pothole, bump, manhole cover, rough road while applying the brakes, instead of stopping, the car surges forwards approximately 5-10 feet as though there were no brakes. Eventually, the brakes work and the car stops. But it can be really scary. I have taken it to Toyota several times, but they cannot "replicate the incident. " basically, I think they drive it around the block and it doesn't happen. It is always worse with the summer tires vs the studded winter tires. They say it has to do with the regen brakes switching to the anti-locks, but I regularly drive rental cars with anti-locks for work in other cities, and I know what anti-locks feel like. I have never felt the "chatter" one feels when the anti-locks kick on. I do not believe the anti-locks work properly on this car. On may 3, 2012, I had to replace the right rear brake (rotor, plate, pads) due to unexpected corrosion. My car had ~17-18,000 miles on it and was only 1. 5 years old! I have never had to do this on any other car. Now at 27, 000 miles, mendenhall Toyota says I need to replace the rear brakes again . I just replaced the front brake pads last week. But there is a nasty squeal that I reported to them last week and they did nothing. Either they are ripping me off or the brakes on these cars are defective and dangerous. Please do something. Toyota refuses to listen.

This is the second time my car has hit a pothole in the road and the brakes stopped working. The first time I thought it was just me, but the second time I realized it was really happening and scary. I was headed southbound on rowena blvd in los angeles, was starting my deceleration when I hit this pot hole on the right side of the road. For about 2 seconds my car stopped decelerating and I could feel no power on the brake pads, then suddenly the brake power returned.

I have a 2010 Prius iii with brake issues. Sporadically, when driving backwards from a parked position the brakes become incredibly sensitive and I have to turn off the car and turn it back on again for them to function normally. On about 01/17/2010, after a heavy rain, when I was again pulling backwards out of my driveway my brakes made a grinding sound as if the pads were gone. Mind you I have less than 9,000 miles on the car. Again, turned off the car and back on to fix. Has not happened again but it hasn't rained either.

I have a 2008 Prius. I was in bumper to bumper traffic and stopped. When the car in front of me moved up (I was about 2 or 3 car links behind them) I took my foot off the brake and my car surged forward , I pressed as hard as I could on the brake with both feet and the car crashed into the car in front of me. It was like in slow motion, but the car would not stop. I put the car in park then turned it off after the crash. My airbag did not deploy, but it caused the rear bumper of the car in front of me to almost fall off in the street. I had the car towed to the nearest dealership. I was not given a ticket by the police. I told all this to the dealership and ins. Company and we requested an inspection of the brakes. After the body repair on my car iwas completed, the dealership did a visual inspection of the brakes, test drove it and said it met with their specs. And that the pads were still within the proper thickness on the brakes. They couldn't find any problem.

I own a driving school in livingston NJ, I purchased a 2010 Prius in July 2009. I also notice a delay in the braking system while driving down a hill one day. This occurred while I applied the brakes. I went over a bump or pothole. It seemed like the car actually accelerated momentarily and I had to keep applying the brakes to the floor and hoped that there was enough distance to stop. I remember going down a hill, applying the brakes and the car was slowing down, then I went over the bump or pothole in the road and the car took off like I was accelerating. I felt like I had lost control of the vehicle for at least 2 seconds or 20feet but fortunately no other vehicles were near by. I now make sure that I brake sooner, and allow more following distance. Especially in bad weather. Anti-lock brakes seem to have their own unique problems in that the wheels don't lock but those on the Prius seem a bit more noticeable because they are electric and the pads don't slow the car like normal brakes. (at least that what my salesman told me. ) he said that the pads will last over 200,000 miles. Hopefully I'll be able to drive it that long without an incident. But the problem now iis that parents may not want their kids to learn with my driving school, even though there have been no real problems with training teenagers yet.

The contact owns a 2008 Toyota Prius. While driving 60 mph the front brakes locked on the vehicle. On one occasion the failure almost caused a crash with a heavy truck. After inspecting the vehicle four times, the engineers admitted there was an actual brake problem with the vehicle. However they could not identify the cause of the failure. The current mileage was 94,400. The failure mileage was 22,000. Updated 1/4/10 the brake pads were replaced and the front rotors were machined. Updated 01/06/10.

The contact owns a 2001 Toyota Prius. The contact detected toxic levels of Mercury inside of the vehicle. The contact stated the Mercury problem was contributed to a specific type of metal content in the brake pads. The contact was advised by a physician that a chronic exposure of Mercury was in his body which resulted to such symptoms as fatigue, itchy skin, hair loss and a tingly sensation within the body. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer where they did not have the equipment to perform a diagnosis for levels of Mercury. The contact planned to replace the brake pads due to the safety risk involved. The failure mileage was approximately 175,000.

See all problems of the 2001 Toyota Prius 🔎.

Constant peculiar noises from brake system, premature brake wear computer system had to be re-initialized at 15,000 miles. Brakes pads had to be replaced and rotors resurfaced at same mileage. Brake pedal depressed to the floor before vehicle stopped, it was an emergency stop. These problems have persisted for almost 3 years and the dealer and factory rep. Says it is normal. Arbitration in favor of Toyota. I have never heard these noises in any other vehicle I have driven in 62 years. These noises could be a problem waiting to happen.

I believe Toyota has known of the braking problem all along. I purchased new, a 2002 Prius. In 2008 my anti-locking brake system went out. The service mgr. Told me it needed a new relay, and he could fix it for $1700. I have never in my life seen a relay costing $1700. My brakes still worked, just not properly so I didn't spend the $1700. As long as Toyota can get their customers to spend $1700. There is no need to have a recall. I have around 47000 miles on the vehicle and am on my third set of rotors and brake pads. My tires actually last longer. I believe this braking problem has been around from day one. I think ray lahood should check frequency of this repair against customers records, it might reveal a consistent fault.

See all problems of the 2002 Toyota Prius 🔎.

Driver was on a local road, accelerated and turned left to pull into a commercial parking lot, then applied brakes when the front tires left the road and made contact with the parking lot entrance (slight concrete curb between asphalt road and lot). The brake pedal depressed fully with little resistance, and neither the regenerative braking system nor the brake pads were activated. After approximately two seconds, the regenerative braking system applied, braking the car normally. No visible indicators were noticed on the dashboard.

The contact owns a 2004 Toyota Prius. The contact complained about brake problems. The contact stated the pedal hit a stop before locking the wheels to brake. The contact complained about the vehicle to the service dealership and they did check brakes on this vehicle as well as other vehicles of this make and model, but s it was a normal braking procedure with this vehicle. The dealership replaced the brake pads. The contact stated when he pressed the brakes,there was a minimum braking capability in stop and go traffic. The consumer hit a vehicle that was in front of his vehicle because he could not stop it. The contact did not have mechanical knowledge, and did feel this was a problem, even though the dealership stated there was no problem.

See all problems of the 2004 Toyota Prius 🔎.