2013 Toyota Prius Brakes Problems

My 2013 Prius brake booster aassembly with aster cylinder had to be replaced for the sum $3996.75. Milage on the vehicle was 109,541. The car 's brake light went on and the engine area a buzzing occured. The car was very difficult to stop and I was concerned enough to drive the vehicle home and have it towed to the [XXX] Toyota dealer. I was informed that I needed a brake booster assembly and master cylinder the quote was about four thousand dollars. Attached is my paid bill for $3996.75. The VIN number of the car is [XXX] . INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

This vehicle qualifies for a repair under T-SB-0024-19. However, this TSB expired in 2023 but the defect and responsibility shouldn't. The car didn't qualify for the repair before the TSB expired, but does now. Because the bulletin was issued and Toyota as acknowledged the repair is needed I have asked them to cover the repair as if it was prior to expiration date. Without the pricey repair, the car is unsafe to drive at no fault of the purchaser. The TSB covers the brake booster and brake booster pump and fail. Do lives have to be put at risk for Toyota to honor and repair the very thing they know is faulty? The car has under 115,000 miles and the issue just started in February. The dealership refuses to provide an itemized repair receipt. The ticket just outlines warranty information of the repair and the second are the techs notes provided via text.

While driving my 2013 Toyota Prius (110,691 miles), multiple warning lights suddenly illuminated on the dashboard, including the ABS, Brake, and Stability Control lights. I initially took the vehicle to an independent specialist (DC Line), but the mechanic there suggested I take it directly to Toyota because his staff recognized this as a known manufacturing defect that should be covered by the manufacturer. A Toyota dealership confirmed diagnostic code C1391, which indicates an internal high-pressure leak in the brake actuator and booster assembly. This is a critical safety defect that causes the brake pedal to become soft and unpredictable, significantly increasing stopping distances and disabling the ABS system. This poses a direct threat to my safety and others on the road. Toyota is fully aware of this defect through Customer Support Program ZJB, but they are refusing to cover the repair because of an arbitrary expiration date they set for 2023. I am currently 40,000 miles under the 150,000-mile limit Toyota established for this exact part failure, yet they are using the 2023 calendar date to deny coverage. Furthermore, I was never properly informed of this defect. Toyota claims they sent a single notification card in 2018, which I never received. I am now being forced to pay $3,000 out of pocket for a manufacturing flaw that even independent mechanics recognize as Toyota’s responsibility. It is unacceptable that a manufacturer can avoid responsibility for a dangerous braking failure by relying on a single postcard and an arbitrary 2023 deadline on a vehicle well under the mileage limit. This should be a mandatory safety recall, as the safety of a vehicle's braking system should not depend on a postcard or a calendar date.

This is the 3rd time I have had to address this issue. The ABS system fails, resulting in increased braking distances. The dealership refuses to warranty or recall this dangerous defect, replacing the parts which fail again. Symptoms include increased braking distance, extremely hard pedal, lack of ABS function, lack of traction control, lack of hybrid regen. The entire dash lights up with indicators for all these functions.

The contact owns a 2013 Toyota Prius. The contact stated that while coming to a stop, the brake pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle unexpectedly lunged forward. The ABS warning light and other unknown warning lights were illuminated. The dealer was contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 65,000.

While driving my 2013 Toyota Prius, the red brake warning light, traction control, and ABS warning light suddenly illuminated on the dashboard. The brake pedal became spongy and required significantly more effort to stop the vehicle, indicating reduced braking power. The vehicle was diagnosed with code C1391 — abnormal leak in the brake booster accumulator assembly — a known manufacturing defect acknowledged by Toyota via Customer Support Program bulletin ZG1 for 2010–2015 Prius vehicles. The brake accumulator was replaced by a repair shop (ARC Auto Repair, Pasadena, CA), but the issue has recurred. The symptom is pressure-dependent: brake performance degrades in Eco drive mode as accumulator pressure bleeds down, and partially restores in Power mode when the system is forced to repressurize. Toyota dealership (Hamer Toyota, Mission Hills, CA) and Toyota Customer Experience (1-800-331-4331) both declined to assist, citing expired warranty. This is a known safety-critical defect in the braking system that Toyota has previously acknowledged. No crash or injury occurred, but the reduced braking capability presents a significant safety risk to the driver and public.

ABS warning light illuminated and the system failed while driving, causing longer braking distance and reduced steering control during braking. I am concerned this ABS malfunction increased the risk of a crash for me and other road users.

The brake actuator/ABS hydraulic system on my 2013 Toyota Prius failed. The component is available for inspection upon request, as it was replaced by a Toyota dealership. Prior to failure, the vehicle intermittently displayed ABS, Traction Control, and VSC warning lights while driving, which would sometimes clear on their own but eventually became persistent. This condition reduced or disabled ABS, traction control, and vehicle stability functions, increasing the risk of loss of control or reduced braking effectiveness, particularly in emergency braking or low-traction conditions. The problem was reproduced and confirmed by a Toyota dealer, who diagnosed the failure using diagnostic code C1391 indicating internal brake actuator malfunction. The vehicle was inspected by the manufacturer’s authorized dealer, who replaced the brake actuator assembly after three days of repair at a cost of approximately $3,000. Warning lamps were present for months prior to the final repair and gradually progressed from intermittent to constant, indicating a worsening failure of a known issue affecting this generation of Prius vehicles.

I was driving on Saturday January 10th, 2026, when out of nowhere all of my dash warning lights came on and the brakes felt spongy and unresponsive. I had to limp home with 20% of my brake capacity which was very scary. Did some research and it was my brake actuator that went out. Dealer quoted me $4,000 to fix! This is a very common issue with Priuses between 2005-2015 and it's a crime that the part has NOT been recalled. Please put out a recall for this part. Toyota has already had a class-action lawsuit so precedent has been set. I have no idea how I'm going to pay $4,000 to fix this, I'm recently unemployed. Please hold Toyota liable!

Red brake light came on, traction control light came on, ABS light came on, Toyota says my brake pump needs replaced. That my brake will fail.

On [XXX], we were driving from Coalinga, CA to Phoenix, AZ for Thanksgiving. As we began to descend into Los Angeles on [XXX], three warning indicators suddenly went on: the ABS warning light, the traction control light and the brake warning light. The brakes still worked but the brake assist was weakened. We pulled over as soon as possible at the nearest AutoZone. The employee performed a standard handheld OBD-II scan of the vehicle and did not detect any issues. We continued on our way through Los Angeles and to San Bernadino where we were spending the night. At one point the indicator lights went off for a few minutes but then came back on. We spent the night in San Bernadino, and the next day (11/26/2025), we took the car into the San Bernadino Toyota Dealership as we felt it was unsafe to keep driving. The dealer conducted a thorough full brake and hybrid system diagnostic and confirmed that the failure was inside the brake booster system. The repair estimate states: "Brake booster assembly with master cylinder and brake booster pump assembly have an internal leak." Thus, Toyota's own technician identified an internal hydraulic leak within the booster system, affecting the booster assembly, master cylinder, and booster pump assembly. The total repair estimate is $3,959.99. This is a major safety defect affecting sealed hydraulic components that are not part of routine wear-and-tear. There were 4 people in the car. Fortunately, the brake failure did not result in an accident, but it could have if we had kept driving on to our destination. We contacted the Toyota Brand Engagement Center to ask for Goodwill Assistance, but they were unable to help us. In addition to the repair costs, we have incurred rental car costs. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

brakes had no stopping power. Normally when braking it was smooth. All the lights went on. Toyota dealer confirmed that the brake booster Pump Assembly and Brake Master Assembly needs to be replaced.

My daughter was driving the 2013 Toyota Prius on the interstate in Chattanooga, TN. The brakes did not feel right and the car was very difficult to stop. (It did not brake at a normal distance) My daughter was able to get someone safely, and she had the car towed to the dealer. My daughter's life was endangered by this brake booster failure, but there is no recall listed on the vehicle. Also, when I Googled the issue, I found that it is a well-known and common problem in this year Prius. The brake booster failure is due to a Toyota design flaw, and Toyota is apparently being sued for it. Why is this issue not listed as a recall? I would not have allowed my daughter to drive around in a car for which the brakes are known to fail. How many accidents and deaths will be caused by this problem before Toyota stands behind their product and recalls affected vehicles? I had to pay $3200 for this brake repair, even though it is caused by Toyota's design flaw and endangered my family's life. My family owns four Toyotas, and I do think they make the most reliable vehicles on the road. I cannot understand why there is not a recall, and they are not standing behind their product.

Brake actuator went out on 2013 Toyota Prius Gen 5. The part is very expensive and in my opinion is a part that should not have to be replaced. The care has 120,000 miles. It is driven very softly, meaning not fast and hard but commuting to work and grocery store as needed. A nice commuter. It is not fast but gets you there. The actuator put me at risk as stepping on the brake was hard and the car did not want to stop and I was close to hitting the car in front of me. All the lights came on at the dashboard and I was very scared to continue to drive and had to get a tow truck.

My 2013 Prius Plug-In Hybrid with 131k miles on it showed the ABS, Brake, and Traction Control lights while driving last week. Diagnostics from auto shop showed DTC code C1391. System is available for inspection upon request. Safety is definitely at risk, since I am needing to drive it around to assess the issue, and brakes could fail at any time. Vehicle has not been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others. After speaking to Toyota, I was informed that--although under 150k miles--my car is not covered by the extended warranty because it is 2 years past the 10 year requirement. I drove my car very little between 2020-2022 because of the global pandemic. This is a very common issue with 2012-2015 models caused by a defective part, and it's likely that the problem does not commonly present itself until after the warranty expires.

The brake booster fail and I'm at like 140k. It was very scary when it happen to me today. I press on the brake think it would brake like normal but no. It kept sliding. I felt like I was going to crash. I don't have any paper report on it yet but they are certain it's the brake booster.

Last night, the brakes stopped responding, warning lights came on (ABS warning light, brake system warning light, and the slip indicator light). This morning, a local auto repair shop diagnosed the problem as a failed brake booster assembly. This is a safety issue and we have been told we have no option but to pay to replace the entire assembly. The repair shop has contacted the local Toyota dealership, from which we have to purchase the replacement brake booster assembly.

I had my car serviced Oct 21 and when I picked it up the vehicle brakes made a whooshing noise and felt spongy. I thought it must be ok as they had just serviced it but when it became apparent this could be a problem I took it back Nov 1 and was told the hydraulic brake booster pump needing replacing at the cost of $3400. I was shocked as they told me it could break completely AT ANY TIME but the brakes would still work. I decided to drive it home as that is an enormous car repair bill and I would have to get financing or get a different car. I didn't want to make rash decisions. I investigated the issue and found out this was a recall for these vehicles for 2010 through 2019 models. This same dealer did not mention this to me at the time of sale, that they had been subject to a recall, and since I did not have them inspect the car immediately after service (I had to miss work and my son drove me after he was off work and I feared they would close before I arrived so I had them park the car outside and the sales desk had the key). I thought I would drive it but after reflection I do not want to endanger other people if my brakes fail. This is a clear violation of the public trust that these cars are yet on the road.

while driving the 2013 Prius hybrid , the ABS , brake light, and traction control lights came on. The brake was rock hard and the car would not stop at the light, causing me to swerve away from the cars in front of me and pull into a nearby parking lot. The brake would not work. There is a constant beeping noise in the car , which is a brake warning. I looked up the problem and just like many other Prius owners, there is a brake booster and brake accumulator issue and Toyota is not owning up to this problem. Many Toyota Prius owners are complaining of this loss of brakes issue. How long until NHTSA forces Toyota to do a proper recall about this very dangerous loss of brakes issue ??? They recalled a few vehicles, but the recall does not seem to cover many Prius vehicle owners that are complaining. Mine has 140 000 miles now, but this part is failing even on cars with 40 000 miles. Toyota knows very well that they have a big serious issue costing upwards of $4000 to fix. They are just refusing to recall this issue. NHTSA has to address this issue please. They are many complaints about this loss of brakes issue.

ABS, BRAKE AND Stability lights came on, i have to press all the way down the brake pedal for car to stop.