2015 Toyota Prius Brakes

Car feels like it lunges forward while braking over bumps. I have learned this is a known manufacture defect with the Brake Booster and Brake Actuator which Toyota is refusing to replace outside of 10 years from manufacture date. This is a critical safety item and failure can result in loss of brake power. Most owners do not know this part even exists until failure has happened already.

Brake booster failed. ABS lights on. Brake light on. Traction control light on. Was sitting at stop with foot gently on brake when lights turned on. Attempted to restart car to clear lights, lights would not turn off after normal restart x3. Brake no longer function correctly, and the factory installed ABS are no longer functioning. Braking distance greatly increased, and no longer as safe to operate.

"ABS ACTUATOR AND BRAKE PUMP - Remove & Replace - Hydraulic Booster Assembly" -High Voltage Auto LLC Bakersfield, CA Actually scared for my life when driving now. Brakes are now limp, constant sound of actuator cycling, code is C1391 Problem is reproduced by dealer and independent service. Yes parts were inspect by manufacture. There are multiple warning lamps, actuator cycling is constant piror to lamps finally indicating issue.

The ABS and traction light appeared on the dash while driving on the freeway. I attempted to brake, while merging to exit but the car brake system did not respond. Luckily there were no cars close to us. Figured it could be a brake fluid problem so I added more fluid and it went away for a bit. It’s come back again and my car feels unsafe to drive. The brake pedal feels stiff or sometimes mushy like dough. I am waiting to get a diagnosis on my car but from what I’ve read and what other prius owners are reporting, it appears to be the “break actuator and break booster pump” that is failing to work properly. Wondering if any other Prius owners have filed a complaint.

I was driving down the road when I noticed my brakes were not working. I had to push a lot harder on the pedal to slow the car down luckily, I did not crash into the car in front of me. I pulled over to see numerous lights on the dash such as traction, abs, and brakes. I had the car towed to Toyota where they quoted me almost $3000 to fix the brake accumulator and booster assembly. They said my car is outside the extended warranty of this problem. My car is a 2015 Prius with 154k miles. I found online that these things fail commonly on this generation of Prius. It's horrible for this company to charge us basically the cost of the car to fix the brakes.

The ABS, BREAK, and Traction Control, suddenly turned on when I was traveling on the freeway in mild traffic. I was traveling at about 60-65 mph. I attempted to use the breaks and could feel a substantial difference in how much and how hard I had to push in order to stop. The problem has not been confirmed by a dealer or service center. The vehicle was inspected by my brother in law who works on cars frequently. There were no warning symptoms prior to the problem. The problem first occurred on Saturday November 1st at about 12:30. According to my brother in law, it was the break pump that failed; you can hear air escaping when you push on the break pedal.

I have a 2015 Toyota Prius with 48,600 miles. My breaks started failing suddenly while driving which almost got me into a car accident. I took it to my mechanic immediately and the DTC was Code C1281. I was advised to take the car to A Toyota dealer. I got an appointment and a manager was waiting for me wanting to charge me $250 for a new diagnostic test and $2,500 - $3,000 for repair if the diagnosis was correct. I called customer service and washed their hands from any responsibility. I called the Toyota's customer advocate service located in Plano, TX and was on the phone for more than an hour. They apologize, were very courteous, but I was told that I was not covered because I had call too late and that the repair offered by Toyota had expired. They acknowledged that Toyota never issued a recall for this manufacturer defect. I informed them that the discovery of the problem had occurred on [XXX], 10 years and 2 month after I bought the car from them and that the car was almost new with very little mileage. I let them know that felt this was a deceptive trade practice with breach of warranty and breach of implied warranty of merchantability, along with it being a fraudulent concealment with failure to warn their customers of potential danger and harm. I plea with the Toyota's advocate that since the statute of limitation and equitable tolling had not elapsed from the day of discovery that they should honor my request for it being just. I was told that Toyota's decision on the Prius brake defect was not covered and that I was free to take my car to a Toyota dealer or an independent mechanic, whatever was more convenient and/or affordable and that the cost was on me. I asked if I were to get a new Toyota car and trade in my old car if they would appraise it as if the defective brake part had not malfunctioned. The answer was that the value of my car if traded in, would be significantly less due this issue. He gave me a Ref # [XXX] and hanged up. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Toyota Hybrid Brake Problems 2015 Toyota Prius I took to my dealership Jim Ellis Toyota in McDonough GA. I was told that my brake master cylinder & brake booster pumps vehicle has failed. I experienced my brakes locking up, causing the vehicle to unexpectedly lunge forward or failing to engage when the brake pedal is depressed. On [XXX] my ABS, Brake, Traction lights came on out of nowhere. I tried taking it to my dealership in April to Jim Ellis, Toyota of McDonough for the lights, the one lights being on. I took it there around 8 o’clock in the morning and then there was a very rude and disrespectful service person by the name of Victoria who told me that they would not be able to see me and told me that I needed to leave because I didn’t I have an appointment. This is a Dealership that I purchased this car phone in 2018 and I have been taking my car to Jim Ellis Toyota of McDonough since 2018 to get regular oil changes and other maintenance for my car. Such as things my brakes replace my front and the back brakes have my battery please and come several times out of the year to get a oil change because I have part of what they consider a lifetime oil change on my car. Also, I had a Warranty whole time that I have been taking my car to the dealership they never once brought to my attention that there was a known recall for the brakes booster. It wasn’t until I took my car to dealership on Friday 5/30/25 that I was advised that this was a known issue for 2010-2015 Toyota Prius Jim Ellis dealership knew about the problem and failed to make repairs when I spoke with general manager Lorenzo Smith he advised that past the recall timeframe and my warranty has expired. Jim Ellis dealership knew their were known issues and hid the issue I refuse to write the wrong by making the repairs to my vehicle. They’re trying to charge me over $3200 in repairs when I spoke with the general manager, he advised me that they didn’t make the repairs because my vehicle vin number. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Brake Booster and Master Cylinder failed. Traction Control and ABS lights came on while driving. Upon inspection there is an issue with the brake booster and master cylinder. This is an issue that Toyota is aware of and were repairing under a customer service campaign. They are aware that these parts malfunction and instead of recalling them, they set expiration dates for free replacement. The car must be experiencing an issue and throw the correct code within the campaign window to be eligible for complimentary repair. The brakes failing in this way could cause great harm to me as a driver and others on the road making it imperative that I pay thousands in repair cause to ensure everyone's safety, though that is toyota's job.

On or around 9/13/25 my ABS, Brake, Traction and Emergency Sign sensors turned on in my 2015 Toyota Prius. I noticed that my brakes became squishy and when I drove, it took longer for my car to brake (there was more distance in my braking ability to stop the car). My car also felt a bit more airy than it usually does when I drive it. I took it to 2 independent car repair shops for a diagnostic and both told me that the ABS C1391 code came up. Soon thereafter, I took it to a local Toyota dealership for a diagnostic and was given the ABS C1391(code) Abnormal Leak in the accumulator. The Toyota mechanic informed me that that when he did the diagnostic, the TSB 0024-19 code came up on his end, which means that Toyota alerts their mechanics of the necessary procedures to implement for this problem, as it's a known Toyota problem and defect: 1) Remove & Replace the Brake Booster Assembly w/the Master Cylinder (apparently the master cylinder goes out too since they're connected) and 2) Remove and Replace the Brake Booster Assembly Pump. Toyota's estimate to repair it is $4,404.72; I can't afford this and need a car. It's my only car! I did research and learned that this is a known Toyota issue for Prius (2010-2015) and a Customer Support Program w/an extended warranty was issued to cover the full cost. Despite this, their extended warranty expired for me on 12/29/24, despite me meeting the other 10 yr or 150K or less mileage criteria. Despite filing a complaint with Toyota's Resolution Center they refused to extend or offer warranty or any payment for a KNOWN Toyota defect, saying my issue was "after the extended warranty date" and there "isn't a recall." I'm disgusted to say the least about this, as Toyota is well aware of this car part defect which is a safety hazard and liability for its customers. Something must be done about this. It's unfair and not equitable to have loyal Toyota customers absorb the cost of known safety hazard defects by Toyota and risk lives.

omponent/System Involved: SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC ⸻ Make: Toyota Model: Prius Year: 2015 Mileage: 155,470 VIN: [XXX] ⸻ What happened: My 2015 Toyota Prius is experiencing brake failure symptoms related to a known defect addressed in Toyota’s Warranty Enhancement Program ZJB. The vehicle has triggered DTC codes C1256 and C1391, which indicate failure of the brake booster and master cylinder — a problem widely reported by Prius owners. The defect causes decreased brake effectiveness and increased stopping distance. My Prius is just 5,470 miles over Toyota’s 150,000-mile coverage cap, and despite confirming the exact codes, the dealership refused to repair unless Toyota pays first. Toyota Corporate opened Case #[XXX], but has not offered a resolution. This is a safety-critical issue that Toyota acknowledges in internal service bulletins, but they are denying assistance based on a technicality, despite my vehicle having the exact failure their program is designed to address. I am filing this complaint because I believe Toyota is avoiding responsibility for a dangerous manufacturing defect affecting braking performance and safety. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

On the morning of December 11th, 2024, the brake system warning light (ABS, yellow) illuminated on the dashboard along with the red BRAKE indicator and the yellow Vehicle Stability Control (VSC) system light. I consulted a mechanic who performed a computer diagnostic and informed me that the ABS module booster had failed. He said that will order the part to change it but meanwhile he advised me to drive more cautiously and maintain a greater distance from the vehicle ahead, allowing extra space for my car to stop due to the increased braking distance caused by the failed ABS module booster. Later that day, at approximately 5:30 PM, I was driving home in heavy traffic, with speeds not exceeding 40 miles per hour. The vehicle in front of me began to decelerate abruptly. When I applied firm pressure to the brake pedal to slow down my car, it lost all control. The vehicle began to skid, with the amplitude of the skid increasing progressively. It struck the highway guardrail on the left, changed trajectory, crossed all four lanes to the right uncontrollably, and ultimately collided with the highway guardrail on the right side.

There is a known brake booster issue with the Toyota Prius. They extended the coverage to 150,000 miles. My car is at 127,000 miles and they said the repair isn't under warranty and will cost over $3,000 to fix. There was no pre-warning lights or information received about this repair notice. I only noticed this when the lights came on and our ABS lights went out. When I took it in they said I missed the deadline by 5 days, that I would have had to let them know by 11/20/2024. Which is insane for such a huge issue when I am well under the mileage coverage.

As many others have reported, the Brake Accumulator has failed. The symptoms began at 100,000 miles. When reported to the dealership, was brushed off as not a safety concern. It is, indeed, a major safety concern. My partner had the ABS lights come on and brakes freeze up while driving on a fast and congested highway. Furthermore, getting this repaired is nearly impossible. The only Toyota dealership in town is estimated a $5k price. And since independent shops often cannot perform this repair, there is no comparison possible. They simply push to buy a new vehicle instead of standing by one that should be operating normally. The dealership is Miracle Toyota of North Augusta SC. Consistently does not support the consumers concerns and simply pushes repurchase as the only reasonable avenue. This is a known issue for Toyota that has stranded many of us without the ability to keep this car on the road. Please resolve with reasonable repair options due to faulty design.

My brake booster is failing and has been confirmed with Certified Toyota Master Mechanics at Toyota Dealerships that it is failing. Toyota has a CSP Called ZJB to replace these once the brake booster fails. My car has been identified as one of the cars with a faulty brake booster and I’m terrified to continue to drive it as it has to throw a code and break before they will change the faulty part. I want them to fix it before it fails and someone gets hurt. What do I do? There are a lot of other complaints about this but Toyota is not fixing them until they break. This is a huge safety issue.

The brake assist. Driving and suddenly no brakes. Happened 2x in this vehicle and had to get a tow each time, even after getting new brake pads the first time it happened at my mechanics. The dealer confirmed today that they would fix the problem at $2700. The lights for traction and abs went off with a warning sound. Pulled over both times and called aaa for tow…..each a separate incident.

1. Brake accumulator pump is running too often, indicating that there is a pressure leak in the braking system. 2. As designed the pump will run only on occasion to charge the booster fully. This pump runs a lot, whether the car is running, or not, whether the brakes are applied, or not, and regardless of braking rigorously or gently. 3. Occasionally, on start up, brake pedal goes to the floor as the accumulator has lost all charge. 3. No brake warning lights on dash, yet. 4. No service codes known, yet. Toyota had a customer support program to address this issue, extending warranty to 10 years or 150,000 miles. I am at 160,000, 8 years. The problem has been occurring for a while, but I was not aware as it was my wife's car and driven solely by her. I was told today by a Toyota resolution specialist that no help would be forthcoming, and to hope that NHTSA issues a recall wherein my problem with the braking system would then be addressed. This seems problematic for many reasons, not the least of which is that it is regarding BRAKES, an integral part of the safety equipment to ensure our highways are without danger or have no known issues that have not been resolved by a car manufacturer. My Toyota case number is 230426001055. This 'complaint' is to alert this agency that there is a problem with my vehicle, and others, known by Toyota, as evidenced by past Customer Support Program, and as substantiated today by service rep at Family Toyota of Burleson, and there is no recompense available for the $3,000.00 repair required to ensure my vehicle safely travels our nations highways. While I understand that a car cannot be warrantied indefinitely, an eight year old car that has been meticulously maintained with a serious safety time bomb should not fall upon the owner entirely, nor should it be the responsibility of your agency to force the hand of the automaker. Since that is there stance, I appeal to you to respond seriously and help me try to remedy.

I bought this car brand new and have had it serviced regularly at a Greensboro Nc Toyota dealership. It has 127,000 miles on it. I starting hearing a grinding whirring noice a lot lately and determined it is a brake actuator/brake booster. Took it to the dealership and they confirmed it to be a brake booster going bad. Engages at least 4 times a minute. There is a customer support program for this repair from Toyota ZJB and covers the part up to 10 years or 150,000 miles. I am in the covered period but it has to break first before they will cover it even though they confirmed it is going bad. It has to “throw a code” before Toyota will pay. I reached out toToyota and they reached out to the dealership which is Greensboro Toyota in Greensboro, NC and their regional office won’t fix it because it would come out of their pocket and Toyota won’t fix until it breaks. My research confirms this could be a bad safety issue driving around waiting for this to break. There are no codes yet but the dealership has heard it and confirmed it’s going bad and I have video of the part going bad. I always service everything with my car or home when it needs to be done and to be told to drive around until it breaks is negligent. Apparently it is a 2-3k fix. This is a serious safety issue that Toyota is aware of. Retha Fisher 16 Fawnwood Ct Greensboro, NC 27407 336-314-2000

The brake booster pump assembly has failed through no fault of my own. This is a major safety issue!

The contact owns a 2015 Toyota Prius. The contact stated that as he approached a stop light at 25 MPH, the brake pedal was depressed and traveled to the floorboard as he attempted to stop the vehicle. The brakes failed to operate without warning as he hit the vehicle in front of him. The air bags did not deploy upon impact. A police report was filed and both the contact and the other driver were able to drive away from the scene. No injuries were reported. Prior to this failure, the contact stated that the same failure occurred months prior while traveling at 20 MPH in the rain. The contact stated that the brakes failed to operate without warning as he depressed the brake pedal to the floorboard; he hit an unknown object on the road due to the failure. The contact initially thought that the failure was related to slippery roadways; however, after the most recent failure, he related the prior incident with his most recent failure. The dealer nor the manufacturer had yet to be notified of the failure. The vehicle had yet to be serviced or diagnosed. The failure mileage was approximately 80,000.

My 2015 prius gen 3 has a 118,000 miles since we bought it brand new in 2015. We periodically have it maintained with our own mechanic even after the warranty expired with the dealer. However, we experienced that the lights of Brake system, ABS and VSC went out the same time. We have it checked but there was no error code. the car is operational but the brake system does not engaged fully when you presses the brake pedal. The vehicle does not stop immediately if you need to immediately stop the vehicle. The problem strongly indicates failure in ABS control modules which can costs us a big amount of money ranging from $3,500 minimum up to $6000 max. Majority of the prius owners that shared their experiences to us regarding the same problems are unanimous in their opinion that it is indeed the brake control module. That such defect can only be pointed to the manufacturers' misdeeds.

BRAKES FAILED TO SLOW OR STOP VEHICLE AT ?20 MPH; DRIVING ON A SIDE STREET. NO WARNING LIGHTS WERE ACTIVE THAT MORNING. CRASH INTO TELEPHONE PHONE RESULTED IN "TOTALED" CAR. THERE WAS BROKEN BRANCHES ON ROAD AND SOME MUD; CAR MAY HAVE SKIDDED. MY WIFE SAYS THE CAR SEEMED TO SPEED UP BEFORE THE CRASH

I PURCHASED THE VEHICLE NEW IN 2025 AND I HAVE BEEN EXPERIENCING BRAKE FAILURE ISSUES EVERY TIME I ATTEMPTED TO BRAKE OVER EITHER A POTHOLE, A SLICK SURFACE LIKE A METAL SHEET AT ROAD CONSTRUCTION OR WET ROADS THE BRAKE WOULD FAIL. ALL THE RED WARNING SIGNS WOULD COME ON IN THE DASHBOARD AND THE BRAKES WOULD MAKE THAT LOUD HORRIBLE NOISE. I LOVE MY PRIUS, I DON'T WANT TO GET RID OF IT. I WAS HOPING TOYOTA MOTORS WOULD HAVE A FIXED FOR THE BRAKING SYSTEM BY NOW AS THIS IS VERY UNSAFE SPECIALLY INEXPERIENCED DRIVERS. MY GOAL IS TO PASS THIS CAR TO MY TEENAGE DAUGHTER WHEN SHE GOES TO COLLEGE IN 2021, BUT THIS MAY NOT BE POSSIBLE IF TOYOTA DOESN'T TO UP WITH A SOLUTION TO THE PROBLEM.

THE BRAKES ON MY 2015 PRIUS TOTALLY FAILED AND I HAD TO SWERVE TO AVOID CRASHING INTO THE CAR STOPPED IN FRONT OF ME. I'VE BEEN DRIVING FOR MORE THAN 30 YEARS AND HAVE NEVER EXPERIENCED ANYTHING LIKE THIS. IT WAS TERRIFYING. TO WIT: I WAS DRIVING ABOUT 20 M.P.H. ON CITY STREETS IN LONG BEACH, CALIFORNIA, IN APRIL 2019. AS I DROVE OVER A BRIDGE, TRAFFIC WAS COMING TO A STOP AT A RED LIGHT 200 YARDS IN FRONT OF ME. I DROVE OVER A NARROW METAL PLATE--THERE ARE SEVERAL ON THE BRIDGE--AND HIT THE BRAKES, BUT MY CAR DIDN'T SLOW. A WARNING LIGHT FLASHED--A STABILITY CONTROL LIGHT, I BELIEVE, DUE TO THE METAL PLATE. I PRESSED THE BRAKES TO THE FLOOR AS MY CAR ROLLED DOWNHILL ON PAVEMENT. MY CAR DID NOT SLOW AT ALL. I LOOKED IN THE DRIVER SIDE MIRROR AND SAW THAT THE LANE TO MY LEFT WAS CLEAR, SO I SWERVED INTO IT WITH MY FOOT ON THE BRAKES. THE CAR SLOWLY CAME TO A STOP WELL BEYOND WHERE I SHOULD HAVE STOPPED HAD MY BRAKES WORKED PROPERLY. THE INCIDENT WAS SO TERRIFYING THAT I HAD TO PULL OVER TO COLLECT MYSELF. MY BRAKES WORKED PROPERLY AFTER THAT. A FEW DAYS LATER, I TOOK MY CAR TO PENSKE TOYOTA IN DOWNEY, CALIFORNIA, WHERE I BOUGHT THE CAR, AND TOLD A SERVICE AGENT WHAT HAPPENED. I ASKED HIM TO FIX THE PROBLEM. AFTER SERVICE TECHNICIANS INSPECTED THE BRAKES THAT DAY, I WAS TOLD THE BRAKES APPEARED TO BE FINE AND, BARRING A RECALL, NOTHING COULD BE DONE. I'VE BEEN DRIVING THE CAR SINCE THEN, BUT I'VE WORRIED THAT THE BRAKES COULD FAIL AGAIN. THEN I SAW THE JAN. 3, 2020 ARTICLE BELOW. AS A RESULT, I'VE RENTED A CAR AND HAVE STOPPED DRIVING MY PRIUS. THIS IS A TERRIFYING, LIFE-THREATENING PROBLEM THAT NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED NOW. HTTPS://WWW.DAILYNEWS.COM/2020/01/03/A-SOUTHERN-CALIFORNIA-TOYOTA-DEALER-WANTS-THE-CAR-GIANT-TO-FIX-AN-ALLEGED-BRAKE-DEFECT-BEFORE-PUTTING-LIVES-AT-STAKE/ P.S. I'M NOT SURE OF THE EXACT DATE THIS INCIDENT OCCURRED. DATE BELOW IS MY BEST ESTIMATE.

SENT AN ALERT ON CERTAIN INTERNAL MALFUNCTION OF INTERNAL ASSEMBLIES OF THE BRAKE BOOSTER FROM TOYOTA. ASKING ME TO BRING IT IN FOR EXAMINATION. BRAKES HAVE BEEN ACTING SPONGY AND AM LOSING A SMALL AMOUNT OF BRAKE FLUID MONTHLY.