The brakes suddenly failed in our 2013 Prius V while she was driving with our two young children. It was extremely scary, and very dangerous. Toyota has known about the braking system issues for years but refused to offer a recall to avoid costs. This needs to be immediately addressed.
2013 Toyota Prius V
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
More warning signs than most Prius V years
Owner complaints for the 2013 Toyota Prius V are substantially higher than the model-year median of 20.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Prius V years →Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
All reported categories
Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
67 reports with mileage · 57 unknown
NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.
What to inspect
Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.
- Service Brakes. Review the 64 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Electrical System. Review the 15 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Engine. Review the 15 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
Service Brakes complaints
64 reports2013 toyota prius V. 64,000 miles and ABS Light is on also VSC warning light and brake light. There has been many issues with this type of vehicle as i researched on internet. I didnt know there has been a recall on this vehicle. And i did not make it time. 10 yrs or 150,000 k whichever comes first. many other vehicles this y…
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2013 toyota prius V. 64,000 miles and ABS Light is on also VSC warning light and brake light. There has been many issues with this type of vehicle as i researched on internet. I didnt know there has been a recall on this vehicle. And i did not make it time. 10 yrs or 150,000 k whichever comes first. many other vehicles this year have this problem its common.. i cannot brake in time because now its using my back brakes. Dealership said brake booster pump and brake master cylinder.
Returning from a trip, several brake and skid related dashboard light illuminated. I pulled over and was able to stop the car and took it directly to the Toyota dealership after calling them. Brakes felt very spongy and stopping distance was increased. The dealer informed me that this was a known problem with my model but that I…
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Returning from a trip, several brake and skid related dashboard light illuminated. I pulled over and was able to stop the car and took it directly to the Toyota dealership after calling them. Brakes felt very spongy and stopping distance was increased. The dealer informed me that this was a known problem with my model but that I was not eligible for recall or extended warranty. I have also seen a number of complaints of this issue on the internet. The cost to repair the issue was over $4800.
ABS and brake lights suddenly turned on and brake pedal effectiveness changed dramatically. When pressing brake pedal the brakes barely work now. Just got quoted $5161 for ABS accumulator repair, $2336 for major suspension concern, and total $8386 estimate for repairs from Toyota service department. I see many similar complai…
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ABS and brake lights suddenly turned on and brake pedal effectiveness changed dramatically. When pressing brake pedal the brakes barely work now. Just got quoted $5161 for ABS accumulator repair, $2336 for major suspension concern, and total $8386 estimate for repairs from Toyota service department. I see many similar complaints from Toyota owners online, this seems to be a common issue with Prius vehicles. The Kelly blue book value is only $5450 for trade-in and $7318 for sale to private owner, so the repair doesn’t even seem worthwhile given a replacement would be cheaper, and the ABS failure happens so frequently in this vehicle, and could happen again.
All ABS, Brakes light on, code 139. Its been making a buzzing noise for a couple of years, the noise got shorter over time, and finally was coming on every 5 second, and finally the dash brake lights came on. I've cleared a couple of times, but the lights come back on after a few miles. The brake pedal has to be pushed down hard…
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All ABS, Brakes light on, code 139. Its been making a buzzing noise for a couple of years, the noise got shorter over time, and finally was coming on every 5 second, and finally the dash brake lights came on. I've cleared a couple of times, but the lights come back on after a few miles. The brake pedal has to be pushed down hard to stop. The problem is the brake part is $1500, and 1500 to install.
Prior to issue, noticed a buzzing sound from engine compartment, later known to be the ABS accumulator pump, occurring more frequently - first multiple times when braking, then later continuously while driving. Dashboard eventually lit all brake-related warning lights ("BRAKE", TSC, ABS) and brake pedal behavior changed markedly…
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Prior to issue, noticed a buzzing sound from engine compartment, later known to be the ABS accumulator pump, occurring more frequently - first multiple times when braking, then later continuously while driving. Dashboard eventually lit all brake-related warning lights ("BRAKE", TSC, ABS) and brake pedal behavior changed markedly. This occurred after parking in my driveway while engaging the parking brake. Brake behavior during and after this period was wildly inconsistent and impossible to predict. At times the brakes would perform normally, but most often the first portion of brake pedal travel would have no braking effect, and actual required force on the pedal to brake was greatly increased. The need to press further and with more force created a dangerous situation as it delayed how quickly I could slow or stop. The inconsistency in performance created a dangerous situation as the vehicle may (and did) sometimes stop more suddenly than expected. Additionally, the failure resulted in loss of traction control and ABS resulting in greatly increased risk in wet road conditions and terrible danger in sudden-stop situations. Self scanner & Toyota service center confirmed presence of C1392 code and recommended replacing brake actuator and brake pump assemblies, quoting over $4,500. Service was declined and replacement parts bought from Toyota and self-installed to resolve issue. Both Toyota service center and Toyota customer support line confirmed that this issue was described in an existing Customer Support Bulletin but that coverage was denied due to age of the vehicle. Vehicle was approximately 15,000 miles below listed mileage cap but approximately 12 years old, with Toyota denying service for vehicles over 10 years old.
While driving on the highway, all the Brake-Related Warning Lights appeared on the dashboard. This was accompanied by a frequent electric buzzing noise (every 15-20 seconds, lasting two seconds each time). The brakes became difficult to press, almost spongy, and required more pressure to function. Upon taking it to the dealer, I…
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While driving on the highway, all the Brake-Related Warning Lights appeared on the dashboard. This was accompanied by a frequent electric buzzing noise (every 15-20 seconds, lasting two seconds each time). The brakes became difficult to press, almost spongy, and required more pressure to function. Upon taking it to the dealer, I was told that the vehicle (a 2013 Prius V with 181k miles) needed a new ABS pump and brake actuator, totaling roughly $4100.
The brake accumulator has failed on our 2013 Prius at 170K miles. The brakes are unresponsive and all brake-related indicator lights are on. The vehicle is unsafe. This is a known issue for this model and year Prius, yet Toyota did not issue a recall. Warranties were extended to 150K miles, but this issue is a serious safety…
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The brake accumulator has failed on our 2013 Prius at 170K miles. The brakes are unresponsive and all brake-related indicator lights are on. The vehicle is unsafe. This is a known issue for this model and year Prius, yet Toyota did not issue a recall. Warranties were extended to 150K miles, but this issue is a serious safety risk - danger to us and others on the road. This issue should have resulted in a safety recall, not a "courtesy" warranty extension. Toyota needs to resolve this for all affected vehicles.
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.
I was driving at normal highway speed, all of a sudden, my dashboard lights (4) lit up. Warning lights, Brake lights, Transaction lights and ABS lights all appeared at once. There was some traffic up ahead, so I applied my brakes but noticed that they weren't as responsive as normal so had to adjust for it by applying more press…
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I was driving at normal highway speed, all of a sudden, my dashboard lights (4) lit up. Warning lights, Brake lights, Transaction lights and ABS lights all appeared at once. There was some traffic up ahead, so I applied my brakes but noticed that they weren't as responsive as normal so had to adjust for it by applying more pressure than normal to come to a stop.
Official recalls
218V684000 · Hybrid Propulsion System
Oct 4, 2018
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2010-2014 Toyota Prius and 2012-2014 Toyota Prius V vehicles. Excessive voltage in the Intelligent Power Module (IPM) within the inverter may cause the hybrid system to shut down, causing the vehicle to stall while being driven.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: If the hybrid system shuts down unexpectedly, it can increase the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will update the software for the motor/generator control electronic control unit (ECU) and the hybrid control ECU as necessary, free of charge. The recall began January 22, 2019. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-888-270-9371. Toyota's number for this recall is J0V. Note: The software updates in this recall are needed even if the vehicle had the software previously updated under recalls 14V-053 or 15V-449.
15V449000 · Hybrid Propulsion System: Inverter
Jul 15, 2015
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain model year 2012-2014 Prius V vehicles manufactured August 22, 2011, to June 30, 2014. A component within the hybrid inverter assembly may overheat, causing the hybrid system to reduce output power allowing the vehicle to only drive a short distance. In some circumstances, the hybrid system may shut down causing the vehicle to stop while being driven.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: The vehicle may enter a fail-safe/limp-home mode that limits the drivability of the vehicle. The hybrid system could also shut down completely resulting in a vehicle stall, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will update the software for the motor/generator control electronic control unti (ECU) and the hybrid control ECU, free of charge. The recall began on July 30, 2015. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-888-270-9371.
Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗
NHTSA investigations
0No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.
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