2013 Toyota Prius

While driving on the freeway, all of a sudden the ABS, Slip Indicator, Brake, and Brake System lights lit up on the dashboard. I immediately switched lanes to one that had no cars in front/back of me since I was going about 55mph. I tested the brakes since I saw the brake lights appear. It felt as though when the brake pedal was pushed, they didn't activate until you reached a certain point, almost to the point where the pedal needed to be fully pressed to stop. It didn't feel like the brakes were fully functional and behaving in the way they were prior to the lights appearing. I was afraid the brakes would give out. Then I noticed a whirling/hissing sound that was consistent. The sound was easier to hear when the car was at a complete stop but it could still be heard while driving. We took the car to a local Toyota dealership/service dept to get it evaluated. They diagnosed the car saying it needs immediate attention and is not safe for driving since it involves the brakes. The repair invoice stated VARIOUS BRAKE WARNING LIGHTS ON C1391.

Brake pump failed while on the highway. Brake functionality and braking distance changed drastically while driving high speeds. Dealer confirmed that the breaker pump and master cylinder must be replaced with a new assemblies. There was no recall for this failure, but a Toyota Customer Support Program for replacement of this brake assembly was active for reports of this failure only before April 2023. Toyota dealerships are not obligated to cover this replacement or make customer aware on any suspected vehicle unless the failure was present before April 2023. Warning lamps only appeared at brake pump failure - not before failure.

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.

Factual Background: I purchased the vehicle on May 2, 2023, with approximately 61,000 miles on the odometer. On October 22, 2023, the vehicle displayed Diagnostic Trouble Code (DTC) 1391, which is a known issue with Toyota Prius vehicles. Currently my vehicle currently has approximately 86,000 miles on the odometer. I first contacted Toyota on October 27, 2023, and spoke to Tier 1, Tier 2, and ultimately to a Tier 3 support representative. I was told that I could not escalate further, but that a supervisor would do a one business day call back. On October 30, 2023, I received a call back from a supervisor who escalated my case to the Executive Office. On October 31, 2023, I received a call from the Executive Office and asked for their address in order to file a formal complaint. On that very same day, I went to Peterson Toyota to have them confirm DTC 1391, which they did and my visit and paperwork is recorded within your internal system via Toyota Information System (1TIS) per the dealership. I am requesting that Toyota fix the known and now verified defective brake booster and brake booster pump in my vehicle at no cost to me, the consumer, pursuant to the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act and implied warranty of Toyota’s products. Again all of the details regarding my vehicle and its history are found on Toyota Information System (TIS). There have been several complaints about this known issue and an investigation needs to be reopened regarding this ongoing issue. Several class action lawsuits are getting settled before consumers have a chance to hold Toyota liable. Will someone from the NHTSA please start an investigation or facilitate in any way to get an investigation into to this reoccurring issue. Brakes matter and society is depending on government and corporations to be transparent and ethical. The FTC, BBB and Attorney General’s need to act on behalf of everyone in keeping our roads safe and holding Toyota accountable again. Too many people’s lives matter.

What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? Brake Booster and Brake Booster Pump Assembly have failed. Part are available for inspection. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? Had trouble stopping on the highway and at intersections. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? Yes Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? No Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? No. Problem happened before warning lights appeared. Later, problem was verified with error codes, dash lights, and sensation of brake action.

Brake booster defect caused ABS and brake light went on, thus we lost ABS while driving. Initially we heard noises while breaking in April 2023, told to change break pads. We went in to Toyota dealer again in Oct 2023, and diagnosed with brake booster problem, leaking gas inside. Toyota knew that its brake booster has a defect in design and has customer support program as a post failure solution vs recalls as a preventative measure. We were never informed about this customer support program regarding defect in brake booster. Toyota declined to repair saying my car already missed the time window (10 years since first use). Toyota should recall brake booster assemblies for Prius 2010-2015. In my case, due to delay in diagnosing this serious problem, I was put on a serious financial burden to pay for this repair ($2800 quoted by Toyota dealer). I was also put on a life threatening risk of driving a malfunctioning car for a long time without being informed. Since the beginning of this incidence, I’ve called Toyota four times and Toyota acknowledged that they did not inform me and Toyota dealer failed to make a proper diagnosis on time to repair.

To whom may be concerned, The car I own is Toyota Prius 2013, it has the brake issue nearly a year: I can hear the brake booster pump works every 8 seconds, and the worse thing is the car is jump and has a longer brake distance when I step on the brake paddle. I even nearly had a incident at the intersection because the brake lag. I know Toyota has customer support program ZJB, and I also brought my car to Toyota Dealer. But they say they can replicate the issue. But according to the program, it must be some light on to be qualified. So now I have to take care of over $3000 bill by myself, otherwise I have to take a risk to drive my car with the brake issue. I searched online, there are a lot of customers have the similar issues like me. So Toyota has already known this issue, but why they just still wanna those cars running on the road, brake system is the most important part, it's Disregarding human life. Thanks for your time. Best Regards [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)