2013 Toyota Prius

In April 2022, the brake booster pump activates every 20 seconds without applying brake. Brought the car to the dealer but service representative said since there is no trouble codes, Toyota will not cover brake booster pump replacement under Customer Support Program ZJB, and I'll have to pay for diagnostic fees. I took the car back without going through diagnostic test. Lately (Jan 2023, only 71800 miles driven), the booster pump would activate every 13 seconds, still not showing any trouble codes. Hissing sound can be heard inside the car and outside, especially on the driver side when parked, between each pumping cycle. Braking feel soft and insufficient towards the end of the 13-second cycle. It is a serious safety issue should the brake booster pump fail while driving. A recall should be issued instead of a customer support program, with limitations, which only address the issue only after trouble codes appear.

Traction Control Warning Light and ABS!! Warning Light and Brake Warning Light are remaining on in my dashboard when I am driving, then my Brake changes to hard to press that is abnormal. Mechanic told me my car’s error code relate with this issue is “C1391-Leakage in accumulator abnormal”, so it is related with “ABS Module” and “ABS Accumulator Pump”

Replaced low beam on Right Lamp Headlight. Then replace high beam on Right Lamp Headlight. Then realized it is actually appears to be the power going to the Headlight does not appear to be strong enough? Looked to see if there was a recall and noticed several others have reported this same problem. It is so dim that it required high beam to see. When we purchased this car one thing was brightness of the headlights was very nice since we live in a rural area without street lights. The brightness does not meet the headlight safety standard. Currently try to only drive during daylight hours.

I was parking my car inside the garage, when suddenly feel like it was skidding, and I thought it was going to hit the wall. Then I saw the ABS, brake skid control, and brakes lights. After that incident the car feels like loosing half of its breaking power, the regenerative breaking was not longer working. I could hear a noise related to the break pressure pump every 4 seconds when normally it was longer. I connected the computer to look for codes and found the C1391 "Break Accumulator leak". Having this abnormal frequent pump running will wear it more up to the point that it would not pump any more leading to a catastrophic failure with lack of braking. Investigating about this issue it looks not isolated with several people reporting the same issue, even there was a recall but just up to 2010 models, but the problem is more spread since I am also experiencing exactly the same issue.

I had taken the Prius in to my local Toyota dealer to get the brakes flushed and bled due to thinking there was air in the brake system. I thought this because I had noticed over the past few months that the brake actuator was pressurizing at a slowly increasing rate, which I had assumed meant there was air present. I had taken the Prius in to Toyota for multiple oil changes and was never informed of any stored ABS codes or even of the Technical Service Bulletin for the actuator and master cylinder malfunctioning in Prius’ of the same years. Had I had known about the TSB, or informed of the abnormal behavior of the brakes being more than just air in the system, the repairs would have been performed free of charge under the TSB guidelines. The Prius is now out of the mileage requirements of the TSB as I use my care for work but have been experiencing this since before the mileage was over the TSB limit. After the brake flush and bleed was performed, the ABS light, BRAKE light and traction control light all illuminated and I had lost power brakes while driving. I managed to park safely due to the roads not being busy and checked the brake fluid reservoir. It was grossly overfilled. I took the car back to Toyota thinking this was the issue. When the technician received the vehicle, the lights had gone but the code for the master cylinder malfunctioning was stored. The Service Assistant informed me there was a TSB for this exact issue and was the actual cause for the actuator behavior I had been experiencing. They completed another flush and bleed and sent me on my way. He told me if the lights come back on, to bring it back to carry out the $3300 repair. The problem is, I heavily rely on my vehicle for work and if the lights come on, I experience complete loss of power brakes and might not be lucky enough to be on an empty road. This is a massive safety concern for my family and me. I am appalled that this was the conclusion I was left with.

The contact owns a 2013 Toyota Prius. The contact stated while driving at 20 MPH, the anti-lock brake turned on with no warning causing the contact to crash into a construction barrel causing minor damage to her vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and they aligned the vehicle, but the failure continued. The vehicle was taken to the dealer once again and they stated that the actuator and the brake booster needed to be replaced and stated that the VIN was under recall and then called the contact and informed her it was not under recall, and she needed to pay out of pocket. The manufacturer was contacted, and a complaint was filed but they had not contacted the contact back. The failure was mileage was 121,000.

My traction control, ABS, and emergency brake lights have been on for two weeks. I took my car to a mechanic and learned the power brake booster and master power assembly are defective. It is available for inspection upon request. Due to this part malfunction, I am unsure whether I am able to drive my car safely due to multiple brake concerns. This problem has been reproduced/confirmed as there is a national backorder on this kind of part. Due to the national backorder, I must drive my car in an unsafe manner. I have only had my car inspected by an independent mechanic called Certified Automotive, who have impressive reviews and credentials when it comes to inspecting car braking systems. To my knowledge, this is not a part of normal wear and tear on a Prius vehicle. This will now put the onus on me to purchase an expensive new part due to the defectiveness on Toyota's part.

The contact owns a 2013 Toyota Prius. The contact stated while driving at approximately 65 MPH, she heard a rattling and knocking noise then smoke started to spread throughout the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where the dealer stated that the piston disintegrated and caused damage to the engine. The vehicle was diagnosed and the contact was informed that the head gasket and engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. No warning lights were illuminated. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and the contact was informed to replace the engine. The approximate failure mileage was 140,000.

To whom may be concerned, My car started to have the issue from the beginning of this year, the braking booster keeps restarting every 8 to 10 sec, and I need step on the brake paddle harder than before to stop the car. I brought my car to local dealer last month, they admit they can hear and see the issue, but TOYOTA gave them the guideline is the code must be on. So that means no matter how bad the braking system, as long as the code not show, they won't take any action. So far TOYOTA only recall some specific model, but more cars with the bad braking system are outside, it's dangerous for everyone, I have to drive slowly and carefully to make sure I can stop the car when I need, even like that I still feel unsafe for me, since I feel harder and harder to stop it. So can anyone help to push TOYOTA to face their issue and take action ASAP before more and more accident happens. Thanks a lot Your Sincerely ZHENCHI Li