2008 Toyota Prius Service Brakes, Electric Problems
- 77
- Owner complaint records in our dataset
Records are owner complaints, not a measured failure rate.
Owner complaint recordsComplaint records reflect reports in our dataset and do not measure how frequently the problem occurs across all vehicles.
Among these 77 stored complaint records:
- 14 indicate a crash
- 1 indicate injury
- 0 indicate fire
What owners report
- same problem · 9 records
- slow down · 8 records
- brake pedal · 7 records
- traction control · 6 records
- applied brakes · 5 records
- feels like · 5 records
Mileage in stored records
| Band | Records |
|---|---|
| 1–30k mi | 49 |
| 30–60k mi | 16 |
| 150–400k mi | 1 |
| 60–100k mi | 1 |
Complaint records
Owner-submitted complaint content, presented as stored.
Service Brakes, Electric
Brakes fail if the car is driven over even a very small bump in the road. Brake failure is very sporadic. *tr
ODI 10304478
Service Brakes, Electric
2008 prius brake slippage- not the 2009 prius, but 2008. Recurrent slippage when it feels as though the car is not responding to the brake pedal, usually after hitting a pebble or a slick area (even just water)...occurs approx once/month. News stories today only referencing the latest model, and it is clearly a problem in my 2008 car. No accidents yet, but always a bit alarming. Otherwise love my prius. *tr
ODI 10304133
Service Brakes, Electric · Service Brakes, Hydraulic
I never owned a car with anti-lock brakes until i had my prius. I have always noticed that when applying the brakes, if i go over uneven ground like a pothole, the car lurches forward a bit for about a second. I thought it was because of the unique braking system in the prius, but after seeing all of these reports, i thought i should report it since my car is older than the ones mentioned in the news reports. *jb
ODI 10306174
Electronic Stability Control · Service Brakes, Air · Service Brakes, Electric · Service Brakes, Hydraulic
My car is a 2008 prius. The incident is that my car didn't stop and skidded into a concrete curb, damaging the right front power steering rack. It was snowing, about 1-2" accumulated. Driving into my office parking lot, there is a street with a steep but short hill - maybe 50feet or less - (it was not plowed or sanded). At the foot of the hill, there is a left turn into a level parking lot or a right turn under a…
Crash reported
ODI 10307159
Service Brakes, Electric
I purchased 2008 toyota prius from anapolis toyota. The brakes failed on three occasions since purchasing car on january 18, 2010. Car was taken in during the first 7 days after purchasing it. Service departmdnt and used car sales management claimed nothing was wrong. Problem occurs when i hit a bump in the road. Brakes competely fail. Very dangerous. It is not just the 2010 model that should be questioned. All…
ODI 10307494
Service Brakes, Electric
I have a 2008 toyota prius and have experienced several instances where the brakes appear to stop working over the last 2 years. This has happened while braking while hitting a pot hole in the road. It lasts for only a split second. *tr
ODI 10304858
Service Brakes, Electric · Steering
Toyota prius 2008 driving over potholes or wet pavement, it's harder to steer or brake than i've ever experienced in another car. This has happened approximately 15 times since i bought the car in july 2008. *tr
ODI 10304384
Service Brakes, Electric
My 2008 prius experiences the braking problem being investigated with the 2010 prius. *cn
ODI 10307598
Service Brakes, Electric
Not a smooth braking system when braking over bumps / holes, railroad tracks. *tr
ODI 10307744
Service Brakes, Electric
I see in the news that 2010 toyota prius is investigated for braking issue on ice and slippery roads. I experience the same with 2008 prius. I feel a delay when i apply the brake when the roads are wet etc.it is sporatidc experience. *cn
ODI 10306916
Service Brakes, Electric
Brake failure on my toyota prius is something that happens every so often, so far about 20-30 times since i have owned the car (june 08). I will begin braking with the car and all of a sudden the brakes will lose pressure and it does not brake, only to regain the braking ability about 2 seconds later. This mostly occurs in wet weather and i have narrowly avoided a few crashes because of the failure. It is not a…
ODI 10304784
Service Brakes, Electric
I have a 2008 prius. I took it in because whenever the road is slippery the brakes don't engage properly and the car continues forward for some time. I took it to toyota in downtown la and they told me i needed to buy new tires and a rotation. I did this. Now i see that the same problem i have in my prius still is what the new prius is being recalled for. I am sure i am not the only prius owner prior to 2010 that…
ODI 10306544
Service Brakes, Electric
I was driving a 2008 toyota prius on the highway at around 50 mph when traffic came to a stop, and when i depressed on the brake pedal, the car kept going, and it wasn't until i jammed on the brake pedal all the way to the floor that the brakes seem to engage, but by that time, i had already collided with the car in front of me. On a separate instance, one year ago, the car failed to stop when i pressed on the brake…
Crash reported
ODI 10304565
Service Brakes, Electric
I have a 2008 prius and have noticed that the car regularly loses braking ability and surges forward after hitting potholes. This has been occurring since i bought the car. I didn't realize until reading the news that other people were experiencing the same problem. *tr
ODI 10304804
Service Brakes, Electric
2008 touring prius with blizzack tires. Driving at 10-15 mph in parking lot coated with ice, both smooth and bumpy. Applied brakes to slow for a turn out of the lot and the brakes locked, the abs did not engage, and the car did not slow down, hitting an icy snowbank and cracking the front right fender. This incident was 1/1/10. On 2/1/10 on the freeway, at about 30-40 mph, on snow that was slick and icy, i applied…
Crash reported
ODI 10315736
Service Brakes, Electric
2008 toytoa prius brakes disengaging when going over bumps, potholes, railway tracks. No injuries yet but some close calls.
ODI 10307401
Service Brakes, Electric
I have a 2008 prius. I was in bumper to bumper traffic and stopped. When the car in front of me moved up (i was about 2 or 3 car links behind them) i took my foot off the brake and my car surged forward , i pressed as hard as i could on the brake with both feet and the car crashed into the car in front of me. It was like in slow motion, but the car would not stop. I put the car in park then turned it off after the…
Crash reported
ODI 10303849
Service Brakes, Electric
I have a 2008 toyota prius and on december 4, 2009, i rear-ended another vehicle after my brakes failed. I applied the brakes as i was coming upon the car, and the car just kept going. Fortunately, i was going at a slow speed. I immediately reported the accident to my insurance company and i did tell the representative that i hit the brakes but the car kept going. *tr
Crash reported
ODI 10307841
Service Brakes, Electric
I have a 2008 prius, but i have that same braking issue that the 2010 prius has. At least 3 or 4 times in the past, i have hit a bump while braking, usually when approaching an intersection, and the car feels like it surges forward off the bump, requiring pushing the brake harder. It's a strange enough sensation that it would make me say "whoa, that felt weird" every single time, but i just thought i didn't brake…
ODI 10312281
Service Brakes, Electric
Tl* the contact owns a 2008 toyota prius. Whenever the contact drives her vehicle at any speed and attempst to brake over a rough terrain the contact noticed that the vehicles brakes will disengage for a short period and then correct itself. The vehicle has not been diagnosed by the dealership and there were no prior warnings. The current and failure mileages were 50000.
ODI 10310824
Service Brakes, Electric
When i brake for a bump or pothole, my 2008 toyota prius, accelerates on its own when the front tires hits the bump or pothole. I must hit the brakes harder in order to slow. This occurs very frequently, i notice this especially at low speeds. This acceleration on a bump recently occurred when there was a car immediately in front of me, i barely missed hitting the car. This has nothing to do with floor mat. The…
ODI 10293806
Exterior Lighting · Service Brakes, Electric
Headlights on toyota prius 2008 started dimming and going out intermittently at 50,000 miles. Lights will go back on when turned off and then back on again. I have been stopped 3 times by the police for a headlight out and been let go with a warning. In addition, the abs system activates for no reason on dry roads and brakes are slow to engage. *tr
ODI 10304864
Service Brakes, Electric
I have had some problems with my prius, 2008 model. The braking system has acted "weird" on several occasions...even before hearing about the problems with the 2010 model prius! When i brake, sometimes the car doesn't respond initially and then "lurches" before the brakes engage. Also the orange light (abs?) comes on when this happens and then disappears quickly. I asked the dealer about this when i serviced the car…
ODI 10306393
Service Brakes, Electric
2008 toyota prius brakes did not work upon starting vehicle one day. No warning, just no brakes. Vehicle was towed to nearest dealer (50 miles) and the "linear solenoid valve" was "reinitialized". *tr
ODI 10304112
Service Brakes, Electric
Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6). 2008 toyota prius [xxx] when applying brakes, if i drive over a bump, ie railroad track, the brakes disengage for a couple of seconds and then reengage. It feels like you hit a patch of black ice. I have had no accidents as a result, only a few scares. This problem has been recognized by toyota as a problem with the 2010…
ODI 10324407
Catalog parts for this system
Catalog year/make/model rows for 2008 Toyota Prius.
Catalog fitment does not by itself prove OEM-equivalent compatibility.