2012 Toyota Prius Service Brakes Problems
- 51
- 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 51 stored complaint records:
- 12 indicate a crash
- 2 indicate injury
- 0 indicate fire
What owners report
- brake pedal · 12 records
- lights came · 11 records
- traction control · 8 records
- failure mileage · 6 records
- brake booster · 5 records
- braking system · 5 records
Mileage in stored records
| Band | Records |
|---|---|
| 1–30k mi | 19 |
| 100–150k mi | 9 |
| 60–100k mi | 8 |
| 30–60k mi | 7 |
| 150–400k mi | 5 |
Complaint records
Owner-submitted complaint content, presented as stored.
Service Brakes
I started my car and my dash lights for brakes, anti-lock, anti-skid came on and brakes became spongy. This happens intermittently. I parked the car and later checked the lights and the car was operating normal. I drove the car around the neighborhood to try to duplicate the issue. Could not duplicate. The next day i started the car the lights came on again and brakes were not operating normally. Spongy and no…
ODI 11265578
Service Brakes
My car has the same brake booster/master cylinder defect that the 2010/11 model prius were recalled for. Brake booster or brake pressure accumulator failure on 2012 models causes loss of braking effectiveness. Serious safety issue that can cause death. Toyota is well aware of this. This happens in motion at highway speeds.
ODI 11253725
Service Brakes
Car was in motion and brake pedal went half way to floor and abs, brake, traction control and tire sensor lights came on. Master cylinder or brake booster seem to have failed. Dealer didn't recognize codes and could only recommend changing spark plugs when i just had them replace 6-8 months prior. Explained that did think that had anything to do with brakes giving out. They reset codes and sure enough happened again…
ODI 11253950
Service Brakes
Traction, brake and abs lights all came on at once, pratically lost all braking while driving but able to slowly stop. Squishy brakes. "pump" sounding noise like it's having trouble pumping brake fluid.
ODI 11207636
Service Brakes
I having a problem with the brake booster on my prius and the toyota dealership i went to said i need to replace both the master cylinder and booster pump which would be 3000 dollars worth of parts and labor. After research this issue i have found serval people have the same issue. Also the parts are on back order, showing you how big of issue this is. The breaking system felt spongy, my traction control braking…
ODI 11203834
Service Brakes
The car has been suffering all of the brake symptoms for the recall of the 2010 prius brake booster system. I've repeatedly complained about losing braking power when the abs light comes on when i go over uneven surfaces such as railroad tracks or a pothole. The brakes have benn farting from day one while sitting at a light or parked if the brakes are depressed and then slightly released. And now today the abs…
ODI 11182610
Service Brakes
When the brakes are applied and going over a rough road surface, or pothole, the brake warning light appears, and the brakes suddenly stop functioning until back on a smooth road surface. This happens all of the time under these conditions. It is really scary when the vehicle suddenly loses all braking while trying to stop. I have a 2012 toyota prius and a 2010 toyota prius. They both have the same problem with the…
ODI 11193354
Body · Service Brakes · Vehicle Speed Control
I was coming up the freeway off ramp and my car just turned off i had no braking i hit six other cars rolled over and was severly imjured in the hospital forr three days
Crash reported · 5 injuries
ODI 11180711
Electronic Stability Control · Service Brakes · Unknown Or Other
Problem with braking system involving, the other day the car was on and suddenly three (3) warning lights came on: brake light, abs light and traction control light. There is also now a pumping sound coming from under the interior of the dash (on it at least sounds that is where it's coming from. The car has 151,428 miles on it. I've included pictures of the current eror code, mileage and dash lights that are on.
ODI 11165756
Service Brakes
The vehicle was traveling over 60 mph when the abs, brake and traction lights came on and the brake became immediately spongy and i had to depressed even harder (past the foaminess) to reduce speed. A motor could be heard trying to turn over on the brake system. The car speed was reduced to 25-30 mph on the highway but the spongy brakes continued. Within 5 min i pulled off the highway and into a parking lot. Parked…
ODI 11155778
Service Brakes
Brakes failing, getting a c1391 code, leak in accumulator. Toyota has a warranty enhancement for this issue on the 2010 model but it has not extended to 2011 or 2012 models. I contacted local dealer and national representatives and was refused any assistance from toyota. This issue happened twice over the last two days, both times while vehicle in motion on a city street. Warning lights came on and almost no…
ODI 11144185
Service Brakes
I was traveling north on the highway. I was going between 50 and 55 mph when the traffic light turned to yellow and then to red. When i applied the breaks nothing happened. My vehicle actually appeared to speed up. I released the brake then pumped the break twice then again applied the break, this time stomping harder and with both feet. My vehicle did not stop or even slow. I went through the light, resulting in a…
Crash reported
ODI 11144698
Service Brakes
Various alerts lighted, brakes, abs, anti skid. Lost some braking... Too soft and funny like... Needed pumping. Cost of repair to replace brake pump system including tha actuator(buster). Brake pads for $3,700 +. At toyota calesa in puerto rico.
ODI 11133608
Service Brakes
Vsa, avs, and brake lights on with decreased resistance in petal. Brakes will return to normal without warning periodically while driving. This makes driving and stopping unsafe and unpredictable.
ODI 11231596
Service Brakes
The brake light, abs light, traction control light all came on at once while driving normally. It did not affect the drivability of the vehicle. I took it to the local toyota dealership to diagnose the problem. The service specialist said that this is a known problem with these cars and quoted a $2500 service price to replace it. If it is this known and this expensive to replace then it should be included in a…
ODI 11101128
Service Brakes
While driving at 45mph vsc, parking brake, and abs lights comes on and stays on after research it seems to be a fairly common issue with the 2012 prius. Still waiting for toyota to do smething about it
ODI 11071863
Service Brakes
The abs, traction control, and brake warning lights came on. I took the vehicle to my local toyota dealership, where i was told the diagnostic has alarm dtc c1391 and this is a major brake hazard. The dealer state the abs brake system need to be replaced at a cost of $4,504.63 plus taxes. I explained to the dealer the car is making a sound like the abs is kicking in when it come to a stop. The noise persist coming…
ODI 11065257
Service Brakes
Lost front brakes completely driving down road. I was able to slow car with manual brake on shifter in conjunction with rear brakes. A serious issue.
ODI 11056906
Service Brakes
Brake actuator /master brake cylinder broken, same issue as prebious models of the prius.
ODI 11143936
Service Brakes
When braking during normal driving conditions, a mixture of city and highway, the car makes a sound like the abs is kicking in. When coming to a stop, the noise persists until releasing the brake pedal. Shortly after this started, the abs, traction control, and brake warning lights came on. I took the vehicle to my local toyota dealership where i was told it was the brake actuator needed replace at the cost of…
ODI 11054728
Service Brakes
A number of lights came on...abs, anti skid, system failure, etc. The brakes started to feel very funny and started to make a strange noise. Took it to toyota and they said it was not safe to drive because of the brakes. Needed the brake system (actuator is the name i believe).
ODI 11129946
Body · Electronic Stability Control · Service Brakes
On july 28, 2017, i was driving along with my three children. I pulled into a driveway to park my vehicle behind a parked vehicle. There was approximately a 2 foot span between the back of the vehicle and the front of my 2012 toyota prius. To the right of the parked vehicle was a parked truck. Being that i was pulling into a space to park my vehicle, i was traveling extremely slowly. I began to press on my brake to…
Crash reported
ODI 11014797
Service Brakes
While driving the vehicle on a dry surface street, the "check hybrid system" light illuminated. The brake pedal felt like i had to apply more pressure to stop and it seemed to travel further toward the floorboard than normal.
ODI 11003842
Electronic Stability Control · Power Train · Service Brakes
Vehicle stability control, anti-lock brake, and traction control lights intermittently turn off. A few times it shut down the hybrid system and tell me to stop . Now all those lights are all on and i am driving without vss, abs and traction control. Braking is getting harder. I took it to the dealer and they told me the cost is $3500. I did some research and found out that this is a known prius problem problem
ODI 11043167
Service Brakes
For some time i have noticed that when braking, if my car hit a bump, the brakes would disengage for a second or two even if the brake pedal was fully pressed, and the car would lurch forward until the brakes reengaged. It was a similar sensation to hydroplaning, even though it would occur on a dry road. The antilock braking system light would be on while the brakes were out, and i am told that the brake lights on…
ODI 10983089
Catalog parts for this system
Catalog year/make/model rows for 2012 Toyota Prius.
Catalog fitment does not by itself prove OEM-equivalent compatibility.