2011 TOYOTA PRIUS Complaints

Traction control, ABS and Brake warning lights came on while driving. Car is now at the dealership for complete replacement of power pump and master cylinder assembly at a cost of $3,300.00

Brake booster and brake booster pump assembly are faulty and failing. Brakes are still functioning, but will ultimately fail without warning, from what I have read. This is highly dangerous for myself and other motorists. I was driving last week and tried coming to a stop at an intersection. I pushed the brake pedal and the car hesitated and then jumped/lurched forward before coming to a complete stop. The brake booster is sounding every 30 to 45 seconds to try and build back the pressure it is losing. Toyota offered a "Customer Support Program" for these parts, as there's been numerous premature failures. Unfortunately, my vehicle no longer fits within the parameters of the support program (see attached). From what I've read though, Toyota has been negligent with replacing the brake booster under the support program. I have called Toyota Corporate and they have offered no reprieve and won't stand behind this faulty part. Toyota needs to be forced to recall these 3rd gen Priuses and ordered to replace the breaking system. Expecting customers to shell out between $2-3k to have the ability to safely break/stop their vehicle is ridiculous, especially when Toyota is more than aware of this issue. I was quoted $2600 over the phone to remedy the issue from an independent hybrid shop. I've owned 7 Toyotas and two have been Priuses. This 2011 is by far one of their worst to roll off the assembly line with numerous reports of breaking problems, oil consumption issues, and head gasket failures. They need to stand behind their product(s), especially to brand loyal customers. Read more complaints about the breaking system: [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Dear Mr; I own a 2011 Toyota Prius, and this week my brakes failed while driving down the highway. The ABS and Break lights and the ESP warning light on the instrument panel come on. The brake pedal is hard and has an intermittent hum in the engine area. The scanner gave the code C1391 / ACC PRESS abnormal leak error. I want to file a formal claim against Toyota for the failure of my car's brake system and request repair/replacement of my car's brake system. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? BRAK SISTEMS / YES, IS AVAILABLE FOR INSPECTION. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? IT WAS DIFFICULT TO BRAKE / THE CAR WAS DEVIATED WHEN APPLYING THE BRAKE / I LEFT THE ROAD DUE TO THE RISK OF A COLLISION BY NOT HAVING THE ACTIVE BRAKING SYSTEM. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? YES / INDEPENDENT SERVICE. 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

Hybrid system shut down. DC power converter shutting down. Car shut down on me in middle of road almost caused a crash. There was a recall in 2018 but I never received a notice and now as of 2023 there are no active recalls.

All of a sudden, a few weeks ago, the ABS, TRAC, BRAKE, and brake warning lights all illuminated on my 2011 Toyota Prius, and the brakes became hard to press. Turns out, this is a known issue with this model of the Prius. DTC C1391 stored in the ECU. There is a defect with the brake booster/brake booster pump, and Toyota issued a Customer Support Program to extend the warranty on these two parts, but the program ended in 2021 and I am just now having this issue, although my Prius only has 115k miles. This should be a recall. I should not have to pay more than $3500 at the Toyota dealership to get this replaced when it is a defect with the parts that Toyota made (I should not have to pay ANYTHING). No dealership in the area wants to honor it either. Instead, they want to charge me $3500. And when I called Toyota Corporate, they brushed it off and told me "the program expired a whole 2 years ago" without even trying to work with me on the cost of the repair or anything. Complete let down from Toyota.

On Friday June 9, 2023 we drove the 2011 Prius on our daily travels. This was uneventful. Parked the vehicle around 10pm that same night. We drove it on the following Saturday around noon on a very short errand, maybe 30 minutes. Parked it again a little after noon. On Sunday morning around 730am, we discovered the side curtain airbag on the passenger side was deployed. There in no external damage and the vehicle was still locked. Upon starting it, the airbag systems check light illuminated for about three seconds then went out. Although the airbag is currently deployed, the airbag dash light does not stay lit indicating a problem. In order to determine if this was a soft code, we started it, drove it around the block, and shut it off. We did this a few times. The airbag light always lit for about three seconds then went out. The airbag has "PA66, VMQ" stamped on it.

Brake actuator failed. Noise when applying brake but no code or dashlight. Looks like a common problem across prius 2011 model cars

The brake actuator on my 2011 Prius failed. Toyota issued an extended warranty of 10yrs/150k miles because they knew there was a problem with the product. I have less than 80k miles on my car and the actuator failed. I feel like I am being penalized because I don't drive my car as often. I contacted Toyota and was dismissed by them because I was outside of the 10yr window. The repair was $1737.98 in parts and $780 in labor by a Toyota certified technician.

The contact owns a 2011 Toyota Prius. The contact stated while driving 50 MPH, the check engine, service brakes, ABS, and the traction control system warning lights were illuminated. The contact parked the vehicle on the side of the road for approximately 3 minutes before continuing to drive to her residence. The contact stated on March 17, 2023, while her husband was approaching a traffic light, the brake pedal was depressed but failed to stop the vehicle properly. The contact stated that several warning lights were illuminated. The driver stated that the vehicle cruised to a stop independently. The driver decided to drive at a slow speed to the residence. The contact took the vehicle to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the brake master cylinder, the brake pump assembly, and the brake booster needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 159,000.

Three lights appeared on the dashboard…code C1391. This has affected the braking system, and the traction control…and the brakes no longer regenerate the battery. The mechanic said “YOU MUST NOT DRIVE THIS CAR” until a $2,700 repair is made. There was, apparently, a service bulletin sent out in 2019, and was then extended until 2022…which we did not receive, although we’ve been at the same address since we bought the car. But our car did not develop this common issue until now…2023, and Toyota says it was not a safety recall, so they don’t need to fix it, or help us get it fixed. We believe it IS obviously a safety issue….since my brakes can go out at any moment.