Problems · by component

2009 Toyota Prius service brakes problems

63 owner complaints to NHTSA about the 2009 Toyota Prius cite service brakes, 13% of all 502 complaints for this model year.

Complaints
63
13% of all complaints
Crashes
6
Reported by owners
Fires
1
Reported by owners
Injuries
3
Reported by owners
01 —Owner reports

What owners say about the service brakes

Verbatim from NHTSA complaints, newest first
“Dashboard Warning Lights: ABS, VSC, Parking Brake Light, Triangle with Exclamation Point, Codes: C1256 & C1391, Intermittent Audible Cabin Buzzing indicating critical pressure loss on start-up for about 10 seconds...then stops, not loss so much as anti-braking quick bursts at about 5 mph of stopping v slowly and seamlessly coming to a stop. I contacted Toyota Corporate Case Management; they refused to escalate or remediate the issue due to vehicle mileage, despite being notified of the active brake pressure leak codes and the audible safety alarm.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Jun 17, 2026Unknown or other, Service brakes, Forward collision avoidanceODI 11744740
“I own 2 2009 Toyota Prius. Both cars less than 175,000 miles and both have failed ABS modules. The ABS module in this vehicle is also the power brake booster. This failure can cause braking issues such as loss of braking or sudden brake application. Only known fix is replacement of the ABS brake module which requires the Toyota Techstream service computer.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled May 7, 2026Service brakesODI 11736356
“Brake actuator is broken. Toyota knew about this problem and they had a warranty for 10 years or 150k miles. Mine only has 80k miles. The repair is half of what the car is worth. I thought a Toyota with such low miles would be dependable. Toyota knew that people have died from this problem with their car. I need this car to get to work and get my kids to school. It’s older than 10 years so I am just screwed on something they knew was broken. Of course the sales person at the Toyota dealership did not tell us about it when he sold us the car”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Apr 25, 2026Service brakes, Forward collision avoidanceODI 11733751
“The brake actuator is failing. It’s making unusual noises when stepping on the brakes. A new additional noise started in the last month which is the pump connected to the brake actuator. The technician told me the brakes are about to fail. Toyota used to cover this issue but stopped a few years ago. It’s a $3,000.00 job at the dealer.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Aug 11, 2025Service brakesODI 11679902
“In the 2009 Toyota Series II vehicle there are two parts for the brake actuator pump assembly which has been cycling about every 20 seconds for the past six months or more. There is an intermittent tone when depressing the brake pedal before starting the car (engine off). The Brake dash warning light is on continuously. Occasional loss of brake power in reverse causing the driver to re-apply the brakes to stop unwanted motion of the vehicle.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Dec 5, 2024Unknown or other, Service brakes, Forward collision avoidanceODI 11629033
“Failed brake actuator. Toyota knows about the issue and refuses to honor any reasonable repair. Braking at any speed the car ferociously pulls to the left, throwing you into another lane or on coming traffic.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Oct 18, 2024Service brakesODI 11620717

Showing 6 of 63 reports. Read every report on NHTSA.gov.

Data from NHTSA Complaints API (owner reports, unverified) · synced Nov 4, 2026NHTSA vehicle page

Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.