2013 Toyota Prius V Owner Complaints

My Prius had brake warning lights come on around December 2025. Turns out the brake accumulator had an internal leak. After doing some research, I discovered this was a known brake booster issue that Toyota has not issued a recall on. They do have an extended warranty program, but my vehicle did not qualify. The warning lights did not come on until after the 10 years or 150k miles cutoff for the warranty. Toyota's refusal to issue a recall and limits of their warranty program are clearly a move to avoid paying for repairs incurred as a result of defective manufacturing. Why should I be ineligible for reimbursement just because my vehicle is 13 years old rather than 10? Please make Toyota issue a recall or extend their Customer Support Program No. POL18-03.

NHTSA ID

11751147

Incident

Jan 1, 2026

Suddenly Cars Brakes failed with vehicle almost lunged forward. I had to slam the brakes heavily for it to stop; Took the vehicle to Toyota Service and clearly its a QUALITY issue toyota acknowledged as a know problem with error code C1391. They even had customer support program 20TE07 acknowledging it as their issue; I almost got killed for this. The repair costs are abnormally high at 4900$'s putting me a financial burden also and currently unsafe car; Toyota - they literally KNOW THIS ISSUE and still put me at risk. They are refusing any kind of assistance to help too.

NHTSA ID

11735136

Incident

Mar 30, 2026

The harness webbing/strap on the Evenflo Revolve360 Slim tore without any known incident or accident causing the damage. The defect was discovered on April 15, 2026 when the seat was temporarily removed from the vehicle. Upon inspection, the harness strap was found to be nearly completely torn through and would likely not have restrained the child occupant in the event of a crash. The seat had been in regular use and had not been involved in any collision. No unusual event or misuse is known to have caused the failure. It is suspected that the rotating mechanism of the seat placed repeated stress on the harness webbing over normal use, causing it to deteriorate and tear. The seat has not yet been inspected by the manufacturer, law enforcement, or insurance representatives, but is available for inspection upon request. The seat has been taken out of service and is not being used.

NHTSA ID

11733333

Incident

Apr 15, 2026

The contact owns a 2013 Toyota Prius V. The contact stated that while pulling out of a parking space at approximately 15 MPH and depressing the brake pedal, the brake pedal felt spongy, but the vehicle responded as intended. The brake, the ABS, the traction control warning lights, and an unknown warning light were illuminated. The contact scanned the vehicle with a code reader and retrieved diagnostic trouble codes for the brake booster and brake accumulator systems failure. The contact related the failure to the Toyota Customer Satisfaction Program: 20TE07 (Certain 2012 - 2014 Model Year Prius V Coverage for Brake Booster and Brake Booster Pump Assemblies). The manufacturer was contacted and informed the contact that the vehicle was no longer covered because the 10-year limit was exceeded. The contact was referred to the dealer, who provided an estimate for the repair. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 120,000.

NHTSA ID

11731817

Incident

Apr 10, 2026

Mileage

120,000 mi

The contact owns a 2013 Toyota Prius V. The contact stated that while in reverse(R), the rear driver’s side tire became flat. Upon inspection, it was discovered that the rear axle had fractured due to rusting and corrosion, and had punctured the rear passenger’s side tire. The vehicle was towed to the local mechanic, who diagnosed that the rear axle was rusted and corroded and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer and local dealer were notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was unknown.

NHTSA ID

11731045

Incident

Apr 13, 2026

When I'm in the car, the brake booster keeps recharging with out touching the brake pedal. Also, the car has problems when I apply the brakes while driving. They make a hissing and popping noise and the braking is spongy. I have had braking warning lights come on as well. It is similar to what others have been describing as the brake booster and pump actuator issue with these Prius V cars. This has been happening ongoing for about two years or so. I called the Toyota dealership and they would not check it out for free or remedy the issue that was part of their Customer Support Program (Policy 13V-235) for booster pump issues.

NHTSA ID

11729269

Incident

Dec 1, 2024

Spontaneous failure of brake actuator system.

NHTSA ID

11717869

Incident

Feb 6, 2026

Upon a hard (but not emergency) brake, my ABS and brake warning lights came on and my car began whirring once every few seconds. I immediately took the car to the Toyota dealership, who informed me that my master brake cylinder and booster had to be replaced, and that issues with the booster were something they had seen frequently in this generation of Priuses. I paid $5095 for repairs and inspection, but I had no other choice, as my brakes could have gone out at any moment whilst I was on the road and caused a very serious accident.

NHTSA ID

11713700

Incident

Jan 14, 2026

The brake actuator and compressor is having repeated problems and causing the brakes to lock up completely while driving both in city and ON THE HIGHWAY. Abs/parking/normal brakes The lights on the dash all start flashing and beeping. ABS / emergency brake / exclamation warning / sliding / lights all on It also caused the speedometer to stop working and most of the lights of the computer part of my dash to not display information Problem code 1391 confirmed by mechanic This is a danger to me and other drivers and Toyota needs to take responsibility for these repairs because it can cost us our lives.

NHTSA ID

11712245

Incident

Jan 19, 2026

Brake booster failure

NHTSA ID

11709617

Incident

Mar 2, 2025

The ABS brake actuator in my 2013 Prius V failed at just over 91,000 miles in December 2025, making the vehicle unsafe to drive. I understand that this is a known issue with this model of vehicle.

NHTSA ID

11706563

Incident

Dec 13, 2025

Upon acceleration, several brake related warning lights came on along with a consistent chime. When it came time to stop. The vehicle would not stop then with great pressure on the pedal, I was able to slow the vehicle narrowly avoiding a collision with another vehicle. The vehicle then drove normal after that and a few minutes later the lights went out. When I got home, I scanned for codes and got C1252 and C1256. This appears to be a common problem with these vehicles that Toyota does not want to address.

NHTSA ID

11703441

Incident

Dec 6, 2025

Brake actuator failure requires actuator and master cylinder replacement. All dash lights came on while driving. The vehicle was diagnosed at Brian Easler Toyota in Hendersonville North Carolina. The brakes are still operational temporarily but spongy and expected to fail so the car is not drivable. I expect to have the actuator and master cylinder replaced in then next few weeks at a cost of $5600. I see there were previous recalls on the braking system that have now expired.

NHTSA ID

11699327

Incident

Nov 12, 2025

The brakes suddenly failed in our 2013 Prius V while she was driving with our two young children. It was extremely scary, and very dangerous. Toyota has known about the braking system issues for years but refused to offer a recall to avoid costs. This needs to be immediately addressed.

NHTSA ID

11696755

Incident

Oct 31, 2025

2013 toyota prius V. 64,000 miles and ABS Light is on also VSC warning light and brake light. There has been many issues with this type of vehicle as i researched on internet. I didnt know there has been a recall on this vehicle. And i did not make it time. 10 yrs or 150,000 k whichever comes first. many other vehicles this year have this problem its common.. i cannot brake in time because now its using my back brakes. Dealership said brake booster pump and brake master cylinder.

NHTSA ID

11696708

Incident

Oct 6, 2025

Returning from a trip, several brake and skid related dashboard light illuminated. I pulled over and was able to stop the car and took it directly to the Toyota dealership after calling them. Brakes felt very spongy and stopping distance was increased. The dealer informed me that this was a known problem with my model but that I was not eligible for recall or extended warranty. I have also seen a number of complaints of this issue on the internet. The cost to repair the issue was over $4800.

NHTSA ID

11696155

Incident

Oct 23, 2025

ABS and brake lights suddenly turned on and brake pedal effectiveness changed dramatically. When pressing brake pedal the brakes barely work now. Just got quoted $5161 for ABS accumulator repair, $2336 for major suspension concern, and total $8386 estimate for repairs from Toyota service department. I see many similar complaints from Toyota owners online, this seems to be a common issue with Prius vehicles. The Kelly blue book value is only $5450 for trade-in and $7318 for sale to private owner, so the repair doesn’t even seem worthwhile given a replacement would be cheaper, and the ABS failure happens so frequently in this vehicle, and could happen again.

NHTSA ID

11692778

Incident

Oct 11, 2025

All ABS, Brakes light on, code 139. Its been making a buzzing noise for a couple of years, the noise got shorter over time, and finally was coming on every 5 second, and finally the dash brake lights came on. I've cleared a couple of times, but the lights come back on after a few miles. The brake pedal has to be pushed down hard to stop. The problem is the brake part is $1500, and 1500 to install.

NHTSA ID

11685360

Incident

Jun 2, 2025

Prior to issue, noticed a buzzing sound from engine compartment, later known to be the ABS accumulator pump, occurring more frequently - first multiple times when braking, then later continuously while driving. Dashboard eventually lit all brake-related warning lights ("BRAKE", TSC, ABS) and brake pedal behavior changed markedly. This occurred after parking in my driveway while engaging the parking brake. Brake behavior during and after this period was wildly inconsistent and impossible to predict. At times the brakes would perform normally, but most often the first portion of brake pedal travel would have no braking effect, and actual required force on the pedal to brake was greatly increased. The need to press further and with more force created a dangerous situation as it delayed how quickly I could slow or stop. The inconsistency in performance created a dangerous situation as the vehicle may (and did) sometimes stop more suddenly than expected. Additionally, the failure resulted in loss of traction control and ABS resulting in greatly increased risk in wet road conditions and terrible danger in sudden-stop situations. Self scanner & Toyota service center confirmed presence of C1392 code and recommended replacing brake actuator and brake pump assemblies, quoting over $4,500. Service was declined and replacement parts bought from Toyota and self-installed to resolve issue. Both Toyota service center and Toyota customer support line confirmed that this issue was described in an existing Customer Support Bulletin but that coverage was denied due to age of the vehicle. Vehicle was approximately 15,000 miles below listed mileage cap but approximately 12 years old, with Toyota denying service for vehicles over 10 years old.

NHTSA ID

11684153

Incident

Jun 19, 2025

While driving on the highway, all the Brake-Related Warning Lights appeared on the dashboard. This was accompanied by a frequent electric buzzing noise (every 15-20 seconds, lasting two seconds each time). The brakes became difficult to press, almost spongy, and required more pressure to function. Upon taking it to the dealer, I was told that the vehicle (a 2013 Prius V with 181k miles) needed a new ABS pump and brake actuator, totaling roughly $4100.

NHTSA ID

11678972

Incident

Aug 6, 2025

The brake accumulator has failed on our 2013 Prius at 170K miles. The brakes are unresponsive and all brake-related indicator lights are on. The vehicle is unsafe. This is a known issue for this model and year Prius, yet Toyota did not issue a recall. Warranties were extended to 150K miles, but this issue is a serious safety risk - danger to us and others on the road. This issue should have resulted in a safety recall, not a "courtesy" warranty extension. Toyota needs to resolve this for all affected vehicles.

NHTSA ID

11674897

Incident

Jul 1, 2025

2013 toyota prius v has 3 recalls for the same issues but my vin # says there isn't any recalls associated with it. I need help. It stalled on me on my way home from work luckily not on the high way now it's throwing code c1310 c1259 c1241 it won't crank all it does is click. I replaced 12v batterychecked all connectors.

NHTSA ID

11671768

Incident

Jun 30, 2025

I was driving at normal highway speed, all of a sudden, my dashboard lights (4) lit up. Warning lights, Brake lights, Transaction lights and ABS lights all appeared at once. There was some traffic up ahead, so I applied my brakes but noticed that they weren't as responsive as normal so had to adjust for it by applying more pressure than normal to come to a stop.

NHTSA ID

11665760

Incident

Jun 7, 2025

For the last few months, our brakes seem to have been making "extra" noises, but not palpably struggling to function. After driving roughly 45 minutes via high speed Interstate, parking, and then restarting the car, ALL the brake-related lights suddenly came on ((1)Brake, (2)ABS, (3)VSC, and (4)(!)). We took it slowly, off highway, w hazards on, and lots of space between other cars to the dealership. This felt scary because, although the brakes were making some strange noises, there was no way of knowing what the warning lights were specifically indicating, or if the brakes would go out. The Alexandra Toyota dealership confirms a code C1391, "abnormal leak in the Accumulator" and requires "replace brake master cylinder kit and brake booster pump assembly" This was addressed in a Toyota "customer support program": [XXX] but our car is not covered despite having less than 80,000 miles on it. In Toyota's own words this is an "internal malfunction" and ought to be covered by a full recall. As it stands, owners' vehicles would have had to show symptoms within a tiny 2.5 year window, and it's evident online that many others have experienced failures outside of that window. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID

11663090

Incident

May 24, 2025

The contact owns a 2013 Toyota Prius V. The contact stated while driving 35-40 MPH, the ABS, traction control, parking brake, and the malfunction indicator warning lights were illuminated. Additionally, the brake pedal vibrated while being depressed. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, and DTC: C1391 was retrieved. The dealer determined that the brake booster pump assembly and the brake booster assembly needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired due to the cost. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the repair could not be covered under Toyota Campaign Number: 20TE07; because the program had expired. The failure mileage was approximately 130,000.

NHTSA ID

11655151

Incident

Apr 4, 2025

Mileage

130,000 mi