2014 Toyota Prius Problems

I am submitting this complaint regarding a serious safety concern involving the brake actuator/booster assembly on my 2014 Toyota Prius. My vehicle has experienced failure of this critical braking component and has been unable to be properly repaired since November due to difficulty obtaining the correct replacement parts. This involves a major safety system required for proper braking operation. Brake actuator/booster assembly. Diagnostic codes: B1206, B2321, C1252, C1253 C1256. Toyota previously acknowledged brake actuator concerns through Customer Support Program ZJB. However, my vehicle is outside the program limits despite experiencing what appears to be the same type of failure reported by many other Prius owners. Since November, I have faced difficulty obtaining the correct parts, reports of nationwide backorders or limited availability, conflicting information regarding updated Toyota part numbers, and concerns about repair providers advertising new OEM parts that may actually be aftermarket or incorrect components. This creates a safety concern because owners experiencing brake failures may be unable to obtain timely repairs using verified, appropriate parts. Repair estimates have ranged from approximately $3,000 to over $4,000, including a Toyota dealership estimate of approximately $4,100. This creates a significant barrier to restoring a vehicle to safe operation, especially involving a component Toyota has previously addressed through a customer support program. I request that NHTSA review this complaint and similar reports to determine whether further investigation is warranted regarding Toyota Prius brake actuator failures, parts availability issues, and whether additional manufacturer action or support is needed. A vehicle’s braking system is a fundamental safety component. Owners should be able to obtain a safe and reliable repair without months of delay or uncertainty regarding replacement parts.

My car experienced a failing brake actuator/accumulator. The first sign was the ABS and break lights accompanied by a whoosing sound. The issue causes intermittent system wide break failure and renders the car undriveable. Toyota had an extended warranty for this issue but that offer was closed by the time my car had the failure even though it was still under 150,000 miles. I believe this is a significant safety issue and should rise to the level of a recall by Toyota.

I am submitting this complaint regarding a serious safety concern involving the brake actuator/booster assembly on my 2014 Toyota Prius. My vehicle has experienced failure of this critical braking component and has been unable to be properly repaired since November due to difficulty obtaining the correct replacement parts. This involves a major safety system required for proper braking operation. Brake actuator/booster assembly. Diagnostic codes: B1206, B2321, C1252, C1253 C1256. Toyota previously acknowledged brake actuator concerns through Customer Support Program ZJB. However, my vehicle is outside the program limits despite experiencing what appears to be the same type of failure reported by many other Prius owners. Since November, I have faced difficulty obtaining the correct parts, reports of nationwide backorders or limited availability, conflicting information regarding updated Toyota part numbers, and concerns about repair providers advertising new OEM parts that may actually be aftermarket or incorrect components. This creates a safety concern because owners experiencing brake failures may be unable to obtain timely repairs using verified, appropriate parts. Repair estimates have ranged from approximately $3,000 to over $4,000, including a Toyota dealership estimate of approximately $4,100. This creates a significant barrier to restoring a vehicle to safe operation, especially involving a component Toyota has previously addressed through a customer support program. I request that NHTSA review this complaint and similar reports to determine whether further investigation is warranted regarding Toyota Prius brake actuator failures, parts availability issues, and whether additional manufacturer action or support is needed. A vehicle’s braking system is a fundamental safety component. Owners should be able to obtain a safe and reliable repair without months of delay or uncertainty regarding replacement parts.

The brake system malfunctioned suddenly. While driving and while stopped, the brake pedal became very hard and braking behavior became unpredictable. The vehicle sometimes brakes aggressively and other times requires excessive pedal force to stop. The ABS and BRAKE warning lights illuminated. The vehicle no longer provides normal braking assistance. This issue is related to a failure of the brake actuator / brake booster, which is a known issue affecting Toyota Prius models from 2010 to 2015. This defect creates a serious safety risk, as braking performance is inconsistent and may increase stopping distance or cause loss of control during emergency braking situations. The vehicle has not been repaired yet because the cost is very high and the manufacturer has declined assistance despite this being a known safety-related defect.

The traction control, abs, and emergency brake light came on. We checked and the code produced was C1391. There’s a humming noise every 10 or so seconds when idle. The humming noise is also present when braking. We did some research and this appears to be an issue with Toyota Prius. We called the dealership and were informed that this was not a known issue. Thank you.

ABS, traction control, brake system, and brake lights turned on while driving. Took the car to the mechanic and pulled the code C1391. It seems from other complaints to NHTSA that it is a common issue and quite dangerous, meaning the brake system is failing.

the cylinder head gasket blew because of the poor design of the intake manifold and the EGR system. There are updated parts to fix this issue, but there was no recall. This poor design led to the vehicle having "the Death Knock." It started doing this knock on my trip driving my daughter to college. The engine could have seized in traffic on the way to [XXX] from [XXX] . No warning lights came on telling me there was an issue. The vehicle is being taken apart now to see if my connecting rods were bent from the coolant entering the combustion chamber. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Head gasket failure. No check, engine, light or warning. My car was very well maintained regularly. After research, I found this to be a very common problem. Yes it is available for inspection. Upon request. The problem was confirmed by chemical test, ignition vapors going into engine coolant. Other symptoms were misfiring on cylinder two and cylinder four. Severe engine knocking.

Passenger airbag indicator on/off light was on despite having passenger over the airbag activation weight requirement being present with seatbelt buckled. Brought car to Toyota dealership and after running diagnostics for two hours they found that the airbag itself is faulty.

My 2014 Toyota Prius was in a T-bone accident, directly on the driver door and the side air bags did not deploy.

I started noticing the ghosting or tripling of light issue in my windshield. I mostly noticed this during night times, I initially thought I was just tired and my eyes were tired, but I’ve been able to photograph it and verify my experience with other people. This effect is horrible for my eyesight and makes all lights at night so blurry I cannot drive safely.

WINDSHIELD CRACKED FROM THE SIDE WITHOUT PROVOCATION. ITS POSSIBLE A PEBBLE CAUSED IT, BUT A VERY SMALL PEBBLE AS I NEVER HEARD ANY ROCKS HIT THE WINDOW.

I was in stop and go traffic. We got into a crash and my vehicle was totalled. I’ve never been in an accident before. It felt like the break system just broke down.

Blizzard Pearl White paint started peeling off the car's body around the top areas of the 4 side doors (passenger & driver sides). There seems to be an active recall on this from Toyota for the same paint color and type, but the Prius model is not included in the active recall for this same condition. It has become a hazard such that such paint chips can be ingested by children. I took it to the Santa Monica, CA Toyota dealership and it was verified by the dealership representative there that this was a condition caused by a defect in the original paint with exposure to sunlight.

I was dropping my daughter off at school and the car completely shut down on me and turned off in the middle of an intersection. I have just had brakes and oil changed but ever since I got the car codes keep popping up and when checked it’s all good. Front lights keep glitching and even with new brakes there is still a bad sound. My dash computer thing keeps going in and out. It happens a lot more when it rains and makes a sizzling sound I’m afraid to drive it in the rain. I’m besides myself how the car turned off on me and my child we couldn’t move I could accelerate and we almost got hit then another light came on and I couldn’t even turn my wheel. Very dangerous

Good Evening, I'm writing to request a callback in regards to my 2014 Toyota Prius which is subject to a recall. "The involved vehicles were designed to enter a failsafe driving mode in response to certain hybrid system faults. Toyota has found that in rare situations, the vehicle may not enter a failsafe driving mode as intended. If this occurs, the vehicle could lose power and stall. While power steering and braking would remain operational, a vehicle stall while driving at higher speeds could increase the risk of a crash." I recently just moved back to South Florida, I was living in NJ for a few years and had the Inverter malfunction earlier this February, 2023, forcing the car to enter the fail safe mode described giving me the warning to "Check Hybrid System, Stop the Vehicle in a Safe Place". The car was at Toyota Universe, Little Falls, NJ for about 45 days, since this was going to take the complete replacing of the inverter and an update of some sort of software. After receiving the car back around March 17th, I moved back to Florida about 2 weeks later. This evening around 5:30 returning from work, the car stalled again while I was driving surrounded by dense traffic, wouldn't accelerate with all lights flashing. Thankfully I was able to pull over slowly into a parking lot after which my steering wheel locked, and my car was no longer able to be put into Drive or Reverse. Car was only able to shift into Neutral and Park. This was the most terrifying experience of my life had something worse happen in the middle of traffic. I have dropped off my car to the dealership parking lot and will be checking it in first thing in the morning. I'd like to ascertain what I should expect from Toyota Manufacturing should this issue be unfixable? I am more than happy to let them attempt fixing it, but I also need to live a normal life and don't feel the need to be responsible for a manufacturing defect putting my life in jeopardy every time I go drive.

The contact owns a 2014 Toyota Prius. The contact stated that the ABS and the traction control warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer to be diagnosed, and the contact was informed that the brake master cylinder needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was taken to a certified mechanic and was diagnosed, and it was determined that the brake booster had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, one day later, both warning lights returned. The vehicle was returned to the mechanic and air was blown into the hydraulic valves and the other valves were cleaned; however, the failure persisted. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 150,000.

The contact owns a 2014 Toyota Prius. The contact stated was unable to start the vehicle. Additionally, the hybrid system warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was not drivable. The contact towed the vehicle to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed with needing the inverter assembly to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. Upon investigation, the contact associated the failure with NHTSA Campaign Number: 20V369000 (Hybrid Propulsion System). The manufacturer was informed of the failure and the contact was informed that the recall repair had been performed on August 20, 2020. The failure mileage was approximately 86,500.

I was dropping my daughter off at school and the car completely shut down on me and turned off in the middle of an intersection. I have just had brakes and oil changed but ever since I got the car codes keep popping up and when checked it’s all good. Front lights keep glitching and even with new brakes there is still a bad sound. My dash computer thing keeps going in and out. It happens a lot more when it rains and makes a sizzling sound I’m afraid to drive it in the rain. I’m besides myself how the car turned off on me and my child we couldn’t move I could accelerate and we almost got hit then another light came on and I couldn’t even turn my wheel. Very dangerous

WHILE BEING DETAILED, PUDDLE LIGHT WAS SEEN SMOKING ON DRIVERS SIDE DOOR. IT MELTED THE BODY OF DOOR AND HAD TO BE REMOVED. I ALSO HAVE VIDEO OF IT SMOKING AND MELTING DOOR.

VEHICLE STALL . SHOW 'CHECK HYBRID SYSTEM ' STOP THE VEHICLE IN A SAFE PLACE' DEALER SAID PROBABLY INVERTER IPM FAILED.

I PURCHASED THIS CAR USED, IN MAY 2017 WITH 14,500 MILES. I AM HAVING AN INTERMITTENT PROBLEM OF THE CAR SHIFTING BACK INTO REVERSE WHEN I AM TRYING TO SHIFT FROM REVERSE TO DRIVE. IT HAS HAPPENED APPROXIMATELY A DOZEN TIMES SINCE IN 5 WEEKS. I HAVE BROUGHT IT TO THE DEALERSHIP WHERE I PURCHASED THE CAR 3 TIMES. THEY ARE CURRENTLY KEEPING THE CAR OVERNIGHT. THEY HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM, AS IT IS INTERMITTENT, AND DO NOT GET ANY CODES WHEN THEY'VE CHECKED THE CAR. THE ARE SUGGESTING IT IS A "DRIVER ERROR". IT DOES NOT SEEM TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE IF IT IS HOT OR COLD, ON A SLOPE OR FLAT SURFACE, OR IF THE CAR HAS BEEN SITTING IDLE FOR SOME TIME, OR HAVING BEEN DRIVEN A LONG DISTANCE. IT HAS HAPPENED IN EVERY SUCH SITUATION.

misfire code along with rough starts/light load. T-SB-0116-15

HYBIRD SYSTEM MALFUNCTION. CAR LOST POWER AND STALLED WHERE WE CANNOT SHIFT. THAT HAPPENED AFTER DRIVING THE CAR HOME AND LATER TRIED TO START IT IN OUR DRIVEWAY.

Originally, Toyota issued a safety recall in 2014 to address the inverter defect in model years 2010 to 2014, an attempt to fix the problem on about 800,000 cars in the U.S. by modifying software that controls the hybrid electrical system. It was intended to fix the overheating problems. The inverter controls the power flowing between the battery and electrical motors. The inverter boosts the battery from 200 - 500 volts. They inspected my car saying it was in excellent condition. After, the software upgrade i had major problems. My original Prius battery with around 65,000 miles stopped holding a charge. My 12 volt battery also died shortly after. And my power outlets in my got super hot and spiratually worked off and on. And my driver seat gets hot when i turn on car even though seat button is off. I am sweating all the time. Plus, i have skin conditions and asma. I talked to dimitri, and they tried to charge me 1200for unnecessary repair. Also, failed to call NHTSA as promised

PURCHASED 'LEATHER' PACKAGE UPGRADE. SEATS STARTING SEPARATING A YEAR AGO. GOT TIRED OF RUN AROUND WITH DEALER TO MAKE REPAIRS. TOOK IT TO ANOTHER DEALER TO BE TOLD SEATS WERE SIMULATED VINYL LEATHER. GOT SEATS REPAIRED OUT OF MY OWN POCKET. NO MORE TOYOTA'S FOR US!

The contact owns a 2014 Toyota Prius. The contact stated that the seat belts would not lock properly. The vehicle was taken to a local mechanic where it was diagnosed with needing the buckles replaced. The manufacturer was informed of the failure and informed the contact that the VIN was not included in a recall. The failure mileage was approximately 88,000.

TRAVELING ON A HIGHWAY, CHANGED LANES TO AVOID IN ACCIDENT, CAR BEHIND ME CHANGED LANES TOO. CAR BEHIND FAILED TO SLOW DOWN AND SMASHED TRUNK AND PUSHED ME INTO A STEEL GUARD RAIL. SIDE, FRONT, AND KNEE AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. SEAT BELT PRETENSIONERS DID NOT ENGAGE. NOR DID HEAD RESTRAINTS.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2014 TOYOTA PRIUS EQUIPPED WITH TOYO PROXES A20 (NA) TIRES, SIZE: P215/50/R17 (NA). WHILE THE TIRES WERE BEING REPAIRED AT GATEWAY TIRE (8115 MACON ROAD, CORDOVA, TN 38018; 901-624-0911), THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED OF A SLIGHT TEAR THAT CIRCLED THE INSIDE OF ALL FOUR TIRES, CAUSING THE TREAD TO SLIGHTLY SEPARATE. THE DEALER DIAGNOSED THAT ALL FOUR TIRES NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE TIRES WERE REPLACED. THE TIRE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURES AND OFFERED TO PAY A PORTION OF THE REPLACEMENT COST. THE DOT NUMBER WAS UNKNOWN. THE APPROXIMATE VEHICLE AND TIRE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 40,694

WE PURCHASED A NEW TOYOTA PRIUS THAT CAME WITH YOKOHAMA ALL SEASON RADIALS. BECAUSE THE TIRE LIGHT CAME ON, I CHECKED THE AIR PRESSURE IN THE TIRES AND SET THEM TO THE PSI AS RECOMMENDED AT ABOUT 1000 MILES. THERE WAS A MINOR IMBALANCE OF 3-4 PSI IN SOME TIRES, BUT NO SERIOUS UNDER INFLATION. WE NOTICED SOME MINOR ROAD NOISE AND VIBRATION. WE HAD A MECHANIC INSTALL MUD FLAPS AND INSPECT THE TIRES, WHEELS, AND BRAKES AT ABOUT 1500 MILES TO SEE IF THERE WAS A VISIBLE REASON FOR VIBRATION. THERE WAS NOTHING OBVIOUS. WE WERE CONCERNED ABOUT THE ROAD NOISE AND ABOUT 2000 MILES WE TOOK THE CAR BACK TO THE TOYOTA DEALER WHO INSPECTED THE TIRES, CHECKED THE AIR PRESSURE, AND DECLARED THAT THEY DIDN'T SEE ANYTHING WRONG. AT ABOUT 3000 MILES DRIVING AT A SLOW SPEED (35 MPH OR LESS) IN A SCHOOL ZONE, WE HAD A COMPLETE BLOW OUT OF THE LEFT REAR TIRE. FORTUNATELY, THERE WAS A GRASSY SHOULDER AND NO TRAFFIC, SO WE HAD NO INJURIES OR OTHER DAMAGE. THE TREAD APPEARED TO SEPARATE AND THERE WAS A SIDEWALL TEAR STARTING AT THE TREAD. WE RETURNED TO THE TOYOTA DEALER AND ALSO SHOWED THE TIRE TO THREE DIFFERENT TIRE SHOPS (ALL THREE SELL YOKOHAMA TIRES). THE TOYOTA DEALER DID NOT OFFER AN OPINION OTHER THAN TIRE DEFECT - SO WE NEEDED TO DEAL WITH THE MANUFACTURER. TWO TIRE SHOPS THOUGHT IT WAS A DEFECT (EVEN THOUGH THEY SAID IT WAS A HASSLE TO GET A REPLACEMENT PAID FOR BY YOKOHAMA). ONE SHOP REPORTED IT WAS A DEFECT UNLESS THE TIRE WAS UNDER INFLATED, BUT THEY DIDN'T SEE ANY WEAR PATTERN THAT INDICATED UNDER INFLATION. BECAUSE OF THE BLOWOUT AND A SECOND SUSPICIOUS TIRE OF THE FOUR, WE REPLACED ALL FOUR WITH A DIFFERENT BRAND. AS FAR AS WE CAN TELL, THE YOKOHAMA TIRE(S) WERE DEFECTIVE AS NEW ON THE CAR. *TR

Lost steering on car while driving. Shop noted right control arm completely corroded through and broken axle. Entire undercarriage rusted and corroded. Available for inspection. Sudden loss of steering is a risk factor for serious injury or death. Problem has been looked at by two independent service centers who have agreed on problem. Has not been inspected by manufacturer, whom I have contacted over 8 times regarding this issue, or by any other party. There were no warning signs or symptoms prior to failure.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2014 TOYOTA PRIUS. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WOULD REVERSE WHEN SHIFTED TO DRIVE WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO A DEALER OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 3,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 3,002.