Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (service brakes, ABS, rotors and pads, parking brake).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2013 Toyota Prius owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
The contact owns a 2013 Toyota Prius. The contact stated that while driving 60 MPH, the ABS warning light illuminated. Minutes later, the vehicle started to brake and lurch forward with the accelerator pedal depressed. The contact stated that the vehicle spun out and crashed into the median. The contact's chest struck the steering wheel, causing bruising and chest pain. The contact was managing the pain with analgesics. The vehicle was towed to an impound lot and was deemed a total loss by the insurance company. A Police report was filed, but the report number was not provided. The manufacturer was contacted and was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 140,000.
Brakes were applied in order to avoid a collision with a deer, but the brakes locked up, sending my family out of control across the oncoming lane and into an embankment. They were lucky they weren't killed. Toyota knows this is an issue and have failed to address it. The ABS accumulator no longer works, causing a dangerous situation. A local Toyota dealer alerted me to this issue.
The contact owns a 2013 Toyota Prius. The contact stated that while driving at 25 MPH, the brake pedal was depressed but failed to respond and went all the way to the floorboard. The traction control warning light, ABS warning light, the brake warning light, and an unknown warning light illuminated. The contact stated that she continued to depress the brake pedal until it responded. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who diagnosed that the brake actuator needed to be replaced. The contact stated that the failure had been recurring while driving. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that they could not assist as her vehicle was 5,000 miles over the mileage for the extended warranty. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 155,000.
The contact owns a 2013 Toyota Prius. The contact stated that while his wife was driving at 35 MPH, when the contact's wife depressed the brake pedal, the brakes were inoperable and inadvertently all the warning lights illuminated on the control; however, the wife then let off the brake pedal and then depressed the brake pedal again and was able to stop the vehicle. The contact stated that the wife was able to safely drive the vehicle to their residence. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed as having an ABS control module failure and needed to be replaced; however, the vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure; a case was filed, but the manufacturer provided no assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 93,000.
The contact owns a 2013 Toyota Prius. The contact stated while driving 30 MPH, the brakes, ABS, and an unknown warning light were illuminated. The brake pedal was depressed but the vehicle failed to respond. The contact depressed the brake pedal to the floorboard and the brake pedal responded. The contact stated that there was a 30-foot stopping distance delay. The contact veered to the side of the road. The vehicle was taken to the dealer. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The dealer informed the contact that the vehicle could not be repaired under a warranty that was expired. The vehicle was taken back to the residence. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 141,000.
The contact owns a 2013 Toyota Prius. The contact stated while driving at 20 MPH, the anti-lock brake turned on with no warning causing the contact to crash into a construction barrel causing minor damage to her vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and they aligned the vehicle, but the failure continued. The vehicle was taken to the dealer once again and they stated that the actuator and the brake booster needed to be replaced and stated that the VIN was under recall and then called the contact and informed her it was not under recall, and she needed to pay out of pocket. The manufacturer was contacted, and a complaint was filed but they had not contacted the contact back. The failure was mileage was 121,000.
Failure of the ABS accumulator caused an accident that could have easily killed my family. The issue makes all ABS and stability control inoperable. While applying the brakes to avoid a deer at highway speeds, the wheels locked up while sending the car in an uncontrollable sideways slide across the highway and into a culvert. My wife was driving at the time and she had our 2 small children with her. I learned about the problem from the Toyota dealer and the service advisor told me that Toyota knows about this problem. The advisor informed me that it's simply just a TSB. This is highly dangerous and Toyota should be responsible for this faulty system.
Problem 1. Both curtain airbags on the passenger side deployed while no one was sitting in those seats, no injuries sustained to anyone. This happened one time as it happened in a car accident, nothing indicated that the air bags were on or active at the moment. Problem 2. ABS system failure has caused the brakes on the prius to lock and not work while driving, almost causing an incident. The car has not been driven since for the fear of that happening again. The vehicle has been seen by a mechanic to determine it is the abs system. The ABS light has been on as well, it appeared a couple of weeks before the brakes locked up back in March of this year.
The contact owns a 2013 Toyota Prius. The contact stated that upon parking the vehicle, the vehicle made an abnormal sound every 30-seconds. The contact stated the vehicle then stopped making the sound. The ABS warning light, the traction control warning light, and other unknown warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed. The mechanic determined that the brake actuator and the ABS module needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. An unknown dealer was contacted for parts information. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 140,000.
The car entered into safe mode suddenly while driving on the freeway and caused me to lose the brake booster with no audible alert. The brake light, ABS light and Traction Control light showed up on the dashboard. The regenerative brake got deactivated too. I was able to stop the car to a safe place by pressing hard on the brakes. This is very concerning as no warning was issued and didn't expect to lose the break booster while driving at high speed on freeway. Toyota had issued a recall on this but only covering cars under 150,000 miles and mine has 189,000 miles. It is a 2013 Prius 3 model.
NHTSA investigations
Brake Actuator Valve Wear
The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) has received a petition dated September 19, 2023 from the owner of a 2012 Toyota Prius V requesting that ODI reevaluate its decision to deny DP19-004. In the letter, the petitioner reported experiencing an unexpected and complete loss of brake power while driving, accompanied by multiple dashboard warning lights.
Brake Actuator Valve Wear
On September 19, 2019, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) received a defect petition from Mr. Roger Hogan requesting that the Agency investigate and recall certain Toyota Prius, Prius PHV, Camry Hybrid and Avalon Hybrid vehicles for a brake actuator valve wear condition covered under Toyota Customer Support Programs ZJB and ZKK (subject CSP?s).
Brake complaints in other Prius years
Frequently asked questions
How common are brake problems on the 2013 Toyota Prius?
NHTSA has 242 complaints about the brakes of the 2013 Toyota Prius, 58% of the model year's 414 complaints. The component named most often is antilock (1 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2013 Toyota Prius brake problems?
No. NHTSA lists no brakes recall for the 2013 Toyota Prius, though it has 3 recalls for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 2013 Toyota Prius brake problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 92,000 miles, and 27% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 18 crashes, 0 fires and 10 injuries to brakes problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.