2014 Toyota Prius Complaints

Subject: Brake Booster/Pump Assembly Failure – Toyota Program ZJB / 23TE07 Description of Incident: I am reporting a failure of the brake booster and pump assembly on my 3rd Generation Prius (82,000 miles). While the vehicle is 11.3 years old, it is well under the 150,000-mile threshold of Toyota’s Customer Support Program ZJB. The brake pump began cycling every 13 seconds, indicating an internal pressure leak in the accumulator. This is a documented precursor to a total loss of power-assist braking. Despite the clear mechanical failure, no warning lamps or Diagnostic Trouble Codes (DTCs) were triggered, creating a safety hazard where the system could fail without prior electronic notification. Repair and Cost Details: Because the vehicle was 1.3 years past the arbitrary 10-year "Secondary Coverage" window, I was forced to pay $3,461.18 out-of-pocket for a known manufacturing defect. I would like to highlight a discrepancy in labor billing: while Toyota’s own technical bulletins (Z...

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)

The contact owns a 2014 Toyota Prius. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle failed to slow down as intended with the brake pedal depressed. The ABS warning light was occasionally illuminated. The vehicle was pulled over to the shoulder of the roadway and restarted. The vehicle was taken to a local independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed, and determined that the brake master cylinder, brake booster, and brake lines needed to be replaced. The local dealer was contacted; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. Upon further investigation, the contact related the failure to an undisclosed recall; however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 152,000.

Vehicle: 2014 Toyota Prius v Hybrid Mileage: 79,000 miles The vehicle experienced sudden failure of the brake booster / brake accumulator system. Multiple warning lights appeared including ABS, traction control, and the red brake warning light. Diagnostic code C1391 was retrieved. The brake pedal became soft/spongy and the electric brake pump began cycling frequently. Braking performance felt reduced and inconsistent, creating a potential safety risk. This vehicle has very low mileage (79,000 miles) and has been well maintained. The failure appears to be related to a known defect in the Prius braking system. Toyota previously issued Customer Support Program 20TE07 addressing brake booster and pump failures on 2012–2014 Prius v vehicles. Despite this known issue, the repair is not being covered and the cost quoted is several thousand dollars. A failure of the brake booster/accumulator system significantly affects braking performance and should not occur at this mileage. This appear...

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.