2014 TOYOTA PRIUS V Service Brakes Problems

Upon inspection, our mechanic determined that the master cylinder assembly and the actuator assembly require replacement (error code C1391). It is currently available for inspection, but will need to be repaired soon. Our safety and the safety of others is at great risk, because there is impending brake failure if driven and the end result could be catastrophic. On 09/13/25, the BRAKE, TRACTION CONTROL, ABS and ((!)) lights came on about 10 minutes from home. We drove home, parked the car and did not drive it again until we took it to our mechanic on 09/15/25. During this incident, the brakes failed to respond properly, which could have led to a serious accident. We took the car to a local mechanic and repairs are currently pending. The estimated cost for the necessary parts is approx. $3,000 and the labor costs are estimated to be between $1,100 and $2,000. Our local Toyota dealership was also contacted and they confirmed the presence of code C1391. Please reference Toyota Service Bulletin POL18-03, which addresses issues related to the braking system in certain Toyota models, including the Prius V. This bulletin indicates that various brake system-related warning lamps may illuminate due to internal malfunctions within the brake system, and it outlines affected parts that may require replacement. Additionally, please reference Toyota Customer Support Program 20TE07, which provides extended coverage for certain brake system repairs. It is concerning that, despite this well-known, very serious problem, Toyota has not issued a recall. While our vehicle currently has 116,975 miles, we are aware that the warranty period ended 10 years from the first date of use or 150,000 miles. However, this malfunction not only endangers our safety, but also that of other drivers on the road. We urge the NHTSA to investigate this matter thoroughly and consider the implications for a potential recall for this model, because Toyota is well-aware of this issue.

I have a 2014 Prius V with 92,000 miles. My anti-skid, brake and ABS idiot lights went off approximately 1 week ago. (August 25, 2025) Scheduled an appointment at my Toyota dealer (September 3, 2025) and was told there was an abnormal leak in the accumulator and that the brake booster pump and brake pump assembly needed to be replaced. Cost $5715. Not related to the brakes, but they also said I had to replace the rear shock absorbers as they are leaking and needed to be replaced and then realigned. Cost $1363. This should have been a recall not a mileage or 10 year limit.

C1391 - Abnormal Leak of ACC Pressurization. Bad Brake booster assembly.

Toyota has a break issue that they extended the warranty for 10 years or 150000 miles and now a few months pass the 10 years I have a problem with the actuator giving warnings and my daughter went into a skid when applying the breaks. She was lucky and didn’t hit anyone. If Toyota knows there is a problem that is a safety concern they should fix it I did get a Toyota dealership to give an estimate to fix it and was told $4300.00 I think that’s too much for a defective part. It should be a safety recall.

ABS Brake pump actuator booster failed. It is available for inspection. While driving, I started hearing a hissing sound from my brakes. I tried to slow down and my several diagnostic lights (ABS, traction control, brake, check engine, etc.) flashed on while my brakes failed to work properly. I turned on my hazard lights immediately. I was in the middle of the road with my toddler in the car and I almost rammed into the car in front of me. Luckily I was able to pull into a turn lane and pushed with all my might on the brakes and it finally was able to stop. My brakes failed and I could have hit the cars in front of me and hurt my child, myself and others. It was terrifying. Problem has been confirmed by an independent service center. The warning lamps only appeared WHILE the issue was happening and my brakes failed to work properly.

While braking on the interstate, this car threw error code C1391: Abnormal Leak of ACC PRESS. This is the brake system accumulator pressure - meaning lost all assistance to braking - it took a long time to slow down and come to a stop. Easily could have caused a serious crash had I been on a hill or coming up on stopped traffic. I did some research and found this is a KNOWN ISSUE with Toyota and SHOULD HAVE BEEN A RECALL! Toyota skirted the issue by offering customers that encountered the problem a CUSTOMER SERVICE PROGRAM where they would pay for a new brake pump and master cylinder. HOWEVER, Toyota put TIME and MILEAGE CONSTRAINTS ON THE PROGRAM, and it just so happened our car had exceeded those limits - so we had to pay full price for the repair of the 2 new brake parts - over $3,000! The 2014 Toyota PriusV that we bought new and had always serviced it properly was hardly worth that, but it was our only car, so we paid it. BUT will never buy another Toyota now - and NHTSA needs to fine Toyota for this poor brake system

Upon exiting the highway my brake system when engaged was completely unresponsive. I of course pushed down gently as would and upon realizing the brakes were not responding I started pounding on the brake pad. I had to ram the brake down for the vehicle to even slow. Thankfully no-one was in front of me at the light and I was able to pull into the nearest gas station having to ram brake to fullest extent to get the vehicle to stop moving. All lights within the braking system lit up including the Master Warning Light, Brake System Warning Light, ABS Warning light, and SLIP indicator as well as the warning siren. These warning lights did not come on til after* the brake system was engaged with failure*** NOT PRIOR. It was not indicative of an issue prior too, no former brake issue or warning lights. I turned the vehicle off and then back on again to see if the same lights still lit and issue was still malfunctioning. I called for a tow and had vehicle taken to the Adams Toyota Dealership (MO)The following diagnostic code C1391 was registered on my vehicle at dealership. Upon research (not disclosure) I found that the above code- C1391- "Brake booster and Brake Booster Pump Assembly" is a known issue that Toyota offered a Warranty repair from May 21-Nov 22' IF FAILURE Not a recall but a "if" brake system fails. Please see Customer Support Program 21TE01. I purchased vehicle in OCT 21 and was never informed, never provided this warranty letter, issue didn't show up on Carfax etc and I purchased directly from the Toyota Dealership. Upon research you will find that Toyota is currently in class action and individual lawsuits re this specific part failure with the above diagnostic code. They are denying replacement due the expired warranty time. The Parts should recalled* not just a "warranty issue" -unacceptable to leave buyers uninformed to such a major issue that can cause accident/death (IM PREGNANT I MAY ADD!) and unable to seek covered repairs unless it fails!

Break pump , break pump assembly, Break actuator. Vehicle has only 91k miles it. Breaks feel rough and slower to react. Too worried to use vehicle. Dealership said it’s a very well known issue and wanted $5800 to fix it.

Toyota did implement an extended service warranty that ran through June of 2024 for a KNOWN issue with the ABS system. The problem was identified in a number of vehicle models, multiple recalls were made starting in 2019, and the Prius V (mine is a 2015) was excluded from that recall. After a road trip from Phoenix, AZ to Albequerque, NM, I started noticing a "farting" noise while braking. The extended service program had closed the month prior. I had the car inspected at my local AAA service department prior to leaving. The problem got worse, the braking is squishy and inconsistent, so I took it back to the shop. They've told me that my ABS system is not functioning and needs to be replaced. I called a dealership about the issue, and they said they can't honor the warranty unless Toyota does. They gave me the contact number for Toyota's Customer Care line, and I requested an appeal or exception which was denied. I have 85,000 miles on the car. It hasn't even rolled over yet. I don't drive very much and didn't drive really at all for almost 3 years between 2020 and 2023 since I was working online. There is nothing I could possibly have done to contribute to this issue, so it is CLEARLY a manufacturer error. Any issue with brakes poses a serious threat to safety and must be taken seriously. The repair cost is over $5,000, and MOST households cannot absorb that cost. If more vehicles are having similar issues, then I GUARANTEE you that there are more cars on the road right now with unstable brake systems that may fail at crucial moments. I have an appointment on Monday 2/10/24 with a the dealership service center. I have no idea if I'll be able to cover the cost of the repairs.

Approximately 2 months ago my brake booster and accumulator pump failed looked up recalls on this issue my vehicle falls in the recalled model year was wondering if it is just overlooked because it has not had any problems with it in the past only 76000 miles on vehicle due to low mileage I believe it should not have failed it has a internal leak had vehicle scanned code C1391 was detected for abnormal leak of ACC press. Thank you For any assistance you can provide for me unable to afford repairs at this need vehicle for transportation to and from work again. Thank you

Brake Actuator Valve Wear all lights relating to brakes are on, Dec. 12th 2024. The warranty for this expensive fix ended March, 2024 or 150k miles, there are only 106k miles on the vehicle. Something that is such a safety hazard SHOULD not have a date. We are experiencing unexpected loss of brake power while driving, accompanied by multiple dashboard warning lights, so we are unable to drive to the Toyota Dealership to have it scanned for issues. Toyota has advised us NOT to drive the vehicle, and we live 40 min from the nearest dealership. We bought the car from a Toyota dealership used, and they should have fixed this before selling the vehicle. Complete negligence and a huge safety issue. We only ask that they warranty be extended for the entire year of Dec. so that we can get this fixed asap.

Brake light and several other lights suddenly came on. The brakes became spongy. Taken to a repair place close enough for walking for diagnostic work. It showed that the brake booster needs to be replaced. There was a campaign for this problem, so Toyota knows that it is/was a problem. That campaign has apparently ended. This is a very expensive repair on a car that I expected to use the rest of my life. There was no warning by the dealership from which I purchased the car that this was a possible pending problem.

Car was diagnosed at a Toyota dealership with a brake booster issue reading code 20TE07 after my vehicles brakes suddenly would not work and the car continued to jolt forward. The brakes wouldn’t stop the car. According to Toyota, my vehicle is three months outside of the warranty period but under the covered mileage so we are left to repair this defect ourselves. This was a very dangerous situation and could have cost us and our children our lives instead of just the $4800 repair cost. This has happened to both of our Prius’s so this is not a rare issue. Toyota needs to have a plan for these parts failing suddenly and they should all be recalled for safety in my opinion. The experience was very scary and we had zero control over the vehicle when the brakes suddenly went out. Where do I join the class action lawsuit?

Brake actuator failure, coded as C1391. known issue by Toyota which can result in loss of brakes if not repaired. symptoms of problem: pulsing air sound from master brake cylinder, and/or all braking system lights illuminate on dash.

Brakes failed to stop vehicle for over almost ½ of a block. The driver, a young woman, was so terrified that she is refusing to drive the car even after the brakes have been repaired. It is my understanding that Toyota is aware of this problem and has issued directives for its dealers to make the necessary repairs. However, I was told that this was extended to 150,000 miles or 10 years from first in service date. I am including the invoice from Lipton Toyota for over $4,000 and I am respectfully requesting that Toyota makes this right and refunds this money. The failure of a braking system represents a critical life threatening situation of which no one can deniy.

I have a 2014 Toyota Prius V. I was driving down the highway at 55 m/h when my brakes became spongy all of a sudden and the ABS, traction and brake lights came on the dashboard. I was very scared and seeing that my brakes were failing I almost caused an accident that could have cost my life and my family's. I managed to get home safely and after scanning the system got the code C1391 - ABORMAL LEAK IN ACCUMULATOR. I did some research and this defect is so well known that Toyota launched a costumer program to replace the booster for free. I took it to a Toyota dealership and they wont't replace it though because the program expired a couple of months ago. This is an expensive and life-threatening part. The defect comes from the manufacturing facility, not from usage, so Toyota should be responsible for it.

I am a US military member stationed in Germany. I bought my Toyota Prius V used, in 2020, knowing I'd be stationed in Europe and expressly because of Toyotas reliability and Prius's great mileage. This was our family's third Prius and a sixth Toyota vehicle. It's been almost exactly 2 years since my family moved to Germany, when one day I was driving through a small town, below the speed limit of 35 mph (50 km/h). Suddenly, while driving, the red BRAKE light, yellow ABS light, and red brake system warning lights came on all at once. The car's brake continued to work normally but I also started hearing a low volume, frequent, 1-sec long electronic buzzing sound coming from somewhere the front of the car, on the driver's side. It was audible every 3 seconds or so, even after the car was put in Park and turned off, then it went off after a couple minutes. I took the car to a local German Toyota leadership to have the problem diagnosed. The Service Department told me later that day the DTC1391 was identified, and the brake booster assembly + brake booster pump assembly needed to be replaced, at a total cost of this repair being over EUR 9,000 (around $9,900). The parts themselves were quoted to cost EUR 3,500 and EUR 4,000 each, and would have to be ordered from the US. I cannot afford to pay $10K to repair a 10-year old car. After some research, I discovered while Toyota never issued a recall, they knew about this brakes problem since 2018. I found several "Customer Support Program" notifications to Prius owners for this specific problem, including the one numbered 20TE07 which applied to 2012-2015 Prius's V. It told dealers to do this repair free of charge and extended the coverage for 10 years or 150,000 miles It also had info on repair cost reimbursement to customers. Hoping I could get my car fixed and file for reimbursement I called Toyota US and was told this CSP expired in Mar 2024 for my VIN and that there was nothing Toyota would be able to do.

Four warning lights related to the braking system illuminate, followed by what seems to be the cessation of the ABS. After 5 minutes of driving, the lights went off and abs returned, although brakes are shaky. The abs seems to be a known faulty park and is covered under warranty but only up to 150,000 miles. When taken to a dealer, the repair shop recommended I call corporate. Citing the arbitrary mileage limit, the Toyota mechanic seemed convinced the corporate office would cover the cost, saying he’s seen it done on a case by case basis. This coverage should be made unilaterally for all car owners with this defect, not simply those willing to fight for it. Class action lawsuits over what seems to be a similar issue have been privately settled.

Completely unannounced and sudden brake failure, which caused a failure in the traction control and ABS system as well. Most likely brake actuator pump failure.

2014 Toyota Prius V [XXX] [XXX] (17:45 CST) Sudden loss of braking ability. Brake pedal goes nearly to the floor. Nearly caused collision. ABS, BRAKE, VSC and Orange Exclamation Point Warning all indicated simultaneously. Brake ABS pump / actuator makes buzzing sound audible in driver seat about every 5 seconds. CSP/TSB coverage apparently expired 75 days ago. Occurred at mileage 152,589. Open case with Toyota # [XXX] Vehicle not yet inspected by dealer. Vehicle is available for inspection upon request. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Mileage: 152,589

Brakes are not working properly,pull up to stop light and pedal can go all the way to floor. there are multipul warning lights. Toyota dealer says becase I have 153,00 miles they wont repair,even though Toyota knows there is a problem

I was driving home from work on 10/14/22. The traffic was moving very slowly because there was a wreck ahead and emergency crews were on the scene. I was having to break often while moving at a slow speed. All of the sudden multiple dash warning lights came on the vehicle and the vehicle no longer responded to my breaking in a normal manner. I pulled off of the hwy and drove to my local dealership on a side road at a slower than normal speed. I told the dealership to check my car for the recall I remember getting in the mail a while back that mentioned the car trouble I was experiencing. I was told that the recall did not apply to me because my car was over 150,000 miles. The local dealership indicated they could not assist me with having Toyota honoring the recall past the specified mileage. I contacted the national Toyota number and was told the problem was included in a "customer support program" not an actual recall from Toyota and that Toyota would not pay to fix my vehicle since it was over 150,000 miles. I see that some people have filed a class action lawsuit against Toyota in this matter. I was told the Brake Booster needed to be replaced and also a break pump assembly would be required with an estimated cost of $2,500. The car is not safe to drive as it is right now. Toyota is aware of the problem and I guess put the "support program" in place to try and get around a forced government recall and also in turn put a cap on the mileage out of the reach of many vehicle owners. I would like the government to make Toyota actually recall the vehicles that have this problem and pay to fix my vehicle with this issue.

losing brake preasure

ABS failing to pressurize. Anti-lock brake system has failed.

The brakes failed while I was driving. I had received a "Voluntary Customer Support Program" notice several months before this happened. I called the dealership right away and they told me not to worry about it and to put the notice in my owners manual. After the brakes failed, I had it towed in to the dealership and they determined that it was an issue that would be paid for by Toyota. Now my car has been in the dealership for almost 2 months and the part is still not available. They have no estimated time to expect the part. I have a loaner, which they would not give me at first until I complained to the Toyota customer service number. My loaner is a large SUV, which is a gas guzzler and is much bigger than I am used to. I just want my old Prius V back. Repaired.

RATTLE TYPE OF NOISE CAN HEAR AND FEEL FROM DRIVER'S SIDE IN FRONT SUSPENSION AREA WHILE DRIVING LOWER SPEED AND WHEN PUSH BRAKE AND STOP . MOST OF NOISE HAPPENED WHEN PUSH BRAKE TO STOP AND SLOWLY START DRIVING / MOVING VEHICLE AGAIN . THOUGHT NOISE IS FROM SUSPENSION BUT AFTER BEING FULL INSPECTION ON VEHICLE , MECHANICS BELIEVE IT'S NOISE FROM " HYBRID SYSTEM POWER INVERTER " . SEARCH RECALL STATES ON NHSTA WEB AND FOUND RECALL IS " INCOMPLETE " . SO AM PLANING TO BRING IT AND ASK AT TOYOTA DEALER IN CULVER CITY CA WHERE I ORIGINALLY PURCHASED VEHICLE FOR REPAIR / REPLACE INVERTER . IT SUPPOSED TO BE PERFORM AS FREE OF SERVICE .

Mileage: 90,000

POWER STEERING HARD TO DRIVE, CHECK ENGINE LIGHT, ABS, A LITTLE CAR LIGHT , STORING RED LIGHT ,

DID AN OIL CHANGE TO THE CAR ON 9/14/18. DRIVING TO KEY LARGO SATURDAY 9/15/18 MORNING AND WHILE DRIVING (ALMOST THERE) WHEN THE ABS, ANTI SKID, SYSTEM FAILURE LIGHTS CAME ON. TOOK IT TO THE TOYOTA AND THE SERVICE MANAGER HAD IT SCANNED FOR THE CODES. CAME BACK AS BRAKE ACTUATOR FAILURE AND THEY TOLD ME THE CAR WAS NOT SAFE TO DRIVE BECAUSE THE BRAKES FAILED. SAME EXACT THING THAT HAPPENED TO MY 2012 PRIUS WHICH I HAD TO PAY TO GET FIXED. THIS TIME I WAS TOLD BY THE ASSISTANT SERVICE MANAGER THAT TOYOTA SEEMS TO BE AWARE THERE'S AN ISSUE SO THEY WOULD PROBABLY COVER THE COST OF THE PART $3500 BUT I'M RESPONSIBLE FOR THE LABOR WHICH THEY QUOTED AT $1500!!! SOMETHING IS CLEARLY WRONG. I DON'T THINK I SHOULD HAVE BEEN RESPONSIBLE FOR THE MONEY PAID TO GET THE 2012 FIXED NOR SHOULD I HAVE TO PAY FOR THE 2014 NOW. MY CAR IS AT THE TOYOTA UNTIL I CAN COME UP WITH THE MONEY...SOUNDS LIKE A CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT !! ALSO, INTERESTINGLY ENOUGH, BOTH MY 2012 AND 2014 WERE ROUGHLY AT THE SAME MILEAGE WHEN THIS PART FAILED.

Mileage: 100,000

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2014 TOYOTA PRIUS V. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 20 MPH AND APPROACHING A STOP, THE BRAKE PEDAL PRESSURE RELEASED WHEN THE PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED. THE VEHICLE SURGED FORWARD. THE CONTACT HAD TO RELEASE AND REAPPLY THE BRAKES IN ORDER TO STOP THE VEHICLE. THE FAILURE OCCURRED AT LEAST TWELVE OTHER TIMES. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER, BUT THEY COULD NOT DUPLICATE THE FAILURE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 27,000. THE CONSUMER STATED THE FAILURE MORESO RELATES TO A BRAKING FAILURE RATHER THAN SUDDEN UNINTENDED ACCELERATION. THE "SURGE" THAT WAS FELT WAS RELEASING OF THE BRAKES AND AN ABRUPT HALTING OF THE DRIVER'S COMMANDED DECELERATION. THE BRAKE PEDAL HAD TO BE DEPRESSED TO THE FLOOR OR RELEASED ENTIRELY AND DEPRESSED AGAIN. *JS

Mileage: 27,000

I EXPERIENCED SUDDEN BUT MOMENTARY BRAKING WHEN TRAVELING AT HIGH SPEED (> 50 MPH) WHILE EITHER ENTERING RO EXITING HWY. THIS OCCURRED TWICE IN LAST TWO MONS. I DROVE MY CAR TO CLOSEST DEALERSHIP THE 2ND TIME THIS HAPPENED (NOV. 21, 2105; WALDORF MD TOYOTA), WHO TOLD ME THEY RECEIVED AN EMAIL (BUT NO RECALL) FROM TOYOTA CORPORATE ABOUT THIS ISSUE. DEALERSHIP COULD NOT DETECT THE PROBLEM OR REPRODUCE IT SO, AS INSTRUCTED BY DEALERSHIP, I CALLED TOYOTA CORPORATE NOV. 23, 2015 TO GET CASE NUMBER ASSIGNED. AT ONE POINT, TOYOTA REPRESENTATIVE DEMANDED "WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM TOYOTA?" CASE WAS 'ESCALATED' BUT NO CASE WORKER WAS ASSIGNED UNTIL NOV. 30, 2015. TOYOTA CORPORATE STATED THAT THE TECHNICIAN HAD TO REPRODUCE THE PROBLEM AND IF THEY CANNOT, THERE WAS NO PROBLEM AND DEALERSHIP WOULD RETURN MY CAR TO ME WITHOUT REPAIR. THE DEALERSHIP PROTESTED AND SAID THEY OT REQUIRED TO REPRODUCE THE PROBLEM AS IT WAS AN EPISODIC AND RARE EVENT. FURTHER, THEY WOULD NOT RETURN MY CAR TO ME UNTIL THE PROBLEM WAS FIXED BECAUSE IT WAS A SAFETY ISSUE. WALDORF TOYOTA STILL HAS MY CAR (OVER TWO WEEKS NOW AS TODAY IS DEC. 9, 2015). THEY HAVE NOT RECEIVED ANY FURTHER GUIDANCE BUT ARE WAITING FOR THE FIELD TECHNICAL SPECIALIST TO EXAMINE THE CAR. I FINALLY RECEIVED A CALL FROM CUSTOMER RELATIONS AT THE REGIONAL OFFICE (CENTRAL ATLANTIC TOYOTA) TO AUTHORIZE ACCESS TO THE EDR (ELECTRONIC DATA RECORDER). THIS MEANS OVER TWO WEEKS HAVE PASSED BEFORE EVEN THE FIRST STEP WAS TAKEN BY TOYOTA TO DIAGNOSE THE PROBLEM.

Mileage: 7,000

WE WERE IN STOP AND GO TRAFFIC ON THE HIGHWAY FOR JUST OVER A HALF HOUR WITH MY TWO YOUNG CHILDREN IN THE CAR. SPEEDS BELOW 10 MILES PER HOUR. AT THE TIME OF INCIDENT, WE WERE TRAVELING BETWEEN 5-7 MPH. TRIED COMING TO A STOP WITH ABOUT 10 FEET BETWEEN OUR CAR AND A BIG RIG IN FRONT. THE BRAKES WOULDN'T EGANGE. REPEATEDLY STOMPED ON THE BRAKE PEDAL BETWEEN 5 TO 10 TIMES. CAR BREAK WOULD NOT ENGAGE AND WE ROLLED INTO BIG RIG BUMPER. THIS GAVE US A CHANCE TO POWER DOWN THE CAR WITH THE PUSH/START BUTTON.

Mileage: 17,933