NHTSA Owner Complaint Log
This page lists owner-reported complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2010 Toyota Prius. Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA and do not by themselves prove a defect or defect rate.
Data synced from NHTSA on May 4, 2026
Traveling at freeway speed just after midnight, the "check engine" light came on. Less than one minute later, the "check hybrid system" alert came on, with an exclamation mark inside of a yellow triangle symbol displayed. The vehicle instantly had no power when the accelerator was depressed. The vehicle coasted to a stop and would not shift into drive. The vehicle was towed to our home. Upon delivering the vehicle to our home, the tow driver used an emergency battery jump start device and the vehicle was able to shift into drive and be driven into the garage. The 12 volt battery was replaced the next day and the vehicle no longer exhibited any disfunction. This was an unexpected event with no warning that the 12 volt battery was in need of replacement. It could have resulted in a serious collision, if the freeway had been more congested, as the vehicle had been immediately driven 2 lanes over to the nearest exit, and came to a stop just after exiting, safely at the side of the road. This is a very dangerous safety condition that should have had some type of alert that the simple 12 volt battery system was in danger of failing, causing a catastrophic failure of the engine and power train. Or, the car should simply not be able to drive, if the 12 volt battery is that low, to ensure passenger and community safety. Prime example: Toyota Prius has a warning alert that the key fob battery is low. The warning gives you a couple of weeks to replace the battery, and repeatedly displays the warning whenever you power up the vehicle.
Brake system fails under normal driving conditions. Dealership diagnostics confirmed this falls under the Customer Support Program ZJB. This program expired in 2020 and Toyota customer care is unwilling to fix or reimburse for the $2200 expense associated with the defective brake booster and brake booster pump assembly. The Toyota case number is #220318001387.
For the past 2 weeks my prius has been acting very strange. When driving I have a hard time coming to a stop when pushing the brake and I realize that that the ABS light is on as well the brake light is on. Sometimes it will work fine with the lights off, and somtimes it messes up again. I heard that it could be a brake booster or module. I believe it was already recalled a few years ago, but seeing a lot more people complain about recently is a bit concerning. The part that was replaced, it should work for many years not less than 10. Its a huge risk for myself and others. I didn't realize what was happening until I needed to stop fast. This needs to be fixed fast and the right way this time before somebody dies
In Nov 2020 I was informed that my ABS actuator needed to be replaced since all warning systems went off and brakes were disabled. On March 13, 2022 the ABS and traction system warning came on again . On March 14, 2022 I had my car towed to Daves Ultimate Automotive in Austin, Texas because my brakes failed. They told me I needed to replace the Brake Booster which is going to coat me $2500. I have looked at car complaints and this seems to be a faulty system that Toyota is aware of because they extended a warranty to Dec 2019. It is my belief that this should be a recall because of the dangerous potential of no brakes when this system fails.
Brake warning lights, traction control, and ABS warning lights all illuminated on the dash. Taken to the dealership and was told brake failure due to actuator or brake boost. Upon further research, it looks like this is a known issue with the Prius but Toyota is only providing service/repair to certain vehicles who already show brake failure instead of issuing a recall for all potentially affected vehicles.
The contact owns a 2010 Toyota Prius. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle started making a beeping noise. The contact stated that an unknown warning light was illuminated. The contact pulled into an apartment complex and while depressing the brake pedal the failed to respond. After driving over several speed bumps and using extra energy to depress the brake pedal the vehicle responded and slowed to a stop. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it remained. The contact stated the dealer informed her that the brake master cylinder and brake booster pump needed to be replaced. After researching the cause of the failure, the contact referenced NHTSA Campaign Number: 13V235000 (Service Brakes) however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was contacted and informed of the failure. The contact was then informed that the vehicle warranty had expired. The approximate failure mileage was 180,000.
2010 Prius Brake, ABS, Traction Control Lights On/Off with no codes I bought new car and running smooth so far. I got this lights 2 months back and off for sometime and came back on and off and now quite often coming back and forth, 106K miles had the ABS, Traction Control and Brake light all come on at once same time and off same time and back and forth. No codes and no flashing but this is very critical as all related to brake systems failures may leads to crash because we don't know when this lights on and off and no codes to fix this issue.
The contact owns a 2010 Toyota Prius. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the brake pedal was depressed however, the vehicle failed to respond as needed; causing the stopping distance to be extended. The contact stated that the ABS, brakes, and traction control warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the ABS system and brake booster needed to be replaced. The local dealer was contacted and the contact was informed that NHTSA Campaign Number: 10V039000 (Service Brakes, Air) had expired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but provided no assistance. The approximate failure mileage was 220,000.
The contact owns a 2010 Toyota Prius. The contact stated while exiting the highway and getting into the right lane at 60 MPH, the ABS warning light, brake light, and the traction control warning light illuminated and the vehicle lost braking functionality. The contact depressed the brake pedal with added force to get the vehicle to slow enough that he was able to get off of the highway ramp and pull over. The contact turned off and restarted the vehicle; however, the warning lights were still illuminated. The contact stated that extra force was needed to stop the vehicle. The contact drove the vehicle to his residence. The contact has not taken the vehicle to a local dealer. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 182,000.
The Brake booster and master cylinder failed causing the braking system to fail while driving
2010 TOYOTA PRIUS. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGRDS TO DEFECTIVE ABS SYSTEM. THE CONSUMER STATED THE DEALER ADVISED THE BRAKE ACCUMULATOR. THE CONSUMER WAS INFORMED ABOUT A RECALL BUT, IT HAD BEEN DISCONTINUED. THE BRAKE BOOSTER PUMP ASSEMBLY WAS REPLACED AT THE OWNER'S EXPENSE.
My prius appears to have the same problem that an excessive number of other 2010 priuses have with it's regenerative braking. This is a common and well known issue among these cars. Despite the fact that I am at 132k miles, under the 150k limit for the extended warranty, I am going to be stuck spending thousands and thousands of dollars to get my vehicle fixed because it is about 2 years past the 10 year limit.
while driving on 01/31/2022, I noticed several warning lights came on suddenly on the dash and heard intermittent beefing noise while driving. I took my car to the dealership and they found M R&R brake booster and booster pump needs to be replaced and they informed me that recall warranty time of that equipment has expired and I paid for it to be replaced costing me $3539.76. Toyota motor company told me that they are not responsible to repair or replace it.
While driving, my traction lights, ABS light, and Brake light came on the dash with no noises or other messages. I noticed my brakes took significantly more distance to stop and then stopped working altogether. I had to use my emergency brake to get stopped safely.
The contact owns a 2010 Toyota Prius. The contact stated that the braking system warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and diagnosed with a brake fluid leak in the brake master cylinder. The vehicle was not repaired and remained at the dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and informed the contact that the extended warranty had expired. The failure mileage was approximately 81,000.
2010 Toyota Prius. Driven about 10000 miles a year. Brake booster system went out at about the 125,000 mile mark. Reason to complain is no parts are available for repair and it is a common problem. Check out youtube.com about it. Dealer has a long waiting list, with no idea of availability. Local repair shops do not have any pumps, meaning there are many cars being driven with defective brake systems. An unusual Toyota recall for the brake problem happened in 2019 that expired in 2020 but my brakes were OK at that time. With so many Prius vehicles on the road, this problem needs more exam and Toyota forced to provide quicker relief, even a recall.
The contact owns a 2010 Toyota Prius. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the ABS, traction control, and parking brake warning lights illuminated. Additionally, the brake pedal was difficult to depress. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and diagnosed with brake booster pump assembly failure. The brake booster pump assembly needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but informed the contact that there was no recall associated with the VIN. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 13V235000 (Service Brakes) however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The failure mileage was approximately 88,500.
There are issues with the brake. Many times the brake pedal goes down to the floor and it losses ability to stop. Apparently there is a common ABS actuator and Brake issues. Toyota will not address the issue
2010 toyota prius brake booster failure. according to multiple resources online, there have been known issues with this part from Toyota across multiple models. After recalling only a small portion of vehicles due to this failure, complaints have been filed with nhtsa to address toyota's lack of corrective action regarding the vast amount of vehicles utilizing this technology. this is a dangerous defect that caused my brakes to malfunction during a cross-country trip. my brake and ABS lights suddenly came on, and i could tell my prius handled differently. the brake pedal became hard to depress and stop time increased drastically. i am having a mechanic diagnose and repair this issue costing no less than $1200 in austin, TX. i would like to make a complaint to toyota for not recalling all the models with this issue and instead choosing to recall a minute fraction of potentially defective vehicles.
recalls.
Last year on September 13, 2021 I purchase a used 2010 Toyota Prius ( Vehicle VIN[XXX]) with 122414 miles on the Odometer, I got my oil changed on October 29, 2021 so I can keep track of when my oil is due. My odometer reading on oil change was 123,268. I drove 2806 miles, when I woke up on December 08, 2021 with no oil in my engine. I thought that was very strange so after adding a quart of oil My husband got for me. I took the vehicle back to the shop ( Good Year Tire & Rubber Company 1585- A Island Lane Fleming Island, FL 32003) I originally had my oil changed at, to have them check if there was some sort of leak. The odometer reading at that day/ service was 126,074. After a full inspection of the engine exterior componence, no leak was to be found. Then I decided to do some research only to find out that back in 2016 Toyota had a lawsuit against them for having manufacturer defects in the productions of engine between the years of 2006 - 2011. The manufacturer defect was the engine piston would eventually start having oil leaks into the engine causing engine excessive oil consumption. That same day I took my vehicle to the nearest Toyota dealership ( Coggin Toyota At the Avenues 11340 Philips Hwy Jacksonville FL32256) for a engine oil consumption test to be serviced on my vehicle. This process takes place by filling oil to the full line marking it... confirming there is no leaks....sealing everything and I was to return after driving 1200 miles ( odometer reading at service was 126,094). upon returning the vehicle on December 30, 2021...My vehicle failed the engine oil consumption test because after driving 1221 miles my engine was low on oil by 1.5 quart. This kind of engine oil consumption not only causes my engine to deuterate in time, but also my vehicle diminishes in value. After it was established that my vehicle engine consumes oil / failed the engine oil consumption test. Toyota advised me to get a new engine that would cost me $6987.63 INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).
Brake Booster Failure; has been inspected and confirmed. Warning lamps for traction control, ABS, Brake System Lights, Master Warning Light all came on during normal city driving. Immediate loss of Brake Assist causing sudden need for much more distance while stopping the vehicle. Clearly, sudden changes in brake behavior is a safety concern and this problem seems to be well documented as common issue in this era of Toyota vehicles. I believe Toyota has fallen short in its efforts to remmedy the situation. An extended warranty was issued but it was for a brief period of time that required this problem to occur within a narrow window. It's a wildly expensive repair to a critical system and it seems to be a common problem in these cars.
The brake assembly is noisy while stopped at lights. The brake pedal continues slowly downward when pressed as if there is a leak in the brake master cylinder. Toyota has issued a warranty extension for a problem of fluid leaking in the brake booster, but did not notify me. Toyota's code for the warranty extension is Customer Support Program ZJB. Two local dealerships have refused to perform the repair because the warranty extension expired before I became aware of the issue.
We have a 2010 Prius Purchased March 2010. Toyota issued a "Customer Support Program" (free extended warranty) for the brake booster and brakebooster pump assemblies in 2019. The Primary Coverage was offered until 11-30-19 regardless of milage. After that the secondary coverage applied for 10 years or up to 150,000 miles. The information mailed to us states; "If you have not experienced the condition described above, there is no action necessary at this time." We did not experience any brake problems until 11-10-21, when the dash display lit up with the BRAKE LITE, ABS LITE, SLIP INDICATOR LITE, AND THE ! LITE, ALL CAME ON AT THE SAME TIME. ALSO THE BRAKE PEDDLE BECAME SPONGY AND AT TIMES VERY HARD TO DEPRESS. We had our Toyota dealer run a diagnostic scan of the vehicle and they determined the brake booster and brakebooster pump were defected. The car has 70,000 miles on it at this time, and we have owned the car for 10 years and 8 months. Toyota will not honor this Customer Support Program since we are 8 months beyond the expiration date. There was a RECALL number 13V235000 issued 06-05-13 for the same exact problem, with NO EXPIRATION DATE. However, Toyota says it does not apply to our car. This problem causes the power brakes to not work as power, only manual brakes (Hard to Push). They also become very soft and not responsive if the engine has not run since the last time the brakes were pushed. THIS IS A DANGEROUS SAFETY ISSUE! ! ! My question is, the problem was a big enough to have Toyota issue this 10 year "Customer Support Program" to prevent a hazardous situation from being on the road for 10 years, why is it not hazardous NOW 8 months later? We welcome any help you can provide.
The airbag light on my 2010 Prius intermittently goes on and off. I have brought it to Toyota as well as my mechanic to see if anyone can find the problem. I've been told I need to change the seat and or the weight sensor isn't working. When I looked at the numerous PRius websites this is unbelievably common!
I have a 2010 Toyota Prius. The ABS pump unit broke down while driving on the road. Suddenly the breaks were not functioning correctly. Breaks got squeeze. Apparently it's a common issue and Toyota had a program around it to fix it till Jan 2021. But I couldn't go fix it before coz the lights didn't show up. Now in Oct 2021 it's broken and is not covered. I don't know how a company gets to call such a safety issue as option and not a recall and get away with it. The vehicle has already been identified as having a bad part. How come the company does own up to it considering it's an important part of the breaking system.
while driving traction, abs and brake light came on. braking feels forced by driver.
The contact owns 2010 Toyota Prius. The contact stated while driving 72 MPH, she noticed several unknown warning lights illuminated on the vehicle and a beeping sound coming from the vehicle. The contact noticed that whenever the beeping sound was present, it was very difficult to depress the brake pedal to slow the vehicle. The contact had to depress on the brake pedal all the way to the floor for the vehicle to slow down and for the contact to pull over to the side of the road. The contact waited for a minute before restarting the vehicle and continued to drive a short distance before the failure recurred. The contact was able to restart and slowly drive the vehicle back to the residence. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the ABS pump needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 140,000.
Last week I check hybrid system message appeared on the screen and orange triangle with check engine light. I took it to the shop and they said that there are code P0A94 wich is related to the inverted and that is needed replacement. I saw that there was recall on inverter and want to see if I can get it replaced. Thanks
The brakes, ABS, and traction light came on car but it does not stay on. Took it to the dealership and the advisor said it would be $2,500. If this gas been a recall in the past then it should still be a recall. I am extremely disappointed in Toyota as a whole to bail out on something that is as crucial as the safety of brake failure.
The digital speedometer display has stopped working. I can no longer see my speed or fuel gauge. I was quoted nearly $3,000 at the dealer to repair the vehicle.
The Brake Booster assembly for nearly all 2010 Toyota Prius has innate failure over time. It is a faulty, known-issue part. Toyota offered some limited-time warranty extension fixes instead of a full recall. My Toyota dealership informed my that my part needs the fix, as would be expected, but that I am not within the limited warranty. As this is a safety issue and the part has given out, I am stuck. I contacted Toyota directly and via email as well and they refused to do anything while acknowledging the part was their fault. They were very snooty about the fact that a full recall had not happened yet, and gleeful to deny me service.
I have recently bought a 2010 Prius. The ABS (!) , traction control, and emergency brake light all illuminated three days after I transferred title with the dmv. This apparently is a very common problem with this car. I am told that these lights lead to a very expensive repair. My primary concern is my safety and of course the safety of others. A car that has brakes that suddenly fail is lethal. I was advised by a helpful agent that these repairs would come out of my pocket. My complaint is that Toyota should be responsible for this. I cannot drive this vehicle at the moment because I refuse to endanger anyone.
Hazards lights came on and would not go off, with increased speed hazards flashed faster. Toyota stated that ABS actuator and relay needed to be replaced.
The dash lights on my 2010 Prius went all dark, lost all information on my dash. No lights on dash, no fuel gauge, no speedometer, nothing. This is very dangerous to suddenly have happened and I don't see a recall from Toyota to address this problem.
The contact owns a 2010 Toyota Prius. The contact stated that while driving, the brake lights, ABS, and check engine warning lights illuminated. There was an abnormal noise detected. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer and diagnosed that the brake booster assembly needed to be replaced. Additionally, the contact was informed that the vehicle was not safe to drive. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to NHTSA. The failure mileage was approximately 115,000. The VIN was not available.
Parked with car running. Car started beeping (beep beep beep) incessantly. Turned off. When I turned 2010 Prius back on, the beeping came back. Brakes DID NOT WORK. Dash error said "CHECK PCS SYSTEM" and many warning lights were on. Pressing brakes didn't stop vehicle.
As many other 2010 Prius drivers have experienced, my brake actuator has failed. This has resulted in loss of braking and potential harm.
code C1391 master cylinder internal leak
ABS brake booster slow leak. There are many reporting the same problem on YouTube as a $3000 repair.
1. This 2010 Prius has a faulty design of the piston rings, which is allowing it to burn more than 1.4 Qts of engine oil. 2. Such high consumption of engine oil causing an environmental pollution. 3. Furthermore, I took it to the local Toyota Dealer I.e. Maguire Toyota located in Ithaca, NY, they never chose to diagnose it or repair it. 4. I reached out to the Toyota and the Toyota still isn’t helpful w.r.t this high consumption of engine oil.
My 2010 Prius is experiencing brake booster failure. Brake assist appears to be lost. Feels unsafe to drive since braking distance feels longer. Unsure if stability control is working. Hybrid battery not recharging from braking. Warning lamps include: 1) Brake System Warning Light (red indicator); 2) Brake System Warning Light (yellow indicator); 3) ABS Warning Light; and 4) Electronic Stability Control Active Warning Light. OBD-II trouble code: C1391 (abnormal leak in accumulator). Spoke with representative Tracy at Toyota Customer Experience Center (888-270-9371) on 7/30/2021 (Case #210730000924) and Randall at Toyota Customer Experience Center on 8/3/2021 about repair through Toyota. Both representatives acknowledged that Toyota was aware of the brake booster failure from owners. Randall acknowledged that many owners have complained to Toyota about brake booster failure and that is it commonly reported to Toyota, hence Toyota issued a Toyota Customer Support Program Notification ZJB. However, I am told that coverage for my Prius under Notification ZJB has expired, that there is not a recall for the defective parts, and that Toyota will not assist with fixing this problem for my car. I believe this problem is a safety issue and that Toyota needs to issue a recall as soon as possible to remedy this known defect.
Brake assist has failed. Appears to be master cylinder assembly and/or pump? Brake related error lights and safety systems disabled. Very difficult to drive vehicle without power brakes. Car only has 106k miles on it, and too old for enhanced warranty coverage (acknowledged problem). This is not some 20 year old car with 300k miles on it.
Brake light, ABS light, and traction control light all illuminated on dashboard. Took the vehicle to Toyota dealership and they determined I needed to replace the brake booster/accumulator and pump assembly, cost was $3,000.00. Looking into this issue further it is an extremely common issue and should be a recall item.
While driving on a highway at night around 60 mph, brake light turned on then AB light then slip light. Nothing else happened but since this hadn’t happened before, I pulled over, turned off car, waited a bit then turned back on. Car still worked although these lights stayed on. Continued driving to get home at reduced speed (around 45-50) plus with blinkers on with mental note to take to the dealer next morning. A few miles out, a loud unchanging alarm went off and I couldn’t use my brakes no matter how hard I pressed on them. I was able to glide off an exit that was near and making right turns get into a lot. Also neither of the brake pad nor the parking button was working so I couldn’t stop the car but then I hit power to shut down and that was able to stop it. Called for towing to dealer the following day. They say it’s the brake booster and that I have to pay out of pocket since it passed a recall but this is a dangerous issue with the car. If the light had been red and a car crossing, without brakes I would have gotten into an accident and since I bought it used last year, I wouldn’t have even known about this being an issue. There shouldn’t be a date limit on this recall, if models of Toyota Prius needs the recall and it hadn’t been done by previous owner, it needs to be done as this is a really traumatizing and potentially deadly issue.
I was driving when the car started to beep constantly. I tried to turn on a road to check it out and realized I had no brakes. I passed the road I was trying to turn on and had to coast to a stop down the road. If this had happened while coming to a red light, there is no way I would have been able to avoid a wreck. I did some research and found that they extended the warranty on the brake booster and assembly pump. The thing is I had taken the car in because the abs, brakes, and traction control lights came on last year. They acted like they had no clue what was wrong and just unplugged the battery and hooked it back up to make sure the lights went off. The lights were off for less than a mile and when I called back they acted clueless and said for $200 out of pocket they can do more extensive testing but said they saw nothing wrong and that the car was driving normally. How does Toyota have a major problem that they extend the warranty and the Toyota dealership knows nothing about it and can’t give me answers when I have the exact issues the extended warranty is supposed to cover? I could have been seriously injured and hurt someone else and Toyota doesn’t care. Their representative told me that they had done enough and it was on me to fix the problem as now I was no longer covered under their extended warranty. This is a major safety issue and needs to be a recall before someone gets seriously hurt. Toyota knows there is a problem but refuses to hurt their bottom line to protect the consumers. This just happened yesterday and I have not done anything to the car at this time.
All my lights are on traction, brake, ABS!
Actuator and brake cylinder have gone. ABS, traction, and brake lights all have gone on. This is a very common issue with this car, and I am expected to pay $3,000 for this fix.
Seek exteral brake fluid no external leaks found ABS pump noise probable abs pump flalure leak
While driving on an uncrowded 2 lane rural highway at approx. 4pm on June 20th, 2021, I heard what sounded like a gunshot in my ear. I quickly looked around at my interior & saw no broken windows. I had no driving issues, but pulled over safely to inspect the exterior of my vehicle. As soon as I opened my driver's door & exited, I turned to close the door & saw that my sunroof had basically exploded. It was jagged & missing pieces around 3 of 4 edges. I was an hour from home & wanted to make sure I arrived safely. En route I heard chunks falling off & by the time I got home the middle portion had rippled & gaping holes were visible.