2005 Toyota Prius Service Brakes Problems
Owners have filed 82 complaints with NHTSA about service brakes problems on the 2005 Toyota Prius, 8% of all complaints for this model year. Half of the reports with a mileage happened before 135,626 miles. The words owners use most often: “brake actuator” (33% of reports).
- 82service brakes complaints
- 135,626median miles at failure
- 4mention a crash
- 1mention an injury
- 0related recalls
- $3,300typical repair cost reported by owners
- 22%of reports with a speed happened at 50+ mph
What owners describe
Phrases that appear unusually often in these complaints compared with complaints about other cars.
- Brake actuator: mentioned in 27 of 82 complaints (33%)
- Brakes failed: mentioned in 6 of 82 complaints (7%)
How much does it cost to fix?
Owners who wrote down what they paid or were quoted put the typical service brakes repair on the 2005 Toyota Prius at $3,300, and half of them between $2,850 and $3,800.
Based on 15 NHTSA complaints about this problem alone that state a repair bill or quote (2013–2024), converted to 2026 dollars with the U.S. consumer price index. These are owners' own figures, not a quote: they include dealer quotes, and owners who file complaints often faced larger repairs, so they can run higher than typical shop prices. Prices vary by shop, region and warranty coverage. How we calculate this.
At what mileage do service brakes problems happen?
Based on 68 complaints that reported the odometer reading.
How serious are the reports?
Of 82 complaints, 4 mention a crash, 1 an injury.
Toyota Prius service brakes complaints by model year
| Model year | Service Brakes complaints | Share of that year | Median miles |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 Prius | 2 | 13% | — |
| 2024 Prius | 2 | 7% | 3,000 |
| 2023 Prius | 2 | 10% | — |
| 2022 Prius | 4 | 17% | 10,000 |
| 2021 Prius | 1 | 17% | — |
| 2020 Prius | 4 | 29% | 8,185 |
| 2019 Prius | 9 | 30% | 3,498 |
| 2018 Prius | 3 | 8% | 4,500 |
| 2017 Prius | 14 | 15% | 14,932 |
| 2016 Prius | 18 | 12% | 7,193 |
| 2015 Prius | 89 | 54% | 35,000 |
| 2014 Prius | 94 | 45% | 21,000 |
| 2013 Prius | 231 | 56% | 83,500 |
| 2012 Prius | 184 | 43% | 77,000 |
| 2011 Prius | 264 | 51% | 80,000 |
| 2010 Prius | 593 | 21% | 93,000 |
| 2009 Prius | 63 | 13% | 130,000 |
| 2008 Prius | 145 | 10% | 129,325 |
| 2007 Prius | 127 | 6% | 123,377 |
| 2006 Prius | 73 | 5% | 139,500 |
| 2005 Prius | 82 | 8% | 135,626 |
| 2004 Prius | 21 | 3% | 138,000 |
| 2003 Prius | 5 | 5% | 117,689 |
| 2002 Prius | 4 | 2% | 30,000 |
| 2001 Prius | 5 | 3% | 125,225 |
When owners reported it
Related recalls (0)
No safety recall lists service brakes for the 2005 Toyota Prius. A pattern of complaints does not always lead to a recall.
What owners report
Short excerpts of recent complaints, with personal details removed. Full reports are on NHTSA.gov.
ABS actuator failed and had little to no braking action while merging on the freeway. Had to swerve to avoid collision on interstate
i had brake warning lights pop up on my dash..my brake actuator fail on my 05 prius.. this is a known issue with toyota prius. the brake actuator is a very important part of the braking system and vehicle is deemed unsafe with a failed actuator/module.. the dealer quoted over 3000 in repairs.. they…
Brake actuator going bad. Safety is put at risk as brakes are slow to work and sometimes don't work at all for a couple of seconds, making sudden stops impossible. Has not been confirmed by dealer. Has not been inspected. ABS and TPMS light would briefly pop up for a couple of seconds on car…
Frequently asked questions
Do all 2005 Toyota Priuss have service brakes problems?
No. NHTSA has 82 owner complaints about service brakes for the 2005 Toyota Prius (8% of the 1,051 complaints for this model year). Complaint data shows that the problem is reported, not how many of all cars sold are affected.
Was there a recall on the 2005 Toyota Prius service brakes?
No recall currently lists service brakes for this vehicle.
At what mileage do service brakes problems start?
The median reported mileage is 135,626 miles: half of the reports with a mileage came before that.
How much does it cost to fix service brakes problems on the 2005 Toyota Prius?
Owners report a typical cost of $3,300 (half paid between $2,850 and $3,800), from 15 complaints that state a repair bill or quote, in 2026 dollars.
What do owners say about service brakes problems on the 2005 Toyota Prius?
The most frequent phrase is “brake actuator”, in 27 of 82 complaints, followed by “brakes failed” (6).
Other 2005 Toyota Prius problems
See all 2005 Toyota Prius problems or service brakes problems across all Prius years.