2012 Toyota Prius Service Brakes Problems
Owners have filed 184 complaints with NHTSA about service brakes problems on the 2012 Toyota Prius, 43% of all complaints for this model year. Half of the reports with a mileage happened before 77,000 miles. The words owners use most often: “brake booster” (31% of reports).
- 184service brakes complaints
- 77,000median miles at failure
- 14mention a crash
- 2mention an injury
- 0related recalls
- $3,700typical repair cost reported by owners
- 31%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 booster: mentioned in 57 of 184 complaints (31%)
- Traction control: mentioned in 33 of 184 complaints (18%)
- Support program: mentioned in 20 of 184 complaints (11%)
- Code C1391: mentioned in 15 of 184 complaints (8%)
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 2012 Toyota Prius at $3,700, and half of them between $3,250 and $4,500.
Based on 38 NHTSA complaints about this problem alone that state a repair bill or quote (2017–2026), 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 62 complaints that reported the odometer reading.
How serious are the reports?
Of 184 complaints, 14 mention a crash, 2 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 2012 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.
When I started my car this morning, the red BRAKE light, ABS warning light and anti-slip light were all illuminated. The car does still stop but the brakes are very spongy and there's a clicking noise under the hood. I only moved the car out of the driveway to allow other cars to leave. The brake…
1. My Brake booster failed/malfunctioned. I had to get it repaired/replaced by Toyota so it might be with the dealership or thrown out by now. 2. I had to take it in because I had an incident where I was unable to apply the break on the car. I was lucky enough to be in a not busy street and was…
Brake lights icons stay on mechanic at Toyota dealership state need new brak master cylinder and booster
Frequently asked questions
Do all 2012 Toyota Priuss have service brakes problems?
No. NHTSA has 184 owner complaints about service brakes for the 2012 Toyota Prius (43% of the 424 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 2012 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 77,000 miles: half of the reports with a mileage came before that.
How much does it cost to fix service brakes problems on the 2012 Toyota Prius?
Owners report a typical cost of $3,700 (half paid between $3,250 and $4,500), from 38 complaints that state a repair bill or quote, in 2026 dollars.
What do owners say about service brakes problems on the 2012 Toyota Prius?
The most frequent phrase is “brake booster”, in 57 of 184 complaints, followed by “traction control” (33).
Other 2012 Toyota Prius problems
See all 2012 Toyota Prius problems or service brakes problems across all Prius years.