2013 Toyota Prius Service Brakes Problems
Owners have filed 231 complaints with NHTSA about service brakes problems on the 2013 Toyota Prius, 56% of all complaints for this model year. Half of the reports with a mileage happened before 83,500 miles. The words owners use most often: “brake booster” (35% of reports).
- 231service brakes complaints
- 83,500median miles at failure
- 17mention a crash
- 7mention an injury
- 0related recalls
- $3,550typical repair cost reported by owners
- 28%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 82 of 231 complaints (35%)
- Traction control: mentioned in 48 of 231 complaints (21%)
- Code C1391: mentioned in 21 of 231 complaints (9%)
- Support program: mentioned in 18 of 231 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 2013 Toyota Prius at $3,550, and half of them between $3,150 and $4,150.
Based on 36 NHTSA complaints about this problem alone that state a repair bill or quote (2019–2026), 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 48 complaints that reported the odometer reading.
How serious are the reports?
Of 231 complaints, 17 mention a crash, 7 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 2013 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.
While driving our 2013 Toyota Prius, the vehicle experienced a sudden and severe loss of braking effectiveness while the vehicle was in motion. This created an immediate safety risk because the vehicle did not respond to braking as expected. After the incident, the vehicle displayed the red BRAKE…
While driving, my brake pedal would randomly lose power assist. The pedal would get hard and I couldn't press it down normally, and I had to push as hard as I could just to get the car to slow down. This happened more than once while driving and I almost crashed because I couldn't stop the car in…
The break pump for my 2013 prius is going out and is a known issue with Toyota. I contacted toyota and they have stated because it is past the extended warranty they can not repair it and aren't liable for it. I bought the car used and was unaware that it has been a known issue for years. The…
Frequently asked questions
Do all 2013 Toyota Priuss have service brakes problems?
No. NHTSA has 231 owner complaints about service brakes for the 2013 Toyota Prius (56% of the 412 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 2013 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 83,500 miles: half of the reports with a mileage came before that.
How much does it cost to fix service brakes problems on the 2013 Toyota Prius?
Owners report a typical cost of $3,550 (half paid between $3,150 and $4,150), from 36 complaints that state a repair bill or quote, in 2026 dollars.
What do owners say about service brakes problems on the 2013 Toyota Prius?
The most frequent phrase is “brake booster”, in 82 of 231 complaints, followed by “traction control” (48).
Other 2013 Toyota Prius problems
See all 2013 Toyota Prius problems or service brakes problems across all Prius years.