Years ago, the NHTSA investigated the Toyota Prius over potential issues with its brake actuator solenoid. It closed that initial investigation when the petitioner withdrew the complaint. Now, a second petitioner has come forward with a similar issue and they claim that their Prius lost braking power.
That initial complaint came in mid-2019 and the petitioner highlighted 117 NHTSA complaints. They said that the brake actuator solenoid valve had a wear issue that would result in reduced brake effectiveness. For unknown reasons, the initial petitioner withdrew their petition.
Now, a new request for investigation has come into the NHTSA surrounding a 2012 Prius V and the administration is reopening the case. It says that the new individual “reported experiencing an unexpected and complete loss of brake power while driving, accompanied by multiple dashboard warning lights.”
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According to the NHTSA, it’ll review the work done during the initial investigation, DP19-004, along with other new data to come to a conclusion. Notably, the 2012 Prius V has, as of this writing, 503 complaints to the NHTSA. Of that number, 240 are involved with the braking system. In a cursory review of many pages of those complaints, quite a few specifically call out the brake actuator. Owners consistently complain about weak brakes and feeling unsafe behind the wheel.
Those factors make it seem likely that the NHTSA will end up requiring Toyota to recall and replace the brake actuators in these vehicles. Til they make a ruling, which could come in weeks or months, we’ll have to wait to see which side they fall on. In the meantime, 2010-2015 Prius owners might want to check the health of their brake booster system. Should a recall end up happening, Toyota would in theory cover replacement.
Correction: In a previous version of this article, it was erroneously stated that the ongoing investigation bears similarities to a previous recall involving the C-HR and Prius PHEV from 2017.
