Skip to content
BrakesPart report

2005 Toyota Prius Brakes Problems

Complaints
282about this part
Share
27%of 1,051 total for the year
Median mileage
65,000miles
Trend
StableComplaints filed in the last 3 full calendar years are within 25% of the 3 years before.

NHTSA recorded 282 complaints about the brakes of the 2005 Toyota Prius, 27% of the 1,051 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 65,000 miles. 32 of these say a crash was involved, according to the filers.

Example complaints

Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.

“I never received any notification of need to change out the actuator on my brake system. My car has been maintained meticulously. Yesterday while driving on interstate, the ABS, brake, and vsc lights illuminated. My mechanic says $2500 repair. I was never notified of this life threatening issue by Toyota. The 'extended warranty' of course was time limited, expiring in 2017. Should have been a recall”

NHTSA complaint #11414753, filed 2021-05, 150,000 miles

“Sudden failure of ABS, accompanied by dashboard lights for ABS and regular brakes. Vehicle was in driveway, and I did not continue to take it out into the road due to safety concerns. Toyota extended warranty to 12/31/17 (regardless of mileage), but the part should be recalled because it can fail for drivers (like me) who did not have the issue arise prior to 12/31/17.”

NHTSA complaint #11246075, filed 2019-08, 155,000 miles

“Brakes suddenly locked while car in motion, red triangle amd xheck engine light turned on. Luckily I did not caused an accident. Towed it to Toyota dealer and they said my ABS brake pump actuator failed. Notorious part to fail on generation 2 Prius. Out of pocket cost to fix it was $1900.00”

NHTSA complaint #11219112, filed 2019-06, 19 miles

“The ABS brake actuator failed suddenly without warning and made braking very difficult. A car stopped and when I pressed my brake, there was no power brake. My power brakes just failed and the pedal was very stiff. Toyota needs to issue a recall before someone gets hurt. There was an extended warranty that ended in 2017, but this should not be a warranty issue. It should be a safety recall. Lives are at stake!!”

NHTSA complaint #11140487, filed 2018-10, 200,000 miles

“The dashboard lighting system quit turning on in july 2019. I could not tell how fast or how slow I was driving. The anti lock brake system light turned on while the car was running on sep 23 2019 and the brakes failed to operate while on the road outside my house”

NHTSA complaint #11258444, filed 2019-09, 220,000 miles

Related service bulletins

Brakes: other model years

YearComplaintsShare of year
2025213%
202427%
2023210%
2022521%
2021117%
2020429%
20191137%
2018411%
20171415%
20162013%
20159356%
201410349%
201324258%
201220047%
201127853%
20101,94569%
200919940%
200839026%
200733117%
200621015%
200528227%
20047612%
20031616%
20022012%
20011610%

Other parts of the 2005 Toyota Prius

Exterior lighting
346 complaintsElectrical system
178 complaintsVehicle speed control
109 complaintsEngine cooling
64 complaintsOther or unknown
56 complaintsAir bags
44 complaintsTransmission and drivetrain
41 complaintsSteering
39 complaintsFuel system
28 complaintsElectronic stability control
20 complaintsEngine
15 complaintsVisibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors)
15 complaints

← All problems reported for the 2005 Toyota Prius

About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 31, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate.

To check a specific vehicle for open recalls, use its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. Methodology