2013 Toyota Prius Service Brakes Problems

NHTSA component category: SERVICE BRAKES · data through 07/12/2026

223Service Brakes complaints

55.9%Of all 399 complaints

#1Most-reported category

Source: U.S. NHTSA complaint data. Complaints are unverified reports from vehicle owners — a complaint is not a confirmed defect.

How service brakes ranks on this vehicle

SERVICE BRAKES223 · 55.9%

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM48 · 12%

Unspecified / other48 · 12%

ENGINE37 · 9.3%

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL21 · 5.3%

Share of the 399 complaints citing each category; one complaint can cite several. Full breakdown on the 2013 Toyota Prius overview page.

What owners report

“UNUSUAL LOUD CLICKING AND SCREECHING SOUND AS WELL AS VIBRATION FEELING UNDER THE BRAKE PEDAL WHILE PRESSING THE BRAKE PEDAL AND BRAKES DON'T FEEL POWERFUL…”NHTSA complaint 11161417 — filed 12/14/2018

“I NOTICED WHEN I WAS DRIVING ON A DRY CLEAR DAY TRACTION CONTROL/BRAKE LIGHT/ABS ILLUMINATED MY BRAKES BECAME EXTREMELY HARD TO PRESS AND COME TO…”NHTSA complaint 11156466 — filed 12/05/2018

“SUDDENLY THE ABS, BRAKE AND THE TRACTION LIGHT CAME ON AND WILL GO WAY AFTER 20MIN. WHEN THE LIGHTS CAME ON THERE'S NO WARNING SO…”NHTSA complaint 11149716 — filed 11/06/2018

Excerpts are shortened and scrubbed of personal details; they are individual, unverified reports.

Service Brakes complaints by year filed

Frequently asked questions

Does the 2013 Toyota Prius have service brakes problems?

Service Brakes is the most-reported problem area on the 2013 Toyota Prius: 223 of 399 complaints on file (55.9%). Complaints are unverified owner reports, not confirmed defects.

How many complaints does the 2013 Toyota Prius have in total?

399 complaints were on file with NHTSA as of 07/12/2026. Across all categories, 37 involved a crash, 3 involved a fire, 22 reported injuries, and none reported deaths.

What does NHTSA's service brakes category include?

NHTSA assigns each complaint to standard component categories; this page reports the SERVICE BRAKES category exactly as NHTSA defines and records it.

About this data — Complaint figures on this page are consumer reports submitted to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), a U.S. government agency. NHTSA does not verify individual complaints; a complaint is not proof that a defect exists, and counts reflect what owners chose to report, not confirmed failure rates. Recall information comes from official NHTSA safety recall campaigns; recall repairs are free at authorized dealers. Always check your specific vehicle by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. CarModelProblems.com is an independent site and is not affiliated with NHTSA or any vehicle manufacturer. Data through 07/12/2026.