2011 Toyota Prius Brakes Problems
NHTSA lists 281 brake complaints for the 2011 Toyota Prius, 54% of all 519 complaints filed for this year. Owners report brakes locking or failing to stop the car on bumps or slick surfaces, with a median failure mileage of 80,000 miles. No related recalls are listed for this issue.
- Brakes complaints
- 281
- 54% of 519
- Crashes reported
- 17
- Fires reported
- 0
- Injuries reported
- 4
- Median mileage
- 80,000 mi
- Related recalls
- 0
Typical brake symptoms owners report
- Brakes lock up and the car lunges or hydroplanes forward when hitting a bump or pothole while braking.
- Brake pedal goes soft, spongy, or extends toward the floor, increasing stopping distance.
- On snowy, icy, or slick surfaces, pressing or pumping the brakes produces no braking action at all.
- Some owners describe sudden unintended forward movement while the brake pedal is depressed, especially while parking at low speed.
- A subset of complaints describe warning lights (brake/ABS) coming on before the pedal feel changes.
- One recent complaint describes a hissing sound and loss of power brake assist tied to a brake actuator/booster pump component.
When 2011 Toyota Prius brake complaints were filed
First complaint Jul 26, 2011, latest Sep 14, 2026.
Brakes recalls for the 2011 Toyota Prius
No safety recalls on record for this model year.
Brakes complaints by Prius model year
Raw complaint counts per model year; newer years have had less time to accumulate complaints.
Frequently asked questions
- How common are brake problems on the 2011 Toyota Prius?
- NHTSA lists 281 brake complaints for the 2011 Prius, which is 54% of the 519 total complaints filed for this model year.
- Is there a recall for the 2011 Toyota Prius brakes?
- No related recalls are listed in NHTSA data for this brake issue on the 2011 Prius.
- At what mileage do 2011 Prius brake problems usually show up?
- The median mileage at failure reported to NHTSA is 80,000 miles.
- Are the 2011 Prius brake complaints linked to crashes?
- Yes, NHTSA data tied to these brake complaints for the 2011 Prius shows 17 crashes and 4 injuries, with no fires reported.
- Is the 2011 Prius worse for brakes than other Prius years?
- Its 54% brake-complaint share is higher than most later Prius years (13%–56% range from 2014-2025) but lower than the 2010 Prius, which had a 70% share.