NHTSA Complaint #11689732 — 2012 TOYOTA PRIUS

2012 Toyota Prius. The brake system malfunctioned and my daughter was almost in a wreck. The ABS, traction control, and brake warning lights on the bashboard all illuminated at the same time. The brake pedal feels soft and is less responsive requiring more effort to stop the vehicle. The brake actuator assembly is making a hissing noise. Ran a ABS test using a scan tool and received a C1391 error code. The Code points to a leak within the brake actuator system. Upon research I have found that this is a very common and costly repair that Toyota has known about for many years. Toyota issued a customer support program related to this issue that ran for 10 years or 150,000 miles from the vehicle's date of first use. This car, being a 2012, is beyond the support program. I contacted Toyota, hoping they would do the right thing and cover the repair. I was told that they would not cover the repair or supply the parts to cover the repair. I told the Rep. for Toyota that I did not feel like it was fair for Toyota to continue to put millions of drivers at risk for a product that they clearly realize for years now is defective and could hurt or kill someone. The code and the braking issue did not appear until after the customer support program ended and therefore we had no warning or way to anticipate this braking issue or the danger to my daughter and anyone else riding with her in the car or on the roadway near her travel routes. I traveled 300 miles, rented a Uhaul car tow trailer and brought the car back home. My mechanic confirmed the code C1391 and the fact that the brake actuator has failed. The mechanic has ordered the parts (the same defective parts) to replace the broken ones. Toyota is still selling the same part as a replacement part clearly knowing that it is not safe and no warning came with the replacement part explaining the potential for a braking issue. Based on internet research this same part is in many 2005 to 2013 Toyota and Lexus