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2007 Brake Actuator Failure

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Main Forum' started by JWeb22, Jan 24, 2018.

  1. JWeb22

    JWeb22 New Member

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    Started getting the brake actuator failure noises in my 2007 Prius last fall and took it to the dealer in December 2017 to ask them to check it out. They said all was fine and didn't mention the warranty extention that expired at the end of 2017. We never received the warranty extention letter.

    So last week my wife is slowing down at an intersection and all the brake issue lights come on the dash and she loses the brakes completely and rear ends a pickup in front of her. Luckily no injuries and the truck was undamaged, however theres a $800 dent in the hood of our Prius.

    We returned the Prius to the dealership today and asked them to diagnose the issue. The service manager had the car all day and said that they could not get the error codes to reproduce on the computer, but that the Brake Actuator was faulty and would need to be replaced at close to $4000.
    He suggested we call Toyota to see if they would honor the warranty extention.

    To make a long phone call short, Toyota customer service told me to pound sand and that they decline to offer any warranty help whatsoever as the extention has ended.

    So we now have a worthless car that isn't safe to drive due to a known defect by Toyota.
    I'd advise anyone with a Gen 2 to sell before this issue renders your car worthless.
     
    donbright likes this.
  2. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    welcome!
    i think another member is starting a class action suit. have you reported to nets and spoken with an attorney?
     
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  3. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

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    You should talk to the service manager at the dealer, let him know your car was in before the extension ended but the dealer failed to identify the problem. They should cover the repair
     
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  4. SpaceCityHybrids

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    #4 SpaceCityHybrids, Jan 25, 2018
    Last edited: Jan 25, 2018
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  5. JWeb22

    JWeb22 New Member

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    An update on my 2007 Prius brake actuator:

    Today we had all the lights come on the dash, ABS, Brake, etc and immediately stopped at a different Toyota dealer who confirmed a Brake Actuator error code on the cars computer. $2600 repair.

    Corporate Toyota's response was "the car is out of warranty as of Dec 31 2017, but we apologize for your concern"

    The service manager said not to drive the car and that when the brake actuator fails completely you will lose all braking ability.

    We basically have a worthless vehilcle due to a safety issue that Toyota is well aware of.
    I filed a report with the NHTSA and we're going car shopping this weekend- it wont be for a Toyota.
     
  6. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    congratulations!(y)
     
  7. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

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    Even with this issue, the car will have no problems getting $1000 - $2000 on the used car market. I'm not surprised by Toyota's decision on an 11 year old car.

    You may want to get a quote from an independent mechanic, using a used part from Ebay. That shouldn't be too expensive
     
    #7 JC91006, Feb 8, 2018
    Last edited: Feb 8, 2018
    Raytheeagle likes this.
  8. MilkyWay

    MilkyWay Active Member

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    Buy this part for $260: 04-09 OEM TOYOTA PRIUS ANTI LOCK BRAKE ABS CONTROL MODULE PUMP UNIT 44510-47050 | eBay

    Find a mechanic that will change it for $200-$350....maybe try the "out of my garage" guys on Craigslist automotive section?

    Total cost for repair: $460-$610 depending on labor costs. (I am estimating labor @ 5 hours based on the first priuschat.com thread I could find mentioning labor time.....If that is book time then probably only takes 2.5 hours and may be very cheap ($100-$200) for a backyard mechanic).
     
  9. jm98

    jm98 Member

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    (y) Yes, your chances of geeing good work done are same as Toyota shop. Not kidding... and save some aggravation in the process.. There are couple thread on Toy dealer not doing good job on this work.
     
  10. Rph74

    Rph74 Active Member

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    Does anybody rebuild these things? I would think with the prohibitive cost of a new unit from Toyota, that perhaps someone out there could do this and make a business out of it.

    I know that when I had my 100 series Land Cruiser, a guy had a brake actuator issue (also over $2000 for the new part) and found an old timer willing to rebuilt the unit, and was successful.
     
    SFO likes this.
  11. jm98

    jm98 Member

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    This is very unfortunate that ABS actuator failure that caused accident. I wouldn't put too much love in to this thing. May be write it off as loss and look forward to different vehicle. The question with ABS actuator is if you get used one what's guarantee that it's good working condition and does not contain defective component inside actuator.
     
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  12. jessiejosco

    jessiejosco Member

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    The brake warning lights have just come on on my 2008 for the second time. The error codes are related to loss of accumulator pressure, so I assume my unit is on the way out. I reset the codes and I have no other symptoms even when the lights are on.

    I don't think we ever had any warranty on this in Canada that I can find. Has anyone had this done under warranty in Canada? I despise our local Toyota dealer so I don't even want to give them the 100 bucks to diagnose the problem if I don't have to.

    I will probably go the Ebay route if I can find someone to install it around here. I might even do it myself, but I am worried about the bleeding being a big hassle. I did not have much luck with the techstream dongle I have. It crashed the cars control unit as soon as I plugged it into the car. Luckily disconnecting the battery reset it and no damage was done.
     
  13. Cycle M5

    Cycle M5 Junior Member

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    I had this issue with my 2006. Got some codes concerning a list of things like the hub sensors and I think the brake actuator. I also had VSC, ABS, (!), and brake lights lit up like it was Christmas. The actuator pump was making a lot of noise as it struggle to charge the brake system. I am not certain, but it appeared that one of the magnetic valves in the actuator (yes I took it apart out of curiosity) failed and was seeping pressure to my front right caliper.
    Which leads me to suggest to all of you Gen II-onians to get out of your car and feel the rims of your car after you drive if you hear the actuator pump squealing away. It will be burning hot. I was burning through brake pads and eventually seized up the caliper, hence the hot rim.
    Not to worry. There are a fair share of used and new Brake Pump Actuators on Ebay. I paid $250 for mine used. I wish now that I spent the extra $700 for a new part, but the old part works well. I installed it by following an installation thread, which was a little challenging. I then had to rest the codes a few times and unplug the battery. Codes can be done with just a paper clip connecting #4 & #13 pins. It is possible that a Zero Point Calibration and a Solenoid Valve offset calibration may need to be performed as well. That is done by simply connecting Pins #4 & #12 (it is a little involved and would take an entire post to explain). Most threads would lead you to believe that you need Toyota Techstream to accomplish this, BUT THAT IS NOT SO. Its not that hard to do.
     
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  14. Dxta

    Dxta Senior Member

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    I'm just concerned. Are those used parts, especially the abs pump reliable? I'm trying to see if I could order one from the States too.
     
  15. Cycle M5

    Cycle M5 Junior Member

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    My used Ebay Actuator does make a little noise, but it works well and throws no codes. I think I seen them for $900 brand new. Ideally, try to find a wreck with the Actuator already replaced. This could be done by punching in the Vehicle VIn on the Toyota Website to see the service history. If the Actuator Pump is listed as replaced... you got a winner!
     
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  16. Joachim Schirmacher

    Joachim Schirmacher New Member

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    Would you be willing to share a detailed post on what you ended up doing? Would appreciate it very much... I am in the process of replacing the brake actuator myself since "all" the dash lights came on as you described... many thanks, JS
     
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  17. GeorgeH07

    GeorgeH07 Junior Member

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    I own a 2007 Prius. Until now, I have loved this car. On December 4, 2017, I took my Prius to my local repair shop because I was hearing some strange noises. The repair guy said that the ABS actuator was causing these noises but he could not fix it. He said there was a technical service bulletin, but he did not tell me about the extended warranty. I never learned of the extended ABS warranty program because I moved a few years back and I forgot to update my Toyota Owners account. So I never got the ABS actuator fixed. I live where it almost never rains so I don't have much use for ABS anyway.

    Today, March 4, 2018, is the first time I heard about the extended ABS actuator warranty. I saw the Brake, Tire Pressure, VSC, and ABS lights all come on over the weekend. So I started looking at what might be wrong, and I found information about the now-expired ABS warranty extension as well as JWeb22's horror story about getting in a wreck because their brakes went out.

    I'm stuck. I am planning on selling my Prius in a few months when I move overseas. So I don't want to go out and buy a different car now. But I also don't want my brakes to fail! And Toyota seems to not care about this problem even for people like JWeb22 and me who never received notice about the extended warranty program either.

    Prius sales are tanking. I used to be a satisfied Prius owner. Due to this major reliability/safety problem, I would not recommend a Prius to anyone. Toyota, fix this.

     
  18. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

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    Those lights don't necessarily mean you have a brake issue. You should get the codes read. And then panic afterwards
     
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  19. Cycle M5

    Cycle M5 Junior Member

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    Here is a guild on changing the actuator. It is a messy job, requires a little patience and time. Be prepare to fight with the pump when getting it out. I recall twisting and rotating it to get it out. Have plenty of rags and wear rubber gloves. Also, I seem to recall using a very small set of metric wrenches to get all the brake lines removed from the actuator.
    Once you have it replaced, I recall clearing the codes, bleeding the brakes, and disconnecting the battery several times before the unit became operational. At first I had a very hard brake pedal and no brakes.
    That is when I performed a brake line bleed on all of the calipers because I thought that some air would have certainly got into the system with all the brake lines that I disconnected. Before you get started with the pump, make sure all your 8mm bleeder valves are not seized up. I say this because when you do crack them open, do it SLOWLY! There was a lot of initial pressure when I did this. And, I'm not sure about this, but I think you are supposed to do this with the BATTERY DISCONNECTED. That is what I did, and I don't remember exactly, but I seem to recall doing a brake bleed a few times. Then I clear the codes and killed the battery a few times and now it works fine.
    I'm sorry I did not document the procedure, but I did not plan on sharing this.I have learned a lot about dealing with Toyota Systems through trial, error, & research. I am a novice at best, and hopefully someone here with a little more experience can guild you. My car was in several crashes before I obtained it, so it became a project for me that ended up successful. The front frame was even bent, which I bent back using chains and a come-a-long! This car works great now and it is one of my favorite cars to drive.
    IT CAN BE DONE! Good luck.
     

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  20. Dxta

    Dxta Senior Member

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    You did a nice job.

    So, you didn't use tech stream, and all that in the job? Did you do zero down(reducing the pressure of the pump), before the removal?