The Lemon Index$1,000 middle bill · most between $700 and $2,000
251 owner reports on 53 models
Toyota Prius, Ford Edge, Nissan Armada
Owners reported paying a median of $1,000 for a brake booster replacement, with the middle half of bills between $700 and $2,000. That's 251 owner reports on 53 models (249 complaints to NHTSA and 2 YouTube videos). Costs vary by shop and region.
What owners paid
- Under $5008%
- $500–$1,00037%
- $1,000–$2,50033%
- $2,500–$5,00021%
- $5,000 and up2%
Share of the 251 owner reports in each price band.
Cars where it comes up most
Owner reports per model. Raw counts, not a failure rate: popular models get more reports.
Every model, what owners paid
| Model | Reports | Middle bill | Middle half |
|---|---|---|---|
| Toyota Prius | 39 | $3,000 | $2,500–$3,400 |
| Ford Edge | 33 | $947 | $700–$1,000 |
| Nissan Armada | 28 | $991 | $900–$1,000 |
| Chevrolet Silverado | 18 | $675 | $528–$908 |
| Ford F-Series | 15 | $597 | $450–$950 |
| Toyota Sequoia | 10 | $2,000 | $1,500–$2,800 |
| Chevrolet Equinox | 8 | $1,800 | $900–$2,300 |
| Toyota Camry | 7 | $1,300 | $1,100–$1,600 |
| GMC Sierra | 6 | $678 | $614–$775 |
| GMC Terrain | 6 | $900 | $680–$1,200 |
| Chevrolet Malibu | 5 | $700 | $500–$2,100 |
| Chevrolet Tahoe | 5 | $750 | $700–$1,000 |
| Mazda CX-9 | 5 | $1,000 | $800–$1,300 |
| Volkswagen Passat | 5 | $600 | $200–$600 |
| BMW 5 Series | 4 | too few for a range | |
| Chevrolet Suburban | 3 | too few for a range | |
| Mitsubishi Montero | 3 | too few for a range | |
| Nissan Altima | 3 | too few for a range | |
| Toyota Highlander | 3 | too few for a range | |
Models with 3+ reports. A model gets its own page and a range at 5+ reports. 34 more models with 1–2 reports count in the totals above.
Related repairs
Brake repair $700 · Steering rack replacement $2,000 · ABS module replacement $2,000 · Steering column repair $1,100 · Strut and shock replacement $900 · Wheel bearing replacement $600 · Control arm replacement $850 · Brake master cylinder replacement $1,000
The details
How we count
Every number here is a repair bill an owner reported, never a shop's price list. Two sources: the bills owners wrote in their own complaints to the U.S. government (NHTSA), and the dollar amounts owners said out loud in YouTube repair and ownership videos. A figure counts for a repair when that repair is the part named nearest to it. Left out: purchase prices, payments, rentals, towing, warranties and deductibles, amounts under $50 or over $15,000, parts-only prices ("the part was $80 on Amazon"), bills for two different repairs named together, and money someone else paid. One number per complaint (or video) and repair: the biggest, so it's the bill, not the diagnosis fee.
The range is the middle half of the bills (the 25th to the 75th percentile), so one wild number can't swing it. Owners who complain to the government often had expensive repairs, so a typical bill can be lower. Costs vary by shop and region, by dealer vs independent shop, by parts and by miles. This is what owners reported, not a quote for your car.
Check the bills yourself
NHTSA complaint numbers (search them at nhtsa.gov): 11771045, 11770224, 11767937, 11758069, 11752545, 11752422, 11749435, 11748150, 11731393, 11730258, 11727732, 11716671 and more.
Quick answers
How much does a brake booster replacement cost?
Owners reported a median of $1,000, and the middle half paid $700 to $2,000, from 251 owner reports on 53 models. Costs vary by shop and region.
Which cars need a brake booster replacement most?
The most owner reports come from the Toyota Prius, Ford Edge, Nissan Armada. These are raw counts: popular models get more reports, so this isn't a failure rate.
Why do brake booster replacement costs vary so much?
Shop labor rates differ by region, dealers usually charge more than independent shops, new, used and rebuilt parts cost different amounts, and some bills include other work done at the same time.
Where do these numbers come from?
From 249 complaints to NHTSA and 2 YouTube videos: the repair bills owners themselves reported. Owner reports, not a price quote.
Sources: NHTSA owner complaints and YouTube videos (amounts said out loud), sorted by The Lemon Index. Owner reports, not a price quote. Costs vary by shop and region.