The Lemon Index$1,000 middle bill · most between $600 and $2,400
167 owner reports on 55 models
Ford Escape, Toyota Prius, Nissan Altima
Owners reported paying a median of $1,000 for a brake master cylinder replacement, with the middle half of bills between $600 and $2,400. That's 167 owner reports on 55 models (166 complaints to NHTSA and 1 YouTube video). Costs vary by shop and region.
What owners paid
- Under $50017%
- $500–$1,00027%
- $1,000–$2,50031%
- $2,500–$5,00019%
- $5,000 and up5%
Share of the 167 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ford Escape | 20 | $1,800 | $975–$5,400 |
| Toyota Prius | 16 | $3,400 | $3,300–$4,000 |
| Nissan Altima | 13 | $560 | $476–$625 |
| Ford F-Series | 12 | $900 | $725–$1,000 |
| Ford Edge | 9 | $1,100 | $1,000–$1,400 |
| Ford Fusion | 7 | $800 | $500–$1,400 |
| Toyota 4Runner | 7 | $3,000 | $2,800–$3,100 |
| Toyota Camry | 5 | $576 | $400–$700 |
| Chevrolet Silverado | 4 | too few for a range | |
| Ram pickup | 4 | too few for a range | |
| GMC Sierra | 3 | too few for a range | |
| GMC Yukon XL | 3 | too few for a range | |
| Hyundai Genesis | 3 | too few for a range | |
| Hyundai Santa Fe | 3 | too few for a range | |
| Mazda CX-9 | 3 | too few for a range | |
| Nissan Armada | 3 | too few for a range | |
| Nissan Murano | 3 | too few for a range | |
| Toyota Sequoia | 3 | too few for a range | |
| Toyota Tacoma | 3 | too few for a range | |
Models with 3+ reports. A model gets its own page and a range at 5+ reports. 36 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 · Brake booster replacement $1,000 · Wheel bearing replacement $600 · Control arm replacement $850
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): 11763693, 11761729, 11747301, 11739260, 11713063, 11703465, 11681985, 11666573, 11662191, 11652942, 11643279, 11631904 and more.
Said out loud on YouTube: $120 ▶
Quick answers
How much does a brake master cylinder replacement cost?
Owners reported a median of $1,000, and the middle half paid $600 to $2,400, from 167 owner reports on 55 models. Costs vary by shop and region.
Which cars need a brake master cylinder replacement most?
The most owner reports come from the Ford Escape, Toyota Prius, Nissan Altima. These are raw counts: popular models get more reports, so this isn't a failure rate.
Why do brake master cylinder 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 166 complaints to NHTSA and 1 YouTube video: 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.