2012 Toyota Prius V problems and recalls

Owner complaints on the 2012 Toyota Prius V include 3 fatality reports, 62 crashes and 4 fires across 612 filings.

612
Complaints
4
Recalls
62
Crash reports
4
Fire reports
41
Injuries
109.7
Severity index

Severity index 109.7 High. The index weights crashes, fires, injuries and fatalities per 100 complaints. How it is calculated.

Middle half of all tracked vehiclesThis vehicle: 109.7p25 46p75 80cleanestworst
Severity index against the quartile range for all tracked vehicles.

Ranked 10 of 130 by severity index among 2012 vehicles with at least 40 complaints, highest first. 92% of those vehicles scored lower. Full 2012 ranking.

Components cited in complaints

Service BrakesService Brakes: 309 complaints (50.5%)309 50%Electrical SystemElectrical System: 73 complaints (11.9%)73 12%EngineEngine: 66 complaints (10.8%)66 11%Unknown Or OtherUnknown Or Other: 44 complaints (7.2%)44 7%Exterior LightingExterior Lighting: 39 complaints (6.4%)39 6%Air BagsAir Bags: 35 complaints (5.7%)35 6%Visibility/WiperVisibility/Wiper: 31 complaints (5.1%)31 5%Power TrainPower Train: 28 complaints (4.6%)28 5%
A single complaint can cite more than one component, so shares total over 100%.
ComponentComplaintsShare of complaints citing it
SERVICE BRAKES30950.5%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM7311.9%
ENGINE6610.8%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER447.2%
EXTERIOR LIGHTING396.4%
AIR BAGS355.7%
VISIBILITY/WIPER315.1%
POWER TRAIN284.6%

Complaints filed per year

032642011: 12012: 382013: 592014: 412015: 242016: 272017: 322018: 462019: 642020: 322021: 312022: 622023: 522024: 512025: 472026: 5 (partial year)1112131415161718196420212223242526
Complaints by the calendar year they were filed. The hatched bar is the current year to date.
YearComplaints
20111
201238
201359
201441
201524
201627
201732
201846
201964
202032
202131
202262
202352
202451
202547
2026 (year to date)5
Filings in 2023 to 2025 were close to 2020 to 2022 (150 against 125).

Recall campaigns

CampaignReportedComponentSummary
18V68400004/10/2018HYBRID PROPULSION SYSTEMToyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2010-2014 Toyota Prius and 2012-2014 Toyota Prius V vehicles. Excessive voltage in the Intelligent Power Module (IPM) within the inverter may cause the hybrid system to shut down, causing the vehicle to stall
15V44900015/07/2015HYBRID PROPULSION SYSTEM: INVERTERToyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain model year 2012-2014 Prius V vehicles manufactured August 22, 2011, to June 30, 2014. A component within the hybrid inverter assembly may overheat, causing the hybrid system to reduce output power allowing th
13E07000012/12/2013EXTERIOR LIGHTING:TAIL LIGHTSGenera Corporation (Genera) is recalling certain aftermarket replacement tail lights, model 11-6468-00 (driver-side), and model 11-6467-00 (passenger-side), sold for use on 2012-2013 Toyota Prius V vehicles. The brake light and tail light circuits are switched causing the brake
13V01400016/01/2013AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:SENSOR/CONTROL MODULE-INACTIVESoutheast Toyota Distributors, LLC (SET) is recalling certain models interspersed through model years 2009 through 2013 as follows: model year 2009-2012 Tacoma, 4Runner, Camry, Camry Hybrid, Prius, and RAV4; model year 2009-2010 Avalon, FJ Cruiser, and Highlander Hybrid; model ye

Other Toyota Prius V model years

Severity index for every other model year on file. Compare all 6 years side by side.

Source. NHTSA public complaint and recall APIs (api.nhtsa.gov), retrieved 2026-07-25. Complaints are unverified consumer reports. Totals vary with units sold and years on the road. Not affiliated with NHTSA or any manufacturer.