2012 Toyota Prius: owner complaints and recalls
Analysis of 684 owner complaints filed with NHTSA and 6 recall campaigns. Updated 2026-07-25.
684
Complaints
6
Recalls
70
Crash reports
4
Fire reports
47
Injuries
111.1
Severity index
Severity index 111.1 - High. This weights crashes, fires, injuries and fatalities per 100 complaints; see methodology.
Among the 129 2012 vehicles we track with at least 40 complaints on file, the 2012 Toyota Prius ranks 24 of 129 by severity, where 1 is the worst. Its severity is higher than 81% of its model-year peers. See the full 2012 ranking.
What actually fails
| Component | Complaints | Share of complaints citing it |
|---|---|---|
| SERVICE BRAKES | 341 | 49.9% |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 89 | 13.0% |
| ENGINE | 71 | 10.4% |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 54 | 7.9% |
| AIR BAGS | 42 | 6.1% |
| EXTERIOR LIGHTING | 42 | 6.1% |
| VISIBILITY/WIPER | 32 | 4.7% |
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | 31 | 4.5% |
The single most-reported system is SERVICE BRAKES, cited in 341 of 684 complaints (49.9%). One complaint can name several systems, so these shares overlap and do not total 100%.
Complaints filed per year
| Year | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 2011 | 1 |
| 2012 | 38 |
| 2013 | 64 |
| 2014 | 47 |
| 2015 | 25 |
| 2016 | 34 |
| 2017 | 36 |
| 2018 | 53 |
| 2019 | 70 |
| 2020 | 34 |
| 2021 | 35 |
| 2022 | 66 |
| 2023 | 58 |
| 2024 | 53 |
| 2025 | 56 |
| 2026 (year to date) | 14 |
Complaint volume is broadly steady year over year.
Recall campaigns
| Campaign | Reported | Component | Summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 18V684000 | 04/10/2018 | HYBRID PROPULSION SYSTEM | Toyota 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 |
| 16V487000 | 30/06/2016 | AIR BAGS:SIDE/WINDOW | Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain model year 2010-2012 Toyota Prius, 2010 and 2012 Toyota Prius Plug-in Hybrid, and 2011-2012 Lexus CT200h vehicles. A weld in the curtain shield air bag inflator may crack causing one or both portions of the i |
| 14V053000 | 12/02/2014 | HYBRID PROPULSION SYSTEM: INVERTER | Toyota is recalling certain model year 2010 through 2014 Prius vehicles. In the affected vehicles, the Intelligent Power Module (IPM) inside the inverter module (a component of the hybrid system) contains transistors that may become damaged from high operating temperatures. If |
| 16V396000 | 02/06/2016 | SEATS:FRONT ASSEMBLY:SEAT HEATER/COOLER | Southeast Toyota Distributors, LLC (SET) is recalling certain 2005-2011 4Runner, Highlander, Sequoia, and Sienna, 2005-2010 Avalon and Tundra, 2006-2008 Camry Solara, 2006-2010 Highlander hybrid, 2006-2011 Rav4 and Tacoma, 2007-2010 FJ Cruiser, 2007-2011 Camry hybrid, 2009-2010 V |
| 13V014000 | 16/01/2013 | AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:SENSOR/CONTROL MODULE-INACTIVE | Southeast 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 |
| 13V123000 | 09/04/2013 | EQUIPMENT:OTHER:LABELS | Southeast Toyota is recalling certain model year 2008 and 2010-2013 Toyota Tundra, 2010-2012 Rav4, 2012 Toyota Sequoia, 2010-2011 Toyota Corolla, 2010-2011 Toyota Camry and Camry Hybrid, 2010-2013 Toyota Highlander and Highlander Hybrid, 2010-2013 Toyota FJ Cruiser, 2011 Toyota L |
Source. US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration public complaint and recall APIs (api.nhtsa.gov), retrieved 2026-07-25. Complaints are unverified consumer reports; volume is influenced by how many units were sold and how long the vehicle has been on the road. Not affiliated with NHTSA or any manufacturer.