2012 Toyota Prius problems and recalls
Owner complaints on the 2012 Toyota Prius include 2 fatality reports, 71 crashes and 4 fires across 685 filings.
685
Complaints
6
Recalls
71
Crash reports
4
Fire reports
49
Injuries
107.1
Severity index
Severity index 107.1 High. The index weights crashes, fires, injuries and fatalities per 100 complaints. How it is calculated.
Ranked 14 of 130 by severity index among 2012 vehicles with at least 40 complaints, highest first. 89% of those vehicles scored lower. Full 2012 ranking.
Components cited in complaints
| Component | Complaints | Share of complaints citing it |
|---|---|---|
| SERVICE BRAKES | 341 | 49.8% |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 89 | 13.0% |
| ENGINE | 71 | 10.4% |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 54 | 7.9% |
| AIR BAGS | 43 | 6.3% |
| EXTERIOR LIGHTING | 42 | 6.1% |
| VISIBILITY/WIPER | 32 | 4.7% |
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | 31 | 4.5% |
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) | 15 |
Filings in 2023 to 2025 were close to 2020 to 2022 (167 against 135).
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 |
Other Toyota Prius model years
Severity index for every other model year on file. Compare all 13 years side by side.
- 2013sev 80.1
- 2014sev 101.2
- 2015sev 166.3
- 2016sev 63.4
- 2017sev 92.6
- 2018sev 71.3
- 2019sev 80.7
- 2020sev 116.6
- 2022sev 87.9
- 2023sev 94.9
- 2024sev 62.6
- 2025sev 62.9
Source. NHTSA public complaint and recall APIs (api.nhtsa.gov), retrieved 2026-08-23. Complaints are unverified consumer reports. Totals vary with units sold and years on the road. Not affiliated with NHTSA or any manufacturer.