2011 Toyota Prius Problems, Recalls & Reliability
664 owner complaints sit in the federal file for the 2011 Toyota Prius, alongside 6 recall campaigns and 3 defect investigations. It scores 21/100 on the trouble index — a middle-of-the-pack year for this model. Brakes & stability leads the reports, typically around 90,000 miles.
Typical
Where 2011 sits among all Prius years
What owners report
“The traction control, abs light and warning light all came which i believe all to be a safety issue”— owner report to NHTSA, 2011 Prius
“Dim headlight problem while driving at night, unable to see road clearly with low beam headlights on at night, have to use high beam headlights to see road. This is a huge safety issue for me”— owner report to NHTSA, 2011 Prius
“Went in to have the spark plugs and 2 coils(cylinders 1 & 2) started shaking, knocking and smoking at the time i picked it up. Check engine light is on and hasn't gone off. The mechanic i take the vehicle to says it is a problem with this model car, trying to determine this, since he stated it is…”— owner report to NHTSA, 2011 Prius
“Traction control, abs and brake lights came on today and brake pressure dropped severely while driving on the highway. Not safe to drive.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2011 Prius
“Takata recall 6/28/2016. This can potentially kill vehicle passengers if not addressed”— owner report to NHTSA, 2011 Prius
“I was driving the vehicle around 55 mph when a check hybrid system warning popped up. About 30 seconds later the vehicle went from being in drive to B (brake mode) and the vehicle began to slow at a rapid pace with no warning. Could potentially cause an accident as this occurred with very little…”— owner report to NHTSA, 2011 Prius
Mileage when trouble shows up
Among the 390 reports that include an odometer reading, problems most often appear around 80,732 miles. Half of those reports fall between 41,900 and 128,435 miles — a useful range to weigh against the mileage of the exact car you're looking at.
Recalls (6)
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…
Fix: Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will update the software for the motor/generator control electronic control unit (ECU) and the hybrid control ECU as necessary, free of charge. The recall…
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…
Fix: Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will install retention brackets to the curtain shield air bags, free of charge. The recall began on October 17, 2016. Owners may contact Toyota Customer…
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…
Fix: SET will notify owners, and dealers will disconnect the seat heaters, free of charge, and refund the purchase price of the seat heater accessory. The recall began on July 14, 2016. Owners may contact…
Southeast Toyota Distributors, LLC (SET) is recalling certain model year 2010-2011 Prius and Corolla, 2009-2011 Venza, 2006-2010 Avalon, 2007-2010 FJ Cruiser, 2005-2011 Sienna and Sequoia, 2006-2011 Tacoma 4x2 and 4x4, Camry, Highlander, Tundra 4x2 and 4x4,…
Fix: SET will notify owners, and dealers will disconnect the heaters with copper strand heating elements and refund the purchase price of the seat heater accessory, free of charge. The recall is expected…
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…
Fix: Toyota will notify owners and dealers will update the software for both the motor/generator control electronic control unit (ECU) and the hybrid control ECU, free of charge. If an owner experiences…
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…
Fix: Southeast Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will test the sensitivity of the occupant detection sensors, and recalibrate them as necessary. The recall began on March 21, 2013. Owners may…
Federal defect investigations
Still open as of the last data refresh. An investigation is not a recall; it may close with no action. All open investigations →
Component: SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS
The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) has received a petition dated September 19, 2023 from the owner of a 2012 Toyota Prius V requesting that ODI reevaluate its decision to deny DP19-004. In the letter, the petitioner reported experiencing an unexpected and complete loss of brake power while…
Led to recall campaign 22V063000.
Technical service bulletins
359 manufacturer communications — service bulletins, the biggest share on electrical and engine — are on file for the 2011 Toyota Prius. A TSB is factory repair guidance, not a recall — the repair is not automatically free.
Complaint history for this model year
When owners filed their reports — a long tail means problems kept surfacing for years.
Questions buyers ask
Is the 2011 Toyota Prius reliable?
The 2011 Toyota Prius drew 664 complaints in federal safety records — a middle-of-the-pack year for this model. Its trouble index is 21/100, scored against the model's worst year (2010).
What are the most common 2011 Toyota Prius problems?
The top reported problems for the 2011 Toyota Prius are brakes & stability (274 complaints), electrical (117), and engine (51).
At what mileage do 2011 Toyota Prius problems show up?
Owners most often report 2011 Toyota Prius problems around 80,732 miles. Half of all reports that include an odometer reading fall between 41,900 and 128,435 miles.
Does the 2011 Toyota Prius have recalls?
6 recall campaigns apply to the 2011 Toyota Prius. Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer.
Every number on this page is a count of records in the federal complaint, recall, and investigation files published by NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation. Check any specific vehicle's open recalls by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.