2012 Toyota Prius Problems, Recalls & Reliability
543 owner complaints sit in the federal file for the 2012 Toyota Prius, alongside 6 recall campaigns and 3 defect investigations. It scores 20/100 on the trouble index — one of this model's quieter years. Brakes & stability leads the reports, typically around 95,755 miles.
One of the quieter years. Relative to its siblings, the 2012 Toyota Prius has drawn well-below-average complaint volume with at least four years on the road.
Better year
Where 2012 sits among all Prius years
What owners report
“Abs , traction control,brake lights on. No power assist brake, no abs, no traction control”— owner report to NHTSA, 2012 Prius
“Passenger side low beam headlight will not work. I replaced the bulb, and checked the fuses, and it still will not light. This has been an ongoing problem with this car.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2012 Prius
“Problem with braking system involving, the other day the car was on and suddenly three (3) warning lights came on: brake light, abs light and traction control light. There is also now a pumping sound coming from under the interior of the dash (on it at least sounds that is where it's coming from.…”— owner report to NHTSA, 2012 Prius
“Head gasket 77,000 miles with the head gasket issue the car engine was shaking when it's warming up. The car log showed misfires in 1st and 4th cylinders.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2012 Prius
“Wind shield wiper switch quit working at 62,500 mile.the wind shield wiper motor is now making grinding noises and needs to be replaced(74,000 miles). Both parts broke when we were traveling out of state,during rain storms.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2012 Prius
“Really appalling that the airbags ware not deployed after a big collision when the whole front of the car was smashed as seen in the pic.this happen on downtown are in columbus in 5 and spring i”— owner report to NHTSA, 2012 Prius
Mileage when trouble shows up
Among the 290 reports that include an odometer reading, problems most often appear around 50,000 miles. Half of those reports fall between 14,000 and 101,000 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…
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 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…
Fix: Southeast Toyota will notify owners and provide a corrected label with instructions concerning its installation. A small group of the affected vehicles will need additonal remedies which are still…
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
461 manufacturer communications — service bulletins, the biggest share on electrical and engine — are on file for the 2012 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 2012 Toyota Prius reliable?
The 2012 Toyota Prius drew 543 complaints in federal safety records — one of this model's quieter years. Its trouble index is 20/100, scored against the model's worst year (2010).
What are the most common 2012 Toyota Prius problems?
The top reported problems for the 2012 Toyota Prius are brakes & stability (198 complaints), electrical (88), and other (48).
At what mileage do 2012 Toyota Prius problems show up?
Owners most often report 2012 Toyota Prius problems around 50,000 miles. Half of all reports that include an odometer reading fall between 14,000 and 101,000 miles.
Does the 2012 Toyota Prius have recalls?
6 recall campaigns apply to the 2012 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.