Toyota Prius Complaints (2012)

449 consumer complaints on file.

#11585979April 29, 2024
SERVICE BRAKES
Brake system warning lights illuminated. The brake pedal pressure required to stop the vehicle has increased. In effect: no power brakes, no traction control, and no antilock available. Intermittent engagement of an electric motor can be heard about every 8 seconds for a period of about 3 seconds during operation of the vehicle at all times.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11582955April 15, 2024
SERVICE BRAKES
Sudden lights appear on dashboard. Brake system sudden fail becomes very hard to press the pedal or apply brakes My car has 136000 miles only Asked mechanic and mentioned the brake booster pump.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11581169April 4, 2024
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC
The contact owns a 2012 Toyota Prius Plug-in Hybrid. The contact stated that while driving down a winding road, the brake warning light and brake message suddenly activated and while depressing the brake pedal, the pedal extended to the floorboard and the vehicle would not immediately stop. The vehicle was later taken to the local service center who diagnosed that the brake booster, brake master cylinder, and brake booster pump assembly were faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer and local dealer were notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The contact was informed that the vehicle did not qualify for the manufacturers extended coverage regarding the failure. The failure mileage was 130,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11580264March 31, 2024
SERVICE BRAKES
Brake pressure actuator defect leading to major brake failure. No warning until it's too late.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11578831March 22, 2024
SERVICE BRAKES
Warning lights, and while driving the ABS, brake, and traction control lights came on, and I NOTICED a strange sound when applying the brakes. The brakes seem somewhat soft when applied. This is a 2012 Prius with 123,000 miles.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11578477March 20, 2024
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
2012 Prius has a fault from the the manufactor where the electronic brake abs actuator and pump, which are two seperate parts working together, are faulty. Various lights on dashboard illuminate brake, tire pressure, abs, and traction control. When this occurs the car becomes very unsafe to drive as the brakes become almost non existant because the braking system on the car is electronic and controlled by both the pump and actuator. This makes the car dangerous to drive, even in short trip conditions as the brakes could fail to engage at any time. The dealer confirmed that it is a known issue on this model Prius and did not cover the cost to fix it even though the car is not safe to drive. This is dangerous and should have a recall so the car can be safe to drive on roads and potenially save lives if the brake system fails to engage,
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11576654March 11, 2024
ENGINE
The contact owns a 2012 Toyota Prius. The contact stated that when the vehicle was started, there was a rattling sound coming from the vehicle. The contact stated that while depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle started shaking abnormally with a rattling sound. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed with a blown head gasket and that the engine block needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 106,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11574850March 1, 2024
ENGINE, SERVICE BRAKES
I bought my first used car, 2012 Toyota Prius, from Fowler Toyota back at the end of October 2023, but I was not able to pick it up until September 21, 2023 due to extra time for re-conditioning. I did not haggle about the price nor complained about the 3 week delay. In the last 3 weeks of owning my car, the TPMS sensor light and check engine light infrequently turned on. February 28, 2024 all the fault sensor lights on my instrument panel are on, along with the loss of proper braking function. I was not worried about the other sensor faults, but brake malfunction is a matter of life and death to myself and others on the road. I have had the car for a little over 4 months and less than 10k miles. I brought the car in to diagnose all the error codes. The dealer said it will cost over $2600 to fix the brake malfunction. I chose this particular car because carfax had well documented service records and Fowler Toyota advertised that every used vehicle for sale has surpassed rigorous inspection. I voiced my complaint to the used car director and he offered numerous default excuses for unforeseen problems inherent in buying a used car. I said I did my due diligence by selectively purchasing a used Toyota Prius, from a reputable Toyota dealership that uses a Toyota certified service center to inspect and recondition vehicles for sale. All the cliche nightmare stories of buying a used car from the side of the road car lots came true in my experience at Fowler Toyota. The worst used car story happened to me, despite performing my due diligence: to buy a used Toyota from a Toyota dealership that uses a Toyota certified service center for re-conditioning vehicles. I even paid more to finance my Prius through Toyota Financial services, which did not offer extended warranty. For God sake, I was buying a Toyota with 121k miles. I only bought a prius because I work too hard to throw away all my hard earned money on gasoline. The only recourse the dealership offered
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11572415February 16, 2024
SERVICE BRAKES, STEERING, VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
I was driving less than 55mph on freeway on February 5, 2024 when my vehicle went into an out of control spin, Brakes did not seem to work and unable to control vehicle until hit center divider on freeway, Spun 180 degrees and kept going back with no braking until hit center divider.
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
2
Deaths:
0
#11572184February 15, 2024
SERVICE BRAKES, EXTERIOR LIGHTING
Brake master control system failure with constant issues over 80k miles. Forward running lights control housing has not held a light fixture since day one and dealership wants to charge for light replacement. It’s a faulty part and burnt through the housing. Olathe Toyota refused to repair under warranty saying it was a customer issue but is clearly a safety problem. Irresponsible dealer management.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11571665February 13, 2024
ENGINE
I was driving on the internet doing 60mph and there was a very loud bang and then a shaking of the parts under the hood. I was right next to an exit and coasted off the exit to a hotel parking lot. I had car towed to my mechanic. He said that the piston went thru the engine and the engine is done and needs replaced. I am having a hard time trusting Toyota again to purchase another Prius. I have had Prius for over 10 years and never had anything like this occur. I had no warning signs and no dashboard lights lit up until after all of this occurred and scared the life out of me then the engine light came on.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11571095February 9, 2024
SERVICE BRAKES, AIR:ANTILOCK:ABS WARNING LIGHT, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
The contact owns a 2012 Toyota Prius. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the ABS warning light illuminated and the vehicle skidded while depressing the brake pedal. The contact stated that the hazard lights independently activated and caused the battery to drain, and the vehicle would stall. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where the contact was informed that there was a Customer Satisfaction Program for the failure, but the Customer Satisfaction Program had expired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but offered no assistance. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 120,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11568431January 29, 2024
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP:ABS WARNING LIGHT
The contact owns a 2012 Toyota Prius. The contact stated that on several occasions while driving at various speeds, the brake pedal was depressed, and the vehicle started shaking and failed to slow down as intended. The brake, ABS, and traction control warning lights were illuminated. On another occasion, while driving 70 MPH, the brake pedal was depressed, and the vehicle began shaking and failed to slow down as intended. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 88,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11559902December 13, 2023
SERVICE BRAKES
Brake failure
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11557133November 27, 2023
SERVICE BRAKES
Hard to stop, ABS AND BRAKE AND TRACTION CONTROLL RELATED WARNING LIGHTS ON. ERROR CODE C1391
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11554587November 10, 2023
STRUCTURE:BODY
Weather stripping around the solar sunroof cracked and has come off in sections. This is a very common problem with this specific model, but remains low due to the low numbers the solar sunroof packages was produced. Afraid the sunroof will leak if used, so it stays inoperable in order to not damage broken seals.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11553229November 2, 2023
SERVICE BRAKES
On October 24, 2023, while driving my car, several lights went on all at once, including the ABS, and brake lights. I immediately drove it to the Toyota Dealership on 2213 Old Jacksboro Hwy, WF TX 76301. The car was also making a noise constantly, that I had taken into Toyota service center previously which was also causing an issue with my battery dying. (It went through 4 batteries in the last 2 years). Toyota diagnosed it as a problem with brake booster and assembly and brake booster pump. calling for both of them to be replaced at a cost of $3,888. Toyota did not inform us of any recall regarding brakes, I did email Toyota directly, called and tried to work with the dealership, all to no avail. They are being sued due to numerous complaints and refused to assist me.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11552233October 27, 2023
SERVICE BRAKES, UNKNOWN OR OTHER
I have had a 2012 Prius since 2016. The entire time I've had it, it occasionally "hydroplanes" but without any water. It happens in wet or dry (but mostly dry) conditions. Usually at slower speeds so, though it makes me very uncomfortable, it doesn't happen with any regularity. I've taken it multiple times to my mechanic who always says "Prius' just do that", which is not reassuring. I know there was a recall and I was told my car did not fall under that umbrella. On Wednesday of this week, 10/25/23, I finally had an accident because of this. The brake lockup had been happening more frequently in the past week and in this instance I saw the car in front of me suddenly slow down - I had about 2/3 of a cars distance between me and the car ahead. I hit the brakes and nothing happened. I was pushing down on them long enough to think, "Ok, this is it. They aren't responding at all and I'm going to hit this car in front of me." I did and it crushed the passenger side of the car. Luckily I wasn't hurt. There were no warnings from the car at all that this was going to happen, as there never are. I took it in for possible repair today (the mechanic is not sure but thinks it may be a total loss). This car did everything they describe in the recall cases and I want to know if there's anyway to be repaid from the company for this as there was nothing I could do to stop this accident? Why wasn't my car included in the recall?
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11551010October 20, 2023
SERVICE BRAKES
Error code C1391 confirmed by two separate facilities, described as "abnormal leak in accumulator" and "accumulator pressure." Took to an independent shop first, then to Haley Certified Toyota Dealership. At dealership, parts needed were quoted to include tsb-0024-19. Three lights went on simultaneously (ABS, Traction, Brake).
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11548587October 6, 2023
SERVICE BRAKES
The abs pump kept running after the car stopped running... Malfunction and had to be replaced!
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0

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