Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (accelerator pedal, throttle, sudden acceleration, cruise control).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2010 Toyota Prius owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
The contact owns a 2010 Toyota Prius. The contact stated while driving 45 MPH downhill on a mountain and depressing the accelerator pedal, the pedal travelled down to the floorboard, but the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended. The contact pulled over to the side of the road. The contact stated that upon turning off and restarting the vehicle several times, the vehicle responded as needed. The contact stated that the failure recurred after making a turn at 3-4 MPH downhill. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The dealer and the manufacturer were notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 194,000.
My car accelerated significantly on its own while I was pulling into a parking stall in a private parking lot. It caused my vehicle to jump a curb and accelerate up a dirt divider and push over a bush that was planted in the dirt divider. Depressing my brakes did not Decelerate the car, so I pressed the Park button to eventually stop the vehicle. I'm not sure what speed it was traveling when it accelerated, but I could smell burning rubber at the end of the incident. I'm not sure when the smell first occurred.
The ABS, VSC/traction control, and brake system warning lights all came on at the same time in my 2010 Toyota Prius. I almost lost control of my car's braking ability. Afterwards, the hybrid system does not perform its regenerative braking/recharging any longer. And the cruise control mode doesn't work also. The DTC from the OBD2 port is C1391 - abnormal leak in the brake fluid accumulator. I found out that this issue is widespread among Gen 3 Priuses, but Toyota has not made this officially a recall campaign, but classifies it as a "customer support bulletin." But the issue is dangerous enough that it should be a recall item. I moved homes in fall of 2018, and Toyota says it mailed out a letter about this brake issue and resulting campaign, but I never received the letter. …
Check hybrid system light ignites, slows down vehicle in middle of high speed highway. First incident November of 2020 then several incidents after. Repair shops don't assure problem according to error codes & they recommend possibilities they cannot assure will resolve the problem. Car was taken into local dealership after receiving recall notice for software and airbags prior to November 2020 when the issue began. Software update took a couple of hours. Restart/reboot temporarily allowed driving again. Most recently the system entirely shut down & the car will not start or run. Abandoned car on side of the road and got heat exhaustion from walking the rest of the way home and had vehicle towed. Error lights come on including "check hybrid system" says "shift to P position when starting" and will not allow start.
I was driving my 2010 Toyota Prius and my car started beeping when I was driving when I tried to slow down the car was not able to stop the breaking system ABS started displaying and my car started to beep and it won't stop beeping. I did take my car to the dealer for a recalled inspection after my car broke down and I was no longer able to drive for my own safety. After I took the car to Downey Toyota for hybrid recall they didn't tell me anything but on the document they gave me it did state that the ABS was a problem. Now my car is still not able to be used because of my own safety concerns since the vehicle won't break when I put the brake pedal and a none stop beeping sound that won't stop at all.
see all over the internet that 2010 Prius have a recall for Inverter. I called the dealer they said no recall with my vin. I was told that a new inver is almost $5000 dollars. i NEED HELP i HAVE BOUGHT 3 TOYOTA ALREADY. Please help me with good will or warrenty the inverter like you have so many other people with 2010 Prius. If not I willand my family will never buy a Toyota again. Please call or email me [redacted] The Prius died when driving and we almost got in a major accident because it stalled with no warning.
Heading westbound on I-70, taking Exit 29 off ramp from highway, I drove over uneven pavement. My traction control, ABS and brake lights illuminated, the brakes suddenly felt mushy. As I approached the stoplight at the end of the exit ramp, I questioned whether I would be able to stop. Scared me immensely. Luckily no cars were near me. I now do not have ABS, Traction Control, stability control OR regenerative braking.
Total malfunction at highway speeds. Very unsafe, the car completely shut off. This may have resulted in a highway fatality due to collision as the vehicle was in the fast lane. NTSA please do your due diligence and investigate the faulty, defective HYBRID system as I believe the faulty inverter recall is much more larger than the original recall
The dash lights on my 2010 Prius went all dark, lost all information on my dash. No lights on dash, no fuel gauge, no speedometer, nothing. This is very dangerous to suddenly have happened and I don't see a recall from Toyota to address this problem.
The breaking lights, skid lights and another light associated with breaks came out and I lost the ABS abilities, the hv battery is not charging while breaking. These lights comes out randomly. Very risky especially while breaking.
Acceleration complaints in other Prius years
Frequently asked questions
How common are acceleration problems on the 2010 Toyota Prius?
NHTSA has 287 complaints about the speed control & acceleration of the 2010 Toyota Prius, 10% of the model year's 2,823 complaints. The component named most often is accelerator pedal (1 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2010 Toyota Prius acceleration problems?
No. NHTSA lists no speed control & acceleration recall for the 2010 Toyota Prius, though it has 10 recalls for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 2010 Toyota Prius acceleration problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 4,000 miles, and 84% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 34 crashes, 1 fire and 11 injuries to speed control & acceleration problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.