Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2012 Toyota Prius owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
The engine caught fire while sitting in my garage. I had driven it for a few hours doing deliveries for a store and parked it in my garage around 2:30pm. About 1.5 hours later, my wife was coming home and opened the garage door and saw smoke above the hood of my car and then a few seconds later it burst into flames. I believe that it was smouldering for a while and the gust of wind when the big garage door opened gave it the extra push to ignite. The car was bought used and had a front end accident prior to my purchasing it so the electrical system could have melted and started the fire but the inspector that Toyota sent did not give me any copy of his report. It is a 2012 model. I bought the car in 2014, and had it for about 5 years until this happened and completed burned up the car and all the contents of my garage. …
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.
There has been a safety recall on my vehicle for the years 2004-2009 models of the Toyota Prius, but my model year is 2012 and I have the exact same issue. 1) My check engine light comes on and off and it appears to be the hybrid electric water pump issue related to the coolant. The cap pops off and spills out. 2) When the light comes on, I am assuming the car is starting to overheat and is putting myself and my 3 year old daughter at risk as this is the primary car we use to transport her. We have just stop taking her out at all due to this issue. When the car overheats, I pull over and it can be risky as sometimes, I am on the highway or local streets. I do not want this issue to cause problems for other other drivers as well while I am trying to pull over where ever I am. 3) The problem as I stated above has been acknowledge by you and Toyota but just for 2004-2009 models. …
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.
Unknown. There were a multitude of codes that appeared on the diagnostics causing problems with engine. The temperature, brake, tire sensor lights are all on. The cruise control is not working. White smoke emitting from tail pipe and engine. Main engine coolant leaking. Car overheating rapidly.
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. …
This vehicle has been burning oil for the past 10,000 miles. Vehicle has had all services and synthetic oil changes done from day 1 at the dealership. Oil changes every 5,000 miles since day 1. At 90,000 miles the car started burning oil excessively. Complaints and diagnostics were attempted at Toyota franchise dealerships but they failed to find the issue. Finally at 100,000 miles the engine failed due to head gasket failure. This vehicle is classified as a partial zero emission vehicle and it is registered in a state that follows california air resource board regulations and is being serviced in a state that follows as well. Under the pzev regulations, Toyota warranties emission related components for 15 years or 150,000 miles. Under toyotas warranty guide it states seals and gaskets are covered. …
I went to the charles maund Toyota dealer at austin, tx for a recall. NHTSA recall id 18V684. According to the official recall remedy from NHTSA, "if the vehicle has experienced an inverter failure with certain hybrid system faults related to this condition, the inverter assembly will be repaired or replaced free of charge." my car lost power on the highways several times recently. The error code is p0a08, which is related to inverter failure with certain hybrid system faults, so the inverter assembly should be repaired or replaced free of charge. But the dealer didn't want to replace or repair the inverter for my car. There is still a potential threat on my car to lose power on highways.
2012 Toyota Prius ii, dealer maintained, now needs new engine due to blown head gasket. Mileage 151000. The car has run perfectly until a recent engine light came on. When it was brought into the dealership, the diagnosis was misfiring of 2 cylinders and coolant leaking into cylinders 3 and 4. There was no previous engine problems. An official complaint was filed with Toyota customer service. They responded that there was no fault on their end and I should have the engine replaced at an authorized Toyota dealer. A search for this trouble resulted in several other complaints of the failure of head gaskets in this year and model Prius.
Tl* the contact owns a 2012 Toyota Prius. The contact stated that while driving at 65 MPH, the vehicle stalled as the master warning light illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer. The technician was unable to diagnose the failure and stated that the only code found was related to low fuel although the vehicle had a full tank of fuel. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and made the contact was made aware that the vehicle was not included in NHTSA campaign number: 14V053000 (electrical system , hybrid propulsion system). The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 37,795.
Engine complaints in other Prius years
Frequently asked questions
How common are engine problems on the 2012 Toyota Prius?
NHTSA has 32 complaints about the engine & cooling of the 2012 Toyota Prius, 8% of the model year's 424 complaints.
Is there a recall for 2012 Toyota Prius engine problems?
No. NHTSA lists no engine & cooling recall for the 2012 Toyota Prius, though it has 6 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 2012 Toyota Prius engine problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 77,000 miles, and 25% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 0 crashes, 1 fire and 0 injuries to engine & cooling 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.