Equipment complaints by model year
| Year | Complaints | Share of year's complaints | Typical mileage |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 1 | 1% | 4,000 miles |
| 2014 | 1 | 0% | 2,000 miles |
| 2013 | 2 | 0% | — |
| 2012 | 4 | 1% | 10,000 miles |
| 2011 | 4 | 1% | 46,000 miles |
| 2010 | 15 | 1% | 4,000 miles |
| 2009 | 7 | 1% | 102,000 miles |
| 2008 | 8 | 1% | 48,000 miles |
| 2007 | 21 | 1% | 25,000 miles |
| 2006 | 18 | 1% | 34,000 miles |
| 2005 | 7 | 1% | 65,000 miles |
| 2004 | 7 | 1% | 20,000 miles |
| 2003 | 4 | 4% | 115,000 miles |
| 2001 | 4 | 2% | 70,000 miles |
Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (accessories, trailer hitches and other equipment).
Mileage when the problem started
What owners report
I own a 2012 Prius with the technology package, including radar adaptive cruise control. I believe these same radar sensors are also used to detect imminent collisions in front of the vehicle, even when cruise control mode is not engaged. About a month ago, while driving north on interstate 5 in downtown seattle at approximately 60 miles per hour, and without cruise control engaged, my Prius went into "imminent collision mode" despite the fact that there was nothing in front of me -- no vehicles, no debris, no obstructions. Before slamming on the brakes, my seat belt was "tightened" and the brakes were automatically applied at full force, even without my foot touching the brake. This was incredibly jarring and disturbing, and could have been a serious accident if there was a vehicle behind me. Fortunately, there was no vehicle behind me at this time. …
Upon starting the engine and engaging the air conditioning of my 2012 Toyota Prius with 10,000 miles, a strong foul smelling air comes from the A/C vents. At the 10,000 mile servicing, the Toyota service manager stated this smell is typical to some toyotas. A Toyota technical assistance was performed. The report stated "no repairs needed at this time vehicle is operating as per designed. I know of no vehicle design that would stream foul air from the A/C vents of a new car. My safety concern is with the contaminants creating the foul smell and how long can a human continue to breathe these contaminants before becoming ill with respiratory problems.
The contact owned a 2011 Toyota Prius. The contact stated while driving 30 MPH, the vehicle accelerated at uncontrollable speed, and an unknown warning light illuminated. The contact depressed the brake pedal desperately and the vehicle would not stop. The contact swerved into the lane of the opposite direction causing the contact to strike the front passenger end of the vehicle traveling in the opposite direction, causing the other vehicle to drive into the woods, and the contact vehicle spun in a circle. The contact stated he pulled the emergency brake causing the vehicle to come to a complete stop. No air bags deployed. No one was injured but the contact was unaware if there were any injuries to the other driver. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed from the scene and later deemed a total loss. …
Tl* the contact owns a 2011 Toyota Prius. The contact stated that the vehicle was equipped with an aftermarket heated seat warmer manufactured by philips. The contact stated that the heated seat warmer failed. The contact noticed that the driver's seat had become hotter than normal the contact then noticed that a hole had burned into the driver's seat. The vehicle was taken to a specialized equipment dealer for further inspection.the vehicle was not repaired. The serial and model numbers were not available. The failure mileage was 56,000 and the approximate failure mileage was 56, 200. The VIN was not available.
I am filing a complaint on a 2010 Toyota Prius. The complaint list is: the eject button on the manufactured stereo has melted. Have contacted a Toyota dealership regarding this and they took pictures of the melted button on the stereo, they sent the pictures to their dspm department, their response was, "appears to be damaged from an outside influence." we have disagreed with their conclusion and are afraid that it May lead to a possible fire in the car? We contacted Toyota's 800 number ([phone]) and let them know that we disagreed with their conclusion, in which we were told they would get back to us in three business days, which they didn't. We contacted them to let them know we were concerned about the car stereo getting hot enough to melt a button, could this possibly start a fire in the car? They returned the call within 24 hours. …
The dynamic radar cruise control system suddenly applies brakes while, or soon after, passing a large truck (18 wheeler). Happens rarely. But when it does happen, it is always while, or soon after, slowly passing a larger truck on an interstate and traveling about 70 MPH. When it does occur, it normally occurs when the front of the Prius is slightly behind the front of the truck (in the immediate lane to my right) where the truck should be outside the range of the radar. The last time, though, the Prius was well in front of the truck, there was no vehicle in front of me. And, yes, there was no dirt, snow, etc. On the front of the car that might affect the operation of the radar.
Tl contact owns a 2009 Toyota Prius. The contact was driving approximately 45 MPH on normal road conditions when the "engine" warning light indicator illuminated on the instrument panel. There were numerous failures with various components within the vehicle. The consumption mpg screen on the instrument panel displayed inaccurate information. The engine exhibited a reduction of engine power. When depressing the accelerator pedal an excessive decrease in acceleration occurred. The fm and am radio selector failed to function properly. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer for diagnostic testing on two separate occasions. The technician was unable to duplicate the failures. There were no resolutions. The vehicle has not been repaired for the malfunctions. The failure mileage was 2,000. The VIN was rejected and will be updated upon receipt of the safety complaint form.
The rubber cover to the outside truck latch has melted completely in hot florida weather and has become gooey to the point of dripping onto my license plate. The truck is very difficult to open and sometimes I am unable to lock or open the car because the trunk is not all the way closed. This is a safety issue because if I needed to get into the trunk to get a spare tire I May not be able to. Given many other reports of this issue dating back to 2007 models, Toyota should stop using this type of component and should recall this item and fix it with a different material so this does not keep happening. I am also concerned the exposed latch will cause electrical damage to the trunk or lighting because of severe rain that often occurs in florida where this problem seems prevalent.
Related recalls (5)
Equipment › Other › Labels
Gulf States Toyota, Inc. (GST) is recalling certain Toyota 2023 GR Supra, 2024 4 Runner, Corolla, Grand Highlander, Grand Highlander Hybrid, Land Cruiser Hybrid, Tacoma, Tacoma Hybrid, 2023-2024 BZ4X, Corolla Cross Hybrid, GR Corolla, GR86, Highlander, Highlander Hybrid, Prius, Prius Prime, Sequoia Hybrid, Tundra, Tundra…
Remedy: GST will mail new labels to owners, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed September 16, 2024. Owners may contact GST customer service at 1-800-444-1074. GST's number for this recall is 24R2.
Equipment › Other › Labels
Gulf States Toyota (GST) is recalling certain 2019 C-HR, 4Runner, Avalon, Avalon Hybrid, Camry, Camry Hybrid, Highlander, Land Cruiser, Prius, RAV4, Sequoia, Tacoma, Sienna, Tundra and Yaris vehicles. The text on the load capacity label may become illegible.
Remedy: GST will notify owners, and dealers will provide corrected load carrying capacity modification labels, free of charge. The recall began May 24, 2019. Owners may contact GST customer service at 1-800-444-1074.
Equipment › Other › Labels
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 Cruiser, 2011 Toyota Land Cruiser, 2010-2013 Toyota Venza, 2010-2011…
Remedy: 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 being developed.
Equipment › Other › Labels
Southeast Toyota is recalling certain model year 2005-2011 passenger vehicles for failing to comply with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 110, "tire selection and rims." these vehicles were sold without the requisite load carrying capacity modification labels.
Remedy: Dealers will mail to consumers the corrected label or the customer will have the option for dealers to install the label free of charge. The safety recall began on May 27, 2010.
Equipment › Other › Labels
Gulf states Toyota is recalling certain model year 2005-2010 vehicles for failing to comply with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 110, "tire selection and rims." these vehicles were sold between September 1, 2005 and June 2, 2008 without the requisite load carrying capacity modification labels.
Remedy: Dealers will mail to consumers the corrected label or the customer will have the option for dealers to install the label free of charge. Dealers will also correct the owner's manual.
Frequently asked questions
Which Toyota Prius years have equipment problems?
By NHTSA complaints, the 2007 (21), 2006 (18), 2010 (15), 2008 (8) and 2004 (7) model years. Equipment complaints make up 1% of all complaints for the 2007.
Is there a recall for Toyota Prius equipment problems?
Yes — 5 recalls, including 24V-548 (labels, Jul 23, 2024); 19V-244 (labels, Mar 27, 2019); 13V-123 (labels, Apr 9, 2013). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers; check a specific car with the VIN recall check.
At what mileage do Toyota Prius equipment problems start?
Across all years, half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 35,000 miles; 71% happened before 50,000 miles.
What part fails most often?
Owners most often name the electrical › navigational system(global positioning system) (9 mentions), followed by the electrical › radio/tape deck/cd etc. (4).
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.