2012 Toyota Prius: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 531 complaints
531
Total Complaints
40,063mi
Median Mileage
SERVICE BRAKES
Top Issue
75
Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

Distribution of NHTSA complaints by vehicle mileage at time of report.

8,800 25th Percentile
40,063 Median Mileage
98,000 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

SERVICE BRAKES
174
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
49
EXTERIOR LIGHTING
36
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
31
ENGINE
30
VISIBILITY/WIPER
28
AIR BAGS
26
STRUCTURE:BODY
20
POWER TRAIN
20
STEERING
13

Severity Assessment

75
Crashes
3
Fires
57
Injuries
0
Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"THE DRIVERS SEAT DOES NOT RAISE FAR ENOUGH TO ALLOW SHORTER DRIVERS TO SEE OVER THE DASH BOARD , BASE OF WINDSHIELD AND REAR OF HOOD. THIS PREVENTS SHORTER DRIVERS FROM BEING ABLE TO SEE THE THE GROUND ANYWHERE NEAR THE CAR. GIVING THE DRIVERS A 2 DIMENSIONAL VIEW OF THE TRAFFIC AND OBJECTS BETWEEN..."
"SUNDAY DEC. 11TH: PULLING OUT OF CHICAGO GARAGE, CAR MAKES ODD ROTATIONAL NOISE. THE SOUND SEEMS TO GO AWAY AFTER ABOUT A BLOCK OR SO OF DRIVING. THE DEALERSHIP IS CLOSED AND I AM BOOKED UP WITH CLIENTS, SO I CONTINUE TO TEST AND SEE IF TEMPERATURE OR ENVIRONMENT EFFECT THE NOISE. THE NOISE APPEARS..."
"THE LATCH SYSTEM DESIGN ON THE SEATS ON THE NEW PRIUS V IS FLAWED. INSTEAD OF HAVING FOUR LATCH POINTS, ONE SET OF TWO FOR THE LEFT SEAT AND ONE SET OF TWO FOR THE RIGHT SEAT, THEY HAVE ONLY THREE LATCH POINTS, ONE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE LEFT SEAT, ONE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE RIGHT SEAT AND ONE IN THE MI..."

Source: NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Names and identifying details omitted.

Data source: View this vehicle on NHTSA.gov | NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Public domain.

Methodology: Complaint counts and mileage distributions are computed directly from consumer-reported NHTSA complaints. This data represents reported issues, not failure rates — vehicles without complaints are not represented. Full methodology.

Data through: 2026-03-28