Service Brakes. Review the 262 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
Electrical System. Review the 68 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
Exterior Lighting. Review the 48 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

37 crash reports7 fire reports16 injury reports

Vehicle Speed Control complaints

28 reports

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100 miles · Feb 28, 2013

Service BrakesVehicle Speed Control

PERIODICALLY, AFTER GOING OVER A BUMP AT FAIRLY LOW SPEEDS, THE CAR WILL ACCELERATE. IN LIGHT OF THE OTHER UNINTENDED ACCELERATION ISSUE REPORTED UNDER ODI 10499911, I WONDER IF THESE TWO EVENTS ARE RELATED -- POSSIBLY SOMETHING TO DO WITH GOING FROM THE MOTOR TO THE BATTERY? *TR

NHTSA ODI #10500800

8,200 miles · Feb 25, 2013

Service BrakesVehicle Speed Control

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FIRST INCIDENT: WAS TRAVELING APPROX. 15 MPH ON SIDE STREET. ICY CONDITIONS. ATTEMPTED TO STOP AT STOP SIGN AND CAR LURCHED FORWARD, CARRYING ME THROUGH INTERSECTION. DEALERSHIP COULD NOT REPLICATE AND THOUGHT MAT MIGHT NOT HAVE BEEN FULLY SEATED. TOYOTA CASE # [XXX] 2ND AND THIRD INCIDENCES ONE MONTH LATER (BOTH ON 2/23/2013) IN FINE WEATHER CONDITIONS. 25 MPH. ATTEMPTED TO STOP AT STOP SIGN AND CAR LURCHED FORWARD. TOYOTA CASE # [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR.... UPDATED 03/08/13 *BF

NHTSA ODI #10499911

20,000 miles · Jan 9, 2013

Vehicle Speed Control

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2011 PRIUS, USA EQUIPMENT PACKAGE FIVE. 20000 MILES DRIVEN -- RECOMMENDED SERVICE DONE EVERY 5000, INCLUDING THE 20000 SERVICE DONE LESS THAN 1000 MILES AGO. EASTBOUND ON I-78, A FEW EXITS WEST OF ALLENTOWN PA. SPEED LIMIT 65, RADAR CRUISE SET TO 68 AND DEFAULT THREE-BARS [MAX DISTANCE]. ALL WAS GOOD FOR 30 OR SO MILES OF ROLLING HILLS AND LIGHT TRAFFIC. THEN, WITH NO CHANGE IN TRAFFIC DENSITY OR AVERAGE TRAFFIC SPEED, THE PRIUS STARTED SLOWING DOWN -- AS WOULD BE QUITE APPROPRIATE IF THE DRIVER AHEAD OF ME HAD EASED UP ON THE GAS. 60, 55, 50, 45. NOT QUICKLY -- NO WHERE NEAR AS QUICKLY AS IF I WERE TO TURN OFF THE CRUISE. IT WAS AS THOUGH THERE WAS TRAFFIC SLOWING DOWN AHEAD AND THE RADAR WAS JUST RESPONDING TO IT. BUT THE TRAFFIC AHEAD WAS NOT SLOWING DOWN. NO BEEPS, NO BRAKE ASSIST -- THE PRIUS JUST GENTLY SLOWED DOWN -- IN FACT, THE 'CAR AHEAD' ICON WAS STILL DISPLAYED ON THE CRUISE INDICATOR -- BUT IN REALITY, THE CAR AHEAD WAS FAR BEYOND WHERE 'CAR AHEAD' SHOULD HAVE BEEN DISPLAYED. HE WAS STILL DOING 65 WHILE I WAS DOWN TO 45. I WAS WATCHING AHEAD AND BEHIND ME -- STILL WONDERING IF THE RADAR HAD SEEN SOMETHING I WAS MISSING -- AND DIDN'T REALLY RESUME ACTIVE CONTROL TILL CARS BEHIND STARTED TO GET CLOSE [I REALLY WAS CONCERNED THE PRIUS SAW SOMETHING I DIDN'T!]. AS THE CARS BEHIND GOT CLOSER, I JUST PUSHED DOWN ON THE GAS -- NEVER DE-ACTIVATED THE CRUISE -- AND WHEN BACK AT 60 OR SO, THE CRUISE AGAIN STARTED TO ACT 'NORMALLY'. THERE WERE NO CODES RECORDED, SO I DON'T EXPECT THE DEALER TO EVEN WANT TO LOOK AT IT. TOYOTA HAS NOT RESPONDED ON THIS ISSUE SO FAR [OTHER THAN TO SEND SPAM ADVERTISING EMAIL]. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10491947

15,100 miles · Aug 19, 2012

Vehicle Speed Control

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WE'VE BEEN HAVING A PROBLEM WITH THE DRCC (DYNAMIC RADAR CRUSE CONTROL) ON OUR 2011 PRIUS. THE DRCC LOCKS UP (FREEZES) -LOCKING ONTO A PHANTOM VEHICLE AHEAD AND ACTIVATING THE BEEPER/APPLYING THE BRAKES -' EVEN WHEN THERE IS NO VEHICLE IS AHEAD! THIS CREATES A SAFETY HAZARD AS THE CAR SUDDENLY DECELERATES AT INTERSTATE SPEEDS WITH NO WARNING TO VEHICLES BEHIND. WE HAVE HAD 7 OCCURRENCES OF THIS PROBLEM. A SEARCH OF THE HTSA DATABASE YIELDS TWO SIMILAR REPORTS (10448415 & 10421208). IN ALL CASES THIS HAS OCCURRED ON CLEAR SUNNY DAYS AS THE CAR WAS PASSING A SEMI TRACTOR-TRAILER ON AN INTERSTATE HIGHWAY WHEN OUR CAR WAS PASSING THE SEMI'S CAB. IN MOST CASES, THERE WAS NO VEHICLE IN FRONT (CAR IN CONSTANT SPEED MODE) - IT JUST SUDDENLY ACTED LIKE THERE WAS ONE! WHENEVER THIS OCCURS, THE CAR KEEPS BRAKING AND THE ONLY IMMEDIATE SOLUTION IS TO TURN DISENGAGE THE CRUSE CONTROL. WHEN THE TEMPERATURE IS HIGH (ABOVE 90 DEGREES) WHEN WE RE-ENGAGE THE DRCC, THE UNIT IS STILL LOCKED UP! WHAT CLEARED THE LOCKED UP CONDITION WAS TURNING OFF THE CAR. ON ONE OCCASION, WHEN THE AMBIENT TEMPERATURE HAD DROPPED BELOW 90 DEGREES THE DRCC CLEARED ITSELF. I HAVE A LOG OF ALL 7 OCCURRENCES OF THIS PROBLEM. I HAVE CONTACTED TOYOTA ABOUT THIS PROBLEM (CASE #S [XXX] & [XXX]) AND THEY HAD ME TAKE THE CAR TO MY LOCAL TOYOTA DEALER WHO USED THEIR TECHSCAN TOOL TO DOWNLOAD ANY SYSTEM GENERATED ERROR CODES - THEY FOUND NONE. (OF COURSE, IF THE SOFTWARE DESIGN OF THE SYSTEM DOES NOT RECOGNIZE THAT MALFUNCTION HAS OCCURRED, NO ERROR CODE WILL BE GENERATED.) THE DEALER ALSO TOOK THE CAR OUT ON A COUPLE OF (SHORT) TEST DRIVES, BUT THE SYSTEM PERFORMED NORMALLY. *NOTE: A POSSIBLE PROBLEM HERE IS THAT, WHEN HOT, THE RADAR UNIT IS PICKING UP SIGNALS FROM THE TRUCK'S SATELLITE POSITION REPORTING SYSTEM. THERE ARE SEVERAL ELECTRONIC MANUFACTURING FAULTS THAT COULD LEAD TO THIS. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

NHTSA ODI #10471467

28,600 miles · Jun 7, 2012

Vehicle Speed Control

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 TOYOTA PRIUS. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE ACCELERATED UNEXPECTEDLY AFTER THE BRAKES AND START BUTTON WERE DEPRESSED INTERMITTENTLY. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 28,600.

NHTSA ODI #10460939

7,200 miles · Apr 23, 2012

Vehicle Speed Control

DROVE OVER A SPEED HUMP, AND AS THE FRONT TIRES HIT THE LEVEL PAVEMENT, THE CAR LURCHED FORWARD. RESPONDED TO BRAKES JUST FINE. HAPPENED AGAIN A WEEK LATER AS BOTH FRONT TIRES SIMULTANEOUSLY WENT OVER AN EDGE DROPOFF AT A CONSTRUCTION AREA. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10456141

15,956 miles · Dec 29, 2011

Engine And Engine CoolingVehicle Speed Control

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THE CAR SUDDENLY DECELERATED FROM 65 MILES AN HOUR TO ABOUT 5 MILES PER HOUR WHILE DRIVING ON A HIGHWAY AT NIGHT WITH THE SHOULDER BLOCKED DUE TO ROAD CONSTRUCTION. THIS SAME PROBLEM WAS PRESENT IN THE 2004 PRIUS AND WAS APPARENTLY THE SUBJECT OF NHTSA INVESTIGATION. THERE WAS A RECALL ISSUED ON NOVEMBER 30, 2010 FOR 650,000 UNITS OF THE 2010 PRIUS. TOYOTA HAS NOT BEEN ABLE TO DETERMINE THE CAUSE OF THIS PROBLEM IN THE EARLIER MODELS AND ADMITS IT DOESN'T KNOW THE CAUSE OF THE PROBLEM IN THE 2011 PRIUS. THIS DEFECT PRESENTS A GREAT DANGER, ESPECIALLY WHEN DRIVING IN HEAVY TRAFFIC AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS. *KB

NHTSA ODI #10441676

900 miles · Apr 18, 2011

Vehicle Speed Control

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 TOYOTA PRIUS. WHILE DRIVING AT ANY SPEED, THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WOULD SUDDENLY ACCELERATE FORWARD WHILE PRESSURE WAS BEING APPLIED TO THE BRAKES. THE DEALER ADVISED THE CONTACT TO BRING THE VEHICLE IN FOR DIAGNOSTIC TESTING. THE MANUFACTURER TOOK A COMPLAINT ON THE CONTACTS BEHALF BUT PR…

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NHTSA ODI #10396689

Official recalls

18V684000 · Hybrid Propulsion System

Oct 4, 2018

Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2010-2014 Toyota Prius and 2012-2014 Toyota Prius V vehicles. Excessive voltage in the Intelligent Power Module (IPM) within the inverter may cause the hybrid system to shut down, causing the vehicle to stall while being driven.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: If the hybrid system shuts down unexpectedly, it can increase the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will update the software for the motor/generator control electronic control unit (ECU) and the hybrid control ECU as necessary, free of charge. The recall began January 22, 2019. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-888-270-9371. Toyota's number for this recall is J0V. Note: The software updates in this recall are needed even if the vehicle had the software previously updated under recalls 14V-053 or 15V-449.

16V487000 · Air Bags:side/window

Jun 30, 2016

Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain model year 2010-2012 Toyota Prius, 2010 and 2012 Toyota Prius Plug-in Hybrid, and 2011-2012 Lexus CT200h vehicles. A weld in the curtain shield air bag inflator may crack causing one or both portions of the inflator to eject into the passenger cabin.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: If either portion of the curtain shield air bag inflator ejects into the passenger cabin, there is an increased risk of injury to vehicle occupants.

Remedy: Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will install retention brackets to the curtain shield air bags, free of charge. The recall began on October 17, 2016. Owners may contact Toyota Customer Service Department at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's number for this recall is Toyota G0U, and Lexus GLJ.

16V396000 · Seats:front Assembly:seat Heater/cooler

Jun 2, 2016

Southeast Toyota Distributors, LLC (SET) is recalling certain 2005-2011 4Runner, Highlander, Sequoia, and Sienna, 2005-2010 Avalon and Tundra, 2006-2008 Camry Solara, 2006-2010 Highlander hybrid, 2006-2011 Rav4 and Tacoma, 2007-2010 FJ Cruiser, 2007-2011 Camry hybrid, 2009-2010 Venza, 2010-2012 Prius, 1988-1990 and 2005-2010 Camry, and 1989 and 2009-2010 Corolla vehicles equipped with aftermarket accessory seat heaters with a copper strand heating element. The electrical wiring in the seat heaters may be damaged when the seat cushion is compressed.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: If damaged, the copper strand heating element may short circuit, increasing the risk of a fire.

Remedy: SET will notify owners, and dealers will disconnect the seat heaters, free of charge, and refund the purchase price of the seat heater accessory. The recall began on July 14, 2016. Owners may contact SET customer service at 1-866-405-4226. SET number for this recall is SET16B.

14V743000 · Seats:front Assembly:seat Heater/cooler

Nov 19, 2014

Southeast Toyota Distributors, LLC (SET) is recalling certain model year 2010-2011 Prius and Corolla, 2009-2011 Venza, 2006-2010 Avalon, 2007-2010 FJ Cruiser, 2005-2011 Sienna and Sequoia, 2006-2011 Tacoma 4x2 and 4x4, Camry, Highlander, Tundra 4x2 and 4x4, and 2007-2011 Rav4 and 4Runner. The affected vehicles may experience compression of the seat cushion which may damage the seat heater wiring.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: Damage to the seat heater wiring could cause the wires to short, increasing the risk of the seat burning and causing personal injury to the occupant.

Remedy: SET will notify owners, and dealers will disconnect the heaters with copper strand heating elements and refund the purchase price of the seat heater accessory, free of charge. The recall is expected to began in January 2015. Owners may contact SET customer service at 1-866-405-4226.

14V053000 · Electrical System:software; Hybrid Propulsion System: Inverter

Feb 12, 2014

Toyota is recalling certain model year 2010 through 2014 Prius vehicles. In the affected vehicles, the Intelligent Power Module (IPM) inside the inverter module (a component of the hybrid system) contains transistors that may become damaged from high operating temperatures. If this occurs, various warning lamps will be illuminated on the instrument panel and the vehicle will have reduced power allowing it to only drive a short distance.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: The vehicle may enter a fail-safe/limp-home mode that limits the drivability of the vehicle. The hybrid system could also shut down completely resulting in a vehicle stall, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Toyota will notify owners and dealers will update the software for both the motor/generator control electronic control unit (ECU) and the hybrid control ECU, free of charge. If an owner experiences a failure of the inverter before the vehicle receives updated software, the dealer will repair or replace the inverter assembly with a new one at no charge. The recall began on March 21, 2014. Owners may contact Toyota at 1-800-331-4331.

Additional source detail variants (2)

Hybrid Propulsion System: Inverter

Consequence: The vehicle may enter a fail-safe/limp-home mode that limits the drivability of the vehicle. The hybrid system could also shut down completely resulting in a vehicle stall, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Toyota will notify owners and dealers will update the software for both the motor/generator control electronic control unit (ECU) and the hybrid control ECU, free of charge. If an owner experiences a failure of the inverter before the vehicle receives updated software, the dealer will repair or replace the inverter assembly with a new one at no charge. The recall began on March 21, 2014. Owners may contact Toyota at 1-800-331-4331.

Electrical System:software

13V014000 · Air Bags:frontal:sensor/control MODULE-INACTIVE ; Seats

Jan 16, 2013

Southeast Toyota Distributors, LLC (SET) is recalling certain models interspersed through model years 2009 through 2013 as follows: model year 2009-2012 Tacoma, 4Runner, Camry, Camry Hybrid, Prius, and RAV4; model year 2009-2010 Avalon, FJ Cruiser, and Highlander Hybrid; model year 2010-2013 model year Corolla, Sienna and Tundra; model year 2009-2013 Highlander and Venza; model year 2012 Prius V; and model year 2010-2012 Sequoia. During modification by SET to include accessories such as leather seat covers, seat heaters or headrest DVD systems, these vehicles may not have had the passenger seat occupant sensing system calibration tested. Without passing the calibration test, the occupant sensing system may not operate as designed.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: If the front passenger seat occupant sensing system is out of calibration, the front passenger airbags may not deploy or they may deploy inappropriately for the passenger's size and position. This could increase the risk of personal injury during the event of a vehicle crash necessitating airbag deployment.

Remedy: Southeast Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will test the sensitivity of the occupant detection sensors, and recalibrate them as necessary. The recall began on March 21, 2013. Owners may contact Southeast Toyota at 1-800-301-6859.

Additional source detail variants (2)

Seats

Consequence: If the front passenger seat occupant sensing system is out of calibration, the front passenger airbags may not deploy or they may deploy inappropriately for the passenger's size and position. This could increase the risk of personal injury during the event of a vehicle crash necessitating airbag deployment.

Remedy: Southeast Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will test the sensitivity of the occupant detection sensors, and recalibrate them as necessary. The recall began on March 21, 2013. Owners may contact Southeast Toyota at 1-800-301-6859.

Air Bags:frontal:sensor/control MODULE-INACTIVE

Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗

NHTSA investigations

DP23005 · Brake Actuator Valve Wear

Opened Nov 22, 2023 · No close date supplied

Status: open (inferred from source dates) · Service Brakes, Hydraulic:foundation Components; Service Brakes, Hydraulic:power Assist

The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) has received a petition dated September 19, 2023 from the owner of a 2012 Toyota Prius V requesting that ODI reevaluate its decision to deny DP19-004. In the letter, the petitioner reported experiencing an unexpected and complete loss of brake power while driving, accompanied by multiple dashboard warning lights. This petition is based on the petitioner's direct experience and assessment that ODI closed DP19-004 because its prompting petition was withdrawn by that petitioner. ODI will review the work conducted during DP19-004 and a review of any additional related complaints and crashes via a new defect petition The petition and related materials can be reviewed at NHTSA.gov under the following ODI number:11553736.

Additional source detail variants (2)

Service Brakes, Hydraulic:foundation Components

Service Brakes, Hydraulic:power Assist

DP22005 · Pedestrian Alert Sounds

Opened Jan 27, 2023 · Closed Aug 7, 2023

Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Electrical System:propulsion System

NHTSA received a petition on or about July 18, 2022, requesting that Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 141 be applied to all electric and hybrid vehicles operating in the United States. The petition can be reviewed at NHTSA.gov under ODI Number 11486072. FMVSS 141 establishes performance requirements for pedestrian alert sounds for motor vehicles. The standard applies to hybrid and electric vehicles that have a gross vehicle weight rating of 4,536 KG or less or are defined as low-speed vehicles. The standard became fully applicable to all such vehicles manufactured on or after March 1, 2021.On January 27, 2023, NHTSA opened Defect Petition (DP) 22-005 to evaluate the subject matter described in the petition. On June 24, 2023 and as supplemented on June 25, 2023, the petitioner notified NHTSA he was withdrawing his petition. The petitioner indicated that, based on his review of data, there is no justification for asserting potential benefits that could be derived from actions sought by my petition. Based on the petitioner's withdrawal, DP22-005 is closed. Closure of this DP does not represent a determination by NHTSA regarding the subject matter of the petition.

DP19004 · Brake Actuator Valve Wear

Opened Sep 30, 2019 · Closed Jan 21, 2021

Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Service Brakes, Hydraulic:power Assist

On September 19, 2019, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) received a defect petition from Mr. Roger Hogan requesting that the Agency investigate and recall certain Toyota Prius, Prius PHV, Camry Hybrid and Avalon Hybrid vehicles for a brake actuator valve wear condition covered under Toyota Customer Support Programs ZJB and ZKK (subject CSP?s). In support of his request, the petitioner identified 117 NHTSA complaints allegedly related to the subject CSP condition, including 60 reporting crashes. On September 30, 2019, ODI opened Defect Petition DP19-004 to evaluate the petitioner?s request for an investigation. In August 2020, the petitioner notified the Agency that he was withdrawing his petition. Because the petitioner has withdrawn the petition, we are denying the petition as moot and no further analysis of this petition is necessary.NHTSA is authorized to issue an order requiring notification and remedy of a defect if the Agency?s investigation shows a defect in the design, construction, or performance of a motor vehicle that presents an unreasonable risk to safety. 49 U.S.C. ?? 30102(a)(9), 30118. Because the petitioner has with withdrawn the petition, the petition is denied as moot. This action does not constitute a finding by NHTSA that a safety-related defect does not exist. The Agency notes that it is not required to receive a defect petition prior to opening a defect investigation and will take further action if warranted by future circumstances.