Reliable Auto DB

2012 Toyota Prius reliability

Is it reliable?

The 2012 Toyota Prius has 686 complaints with NHTSA after 15 years, or 50 per year. That is the most complaints per year among the 13 Prius years on this site. NHTSA has 6 recalls on file, including Hybrid propulsion, Side and window, and Seat heater.

2010 Toyota Prius
Photo by Corvettec6r, resized from the original. Wikimedia Commons Public domain
Complaints

686

Per year

50

Recalls

6

Years on the road

15

What owners report

The complaints owners file most often name Service brakes (320 of 686), then Electrical system (89) and Engine (71). Those filings include 71 that report a crash, 4 that report a fire, 39 that report an injury, and 1 that reports a death.

Next to 2013

The 2013 Prius has 409 complaints, 23 per year. The 2012 has more complaints per year than the 2013.

The complaint rate is complaints filed in this year’s first 3 years on the road, divided by however many of those years have passed. Recalls are a separate count. The numbers are for the US-market 2012 Toyota Prius. How we count. Data as of .

Recalls (6)

Recall hybrid propulsion 2018-10-04 · NHTSA campaign 18V684000
Summary 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.
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.
Recall air bags, side and window 2016-06-30 · NHTSA campaign 16V487000
Summary 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.
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.
Recall seats, front assembly, seat heater 2016-06-02 · NHTSA campaign 16V396000
Summary 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.
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.
Recall hybrid propulsion, inverter 2014-02-12 · NHTSA campaign 14V053000
Summary 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.
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.
Recall Labels 2013-04-09 · NHTSA campaign 13V123000
Summary 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 Toyota 4Runner, 2010-2013 Toyota Tacoma, 2011-2012 Toyota Sienna, 2012 Toyota Prius, 2013 Scion FR-S, 2011 Scion XD, 2011 Scion XB, and 2012 Scion TC vehicles. These vehicles were sold with labels that were outside the allowable one percent of accuracy of actual weight added. Thus, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) Number 110, "Tire Selection and Rims."
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. The recall began on May 28, 2013. Owners may contact Southeast Toyota at 1-800-301-6859.
Recall air bags, frontal, inactive sensor control module 2013-01-16 · NHTSA campaign 13V014000
Summary 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.
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.

Complaints by component (686 total)

Service brakes
320
Electrical system
89
Engine
71
Air bags
43
Exterior lighting
42
Visibility and wipers
32
Powertrain
31
Speed control
31
Structure
28
Steering
24
Electronic stability control (ESC)
18
Fuel and propulsion system
16
Hydraulic brakes
16
Seat belts
16
Seats
11
Forward collision avoidance
9
Hybrid propulsion
9
Suspension
9
Wheels
7
Air brakes
5
Fuel system, other
4
Adaptive and mobility equipment
3
Visibility
3
Engine and engine cooling
2
Back-over prevention
1
Electric service brakes
1
Equipment
1
Insert and padding
1
Lane departure
1
Tires
1
Traction control
1
Show 23 more Show less
Crash-flagged

71

Fire-flagged

4

Injury reports

39

Death reports

1

Complaints filed per year

12011382012642013472014252015342016362017532018702019342020352021662022582023532024562025162026
Excerpts from recent NHTSA complaint filings
  • "1. My Brake booster failed/malfunctioned. I had to get it repaired/replaced by Toyota so it might be with the dealership or thrown out by now. 2. I had to take it in because I had an incident where I was unable to apply…"
    Service brakes · filed 2026-09-18
  • "The contact owned a 2012 Toyota Prius. The contact stated that while making a left turn at 10 MPH, another vehicle crashed into the vehicle and t-boned the front passenger's side door of the vehicle. The air bags did…"
    Air bags · filed 2026-08-18
  • "Brake warning lights on, buzzing sound every 10 seconds. Likely a known actuator and master cylinder issue"
    Service brakes · filed 2026-07-17
  • "Brake lights icons stay on mechanic at Toyota dealership state need new brak master cylinder and booster"
    Service brakes · filed 2026-07-17
  • "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…"
    Speed control, Wheels, Engine · filed 2026-07-06

NHTSA crash ratings

Version Overall Front Side Rollover
2012 Toyota Prius 5 HB FWD 5 stars 4 stars 5 stars 4 stars
2012 Toyota Prius Plug-In 5 HB FWD 4 stars 4 stars 5 stars 4 stars

Stars are how this vehicle did in NHTSA crash tests. They are a safety result, separate from the complaint record. Not rated means that test was not run for this version.

Fuel economy

Trim Engine Transmission Drive City Hwy Combined Annual fuel cost
Prius 1.8L, 4-cyl Automatic (variable gear ratios) Front-wheel drive 49 46 48 MPG $1350
Prius Plug-in hybrid 1.8L, 4-cyl Automatic (variable gear ratios) Front-wheel drive 51 49 50 MPG / 540 mi range $1300

Specs and fitment

3rd generation, 2012–2015
Body styles Liftback
Oil SAE 0W-20 , 4.4 qt capacity
Tire size 195/65R15, P215/45R17

Known issues for this generation

Recall 14V-053 covers certain model year 2010 through 2014 Prius vehicles. In the affected vehicles, the Intelligent Power Module (IPM) inside the inverter module may have transistors that become damaged from high operating temperatures, which can illuminate warning lamps and limit power. Recall 18V-684 covers certain 2010-2014 Toyota Prius vehicles (along with certain 2012-2014 Prius v vehicles in the same campaign). Excessive voltage in the IPM within the inverter may cause the hybrid system to shut down and the vehicle to stall while being driven. Dealers update software for the motor/generator control ECU and hybrid control ECU; Toyota states the 18V-684 updates are needed even if earlier inverter software campaigns were already performed. Recall 20V-369 covers certain 2013-2015 Prius vehicles not included in 18V-684, for the same IPM voltage condition; dealers perform a hybrid system software update.

Compare

Next year 2013 Toyota Prius See every Toyota Prius model year →

Frequently asked questions

Is the 2012 Toyota Prius reliable?

The 2012 Toyota Prius has 686 complaints with NHTSA after 15 years, or 50 per year. That is the most complaints per year among the 13 Prius years on this site. NHTSA has 6 recalls on file, including Hybrid propulsion, Side and window, and Seat heater.

What are common problems with a 2012 Toyota Prius?

The complaints owners file most often name Service brakes (320 of 686), then Electrical system (89) and Engine (71). Those filings include 71 that report a crash, 4 that report a fire, 39 that report an injury, and 1 that reports a death.

Is the 2012 Toyota Prius more reliable than the years next to it?

The 2013 Prius has 409 complaints, 23 per year. The 2012 has more complaints per year than the 2013.

Has the 2012 Toyota Prius been recalled?

The 2012 Toyota Prius has 6 recalls on file with NHTSA. See the recalls table on this page for dates, components, and remedies.

How many complaints have owners filed about the 2012 Toyota Prius?

Owners have filed 686 complaints about the 2012 Toyota Prius with NHTSA.

What mpg does a 2012 Toyota Prius get?

EPA-rated combined fuel economy for the 2012 Toyota Prius is 49 MPG. See the fuel economy table on this page for city and highway figures by engine and transmission.

What generation is a 2018 Toyota Prius?

4th generation (US model years 2016-2022).

What oil does a Toyota Prius hybrid take?

US manuals for recent Prius liftbacks specify about 4.4 qt with filter; viscosity is SAE 0W-20 on 2012-2015 models and SAE 0W-16 (with 0W-20 as a temporary substitute) on 2016+ models.

When did the fifth-generation Prius start in the US?

Fifth generation (XW60) US model years begin with 2023.