2012 Toyota Prius V problems
The 2012 Toyota Prius V has 292 complaints on file with NHTSA. The largest share (46%) concerns brakes. Next are engine (13%) and electrical system (8%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 292 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Brakes 46% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 32 and 2
- Injuries and deaths
- 18 and 9
- Typical mileage
- 72,000 miles 179 complaints with mileage
Source: NHTSA owner complaints
Where the complaints are
Share of this model year's complaints by the part of the car involved. One complaint can name more than one part, so the shares can add up to more than 100%.
When problems show up
View the numbers
| Mileage | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 0k to 20k miles | 44 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 12 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 17 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 19 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 12 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 21 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 17 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 11 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 10 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 8 |
| 200k+ miles | 8 |
What the data shows
Of the 179 complaints that include odometer readings, half describe a problem before roughly 72,000 miles. For brakes specifically, the median reported mileage is about 83,000 miles (70 complaints with mileage).
Safety-related details: 32 complaints mention a crash; 2 complaints mention a fire; 18 injuries reported; 9 deaths reported.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 2012 ranks 1st most-complained-about out of 4 model years of the Toyota Prius V with enough data (83 complaints in that window). It is also covered by 3 safety recall campaigns.
What owners wrote
A few complaints as filed, shortened and with personal details removed. The first ones are among the most serious reports for this model year; the rest are typical.
8/2/22 My ABS light came on. Took the car to a dealer. They kept it for six weeks and returned it on 10/3/22. No charge and no explanation. 11/7/22 engine light came on. Took in to dealer, they returned it 11/17/22 indicated incorrect air/ fuel mixture. 10/9/23 Traveling 47 mph, came around a mountain and encountered stopped cars. Slammed on the brakes, car did not slow down, steering wheel locked to the right, car yawed to the right, and turned over, hit a curb and the car righted itself.
When operating the prius v on a sunny day, the reflection of the side dash panel blocks the view of the side rear view mirror. The reflection occurs in both the right and left side glass. This is a safety issue and has been reported to the toyota dealer. Their response was they were aware of the problem and it was normal! This safety issue has also been reported to toyota. They assigned a case number and responded the problem was known and their was no known repair.
Noise ("clunking") when turning left & right as if there is "play" or something is loose somewhere in the steering system. Worried about safety and understand there were previous recalls of the shaft on previous year models. Do not want to replace the entire steering shaft as dealer suggests if not necessary.