2011 Toyota Prius problems
Owners have filed 668 complaints with NHTSA about the 2011 Toyota Prius. Brakes is the most reported problem area, at 41% of complaints. After that come electrical system (10%) and engine (8%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 668 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Brakes 42% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 57 and 10
- Injuries and deaths
- 28 and 0
- Typical mileage
- 75,000 miles 424 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 | 82 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 43 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 40 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 55 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 45 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 50 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 28 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 34 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 17 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 10 |
| 200k+ miles | 20 |
What the data shows
Among the 424 complaints that report mileage, the typical (median) problem appeared at about 75,000 miles. For brakes specifically, the median reported mileage is about 81,000 miles (151 complaints with mileage).
Safety-related details: 57 complaints mention a crash; 10 complaints mention a fire; 28 injuries reported.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 2011 ranks 8th most-complained-about out of 23 model years of the Toyota Prius with enough data (262 complaints in that window). It is also covered by 6 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.
I am an excellent driver. I purchased this prius in the summer of 2011. We (my wife and young daughter) were proceeding on juanita drive n.e. In kirkland, wa. My wife and I agree that our speed was approximately 30-33 MPH and that there were approximately 3+ car lengths between us and the vehicle in front of us. The weather was dry and sunny. Suddenly, a vehicle three vehicles ahead of us stopped to make a left turn, and the two vehicles behind it were able to stop.
Tl* the contact owns a 2011 toyota prius. While driving at various speeds, there was an abnormal noise of mice in the dashboard. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the mice entered the vehicle through the rear undercarriage vent. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 62,000.
The contact owns a 2011 Toyota Prius. The contact stated while her husband was driving approximately 40-50 MPH and depressing the accelerator pedal, the accelerator pedal failed to go back to the normal position and remained stuck. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact's husband depressed the brake pedal, and the engine revved significantly. The driver was able to pull to the side of the road. The driver turned off and restarted the vehicle, and the vehicle responded as needed.