Clean Feeds
Home › Recalls › Toyota › Prius › 2012

2012 Toyota Prius recalls, complaints and safety ratings

There are 6 US recalls for the 2012 Toyota Prius, and 6 in Canada. Owners filed 424 complaints with NHTSA, most often about service brakes. Its best NHTSA overall crash rating is 5 stars.

6US recalls
0urgent recalls
424owner complaints
5★overall crash rating

Is your car affected?

Check by VIN to confirm the exact model and see every recall for it.

Recalls are issued for a make, model and model year. Whether the repair has already been done on one specific car is known only to its manufacturer and dealers. Check your vehicle's official status at nhtsa.gov/recalls or with a dealer.

US recalls (6)

Hybrid propulsion system

2018-10-04 · campaign 18V684000 · 807,329 vehicles

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.

Risk and remedy

Risk: 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.

Air bags: side/window

2016-06-30 · campaign 16V487000 · 482,002 vehicles

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.

Risk and remedy

Risk: 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.

Seats: front assembly, seat heater/cooler

2016-06-02 · campaign 16V396000 · 7,749 vehicles

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.

Risk and remedy

Risk: 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.

Electrical system: software

2014-02-12 · campaign 14V053000 · 698,457 vehicles

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.

Risk and remedy

Risk: 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.

Equipment: other, labels

2013-04-09 · campaign 13V123000 · 7,525 vehicles

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."

Risk and remedy

Risk: An inaccurate label could lead to owners overloading their vehicles and tires. An overloaded vehicle can result in a tire failure which may result in a vehicle crash, personal injury, or property damage.

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.

Seats

2013-01-16 · campaign 13V014000 · 3,235 vehicles

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.

Risk and remedy

Risk: 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.

Canadian recalls (6)

Show 6 Canadian recalls

Electrical

2021-11-24 · campaign 2021-723

Issue: This recall is for certain block heater kits installed on certain vehicles or sold as accessories at Toyota or Lexus dealerships. On certain vehicles, the engine block heater cable may not have enough heat protection and could be damaged by high temperatures. If this happens, the cable could short circuit while plugged in, and cause the wiring to overheat or melt. Note: This recall only affects the following block heater/cord part numbers: C014003034 PK5A408J09 PU14000904 C014003151 PK5A408J13 PU14000905 C014000885 PK5A489J11 PU14000907 C014000888 PK5A489J22 PU14000909 C014000907 PK5A410H00 PU14000911 C014100904 PU14000900 PU14000913 C014100907 PU14000901 PU14003571 C014100911 PU14000902 PK5A489J14 PK5A408J05 PU14000903 Safety Risk: Engine block heater wiring that overheats or melts could create the risk of a fire. Corrective Actions: Toyota recommends that you should stop using the engine block heater immediately. Toyota will notify owners by mail and instruct you to take your vehicle to a dealer to disable the engine block heater. For some vehicles, the corrective actions for this recall are under development. For others, a new engine block heater cannot be installed, and the owner will receive a refund of the purchase price of the engine block heater.

Other

2019-08-21 · campaign 2019-420

Issue: This recall is for aftermarket replacement rear window glass produced by Vitro Automotriz. Certain rear window glass may not have been properly tempered. If the window breaks, the glass may separate into large pieces instead of very small ones. Note: This is a voluntary recall that is not being conducted under the requirements of the Motor Vehicle Safety Act. Safety Risk: Glass that breaks in to large pieces could create a risk of injury. Corrective Actions: The company will notify consumers by mail and instruct them to inspect the designation code marked on the rear window glass. Products affected by this recall have the designation “DOT 287” along with the lettering “VMR” (Replacement Market) and a date code that is before July 2019. This information is printed on the bottom corner of the glass. Consumers should contact Vitro's customer service at 1-412-995-6457 or argbacklites@vitro.com to arrange for replacement of the glass.

Powertrain

2018-10-05 · campaign 2018-546

On certain vehicles, the Intelligent Power Module (IPM), which is part of the hybrid drive system, could become damaged under certain driving conditions. This could cause various warning lights to illuminate on the instrument panel of the vehicle and cause a reduction or loss of motive power, increasing the risk of a crash causing injury and/or property damage. Correction: Dealers will update motor/generator and hybrid control ECU software and affect repairs as necessary. Note: This recall supersedes recalls 2014-042 and 2015-312. Vehicles repaired under the previous recall(s) will require repair.

Powertrain

2017-11-15 · campaign 2017-558 · 363 vehicles

On certain plug-in hybrid vehicles, the electric vehicle (EV) hybrid battery's fuse could be subjected to excessive thermal stress and potentially fracture if the vehicle is operated by the electric motor under high-load driving conditions, such as during a long ascent. This would illuminate warning lights and warning messages in the instrument cluster, and in some cases cause the vehicle to enter a fail-safe mode resulting in reduced motive power. In other cases, the hybrid system could shut down, resulting in loss of motive power, which could increase the risk of a crash causing injury and/or property damage. Correction: Dealers will replace the EV fuse with a new one of an improved design.

Airbag

2016-06-29 · campaign 2016-335

On certain vehicles, a defect in the curtain shield airbags could cause the inflator to fail, releasing pressurized gas into the airbag, partially inflating it. If this occurs, parts of the inflator could also separate from the vehicle structure, entering the interior of the vehicle. Should this occur when occupants are in the vehicle, unintended airbag deployment could startle the driver, and airbag inflator parts could come into contact with the occupants, increasing the risk of injury and a crash. Correction: Dealers will install a retention bracket which will prevent the inflator parts from entering the vehicle interior.

Powertrain

2014-02-12 · campaign 2014-042

On certain vehicles, the Intelligent Power Module (IPM), which is part of the hybrid system inverter assembly, could become damaged under certain driving conditions. This could cause various warning lights to illuminate in the instrument panel of the vehicle and cause a reduction or loss of motive power, increasing the risk of a crash causing injury and/or property damage. Correction: Dealers will update motor/generator and hybrid control ECU software and affect repairs as necessary. Note: This recall is superseded by recall 2018546. Please see <a href="http://wwwapps.tc.gc.ca/Saf-Sec-Sur/7/VRDB-BDRV/search-recherche/detail.aspx?lang=eng&&rn=2018546">recall 2018546</a> for more information.

Owner complaints (424)

Owners filed 424 complaints with NHTSA about the 2012 Toyota Prius (46 crashes, 2 fires, 33 injuries reported). Among 27 model years of this model, it ranks #9 for the most complaints (median 165).

Most-reported problemComplaints
Service brakes184
Electrical system52
Exterior lighting36
Engine31
Unknown or other31
Air bags28
Visibility/wiper28
Structure23

Crash test ratings

NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings for the 2012 Toyota Prius.

VersionOverallFrontalSideRollover
2012 Toyota Prius 5 HB FWD5★4★5★4★

Fuel economy

EPA ratings for each 2012 Toyota Prius version.

VersionCity MPGHighway MPGCombinedYearly fuel cost
Prius 1.8 L Automatic (variable gear ratios)494648$1,400
Prius Plug-in Hybrid 1.8 L Automatic (variable gear ratios)514950$1,350
Prius c 1.5 L Automatic (variable gear ratios)534650$1,350
Prius v 1.8 L Automatic (variable gear ratios)433941$1,650
Need this data in your app?
Recalls, complaints, crash ratings and fuel economy as a JSON API. Decode up to 50 VINs per call and get a daily feed of new recalls.
Explore the API →

Sources: NHTSA recalls, complaints and 5-Star Safety Ratings, US EPA fuel economy and Transport Canada's Vehicle Recalls Database (contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada). Recalls updated 2026-10-30.