2012 Toyota Prius C Transmission and drivetrain Problems
- Complaints
- 4about this part
- Share
- 6%of 64 total for the year
- Median mileage
- 118,000miles
- Trend
- Not enough dataFewer than 15 complaints, too few for a reliable trend.
NHTSA recorded 4 complaints about the transmission and drivetrain of the 2012 Toyota Prius C, 6% of the 64 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 118,000 miles. 1 of these say a crash was involved, according to the filers.
Fewer than 15 complaints name this part, so treat the figures as a rough indication only.
Example complaints
Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.
“I was driving my 2012 Prius C and I'm middle of traffic my car lost its power, thankfully I was able to park the car. I got it towed to the dealership and they told me it's the inverter. I advised that I had read on recalls on them they said my car didn't have a recall they are wanting me to pay 4k for a new inverter ( which I know it's the same issue other 2012 Prius C have had issues too). …”
NHTSA complaint #11350503, filed 2020-08, 118,000 miles“From date of purchase, vehicle performed unpredictably. Transitioning from electric to motor was rough and noticeable. At 600 miles, a significant impact was felt during transition. Dealer found nothing. Brake pedal traveled to the floor and vehicle went through stop sign at low speed. Route 44 Toyota insisted I needed to get used to electronic brakes. Toyota insisted brakes worked as prescribed. Recently, a aaa driver discovered the ground wire on the battery was loose. The battery was replaced and the vehicle now functions as described, the hill hold functions as described. …”
NHTSA complaint #11170640, filed 2019-01, 800 miles“The contact owned a 2012 Toyota Prius C. The contact stated that while attempting to park, the vehicle rapidly accelerated upon tapping the brake pedal and crashed into a brick storefront without warning. The air bags failed to deploy upon impact. A bystander inside the store assisted the contact in exiting the vehicle. Law enforcement responded to the scene and administered a breathalyzer test, which returned negative for alcohol. A police report was filed, noting minor scratch damage to the storefront's concrete. …”
NHTSA complaint #11770847, filed 2026-10, 165,000 miles“Transaxle is failing after 100k miles of normal driving and maintenance. Spoke with both a Toyota dealer and transmission shop who said the CVT failure on this model year and the following several is an extremely common occurrence. This is a $5000+ repair fairly early in the life of the vehicle. The transmission shop said this was due to poor initial design.”
NHTSA complaint #11290164, filed 2019-12Related service bulletins
- 10164330Jul 1, 2019TSB: REVISION NOTICE July 01, 2019 Rev2: ? Applicability has been updated to 2019 ? 2020 model year Toyota vehicles. ? The Techstream Preparation and Process Overview sections…
- 10134454Aug 24, 2015TechTip: Condition - The vehicle may be difficult to start or have an abnormally low or rough idle after the battery has been disconnected or power to the Engine ECM has been…
Transmission and drivetrain: other model years
Other parts of the 2012 Toyota Prius C
26 complaintsElectrical system
15 complaintsAir bags
8 complaintsOther or unknown
8 complaintsEngine
5 complaintsElectronic stability control
4 complaintsSeat belts
4 complaintsExterior lighting
3 complaintsSeats
3 complaintsVehicle speed control
3 complaintsForward collision avoidance
2 complaintsFuel system
2 complaints
← All problems reported for the 2012 Toyota Prius C
About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 31, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate.
To check a specific vehicle for open recalls, use its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. Methodology