2012 Toyota Prius Transmission and drivetrain Problems
- Complaints
- 21about this part
- Share
- 5%of 424 total for the year
- Median mileage
- 25,300miles
- Trend
- FallingComplaints filed in the last 3 full calendar years are at least 25% lower than in the 3 years before.
NHTSA recorded 21 complaints about the transmission and drivetrain of the 2012 Toyota Prius, 5% of the 424 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 25,300 miles. 4 of these say a crash was involved, according to the filers.
Example complaints
Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.
“Vehicle was in motion traveling about 50 MPH when an effort was made to pass another vehicle on a 2 lane road, the vehicle lost power while we were passing, we barely got back into our lane and just barely avoided a head on collision. Then the vehicle slowed to about 15 MPH and limped to a stop a mile later. We could have died.”
NHTSA complaint #11291256, filed 2019-12, 87,000 miles“I pulled into my driveway and pressed the stop button to put the car in park and shut off the engine. I got out of the car and left the driver's door open. I walked to the mailbox to get the mail and heard a crash as the car drove off and hit a tree and landscape wall.”
NHTSA complaint #11165007, filed 2019-01, 85,000 miles“Vehicle stability control, anti-lock brake, and traction control lights intermittently turn off. A few times it shut down the hybrid system and tell me to stop . Now all those lights are all on and I am driving without vss, ABS and traction control. Braking is getting harder. I took it to the dealer and they told me the cost is $3500. I did some research and found out that this is a known Prius problem problem”
NHTSA complaint #11043167, filed 2017-11, 78,000 miles“When I drive over any type of bump, (pothole, speed bump, etc) and my foot is on the brake....the car will suddenly speed-up instead of slow down. Very dangerous situation and it happens every time.”
NHTSA complaint #11194061, filed 2019-04, 69,500 miles“When I was making a right turn I heard a loud boom sound and had to grab my steering wheel hard so I wouldnt drift onto the other lane because my car was shaking and skidding then right after my car emergency dash lights came on and told me system failure park your car immidently keep in mind while this was happening my car only went up to twenty miles per hour with my car making a loud sound as if I was going 80 MPH it sounded like I was speeding when I was only going about twenty miles per hour.”
NHTSA complaint #11205056, filed 2019-05, 92,041 milesRelated service bulletins
- 10240056Jun 7, 2023DP: The Customer Confidence Program is a component of a class action settlement that includes several elements of coverage. The Customer Confidence Program provides coverage as…
- 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…
- 10145758Sep 26, 2018Warranty Policy Bulletin: Toyota has received some reports indicating the Intelligent Power Module (IPM) located inside the inverter assembly of the hybrid system may fail. This…
- 10132899Nov 10, 2016Warranty Policy Bulletin: Toyota has received some reports indicating the Intelligent Power Module (IPM) located inside the inverter assembly of the hybrid system may fail.
- 10132898Nov 9, 2016Warranty Dealer Package: Warranty Enhancement Program to extend the warranty coverage for repairs related failure of the Intelligent Power Module (IPM). The vehicles covered…
Transmission and drivetrain: other model years
| Year | Complaints | Share of year |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2 | 13% |
| 2024 | 1 | 4% |
| 2023 | 3 | 14% |
| 2022 | 1 | 4% |
| 2020 | 1 | 7% |
| 2019 | 2 | 7% |
| 2018 | 2 | 5% |
| 2017 | 4 | 4% |
| 2016 | 15 | 10% |
| 2015 | 13 | 8% |
| 2014 | 6 | 3% |
| 2013 | 14 | 3% |
| 2012 | 21 | 5% |
| 2011 | 18 | 3% |
| 2010 | 79 | 3% |
| 2009 | 22 | 4% |
| 2008 | 54 | 4% |
| 2007 | 41 | 2% |
| 2006 | 22 | 2% |
| 2005 | 41 | 4% |
| 2004 | 34 | 6% |
| 2003 | 5 | 5% |
| 2002 | 9 | 5% |
| 2001 | 5 | 3% |
Other parts of the 2012 Toyota Prius
200 complaintsElectrical system
52 complaintsExterior lighting
36 complaintsOther or unknown
33 complaintsEngine
31 complaintsVisibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors)
30 complaintsAir bags
28 complaintsBody and structure
23 complaintsSteering
13 complaintsVehicle speed control
13 complaintsFuel system
11 complaintsSeat belts
11 complaints
← All problems reported for the 2012 Toyota Prius
About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 30, 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