2012 Toyota Prius Vehicle speed control Problems
- Complaints
- 13about this part
- Share
- 3%of 424 total for the year
- Median mileage
- 21,000miles
- Trend
- Not enough dataFewer than 15 complaints, too few for a reliable trend.
NHTSA recorded 13 complaints about the vehicle speed control of the 2012 Toyota Prius, 3% of the 424 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 21,000 miles. 8 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.
“Parking car in handicapped spot - speed approximately 2 MPH - gas engine cut in and the car accelerated at a very high speed. It went over space stop (concrete) - crossed the sidewalk onto grass and I had both feet on the brake and stopped the car approx. 3 feet from a wall of a building and shut off the engine. The handicapped sign scraped the whole right side of my car and there are several dents. The sign was fine.”
NHTSA complaint #10507352, filed 2013-04, 2,374 miles“I was coming up the freeway off ramp and my car just turned off I had no braking I hit six other cars rolled over and was severly imjured in the hospital forr three days”
NHTSA complaint #11180711, filed 2019-02, 40,063 miles“In early october I received a recall notice from Toyota for a failsafe driving mode hybrid system fault that could cause the vehicle to stall increasing the possibility of vehicle crash during critical driving conditions. It stated I would be notified when the fix was available. 2 1/2 months later, I've yet to hear from Toyota and my dealership states they have not received remedy parts or procedures from Toyota. All they could do was give me a phone number at Toyota corporate. I called the number and the person had no further information on when a fix for the problem would be available. …”
NHTSA complaint #11162669, filed 2018-12, 33,000 miles“While traveling in a rain storm at 17mph, I tried to engage the brakes to prevent from crashing into an 18 wheeler and the brakes did not work. I repeatedly tried to stop the car and the car was accelerating even thought I was applying the brakes not the gas. The car would not shut down, go into park or neutral. I did crash into the 18 wheeler because the engine was accelerating and I wanted to stop.when I crashed the airbags did not deploy. Even after impact the car was still accelerating like it was trying to push the 18 wheeler. …”
NHTSA complaint #10542291, filed 2013-09, 30,000 miles“Driving 70 MPH car began to go into high RPM, then accelerated to 74 from 70 MPH. I tried to decrease speed then vehicle shut off got a long beep and message on display check hybrid system, pull over immediately all lights on dash were indicating failures. Coasted to safety with 5 passengers in vehicle across traffic at 9:30 pm to shoulder. Tried to restart several times then vehicle went into high RPM then engine knocked loudly and was completely disabled. Lost brakes, pedal was hard, lost power steering, difficult to maneuver. I still had 2 bars indicating plenty of fuel in car. …”
NHTSA complaint #10474289, filed 2012-09, 4,944 milesRelated service bulletins
- 10244113Aug 17, 2023TSB: Replacement certification labels (the vinyl label installed on the driver door or door post) and VIN plates (the metal plate riveted to dashboard) (see Figure 1) for most…
Vehicle speed control: other model years
| Year | Complaints | Share of year |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 1 | 6% |
| 2024 | 2 | 7% |
| 2022 | 1 | 4% |
| 2021 | 1 | 17% |
| 2020 | 1 | 7% |
| 2019 | 4 | 13% |
| 2018 | 4 | 11% |
| 2017 | 13 | 14% |
| 2016 | 14 | 9% |
| 2015 | 7 | 4% |
| 2014 | 14 | 7% |
| 2013 | 22 | 5% |
| 2012 | 13 | 3% |
| 2011 | 28 | 5% |
| 2010 | 287 | 10% |
| 2009 | 71 | 14% |
| 2008 | 156 | 10% |
| 2007 | 124 | 6% |
| 2006 | 84 | 6% |
| 2005 | 109 | 10% |
| 2004 | 52 | 9% |
| 2003 | 5 | 5% |
| 2002 | 12 | 7% |
| 2001 | 25 | 15% |
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 complaintsTransmission and drivetrain
21 complaintsSteering
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 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