10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
4 / 6
Injuries / Deaths:
4 / 0
Average Mileage:
60,507 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2010 Toyota Prius electrical problems

electrical problem

Find something helpful? Spread the word.
Get notified about new defects, investigations, recalls & lawsuits for the 2010 Toyota Prius:

Unsubscribe any time. We don't sell/share your email.

2010 Toyota Prius Owner Comments (Page 2 of 9)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #153

Apr 202021

Prius

  • 120,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

I was just told that my 2010 Prius needs the brake boost assembly (cylinder and boost) at a cost of $2,570. It was causing my 4 month old, 12V battery to drain. I thought that was outrageous so I looked into it and found out there was an "enhanced extended" warranty issued (not a recall), but for my vehicle it expired April 2020. Another issue that I uncovered that this part also causes the Prius to lurch forward when braking and you happen to drive over a bump. Train tracks, or potholes which is a safety issue. I have also experienced this with my Prius. Fortunately, I have had no accidents so far. I have read that there have been accidents caused by this issue. Toyota should step up and fix the problem before people are injured due to this defective braking system. My daughter drives a 2015 Prius. Is anything more being done" or are they going to wait until more accidents happen" I stumbled across this issue when my 2010 Toyota Prius 12V battery required frequent jump starts. I replaced the battery ($300) Dec 2020. Prior to that, I called aaa and got a jump start. Because of covid, I wasn't driving the vehicle daily (work from home) so it was assumed the cause was the vehicle should be driven frequently.

- Weymouth, MA, USA

problem #152

Sep 302020

Prius

  • 0 miles
I was driving on the hwy with 3 children when it cut off on me and my steering wheel was locked. I took it to four mechanics I saw the Toyota dealer and they told me that it was my battery and now I know that I have a recall on it. I have not driven my car in three months I'm also still paying payments on it. I also was told that it was my break. I bought a new brake booster and pay for the replacement and the problem was still hungry just

- Baltimore, MD, USA

problem #151

Oct 242020

Prius

  • 114,700 miles
I have experienced problems with the electrical, oil, and break systems ever since purchasing my certified pre-owned 2010 Prius from the dealership in 2013. Toyota has never provided a satisfactory answer for what is actually wrong with the electrical system; the problem still remains. Toyota also does not have an ideal maintenance plan set up for the known increased oil consumption rate that is directly linked to my model vehicle and has not only not performed routine oil changes but also sent me home after a supposed oil change with zero oil in my tank. But today my main concern that I take issue with and that ive encountered from the get-go, has to do with the breaks. For years I've been telling Toyota about how my breaks do this thing where under the right circumstances (those being things like slight bumps or raises in the road, or going over a manhole cover) the breaks not only give out but actually propel me forward with zero chance for stopping which is quite terrifying already and then when you add in other drivers on the road into the equation is a literal nightmare. Despite my many efforts for Toyota to take a look at them they always refuse any service to them because my dashboard is not displaying any warning signs. Also, due to the fact that its not a constant issue, meaning it only happens under the right circumstances which idk where such a precise place exists near the dealership, they cant experience it for themselves. So my concerns are dismissed leaving me to fend for myself whenever these circumstances arise which no doubt an accident seems to be on the horizon. Then with ~114,700 miles on the odometer, my entire ABS system crashed while I was in traffic. Luckily I am a beyond exceptional driver and also have catlike reflexes so was able to manage my way to the shoulder of the road when this occurred. However, with warning lights now illuminated O

- San Diego, CA, USA

problem #150

Jul 072019

Prius

  • 205,260 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The cars starts does not stay on if I try to drive it will turn off and die out.

- Bellflower, CA, USA

problem #149

Feb 112018

Prius

  • 77,000 miles
The contact owned a 2010 Toyota Prius. The contact stated that after driving his vehicle for seven hours, the contact had parked the vehicle in his friend's driveway. Thirty minutes later, the contact's friend received a knock on the door from a fireman asking him who owned a Prius. After the contact identified himself as the owner, the fireman informed him that his vehicle was involved in a fire. A fire report and police report were filed at the scene. No injuries were reported as result of the fire. The vehicle was destroyed by the fire and was towed to an independent junk yard. The contact notified the manufacturer of the failure and the contact was given a case number. The contact was also informed that an investigation would be launched regarding the matter. The contact had sent photos and email correspondences to the manufacturer; however, he never heard back from the manufacturer. Upon investigation, the contact discovered a recall on his vehicle under NHTSA campaign number: 18V684000 (hybrid propulsion system) which he linked to his failure. The contact had not spoken to a dealer about the failure. The failure mileage was 77,000.

- Brisbane, CA, USA

problem #148

Aug 172020

Prius

  • 121,600 miles
While in motion driving at 50 mph, warning beep signaled and car started slowing down. Notification on the dashboard read "check hybrid system". vehicle eventually slowed to a stop and put itself in neutral automatically. Took it to a mechanic who said it is the inverter/converter.

- Glassboro, NJ, USA

problem #147

Jul 172020

Prius 4-cyl

  • 99,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Prius has less than 100K miles and has been running perfectly. Today while driving, the brake, ABS and traction control lights came on simultaneously and began alarming, while suddenly my brake locked up. This could cause accident and injury if it occurred under the right circumstances. Apparently there was a previous brake booster recall that I was never notified of and which has since expired. This recall should be reissued to include the many 2010 priuses affected by this problem.

- Winston Salem, NC, USA

problem #146

Jul 062020

Prius 4-cyl

  • 88,680 miles
The contact owns a 2010 Toyota Prius. The contact stated that at start-up the air bags warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to parkway Toyota located at 50 sylvan ave, englewood cliffs, NJ 07632, to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that clockspring spiral cable needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 88,680. Consumer stated Prius was not part of the recall.

- Demarest, NJ, USA

problem #145

Feb 122020

Prius 4-cyl

  • 195,000 miles
My ABS system started showing signs of problems, and I started getting codes for all sorts of brake-related issues. My brakes ended up locking up and not working, and my battery in my car died because it was the brake system was not able to recharge my battery. Even though I started having issues with it in February, apparently Toyota said that because I had a 2010 Prius, that since November 31, 2019 had passed, the recall/extended warranty "ran out" on it. Even though this is a problem that obviously wasn't fixed in the first place. So when I took it to the dealership to get a diagnostics ran on it, they said that they needed $3,200 to fix the vehicle. This included both the purchasing and installation of a new brake booster/master cylinder assem and an ABS pump motor assem. I obviously do not have the money for the repair and they are telling me to go kick rocks. This is not right and because of the brake issue not being fixed in the first place, it then allowed my battery (which runs around $1,500) to get completely drained and prevented it from being properly recharged by the brake system.

- Baton Rouge, LA, USA

problem #144

May 152020

Prius 4-cyl

  • 196,000 miles
Code C-1391 leak in brake accumulator.these should be a recall with Toyota putting a bad brake accumulator in Prius model.I notice it was a secondary recall with this part.Toyota know this is a safety problem when this happen the car goes to manual breaking and you can lose control of the car.please look into this problem.

- Killeen, TX, USA

problem #143

Mar 212019

Prius 4-cyl

  • 90,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

I own a 2010 Toyota Prius with 97K and it is immaculate. In March 2019, the instrument cluster (an electronic component in the dashboard containing the gas gauge, speedometer, and gear position) stopped working entirely one day upon starting the car. I researched the issue and it's my understanding that a faulty capacitor on the logic board within the instrument cluster is the culprit. Toyota can replace the instrument cluster but only at my cost and for over $1000. Toyota issued a warranty enhancement notice to extend manufacturer warranty on this instrument cluster problem, but it only applies to 2004-2009 models. This electronic issue had not been entirely resolved by Toyota in later models as many others are faced with the same issue. Am I monetarily responsible for the repair of the instrument cluster" does NHTSA have ongoing support to Prius owners for this issue? should I file a small claims lawsuit"

- Phoenix, AZ, USA

problem #142

Apr 042020

Prius

  • 161,748 miles
I have 'check the hybrid system 'window on dashboard. Independent mechanic checked and told me that it has problems with inverter. Toyota has and had multiple recalls but they are doing some type of reprogramming which isn't helpful. It is expensive and common problem.

- Clovis, CA, USA

problem #141

Feb 272020

Prius

  • 120,683 miles
Both the low beam lights are of a problem with recall which Toyota expired the recall on 10/31/2019. I tried few times last 3 years to get it fixed with Toyota portland but they always said 1) don't have parts will call back once available 2) if you have issue we will fix it otherwise now now. Now that both were off and I had to use high beam, I took to Toyota beaverton, or. They said recall is expired. Why will recall expire if it is safety issue? I called Toyota customer support they said expired and you have pay fo yourself. The cost is not just bulbs but internal wiring kit which starts from $600. I am taking it to Toyota portland today as my student daughter needs the lights to drive. We are both in different states (ca and or). Csp info - "customer support porgram zhb certain 2010-2011 model Prius coverage for halogen low beam headlamp bulbs)

- Fremont, CA, USA

problem #140

Jan 172020

Prius

  • 88,500 miles
Air bag did not deployed at the time of accident. Damaged/rip apart front bumper...car is total loss as per insurance adjuster. Other collided Honda CR-V had all its air bags deployed. None on my Prius. Accident happened at major intersection, when green light turned on I paddle my car, other car Honda CR-V came at a speed to make left turned and hit my front bumper.

- Riverside, CA, USA

problem #139

Oct 092019

Prius

  • 100,000 miles
While driving back from running errands my car's lights on the dashboard started to come on and noises started to start happening. I was lucky I was only a few streets away from my house so I decided to drive back home. The break was really hard to press. The brake felt like it was a rock and hard to press. I drove with my hazards on unsure of what could happen while driving. There was something wrong and the car started to beep and I was worried the car might fail to brake so I started to drive very slowly. The brakes were so hard to press. I took my car to Toyota the next day and they said there was a defect with my brakes. They had the vehicle for a few days and returned to me saying it was fixed. Needless to say this was a very scary situation to be in. I drive a lot. If I had been further away from my home this would have put me in a very dangerous position. I could've been stranded or drove on the freeway in this condition unsure of what was happening. My car could've stopped braking, I could've gotten into a big accident and injured other drivers around me. This is a very serious issue that should be recalled now and save other drivers! in California people drive up to 80 mph on the highway-if we are behind a car and the brakes malfunction you can imagine what will happen to the driver and anyone involved! when I heard Toyota was not recalling this on all Prius's that might be affected it really scared me. This is unsafe.

- Laguna Niguel, CA, USA

problem #138

Nov 182019

Prius

  • 200,000 miles
As I was driving 55-65 mph on the highway, the check hybrid system alert came on, and all of a sudden I lost power. I was able to make it home but going up hill it would not go faster than 35 mph, and 40-50 mph on flat ground. This happened on a busy highway where the average speed is 55-65 mph

- Pinetop-Lakeside, AZ, USA

problem #137

Oct 272019

Prius

  • 182,000 miles
Brake/ABS and stability system failure. Possible actuator or accumulator. Touota knows there is a fault and hides behind a software update. System fails and causes unreliable braking with increased force to apply the brakes. Brakes apply so hard at times the rear passengers heads hit the rear seat.

- Hephzibah, GA, USA

problem #136

Aug 012019

Prius

  • 207,000 miles
The contact owns a 2010 Toyota Prius. While operating the vehicle, the 'check hybrid system' warning indicator displayed and the vehicle stalled. Moments later, the vehicle restarted, but the warning indicator remained illuminated. The failure occurred on multiple occasions. The cause of the failure was not determined. Fred anderson Toyota (9101 glenwood ave, raliegh, nc) was notified. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 207,000.

- Wake Forest, NC, USA

problem #135

Jul 162019

Prius

  • miles
'takata recall' as I was merging on the highway this morning I got the big warning light on my dash and the engine light along with a message on my screen saying check hybrid system. Ever since my hybrid system shut down and never came back on.

- Richmond, VA, USA

problem #134

Jun 182019

Prius

  • 213,492 miles
Car worked flawlessly and we maintained it regularly. Took it in to address recall of jov update pwr mgmt ECU at dealer. Dealer completed recall work. 2 days later engine lite check hybrid system and the ! on and triangle on. The car continued run but now was studdering when was not before the recall work. Took it back to the dealer and he said we need a new hybrid battery. We believe the software update they did created a this issue. Dealer acting ignorant and saying it needs new battery because of number of miles on car. Asked for diagnostic print out from when they did recall work to they new diagnosis and they would not provide. We believe the recall update created a technical problem with our hybrid battery. We also believe that dealer not being honest regarding issues with this recall update and is using it as an opportunity to reduce liability for Toyota on failed recall work and to use it as an opportunity to bring in large ticket sales repair ie they quoted us a new hybrid battery for 5,500.

- Visalia, CA, USA

Read the next 20 complaints »

Not what you are looking for?