10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
1 / 1
Injuries / Deaths:
1 / 0
Average Mileage:
90,250 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 fuel system problems

fuel system problem

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2010 Toyota Prius Owner Comments (Page 1 of 3)

problem #55

May 262023

Prius

  • miles

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

Hybrid system shut down while driving. Cleared at deal ship twice. happened two more time. Dealership claims they were unable to recreate the issue.

- Seattle, WA, USA

problem #54

Mar 192023

Prius

  • miles
I was driving in my neighboorhood and as I went up the wall bridge my acceleration stalled and my ABS light, Check engine light, and check hybrid system light came on simultaneously and started beeping. At the same time, I lost my braking ability completely. I had to swerve off to the grass in the hopes of not hitting turning traffic at the stop sign. Luckily, it stopped before doing any major damage to anything. Thankfully, I was close to home and was able to put it in my driveway safely. The check engine light then cut itself off, but my brakes remained completely nonfunctional. If this had happened on the highway or a busy road I'm sure it would-??ve been much worse.

- Coconut Creek, FL, USA

problem #53

Jan 312023

Prius

  • miles
The ABS, VSC/traction control, and brake system warning lights all came on at the same time in my 2010 Toyota Prius. I almost lost control of my car's braking ability. Afterwards, the hybrid system does not perform its regenerative braking/recharging any longer. And the cruise control mode doesn't work also. The DTC from the OBD2 port is C1391 - abnormal leak in the brake fluid accumulator. I found out that this issue is widespread among Gen 3 Priuses, but Toyota has not made this officially a recall campaign, but classifies it as a "customer support bulletin." But the issue is dangerous enough that it should be a recall item. I moved homes in fall of 2018, and Toyota says it mailed out a letter about this brake issue and resulting campaign, but I never received the letter. I was totally unaware that this was a safety issue, that Toyota acknowledged it, and that this safety issue with an ongoing "recall" campaign with an expiration date. Toyota denies that this is a recall issue, and will not provide this service. I would like for NHTSA to reopen and investigate this issue, and make Toyota issue a general recall campaign to resolve this dangerous safety problem with the car.

- Irvine, CA, USA

problem #52

Mar 302022

Prius

  • miles

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

I was driving on the road and right before a stop light my car jumped as if someone hit me from behind. After looking in my rear view and seeing no one on me I realized something else happened. I look at my dash and check hybrid system light was on. I was in traffic at the light waiting and looked it up on my phone to find out what to do. Some article said to pull over and turn it off and restart it. The light turned green and traffic started moving so I started to drive. I thought I could probably make it home but the car started driving a lot slower than usual. I really didn-€™t want to pull over because it was in a bad part of town but I felt like I had no choice because the car was barely moving. It seemed more dangerous to be on the road with other drivers. So I pulled over and parked and tried starting it again. It wouldn-€™t shift to drive so now I-€™m stuck and can-€™t get home unless I pay to get my car towed. I get my car towed to the house. I put a meter on the battery and it was fine. I put a diagnostics tester on it and came up with these codes POA1A and POA94. I contacted hybrid mechanic that doesn-€™t work at Toyota and he said to take it in to a dealership and sent me the ZE3 warranty letter and said they would fix it. I paid for it to be towed to the dealership. There were already a lot of cars waiting to be serviced when I got there. Anyway, they said they would fix it after they did their diagnostics after I paid $120 for it. That was 3/21/2022. I sent CSR the ZE3 letter and he said it wasn-€™t covered. It-€™s like he didn-€™t even read it. A day later he said he needed to talk to a warranty administrator then a day later he said it would be covered but I don-€™t qualify for a loaner but they can give me a rental for $45 a day. I friend let me borrow their car for a couple days. Now as of writing this it-€™s midnight 3/30/2022. I still don-€™t have my car and I-€™m about to be without a car unless I buy one or rent one. No ETA on the part being delivered either. I-€™m SOL.

- Portland, OR, USA

problem #51

Jul 092019

Prius

  • miles
A number of things have failed on this car. 1. The hybrid battery pack system shut down and warned that I needed to see a mechanic. My mechanic diagnosed that the hybrid invert was defective and causing the battery pack to fail. 2. When braking at both low and high speeds, the car increasingly struggles to come to a stop. When applying foot pressure, you can hear the pump winding - this occurs while at rest as well as when trying to slow the car down. There are times when applying the brake that the floor pedal will lock and cause the car to skid while barely reducing the speed of the car. I have had multiple near accident incidences as a result and put myself and others at risk. 3. The car ferociously vibrates every morning - discovered that the head gasket has failed prematurely and due to the car overcompensating for the failing hybrid battery that is being impacted by the failing hybrid inverter. All problems have been reproduced and diagnosed at independent service centers. Multiple codes, warning lights and messages have alerted me to engine and battery issues - all of which appeared after the various issues and failures.

- San Francisco, CA, USA

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problem #50

Mar 182022

Prius

  • miles
Traveling at freeway speed just after midnight, the "check engine" light came on. Less than one minute later, the "check hybrid system" alert came on, with an exclamation mark inside of a yellow triangle symbol displayed. The vehicle instantly had no power when the accelerator was depressed. The vehicle coasted to a stop and would not shift into drive. The vehicle was towed to our home. Upon delivering the vehicle to our home, the tow driver used an emergency battery jump start device and the vehicle was able to shift into drive and be driven into the garage. The 12 volt battery was replaced the next day and the vehicle no longer exhibited any disfunction. This was an unexpected event with no warning that the 12 volt battery was in need of replacement. It could have resulted in a serious collision, if the freeway had been more congested, as the vehicle had been immediately driven 2 lanes over to the nearest exit, and came to a stop just after exiting, safely at the side of the road. This is a very dangerous safety condition that should have had some type of alert that the simple 12 volt battery system was in danger of failing, causing a catastrophic failure of the engine and power train. Or, the car should simply not be able to drive, if the 12 volt battery is that low, to ensure passenger and community safety. Prime example: Toyota Prius has a warning alert that the key fob battery is low. The warning gives you a couple of weeks to replace the battery, and repeatedly displays the warning whenever you power up the vehicle.

- Oceanside, CA, USA

problem #49

Dec 132021

Prius

  • miles

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

recalls.

- Fresno, CA, USA

problem #48

Oct 012021

Prius

  • miles
Last week I check hybrid system message appeared on the screen and orange triangle with check engine light. I took it to the shop and they said that there are code P0A94 wich is related to the inverted and that is needed replacement. I saw that there was recall on inverter and want to see if I can get it replaced. Thanks

- Boiling Springs, SC, USA

problem #47

Aug 012021

Prius

  • miles
1. This 2010 Prius has a faulty design of the piston rings, which is allowing it to burn more than 1.4 Qts of engine oil. 2. Such high consumption of engine oil causing an environmental pollution. 3. Furthermore, I took it to the local Toyota Dealer I.e. Maguire Toyota located in Ithaca, NY, they never chose to diagnose it or repair it. 4. I reached out to the Toyota and the Toyota still isn-€™t helpful w.r.t this high consumption of engine oil.

- Ithaca, NY, USA

problem #46

Nov 102020

Prius

  • miles
Check hybrid system light ignites, slows down vehicle in middle of high speed highway. First incident November of 2020 then several incidents after. Repair shops don't assure problem according to error codes & they recommend possibilities they cannot assure will resolve the problem. Car was taken into local dealership after receiving recall notice for software and airbags prior to November 2020 when the issue began. Software update took a couple of hours. Restart/reboot temporarily allowed driving again. Most recently the system entirely shut down & the car will not start or run. Abandoned car on side of the road and got heat exhaustion from walking the rest of the way home and had vehicle towed. Error lights come on including "check hybrid system" says "shift to P position when starting" and will not allow start.

- Wake Forest, NC, USA

problem #45

May 172021

Prius

  • miles

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

While driving at highway speed on Interstate 87 in New York, the 2010 Toyota Prius suddenly lost power while multiple warning lights on the dashboard illuminated, along with a "Check Hybrid System" notification. The engine would operate but at significantly reduced power. I drove it to an independent garage to identify the diagnostic trouble codes, which included P0A94 and P324E, an inverter problem with the hybrid battery and a problem with the intelligent power module. The currently is currently awaiting a confirm diagnosis at a Toyota dealership in New Jersey, but the problem is exactly what thousands of other 2010 - 2014 Prius owners have reported, yet Toyota has yet to issue a recall to replace the inverter.

- New York, NY, USA

problem #44

Sep 252020

Prius

  • 169,000 miles
Car shakes badly when changing form electric to gas motor, started smoking in the back.

- Naples, FL, USA

problem #43

Sep 282020

Prius

  • 107,000 miles
Car stalls while driving and and check hybrid system notification lights up on the dash.

- Dunedin, FL, USA

problem #42

Jul 072019

Prius

  • 205,260 miles
The cars starts does not stay on if I try to drive it will turn off and die out.

- Bellflower, CA, USA

problem #41

May 282020

Prius 4-cyl

  • 97,363 miles
Vehicle shuttered and warning lights came on while driving on busy roadway. Was able to pull onto side street and stopped vehicle. Outside temperatures were over 100 deg F and my wife was alone with the vehicle. Attached mechanic estimate lists codes and indicates the inverter failed. We had the ECU updated in 2016 to avoid this failure but believe Toyota's ECU flash failed to fix the issue. Subsequent extended warranty did not cover this vehicle's VIN # according to Toyota dealership we contacted on 05/29/2020.

- Chandler, AZ, USA

problem #40

May 022020

Prius 4-cyl

  • 102,000 miles
Toyota usa failed to honor repair defect within the brake booster pump assembly. When this defect occurs, various warning lamps on the instrument panel made illuminate, I experience increased stopping distance, reduced hydraulic pressure within your brake system, the deactivation of brake assist, & the deactivation of vehicle stability control.Toyota previously issued at least 2 safety recalls. Designed to prevent similar dangerous occurrences. However, hundreds of thousands of Prius models 2010-2015 were excluded from those safety recalls including my 2010 model. As of today Toyota usa filed case number 2005052305. Safety recall in torrance California dated June 4, 2013 stated Toyota sales usa was conducting a voluntary safety recall involving over 87,000 model 2010 Toyota Prius however I called Toyota today and the insisted my vehicle was excluded even though in barely has 100,000 miles we just began to experience these brake symptoms. Customer rep insisted it was Toyota voluntary recall not enforced so my vehicle did not even qualified for a customer support service. Please help us have Toyota fix this safety issue asap before someone has a mayor accident. Warning lights for ABS, stability control, and warning lights all came on at once. Brakes became spongy when pressed. Was able to still brake but with much more effort and not confident in the braking. I had it towed to a local mechanic and the diagnostic error code registered "C1391". per mechanic this is for ABS accumulator, or booster pump failure or leak per mechanic. This happened out of the blue, no warnings. Per Toyota the part required are cylinder assembly brake and brake pump assembly. Cost to repair these parts per Toyota would be estimated at $2700.. attached video of actuator's loud noise it produces & dashboard showing ABS failed& brakes lights/also failed attempt to solve this with Toyota usa.

- Los Angeles, CA, USA

problem #39

Mar 092020

Prius

  • 232,000 miles
Hybrid system shut down while traveling. Loss of power hazard. Hybrid system malfunction indicated along with loss of traction and trouble indicator on dash.

- Beckets, MA, USA

problem #38

Dec 212019

Prius

  • 160,000 miles
Well-maintained, dealer-serviced vehicle sputtered and stalled while driving on the freeway at highway speed. Was fortunately able to coast to a stop on the shoulder, but vehicle would not restart. Dealership identified the problem as a fuel pump failure, which occurred with no warning.

- Fishers, IN, USA

problem #37

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 #36

Aug 132019

Prius

  • 195,000 miles
I took my 2010 Toyota Prius to dealer ship for a software update, and now the hybrid system kept having problem, once I disconnect the 12V battery, the car will do fine for like a week, then the hybrid system will shut down, it didn't happen before the software update.

- Spring Hill, FL, USA

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