10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
3 / 4
Injuries / Deaths:
2 / 0
Average Mileage:
57,615 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 miscellaneous problems

miscellaneous 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 5)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #76

Jun 012020

Prius

  • 103,000 miles

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

Got code ABS pump C13591 from Toyota dealer, they refuse to fix under warranty

- Tampa, FL, USA

problem #75

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 #74

May 012020

Prius

  • 200,000 miles
I was notified by Toyota that my vehicle had two recalls. One of these was involving the inverter pump. I visited a Toyota service dealer February 15, 2020 to have these recalls taken care of. In the beginning of May 2020 I had driven just a few miles from my house when all of my warning lights came on. One of which said "check hybrid system". I slowly drove my car to the nearest Toyota service a few days later. I had not driven my car otherwise after the lights came on. I received an update from Toyota saying my inverter pump had failed and that I needed a power module. They estimated a total charge of $3,500 would cover the costs of fixing my car. I realized that I had been at a Toyota service just months before to get my recall taken care of, for this exact inverter pump issue. It was confusing to me that the part Toyota was supposed to fix, was all of a sudden broken. Did they not take care of this in February as they were supposed to? not only were they trying to charge me, but they were denying that they had to fix it for free since the problem was "fixed" already by Toyota in February and since it has broken afterwards, that it is no longer their responsibility to fix. If it was really fixed in February how could it be failing just three months later. They seemed to be unaware that there was actually an extended warranty on my vehicle model for this issue specifically. I had come across this fact online after researching the problem myself. They called me back to agree that there was in fact an extended warranty and that now they could fix the inverter. It is concerning that they would not already know that the inverter pump was a recent recall, and that my car had an extended warranty. Toyota should be aware of their own recalls and warranties. I was still charged over $700 to have my car fixed. I do not believe I should have been charged anything.

- Redondo Beach, CA, USA

problem #73

Oct 092019

Prius

  • 100,000 miles

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

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 #72

Dec 192019

Prius

  • 175,000 miles
While driving the vehicle the hybrid system failed as per notification on the dashboard. The car was operable but I was not able to drive above 40 miles per hour. I was told by the certified Toyota dealer that the inverter failed and they were not able to provide a reason why it failed. There was a previous recall on the inverter in 2014 to fix a software issue which was repaired. I was told by the dealer this recent incident was unrelated.

- Rockford, MI, USA

Search CarComplaints.com for these popular complaint phrases...

problem #71

Mar 102016

Prius

  • miles
The best I can get is 40 mpg with mostly city driving. Which is so much worse than their claimed 55+ mpg. Anyone has the same complain ?

- Houston, TX, USA

problem #70

Apr 052019

Prius

  • 173,000 miles

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

Just had recall work completed including software update. Car now exhibits new limp mode behavior with low fuel. This never happened before the software update. Trip meter indicated more than 50 miles remained with current fuel supply. Fuel level was as two bars and low fuel light had not yet come on. Limp mode occurred at speed on 4 lane freeway. Vehicle would not restart and dash messaging indicated hybrid system failure. Had vehicle towed only to realize it was all happening due to a low fuel level. I believe the safety recall software update has introduced agreater risk to my roadside safety and has made the vehicle less trustworthy and has reduced value.

- Oklahoma City, OK, USA

problem #69

Apr 092019

Prius

  • 100,000 miles
I purchased a 2010 Toyota Prius, within a month I had to replace the fuel pump sensor (after it went out on the highway and the car died while driving it). Then 6 weeks after purchase I was driving down the highway again and the hood ripped up completely shattering the windshield while driving. I later learned both safety's on the hood latch were broken and missing parts. It also has an oil leak that will cost me $2,200 to repair when I only paid $6,000 for the car on top of many other minor issues.

- Wichita, KS, USA

problem #68

Mar 282019

Prius

  • 140,000 miles
Sunroof exploded driving at highway speed on a clear night

- Hollis, NH, USA

problem #67

Oct 032018

Prius

  • miles
This vehicle has hybrid system faults recall since October 2018 and Toyota still has not responded to my request to fix the car after 4months. It is very dangerous to drive this car because the hybrid system default warning light comes up pretty frequently.

- El Cerrito, CA, USA

problem #66

Oct 312018

Prius

  • miles

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

Toyota has performed what they purport to be the same recall, eoe, twice. The second time it was performed, it was performed without advance notice to me, and without explanation, except that it not been performed before on my vehicle, and was required. After the work was done, and after returning from the dealer, I checked my records, and I determined that the eoe recall had in fact been done three years earlier, in 2015. Subsequent contacts with Toyota and the dealers involved has not provided an explanation, regarding the need to essentially re-do the same eoe recall, except as a part of the latest recall, which currently has no remedy. This latest recall, NHTSA no. 18V-684, states 'a previous safety recall may not have been fully completed... '. the statement is vague, and no one has been able to tell me why any prior recall was not fully completed, when the service invoice indicates such recalls were in fact fully completed. Toyota tells me other owners are affected, not just me. I have not received any notice from Toyota, indicating the work done for the first eoe was in any way incomplete, such that it needed to be done twice. There is a possibility the second eoe installed different software, but I have no way of knowing, since the second eoe recall is being done in a non-transparent manner. This is a safety issue, because owners are not being made aware of possible problems with their vehicles, and it is unclear if the remedy has been properly vetted.

- Warwick, RI, USA

problem #65

Oct 272018

Prius

  • 73,500 miles
Tire blew out on the freeway without warning. It was a general altimax RT43 size 195/65 15.with about 9300 miles on it. Tire has several blown out section in the sidewall.

- New Brighton, MN, USA

problem #64

Oct 012018

Prius

  • 168,000 miles
Brakes slip and lose grip while braking and traveling over moderate bumps or potholes, also happens while braking hard.

- Santa Monica, CA, USA

problem #63

Aug 132018

Prius

  • 100,000 miles
Vehicle has lost power on the freeway multiple times forcing me to pull over. In one instance I was almost rear ended by a semi. The vehicle will show a temperature warning and will then shut down and read, "check hybrid system". the Toyota dealership claims it needs a new engine. This is a well known issue and will go in front of a judge in January. I have contacted Toyota about this and they tell me it is out of warranty and not eligible for the warranty enhancement. This should have been an unlimited mileage recall but Toyota refuses to do anything about it. This happened again this morning to my wife who was on a freeway where the speed limit is 70mph. This is an extremely dangerous error and I would hate to see someone die because their car stops on the freeway. This vehicle has also had severay P0401 codes, there is an warranty enhancement for this as well but limited to 150K miles. I was told by the Toyota dealership it was also a culprit for a blown head gasket.

- Springfield, OH, USA

problem #62

Jun 122018

Prius

  • 120,000 miles
While driving our 2010 Toyota Prius II on the interstate we began noticing a burning smell. Then, the ABS light illuminated on the dashboard. We pulled onto an off ramp and as we slowed the vehicle down smoke began coming from under the hood. We drove very slowly down the road and the smoke became more prevalent. We turned on a side street and my husband put the vehicle in park, got out, walked to the front, and noticed that the passenger front head lamp was melted and there was a flame. We quickly got our family out of the car (2 kids in carseats in the back). We moved away from the vehicle and the flames become larger and larger. We called 911 and the hood was engulfed in flames by the time the firefighters arrived. They were able to put the fire out quickly, so it did not spread into the front cabin or rear of the vehicle. We had not had any recent work done and the vehicle was fully operational until the time of the fire. We had not been experiencing any problems prior to this incident.

- Long Grove, IA, USA

problem #61

Feb 132018

Prius 4-cyl

  • 110,000 miles
When I press brake on the bumped road, the car function weird and seems like it has sudden "shock" so it is kind of losing control for the car even I didn't press brake that hard, it happens several times already during the course of 7 years that I owned this car, even when car is new. I was so scared and nervous, I don't know where to report this problem and did mentioned to dealer before. The problem is random and unpredictable and I don't know when it will happen. But I guess I am kind of cautious on when I press pedal when I drive. This is mostly happen in local drive, not highway. In driving when driving forward, maybe there is something on the road, but it should not be doing this as it is very scary and it's like a sudden "jerky". my name is [xxx] it happened at least 10 times during the past 7 years to me. Information redacted pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

- San Jose, CA, USA

problem #60

Mar 042018

Prius

  • 100,000 miles
My emergency brake has failed. I park on a hil and my car almost went down without me in it, I was getting something out of the back seat when the eb failed, luckily the drivers door was open and I was able to jump in and brake with the normal brakes. Also while braking and going over a bump my brakes fail for a second.

- Bountiful, UT, USA

problem #59

Jan 282017

Prius

  • 57,286 miles
Without warning, while traveling downhill at about 45 mph and braking, the car lost power and was very difficult to control. Several dash warning lights came on. I was able to drive a short distance, at 10-15 mph, to the dealer for repairs. A transistor in the inverter had over-heated and failed. The event occurred on 28 Jan 2017. Toyota knew of this potential failure and recalled the car for a software fix (eoe recall ssc#eoe agg09A ), installed in the car on 29 April 2014, by dch Toyota ( 2955 pacific coast highway, torrance, ca) also the dealer who repaired the failure. I only recently learned the recall and the failure were related and I believe the failure could repeat with potentially catastrophic results.

- Rancho Palos Verdes, CA, USA

problem #58

Feb 012018

Prius

  • 1,000,000 miles
My car is a 2010 Toyota Prius with nearly 100K miles. I was traveling on the highway at approx 65 mph when another vehicle was trying to merge onto the highway. I usually maintain my speed but in this situation of traffic I slowed slightly and flashed my headlights for the driver to go ahead of me. The driver seemed to be unsure of merging safety and pulled over to the shoulder of the road. In that process I braked to slow and then accelerated in an effort to maintain speed with ongoing traffic. Then oddly the acceleration went from under foot as if a 'ghost' was pressing the accelerator pedal. At first I thought perhaps the floor mat was improperly pressing it. I pressed the brake a bit a few times and looked to the hazards to alert other vehicles but never pressed them instead intuitively trying to regain control of the car. The process of pressing the brakes and accelerator gently seemed to reset things. Hard to say as most of my attention was focused on trying things to stop the accelerator. I just got lucky I think. I was able to regain control of the car within a short time that felt like a long time in retrospect. Perhaps a moment or two that felt like longer. I did not see indicating lights on my dashboard and they may have lit up- I was doing my best to notice cars around me and maintain control of the vehicle. My car has been 'fine' since but I have not gone back on the freeway. I have not returned to the Toyota dealership but thought about going today. I'll wait to hear back in case there are specific instructions I should follow for that to help. I looked once stopped and the floor mat is nowhere near anything that could catch a petal. Weather clear on the evening of Feb 1 approx 6 pm medford Oregon on northbound I-5

- Ashland, OR, USA

problem #57

Dec 182017

Prius

  • 99,000 miles
We were driving on the highway at about 70 miles per hour when the reading lights and dashboard flashed on and then off in a matter of about 5 seconds. The dash showed a triangle indicator light with an exclamation point. The dash also seemed to reset and showed the display as is the car had just been turned on. This incident happened twice within a 4 hour period. Once on the highway and once on a back road going about 40 mph. The car did not stop either time, but it is still concerning.

- Athens, OH, USA

Read the next 20 complaints »

Not what you are looking for?