What breaks most · 2012 to 2018 model years
Toyota Prius c problems by year
Owners have filed 189 safety complaints with NHTSA about the Toyota Prius c across model years 2012 to 2018. Three years stand out: 2012 for brakes complaints, 2013 for electrical system complaints and 2014 for brakes complaints. The quietest years are 2016 and 2015.
- Years to check closely: 2012, 2013, 2014
- Fewest complaints: 2016, 2015
- Complaints on file
- 1892012 to 2018, all trims
- Worst year
- 201263 complaints
- Crashes reported
- 261 fires · 20 injuries · 0 deaths
- Typical failure mileage
- 49kMedian where owners gave mileage
- Recall campaigns
- 4Across the years shown
Complaints by model year
Raw filings with NHTSA, not adjusted for how many were sold.
| Model year | Complaints | Crashes | Recalls | Most-reported component |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 63 | 8 | 0 | Brakes (26) | |
| 57 | 8 | 0 | Electrical system (23) | |
| 32 | 5 | 0 | Brakes (8) | |
| 17 | 2 | 1 | Unknown or other (7) | |
| 12 | 0 | 0 | Unknown or other (4) | |
| 2 | 2 | 1 | Speed control and throttle (1) | |
| 6 | 1 | 2 | Unknown or other (3) |
What fails on the 2012 Toyota Prius c
| Component | Share of complaints | Filings | Crashes | Parts for this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BrakesBrake pads, rotors and calipers | 41% |
26 | 2 | Shop brakes parts for the 2012 Toyota Prius c |
| Electrical systemAlternators, starters and ignition | 22% |
14 | 0 | Shop electrical system parts for the 2012 Toyota Prius c |
| Unknown or other | 13% |
8 | 1 | — |
| Air bags | 11% |
7 | 6 | Check recalls for air bags on NHTSA.gov |
| EngineEngine gaskets and seals | 8% |
5 | 0 | Shop engine parts for the 2012 Toyota Prius c |
| Stability controlABS and wheel speed sensors | 6% |
4 | 0 | Shop stability control parts for the 2012 Toyota Prius c |
| Seat belts | 6% |
4 | 3 | Check recalls for seat belts on NHTSA.gov |
| Seats | 5% |
3 | 0 | — |
One complaint can name more than one component, so shares add to more than 100%. "Unknown or other" is NHTSA's uncategorized bucket and is shown but never ranked.
In owners' words
Complaint narratives as filed with NHTSA, trimmed for length.
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Brakes went soft with little braking power. Traced the fault code to a faulty braking actuator; toyota says this is past the coverage date for the recall.
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While in motion, the vehicle switched out of ready mode. The vehicle did not switch back into ready mode. Body damage incurred during emergency stop, due to vehicle going at about 35mph when the malfunction occurred on a surface street.
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Cruise Control Not Working. Traction Control Light Active, Brake Light Active, And Light Active The cause was diagnosed by Toyota of Paris. TSB for C1391 Code abnormal leak in accumulator. The corrective action is to replace brake booster assembly with Master cylinder and Brake Booster pump Assembly.
How to read this page
Every figure comes from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's public complaint database, which holds every safety-related defect complaint filed by owners since 1995. We refresh it monthly and count each complaint once per component it names. Data through September 6, 2026.
NHTSA only accepts safety-related complaints. Rattles, paint, infotainment bugs and other annoyances are under-reported here, so this page is a map of what fails in ways owners consider dangerous, not a full reliability score.
Counts are raw. Use the year-over-year shape and the component mix, not the absolute numbers. Where a component maps to parts we stock, the row links to that category filtered to the year you are viewing. Air bag and seat belt complaints link to the recall checker instead, because those repairs are almost always covered.
Common questions
Which Toyota Prius c years have the most problems?
By NHTSA complaint volume, 2012, 2013, 2014 carry the most filings on the Toyota Prius c. The 2012 alone has 63 complaints, led by brakes.
What is the most common Toyota Prius c problem?
On the 2012 model year, the most-reported component is brakes with 26 complaints. The table above lists the top components for every year.
At what mileage do Toyota Prius c problems start?
The median mileage at failure across all Toyota Prius c complaints that include mileage is about 49,000 miles. Older model years skew higher; the per-year figure is in the "at a glance" card.
Are these complaints verified?
No. NHTSA publishes complaints as submitted and does not investigate individual filings. Patterns across hundreds of complaints are meaningful; a single one is not.