What breaks most · 2011 to 2018 model years
Toyota Prius v problems by year
Owners have filed 474 safety complaints with NHTSA about the Toyota Prius v across model years 2011 to 2018. Two years stand out: 2012 for brakes complaints and 2013 for brakes complaints. The quietest years are 2011, 2016 and 2015.
- Years to check closely: 2012, 2013
- Fewest complaints: 2011, 2016, 2015
- Complaints on file
- 4742011 to 2018, all trims
- Worst year
- 2012215 complaints
- Crashes reported
- 458 fires · 23 injuries · 3 deaths
- Typical failure mileage
- 70kMedian where owners gave mileage
- Recall campaigns
- 15Across 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 | 0 | Exterior lighting (1) | |
| 215 | 19 | 4 | Brakes (123) | |
| 124 | 9 | 3 | Brakes (64) | |
| 81 | 5 | 4 | Brakes (37) | |
| 24 | 3 | 2 | Brakes (12) | |
| 16 | 6 | 1 | Speed control and throttle (4) | |
| 12 | 3 | 1 | Exterior lighting (4) | |
| 1 | 0 | 0 | Electrical system (1) |
What fails on the 2012 Toyota Prius v
| Component | Share of complaints | Filings | Crashes | Parts for this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BrakesBrake pads, rotors and calipers | 57% |
123 | 10 | Shop brakes parts for the 2012 Toyota Prius v |
| EngineEngine gaskets and seals | 17% |
36 | 1 | Shop engine parts for the 2012 Toyota Prius v |
| Electrical systemAlternators, starters and ignition | 11% |
24 | 0 | Shop electrical system parts for the 2012 Toyota Prius v |
| Speed control and throttleThrottle and pedal sensors | 7% |
15 | 5 | Shop all speed control and throttle parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Unknown or other | 7% |
15 | 2 | — |
| SteeringPower steering pumps, racks and hoses | 5% |
11 | 2 | Shop steering parts for the 2012 Toyota Prius v |
| Air bags | 4% |
8 | 4 | Check recalls for air bags on NHTSA.gov |
| Stability controlABS and wheel speed sensors | 3% |
7 | 0 | Shop stability control parts for the 2012 Toyota Prius v |
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.
-
After 13 years and 112,000 the brake booster and brake booster pump went out on my car. Toyota extended the warranty to 10 years because of this issue. Now just outside of the 10 yr mark my car has this issue and Toyota will not cover it. This is a huge expense and also a major issue with this year and model of car.
-
The ABS brake actuator in my 2013 Prius V failed at just over 91,000 miles in December 2025, making the vehicle unsafe to drive. I understand that this is a known issue with this model of vehicle.
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 v years have the most problems?
By NHTSA complaint volume, 2012, 2013 carry the most filings on the Toyota Prius v. The 2012 alone has 215 complaints, led by brakes.
What is the most common Toyota Prius v problem?
On the 2012 model year, the most-reported component is brakes with 123 complaints. The table above lists the top components for every year.
At what mileage do Toyota Prius v problems start?
The median mileage at failure across all Toyota Prius v complaints that include mileage is about 70,000 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.