2011 TOYOTA PRIUS — Owner-Reported Problems

NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation Snapshot 2026-08-22 512 complaints · 6 recalls
Most-reported system: SERVICE BRAKES (216 complaints · 42.2%)
Safety signals:
  • Crashes 36
  • Fires 7
  • Injuries 17
  • Deaths 0
Compare with 2010 →
NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Component Problem Distribution

Share of owner complaints filed for each vehicle system (unaffected by sales volume)

Component Problem Distribution SERVICE BRAKES appears in 216 of 512 owner complaints (42.2%) in this vehicle snapshot. SERVICE BRAKES: 216 complaints, 42.2% of reports SERVICE BRAKES 216 · 42.2% · 10 crash reports EXTERIOR LIGHTING: 47 complaints, 9.2% of reports EXTERIOR LIGHTING 47 · 9.2% · 1 fire reports AIR BAGS: 38 complaints, 7.4% of reports AIR BAGS 38 · 7.4% · 15 crash reports ENGINE: 38 complaints, 7.4% of reports ENGINE 38 · 7.4% · 1 crash reports 2 fire reports ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: 36 complaints, 7.0% of reports ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 36 · 7.0% · 2 crash reports 2 fire reports VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL: 26 complaints, 5.1% of reports VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 26 · 5.1% · 2 crash reports POWER TRAIN: 16 complaints, 3.1% of reports POWER TRAIN 16 · 3.1% VISIBILITY: 11 complaints, 2.2% of reports VISIBILITY 11 · 2.2% STRUCTURE: 7 complaints, 1.4% of reports STRUCTURE 7 · 1.4% · 1 crash reports UNKNOWN OR OTHER: 87 complaints, 17.0% of reports UNKNOWN OR OTHER 87 · 17.0% · 3 crash reports 2 fire reports 0% 25% 50% 75% 100%

UNKNOWN OR OTHER is an NHTSA classification artifact and is always listed last.

View component data as a table
System / Component Complaints Share of Reports Safety Reports (Crashes / Fires)
SERVICE BRAKES 216 42.2% 10 crashes · 0 fires
EXTERIOR LIGHTING 47 9.2% 0 crashes · 1 fires
AIR BAGS 38 7.4% 15 crashes · 0 fires
ENGINE 38 7.4% 1 crashes · 2 fires
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 36 7.0% 2 crashes · 2 fires
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 26 5.1% 2 crashes · 0 fires
POWER TRAIN 16 3.1% 0 crashes · 0 fires
VISIBILITY 11 2.2% 0 crashes · 0 fires
STRUCTURE 7 1.4% 1 crashes · 0 fires
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 87 17.0% 3 crashes · 2 fires
NHTSA Consumer Complaints, NHTSA Safety Recalls, and NHTSA Defect Investigations Snapshot 2026-08-22 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Problem & Recall Timeline

Observed complaint volume and manufacturer recall actions over time

Problem & Recall Timeline Owner reports in this snapshot begin in Jan 2011; the first recall shown was reported in Jan 2013. 2011-Q1: 2 owner reports 2 2011-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 2011-Q3: 4 owner reports 4 2011-Q4: 9 owner reports 9 2012-Q1: 4 owner reports 4 2012-Q2: 8 owner reports 8 2012-Q3: 2 owner reports 2 2012-Q4: 6 owner reports 6 2013-Q1: 11 owner reports 11 2013-Q2: 5 owner reports 5 2013-Q3: 7 owner reports 7 2013-Q4: 4 owner reports 4 2014-Q1: 8 owner reports 8 2014-Q2: 14 owner reports 14 2014-Q3: 10 owner reports 10 2014-Q4: 5 owner reports 5 2015-Q1: 6 owner reports 6 2015-Q2: 4 owner reports 4 2015-Q3: 13 owner reports 13 2015-Q4: 8 owner reports 8 2016-Q1: 8 owner reports 8 2016-Q2: 15 owner reports 15 2016-Q3: 17 owner reports 17 2016-Q4: 16 owner reports 16 2017-Q1: 9 owner reports 9 2017-Q2: 8 owner reports 8 2017-Q3: 9 owner reports 9 2017-Q4: 3 owner reports 3 2018-Q1: 6 owner reports 6 2018-Q2: 5 owner reports 5 2018-Q3: 16 owner reports 16 2018-Q4: 24 owner reports 24 2019-Q1: 24 owner reports 24 2019-Q2: 14 owner reports 14 2019-Q3: 9 owner reports 9 2019-Q4: 9 owner reports 9 2020-Q1: 14 owner reports 14 2020-Q2: 5 owner reports 5 2020-Q3: 3 owner reports 3 2020-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2021-Q1: 5 owner reports 5 2021-Q2: 7 owner reports 7 2021-Q3: 6 owner reports 6 2021-Q4: 4 owner reports 4 2022-Q1: 10 owner reports 10 2022-Q2: 10 owner reports 10 2022-Q3: 12 owner reports 12 2022-Q4: 6 owner reports 6 2023-Q1: 8 owner reports 8 2023-Q2: 11 owner reports 11 2023-Q3: 5 owner reports 5 2023-Q4: 10 owner reports 10 2024-Q1: 10 owner reports 10 2024-Q2: 4 owner reports 4 2024-Q3: 11 owner reports 11 2024-Q4: 10 owner reports 10 2025-Q1: 7 owner reports 7 2025-Q2: 4 owner reports 4 2025-Q3: 4 owner reports 4 2025-Q4: 8 owner reports 8 2026-Q1: 3 owner reports 3 2026-Q2: 8 owner reports 8 2026-Q3: 2 owner reports 2 Owner reports Jan 2011 Jul 2026 Recall campaign 13V014000 ◆ Recall campaign 13V014000 Recall campaign 14V053000 ◆ Recall campaign 14V053000 Recall campaign 14V743000 ◆ Recall campaign 14V743000 Recall campaign 16V396000 ◆ Recall campaign 16V396000 Recall campaign 16V487000 ◆ Recall campaign 16V487000 Recall campaign 18V684000 ◆ Recall campaign 18V684000 Investigation DP19004 ● Investigation DP19004 Investigation DP19004 ● Investigation DP19004 Investigation DP22005 ● Investigation DP22005 Investigation DP23005 ● Investigation DP23005
  • Campaign 13V014000 was reported 547 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
  • Campaign 14V743000 was reported 1,336 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
  • Campaign 16V396000 was reported 1,897 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
  • Campaign 16V487000 was reported 1,808 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
View timeline records as a table
Date Record type Count Record identifier
2011-Q1 Owner reports 2
2011-Q2 Owner reports 2
2011-Q3 Owner reports 4
2011-Q4 Owner reports 9
2012-Q1 Owner reports 4
2012-Q2 Owner reports 8
2012-Q3 Owner reports 2
2012-Q4 Owner reports 6
2013-Q1 Owner reports 11
2013-Q2 Owner reports 5
2013-Q3 Owner reports 7
2013-Q4 Owner reports 4
2014-Q1 Owner reports 8
2014-Q2 Owner reports 14
2014-Q3 Owner reports 10
2014-Q4 Owner reports 5
2015-Q1 Owner reports 6
2015-Q2 Owner reports 4
2015-Q3 Owner reports 13
2015-Q4 Owner reports 8
2016-Q1 Owner reports 8
2016-Q2 Owner reports 15
2016-Q3 Owner reports 17
2016-Q4 Owner reports 16
2017-Q1 Owner reports 9
2017-Q2 Owner reports 8
2017-Q3 Owner reports 9
2017-Q4 Owner reports 3
2018-Q1 Owner reports 6
2018-Q2 Owner reports 5
2018-Q3 Owner reports 16
2018-Q4 Owner reports 24
2019-Q1 Owner reports 24
2019-Q2 Owner reports 14
2019-Q3 Owner reports 9
2019-Q4 Owner reports 9
2020-Q1 Owner reports 14
2020-Q2 Owner reports 5
2020-Q3 Owner reports 3
2020-Q4 Owner reports 1
2021-Q1 Owner reports 5
2021-Q2 Owner reports 7
2021-Q3 Owner reports 6
2021-Q4 Owner reports 4
2022-Q1 Owner reports 10
2022-Q2 Owner reports 10
2022-Q3 Owner reports 12
2022-Q4 Owner reports 6
2023-Q1 Owner reports 8
2023-Q2 Owner reports 11
2023-Q3 Owner reports 5
2023-Q4 Owner reports 10
2024-Q1 Owner reports 10
2024-Q2 Owner reports 4
2024-Q3 Owner reports 11
2024-Q4 Owner reports 10
2025-Q1 Owner reports 7
2025-Q2 Owner reports 4
2025-Q3 Owner reports 4
2025-Q4 Owner reports 8
2026-Q1 Owner reports 3
2026-Q2 Owner reports 8
2026-Q3 Owner reports 2
Recall campaign 1 13V014000
Recall campaign 1 14V053000
Recall campaign 1 14V743000
Recall campaign 1 16V396000
Recall campaign 1 16V487000
Recall campaign 1 18V684000
Defect investigation 1 DP19004
Defect investigation 1 DP19004
Defect investigation 1 DP22005
Defect investigation 1 DP23005
NHTSA Safety Recalls Snapshot 2026-08-22 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Safety Recalls (6)

Official safety recall campaigns filed with NHTSA

  1. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 13V014000

    Report date
    Component:
    AIR BAGS
    Consequence:
    If the front passenger seat occupant sensing system is out of calibration, the front passenger airbags may not deploy or they may deploy inappropriately for the passenger's size and position. This could increase the risk of personal injury during the event of a vehicle crash necessitating airbag deployment.
    Remedy:
    Southeast Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will test the sensitivity of the occupant detection sensors, and recalibrate them as necessary. The recall began on March 21, 2013. Owners may contact Southeast Toyota at 1-800-301-6859.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  2. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 14V053000

    Report date
    Component:
    ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
    Consequence:
    The vehicle may enter a fail-safe/limp-home mode that limits the drivability of the vehicle. The hybrid system could also shut down completely resulting in a vehicle stall, increasing the risk of a crash.
    Remedy:
    Toyota will notify owners and dealers will update the software for both the motor/generator control electronic control unit (ECU) and the hybrid control ECU, free of charge. If an owner experiences a failure of the inverter before the vehicle receives updated software, the dealer will repair or replace the inverter assembly with a new one at no charge. The recall began on March 21, 2014. Owners may contact Toyota at 1-800-331-4331.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  3. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 14V743000

    Report date
    Component:
    SEATS
    Consequence:
    Damage to the seat heater wiring could cause the wires to short, increasing the risk of the seat burning and causing personal injury to the occupant.
    Remedy:
    SET will notify owners, and dealers will disconnect the heaters with copper strand heating elements and refund the purchase price of the seat heater accessory, free of charge. The recall is expected to began in January 2015. Owners may contact SET customer service at 1-866-405-4226.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  4. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 16V396000

    Report date
    Component:
    SEATS
    Consequence:
    If damaged, the copper strand heating element may short circuit, increasing the risk of a fire.
    Remedy:
    SET will notify owners, and dealers will disconnect the seat heaters, free of charge, and refund the purchase price of the seat heater accessory. The recall began on July 14, 2016. Owners may contact SET customer service at 1-866-405-4226. SET number for this recall is SET16B.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  5. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 16V487000

    Report date
    Component:
    AIR BAGS
    Consequence:
    If either portion of the curtain shield air bag inflator ejects into the passenger cabin, there is an increased risk of injury to vehicle occupants.
    Remedy:
    Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will install retention brackets to the curtain shield air bags, free of charge. The recall began on October 17, 2016. Owners may contact Toyota Customer Service Department at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's number for this recall is Toyota G0U, and Lexus GLJ.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  6. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 18V684000

    Report date
    Component:
    Not available in the source record
    Consequence:
    If the hybrid system shuts down unexpectedly, it can increase the risk of a crash.
    Remedy:
    Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will update the software for the motor/generator control electronic control unit (ECU) and the hybrid control ECU as necessary, free of charge. The recall began January 22, 2019. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-888-270-9371. Toyota's number for this recall is J0V. Note: The software updates in this recall are needed even if the vehicle had the software previously updated under recalls 14V-053 or 15V-449.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →
NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Complaint Narrative Explorer

Verbatim owner-reported defect narratives from NHTSA public records

Data: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation · snapshot 2026-08-21
Safety incident filters
Showing 0 of 512 complaints · page 1 of 21

No complaints match the current filters.
EPA Fuel Economy Database Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Estimated Ownership Cost

EPA fuel economy ratings and annual operating cost estimates

Data: US EPA Fuel Economy Guide · snapshot 2026-08-21
Supported range: 1,000–60,000 miles per year
Supported range: $1.50–$10.00 per gallon
55% city45% highway
Estimate unavailable

EPA fuel-economy data is unavailable for this vehicle.

No estimate is shown when required EPA values are unavailable.

 Open Ownership Cost Calculator →

Adjacent Model Years

Immediate preceding and succeeding model year records

NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Methodology & Data Integrity

Data sourced from NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation. Snapshot date: 2026-08-21.

Read our complete data methodology → Sources