2012 Toyota Prius C Driver assistance Problems

While driving 65 mph on the expressway on January 12th, 2026 under cruise control, I tapped my brakes to slow down. My brake warning light came on, along with the ABS warning light, and the anti-swerve warning light. Cruise control no longer worked, and my brakes were noticeably hard to apply. I immediately had the vehicle computer checked and the issue is a leaking brake booster component, a faulty part known by Toyota to fail prematurely with this and other Prius models. No recall was issued however. The car is now unsafe to drive until a ~$4000 repair is done, according to my service representative.

NHTSA ID

11712556

Incident

Jan 12, 2026

My brakes gave out while driving with my infant child luckily I was almost home and made it without hitting anyone or seriously hurting myself and my child. Had car diagnosed error code c1256. Local dealership won’t repair because I “missed “ recall and my car has salvage title. I cannot afford to fix on my own and I’m shaking as I drive with my child to work everyday praying to get there in one piece because I have to work…

NHTSA ID

11445845

Incident

Dec 6, 2021

My wife hit a deer at highway speed. The airbags deployed. The drivers side lower airbag deployed in the footwell. The driver was unable to get to the break paddle to stop due to the airbag at het feet. She had to use the emergency brake to stop the vehicle. That worked, but she had limited vision of the road ahead and it took some time for her to think of using the emergency brake.

NHTSA ID

11434167

Incident

Sep 20, 2021

TAKATA RECALL FROM THE DATE OF PURCHASE, VEHICLE PERFORMED UNPREDICTABLY. I TOOK MY CAR TO THE TOYOTA DEALERSHIP AND THEY FOUND THAT THE HYBRID BATTERY NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. WHEN I DRIVE 45 MPH, THE VEHICLE WILL STALL AND ALL INDICATOR ILLUMINATE ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL. IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD, THE CAR WILL STALL. TOYOTA DOES NOT STAND BY THEIR PRODUCT. MY CAR GOES COMPLETELY DEAD. EVERY WARNING LIGHT TURNS ON AND ITS BLINKING.

NHTSA ID

11255179

Incident

Sep 12, 2019

Mileage

107,931 mi

AS I WAS PULLING INTO A SPACE IN FRONT OF MY SCHOOL, AND HAD MY FOOT ON THE ACCELERATOR, GOING LESS THAN FIVE MILES PER HOUR, THE CAR SUDDENLY ACCELERATED AT GREAT SPEED, CRASHING INTO A STAIRWELL AND STAIR RAILING. THE CAR ENGINE SUDDENLY REVVED UP AND SPED AHEAD; THEN I WENT TO PUT MY FOOT ON THE BRAKE, BUT THE CAR REVVED AGAIN, AND SLAMMED FURTHER INTO THE RAILING. I WAS ALONE IN THE CAR, BUT NOW MY INSURANCE IS TRYING TO CLAIM "MY FAULT", WHEN THE CAR ACCELERATED ON ITS OWN. THERE WAS NO FLOOR MAT BEING STUCK, ETC. ISSUE. THIS IS A KNOWN ISSUE WITH TOYOTA AND UNINTENDED ACCELERATION WITH PRIOR REGULAR TOYOTA PRIUS YEAR MODELS. I AM STILL AWAITING AN INSURANCE INSPECTION ETC. THE REPAIR ESTIMATE HASN'T BEGUN.

NHTSA ID

11024549

Incident

Sep 12, 2017

Mileage

110,000 mi

MY VEHICLE COMPLETELY SHUTS DOWN IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD WITHOUT EVEN LETTING THE HAZARD LIGHT; THIS IS THE GREATEST RISK I AM ENCOUNTERING AND FOUND A RECALL FROM TOYOTA WITH SIMILAR INDICATIONS AND CONSEQUENCES (NHSTA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 14V053000); UPON CALLING TOYOTA CUSTOMER HELPLINE THEY SIMPLY REJECTED MY REQUEST FOR ONE REASON - MY VIN# IS NOT IN THEIR RECALL LIST; I NEED YOUR ASSISTANCE TO GET MY VEHICLE REPAIRED PROPERLY AND AVOID MAJOR CONSEQUENCES! THANKS IN ADVANCE!!

NHTSA ID

11019335

Incident

Aug 10, 2017

Mileage

54,000 mi

WHEN IN THE HIGH 80S+ OUTSIDE, MY 2012 PRIUS C, BOUGHT NEW, HAS NOT STARTED FROM IN A STOPPED POSITION, WITH ALL THE WARNING LIGHTS ON THE DASHBOARD ACTIVATING &, MANY TIMES, THE HYBRID SYSTEM SHUTTING DOWN WHILE I'M TRYING TO EXIT A DRIVEWAY OR GARAGE, CITY STREET OR PARKING THE VEHICLE, CREATING A SUDDEN STALL & LEAVING ME IN THE PATH OF ONCOMING TRAFFIC. TOOK TO DEALERSHIP MANY TIMES & THEY INSIST MY CAR CAN'T BE DOING WHAT IT'S DOING BECAUSE THEY SEE NO CODES & IGNORE MY SCREENSHOTS, PICS & VIDEO. WHEN I ASK THEM WHY MY CAR HAS SAME "SYMPTOMS" AS OTHERS OF THE SAME MAKE, MODEL & YEAR, THEIR REPLY IS THAT MY SPECIFIC CAR HAS NOT BEEN RECALLED. THEY WILL NOT EVEN LOOK TO SEE IF THERE ARE PROBLEMS WITH THE SENSOR, INVERTER OR SOFTWARE. MY CAR HAS ONLY 8700 MILES ON IT. I AM AFRAID TO DRIVE IT CAUSE I HAVE NO CLUE WHAT IT'S GOING TO DO & THE DEALERSHIP IS UNCONCERNED. IT SEEMS NEITHER THE NHTSA NOR TOYOTA GIVES A [XXX] ABOUT SAFETY. I THINK THE ISSUE IS THE SOFTWARE IN THE ELECTRONIC CONTROLS OF THE CAR, WITH CURRENT SETTINGS THAT COULD CREATE HEAT IN SOME OF THE TRANSISTORS. 2012 TOYOTA PRIUS ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: SOFTWARE, HYBRID PROPULSION SYSTEM: INVERTER NHTSA CAMPAIGN #14V053000. SUMMARY: IN THE AFFECTED VEHICLES, THE INTELLIGENT POWER MODULE (IPM) INSIDE THE INVERTER MODULE (A COMPONENT OF THE HYBRID SYSTEM) CONTAINS TRANSISTORS THAT MAY BECOME DAMAGED FROM HIGH OPERATING TEMPERATURES. IF THIS OCCURS, VARIOUS WARNING LAMPS WILL BE ILLUMINATED ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL ...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. JUST CAUSE MY SPECIFIC CAR WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL DOESN'T MEAN IT SHOULDN'T HAVE BEEN WHEN IT IS DOING THE EXACT SAME THING THAT THE OTHER RECALLED CARS ARE DOING. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

NHTSA ID

10853183

Incident

May 1, 2013

Mileage

500 mi

BRAKE BOOSTER W/ MASTER ECM COMMUNICATION MALFUNCTION -UNABLE TO COMMUNICATE AND PERFORMS ABS, ANTI SLIPPERY AND BRAKE PEDAL TO LOW. THE MALFUNCTION INCLUDES WARNING LIGHTS PANEL TO STAY ON.

NHTSA ID

10820898

Incident

Jan 14, 2016

Mileage

87,000 mi

WHILE WAITING AT A STOP LIGHT BEHIND TRAFFIC, MY CAR SUDDENLY SURGED. I WAS JUST SITTING THERE WITH MY FOOT ON THE BRAKE. I THOUGHT SOMEONE HAD HIT ME FROM BEHIND, BUT WHEN I LOOKED UP THERE WAS NO CAR BEHIND ME. LUCKILY, I DID NOT HIT THE CAR IN FRONT OF ME AND HAD PUSHED HARDER ON THE BRAKE WHEN I FELT THE SURGE. I DID REPORT THIS WHEN I TOOK MY CAR IN TO BE SERVICED, ORR TOYOTA, SEARCY, ARKANSAS. THEY TOLD ME TO TELL THEM IF THIS HAPPENS AGAIN. SO FAR IT HAS NEVER HAPPENED AGAIN. *TR

NHTSA ID

10632714

Incident

Jun 10, 2013

Mileage

20,000 mi