2012 Toyota Prius V Engine Problems

Driving down the highway, the engine suddenly threw a rod, causing a terrible jolt, after which the engine burst into flames. There had been no warning lights.

NHTSA ID

11747076

Incident

Jun 7, 2026

The contact owns a 2012 Toyota Prius V. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the temperature gauge and check engine warning lights illuminated. The vehicle then stalled. The vehicle was able to be restarted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 190,000.

NHTSA ID

11583145

Incident

Apr 14, 2024

Mileage

190,000 mi

Had blown gasket repair last year (which was fixed by my local Toyota Dealership and all cost paid for by myself). Dealership acknowledged that there were known issues with failures due to clogged EGR's and out-dated manifolds. Was never recalled and did not know about the issue until after the incident. Wanted to report issues since it appears countless other have been in the same situation with gen 3 Prius. Toyota needs to be offering EGR cleanings and updated manifolds at no cost and reimbursing customer's for previous repairs.

NHTSA ID

11557495

Incident

Oct 1, 2022

the car was serviced regularly and for unknown reason the engine started running rough. I took it the mechanic and after completing a diagnostic test he said i have a blown had gasket in the engine. After reading online about the issue i discovered this year and model of toyota are notorious for having a blown head gasket issue. My mechanic recommended the engine be replaced. This is an expensive repair and toyota is denying any accountability about the issue

NHTSA ID

11516166

Incident

Mar 26, 2023

In September 2022, my car, a 2012 Toyota Prius V with 79, 056 miles, began making noises in the engine area and the brakes became loose, meaning it took more pressure on the brake pedal to engage the brakes. In November 2022 the following warning lamps on the dashboard came on: Master Warning Light, Brake System Warning Light and Warning Buzzer, Brake System Warning Light, ABS Warning Light and SLIP Indicator. I took it to the Toyota Dealership near me: Lipton Toyota in Ft. Lauderdale, FL, and they diagnosed car with the trouble code of C1391-Abnormal Leak of Accumulator, Internal ABS Actuator Failure. To fix this problem, Lipton Toyota will charge $3124.29 for the repair. Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc. issued a customer support program notification that would cover this repair if the malfunctions happened before coverage ended. Primary Coverage was applicable until December 31, 2021 with no year/mileage limitation. Secondary Coverage was applicable for 10 years from the vehicle's date of first use or 150,000 whichever occurs first. Date of first use on my Prius V was 03/01/2012 and my mileage is 79K. So as you can see, I am just out of the coverage window. My private mechanic and myself have appealed our case to Toyota that this problem should be a recall with no limits on coverage. (Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc. - case reference # 230206000678) I believe that if I had driven my car more, (which was not done because of the Pandemic 2020-2021) this issue would have come up before the cut off date for repair coverage. I also believe that this problem with the Brake Booster and Brake Booster Pump Assemblies on certain 2012-2014 model year Prius V vehicles should be a recall.

NHTSA ID

11505805

Incident

Nov 22, 2022

The contact owns a 2012 Toyota Prius V. The contact stated while driving 30 MPH, the vehicle stalled inadvertently. Several unknown warning lights were illuminated. Additionally, the brake pedal was depressed but failed to respond. The contact veered to the side of the road and intentionally struck the curb to stop the vehicle. The vehicle failed to restart. The contact stated that the vehicle later restarted and was driven to the dealer. The dealer diagnosed that the ABS actuator had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that they could not assist because an unknown Toyota Courtesy Program issued for the failure had expired. The failure mileage was approximately 160,000.

NHTSA ID

11501111

Incident

Sep 25, 2022

Mileage

160,000 mi

I am having issues with my Toyota I was never contacted NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID: 18V684000. My car has failed numerous times.

NHTSA ID

11500728

Incident

Oct 28, 2022

Head gasket blow up at 175000 miles

NHTSA ID

11459075

Incident

Mar 29, 2022

MY TOYOTA PRIUS V ONLY HAS 121,153 MILES ON IT AND DURING A SHORT DRIVE TO WORK WHERE WE NEVER REACHED SPEEDS OVER 50MPHS OUR PRIUS V OVERHEATED CAUSING A BLOWN HEAD GASKET AND ALL SORTS OF COMBUSTION ISSUES. THE REPAIRS WERE $3000. THIS IS A 2ND FAMILY CAR WHICH HAS ALWAYS BEEN MAINTAINED BY EXPERT, LICENSE AUTO MECHANICS. THIS SHOULD NEVER HAPPEN ON A CAR WITH SUCH LOW MILAGE! I HAVE LEARNED THAT THIS IS A COMMON ISSUES WITH THIS TOYOTA PRIUS MODEL AND TOYOTA SHOULD FILE A RECALL AND FIX THE OVERHEATING ISSUES.

NHTSA ID

11407218

Incident

Mar 4, 2021

Mileage

121,140 mi

ENGINE -ENGINE HAVE BROKEN HEAD GASKET. COOLANT RESERVOIR STARTED TO DRAIN. COOLANT SLOWLY LEAKS IN INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE DUE TO BROKEN HEAD GASKET. CAUSING SHAKING ENGINE BECAUSE COOLANT CANNOT COMBUST INSIDE THE ENGINE. -ALSO EGR COOLER WAS FULLY CLOGGED BY CARBON THAT CAUSED FAILURE OF CARBON AIR CIRCULATION. BRAKE SLOWLY FAILING BRAKE ACTUATOR IN THE PROCESS. WHEN PRESSING BRAKES, WHINING SOUND IS PRESENT AND BRAKES SLOWLY FAILS TO HOLD PRESSURE IN THE SYSTEM WHEN BRAKES ARE APPLIED. -BRAKE SYSTEM WAS FULLY INSPECTED AND NO LEAKS WERE FOUND AND BRAKE FLUID HOLDS IN FULL LEVEL.

NHTSA ID

11402958

Incident

Jul 7, 2020

Mileage

187,480 mi

THE ABS BRAKE PUMP EXPERIENCED AN "INTERNAL FAILURE" AT MILEAGE OF 113K. THERE IS A CUSTOMER SERVICE NOTICE THAT COVERS 2012 TOYOTA PRIUS AND PRIUS PLUG IN FOR THE SAME ISSUE REGARDLESS OF MILEAGE UNTIL 2019, AND THEN UP TO 150K MILES AFTER THAT. HOWEVER, MY 2012 PRIUS V WAS NOT COVERED. THIS ABS BRAKE PUMP JUST SUDDENLY FAILED, THERE WEREN'T ANY LEADING INDICATORS. TOYOTA KNOWS IT SUPPLIED DEFECTIVE PARTS FOR THE ABS BRAKE PUMP. THERE IS ALREADY A LAWSUIT OF OTHER 2012 PRIUS V OWNERS COMPLAINING OF THE SAME. HOWEVER, TOYOTA HAS NOT CORRECTED THEIR SERVICE NOTICE. THEY WON'T RELEASE THE DETAILS OF HOW THEY CAN JUSTIFY COVERAGE TO ALL OTHER 2012 PRIUS, AND PRIUS PLUG-IN, BUT NOT PRIUS V. THE REPAIR IS SIGNIFICANT ~ $3,500. ALSO, LAST YEAR MY ENGINE BLOCK WAS CRACKED AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THANKFULLY, THIS HAPPENED ~ 80K MILES, SO IT WAS STILL UNDER EXTENDED WARRANTY. BUT THIS FAILURE WAS SURPRISING FOR A TOYOTA. I HAD WONDERED WHY I HAD TO CHANGE THE OIL MORE QUICKLY THAN THE RECOMMENDED 10K, I WOULD CHANGE IT EVERY 5-7K, OR AT LEAST HAVE IT CHECKED. IT SEEMS THEY HAVE THE SAME ISSUES WITH THEIR 2020 RAV 4S. I'M SURPRISED THEY HAVEN'T FIXED AN ISSUE FROM A 2012 VEHICLE YET BY 2020.

NHTSA ID

11364848

Incident

Jul 11, 2020

Mileage

113,000 mi

IT IS HAVING HEAVY MISS FIRE WHICH MAKE THE ENGING SHAKING TOO MUCH MANY TIMES

NHTSA ID

11352892

Incident

Aug 28, 2020

Mileage

205,000 mi

AT ABOUT 100,000 MILES THE ENGINE BEGAN USING (BURNING) OIL AT THE RATE OF ABOUT 1 QUART EVERY 1000 MILES. NOW AT 150,000 MILES THE OIL USAGE IS 1 QUART PER 500 MILES. THE OIL HAS BEEN CHANGED USING THE RECOMMENDED LUBRICANT MORE OFTEN THAN REQUIRED SINCE THE CAR WAS NEW. TOYOTA IS AWARE OF THE PROBLEM AND HAS REDESIGNED THE PISTONS AND RINGS BUT BUT OFFERS NO FINANCIAL HELP FOR CARS OFF WARRANTY. THE DEALER ESTIMATED REPAIR COST IS OVER $5000.

NHTSA ID

11351142

Incident

Aug 24, 2020

Mileage

150,000 mi

APPROXIMATELY 2 MONTHS AGO I STARTED HAVING PROBLEMS WHEN STARTING THE CAR IN THE MORNINGS OR AFTER THE VEHICLE SAT FOR A WHILE. WHEN STARTING THE VEHICLE IT WOULD SHAKE AND RUN ROUGH BUT WOULD RUN GOOD AFTER IT WARMED UP. I TOOK IT TO MY LOCAL TOYOTA DEALER AND A MANIFOLD AND A SENSOR WAS ORDERED BY THE DEALER. THE NEXT DAY I WENT BACK TO THE DEALER TO HAVE THE PARTS INSTALLED. I SAT IN THE WAITING AREA FOR OVER 2 HOURS ONLY TO BE TOLD IT WAS NOT THE MANIFOLD AND SENSOR. AFTER A SCOPE WAS USED TO DIAGNOSE THE PROBLEM. THIS TIME I WAS TOLD I EITHER HAD A LEAKING GASKET OR A CRACKED ENGINE HEAD. THIS PRIUS V ONLY HAS 94245 MILES ON THE ENGINE. IT HAS ALWAYS HAD REGULAR MAINTENANCE AT THE TOYOTA DEALER. THE DEALERSHIP QUOTED ME TO REPLACE THE ENGINE AT $6000.00. I HAVE NEVER HAD A VEHICLE WITH LESS THAN 100,000 MILES USAGE TO NEED A NEW REBUILT ENGINE ESPECIALLY A TOYOTA PRODUCT. I AM VERY DISAPPOINTED IN TOYOTA. THIS WAS A KNOWN CONCERN ON TOYOTA'S PART AND IT WAS NOT PROPERLY ADDRESSED IN A RECALL, NOW I AM LEFT HOLDING A VERY EXPENSIVE BAG. HOW MANY OTHER UNSUSPECTING,CUSTOMERS WILL YOU LOSE BESIDES ME

NHTSA ID

11340784

Incident

Jul 16, 2020

Mileage

94,245 mi

1)INTERMITTENT REGEN BRAKING FAILURE CAUSING BRAKES TO BECOME MORE DIFFICULT TO PRESS THUS HARDER TO STOP THE CAR IN A TIMELY MANNER. USUALLY WHEN THERE IS STOP AND GO DRIVING WILL THE REGENERATIVE BRAKING FAIL. 2) CLOGGED EGR VALVE CAUSING A LOUD ENGINE KNOCK RESULTING IN A BLOWN HEAD GASKET.

NHTSA ID

11320724

Incident

Mar 9, 2020

Mileage

150,000 mi

FAULTY HEAD GASKET, ENGINE SHAKING ON STARTUP, COOLANT DRAINING PREMATURELY, WHITE EXHAUST, LOW COMPRESSION AND POWER.

NHTSA ID

11316656

Incident

Feb 1, 2020

Mileage

145,000 mi

IT STARTED WITH SHAKING ON STARTUP, IDLE AND LOW SPEEDS. CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. DIAGNOSED WITH MULTIPLE CYLINDER MISFIRE. IGNITION COILS REPLACED, BUT DID NOT SOLVE THE PROBLEM. SUBSEQUENT ANALYSIS INDICATED COOLANT IN THE COMBUSTION CHAMBER DUE TO A FAILED HEAD GASKET.

NHTSA ID

11292147

Incident

Dec 10, 2019

Mileage

137,000 mi

VEHICLE HAS BEEN CONSUMING OIL TO THE POINT WHERE THE VEHICLE NEEDS MONTHLY OIL CHANGES. WAS TOLD MANY TOYOTA PRIUS MODELS HAVE HAD AN OIL CONSUMPTION ISSUE AND THAT I SHOULD FILE A COMPLAINT.

NHTSA ID

11286990

Incident

Dec 4, 2019

THE ENGINE WENT STALLED IN THE MIDDLE OF THE HIGHWAY. LUCKY ENOUGH, I WAS ABLE TO STOP THE CAR SAFELY WITHOUT ANY COLLUSION. BROUGHT THE VEHICLE TO A MECHANIC AND DIAGNOSED WITH EXCESSIVE CONSUMPTION OF ENGINE OIL. THE ENGINE HAD CATASTROPHIC DAMAGE AND NEEDED A REPLACEMENT. I SPOKE TO PIERCEY TOYOTA SERVICE DIRECTOR KEN JOHNSON AND HE STATED THERE IS NO ACTIVE RECALL FOR THE VEHICLE AND DO NOT BELIEVE IT IS THE VEHICLE ISSUE. I DO NOT BELIEVE THAT IS THE CASE, FURTHER INVESTIGATION IS NEEDED TO PREVENT OTHER SAME MODEL DRIVERS FROM A DEADLY ENGINE STALLING CRASH.

NHTSA ID

11281955

Incident

Nov 15, 2019

Mileage

120,000 mi

ON 09/19/2019 KEY WEST TOYOTA COMPLETED THE TIRES CHANGE OF MY VEHICLE AS I REQUESTED. IN ADDITION, KEY WEST TOYOTA PERFORMED "107649 J0V RECALL J0V01B 0.70 UPDATE TO THE POWER MANAGEMENT ECU WITH NEW SOFTWARE" AS SHOWING ON THE INVOICE. THE FOLLOWING DAY, ON FRIDAY 09/20/2019, WHILE I WAS DRIVING THE VEHICLE LOST POWER AND STALLED IN THE MIDDLE OF THE TRAFFIC, PUTTING MY LIFE AND SAFETY AT RISK AND MY HEATH AND GENERAL WELL-BEING. I SENT BACK THE VEHICLE TO KEY WEST TOYOTA, AND SINCE THEN THE ISSUE IS UNRESOLVED, AND I AM NOT EVEN ABLE TO REACH ANYONE ON THE PHONE OR THROUGH THE EMAIL I SENT FROM KEY WEST TOYOTA WEBSITE "CONTACT US".

NHTSA ID

11266817

Incident

Sep 20, 2019

OUR 2012 PRIUS V HAS CONTINUOUSLY BEEN BURNING OIL AT AN ALARMING RATE. IT WAS PUT THROUGH AN OIL CONSUMPTION TEST AT THE DEALERSHIP AND THEY CLAIMED NOT TO KNOW WHAT THE PROBLEM WAS (JUST THAT THE CAR WAS GETTING OLDER AND WE SHOULD PROBABLY BUY A NEW ONE), EVEN THOUGH THEY HAVE ISSUED A TSB TO DEALERSHIPS ABOUT THIS PROBLEM. AT THIS POINT, WE ARE BARELY ABLE TO DRIVE THE CAR ANY DISTANCE WITHOUT HAVING TO PUT MORE OIL IN. WE HAVE ALWAYS KEPT UP ON THE MAINTENANCE FOR THE VEHICLE, WE RECENTLY REPLACED THE HEAD GASKET AND THE COOLANT IN THE CAR, BUT NOW THE CAR JUST RUNS HOT WITH THE FAN RUNNING ALL THE TIME AND THE OIL IS CONSISTENTLY BURNING. WE'VE NEVER HAD TO PUT OIL INTO THE CAR OURSELVES BETWEEN MAINTENANCE SESSIONS AND NOW THEY HAVE US COMING IN TO CHANGE OIL EVERY 5K MILES INSTEAD OF EVERY 10K MILES AS BEFORE. EVEN THEN, WE ARE STILL HAVING TO ADD OIL IN BETWEEN VISITS. I BOUGHT THE CAR AS A COMMUTER VEHICLE, IT HAS ABOUT 200,000 MILES ON IT, DRIVING IT 5 DAYS PER WEEK, ABOUT 100 MILES PER DAY. DEPENDING ON THE QUOTE TO FIX IT (FROM A NON DEALER BECAUSE THEY WON'T ACKNOWLEDGE THERE'S A PROBLEM), I WILL PROBABLY HAVE TO TRADE THE CAR IN AT A MINIMAL VALUE IN ORDER TO PURCHASE A NEW CAR, WHICH I REALLY CANNOT AFFORD TO DO RIGHT NOW. THIS PROBLEM IS ONLY OCCURRING WHEN THE CAR IS MOVING. THERE IS NO LEAK, AS IT WOULD BE EVIDENT ON MY DRIVEWAY. I MOSTLY DRIVE THE CAR ON THE HIGHWAY.

NHTSA ID

11232922

Incident

May 1, 2019

AFTER THE LATEST HYBRID SOFTWARE UPGRADE ON MY CAR WE NOTICED THAT THE GAS MILEAGE DROPPED BY 10%. THEN AS WE WERE DRIVING IN HEAVY TRAFFIC ON A TWO LANES FOUR DIFFERENT WARNING LIGHTS CAME ON TWO WHICH WERE FOR THE BRAKING SYSTEM AND TWO OTHERS FOR THE HYBRID SYSTEM. TOOK THE CAR TO THE TOYOTA SHOP AND THEY FOUND THE HYBRID BATTERS NEEDED TO BE REPLACED AT 63,000 MILES.

NHTSA ID

11232453

Incident

Jul 12, 2019

Mileage

63,118 mi

EXCESSIVE OIL CONSUMPTION STARTED 70,000 MILES. BURN OIL 1QT EVERY 1000 MILES GETTING WORSE

NHTSA ID

11228305

Incident

Jun 1, 2016

ENGINE MISFIRING AT START. WHILE AT INTERSECTION IN CITY AND TURNING LEFT, ACCELERATING AND TRIGGERING THE COMBUSTION ENGINE, MISFIRING CAUSING JERKING AND LACK OF ACCELERATION ALMOST CAUSING A STALLED CAR IN ONCOMING TRAFFIC. CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ON. SERVICE SAYS MISFIRING CAUSED BY FAULTY HEAD GASKET. APPEARS TO BE SYMPTOMATIC OF GEN 3 PRIUS.

NHTSA ID

11203008

Incident

Apr 22, 2019

Mileage

148,000 mi

WHEN I BRAKE THE CAR SHAKES A NOTICEABLE TYPE OF SHAKE AND STARTS TO MAKE A WEIRD STALLING NOISE.

NHTSA ID

11157210

Incident

Dec 9, 2018