40 complaints reported

2012 Toyota Prius Engine

Owner-reported problems and safety issues filed with NHTSA. Review common failures, severity levels, and complaint trends over time.

Reports
40
Crashes
1
Fires
0
Injuries
0

Complaint Timeline

Chronological view of owner reports

Nov 2024

The contact owns a 2012 Toyota Prius. The contact stated that when the vehicle was started, there was a rattling sound coming from the vehicle. The contact stated that while depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle started shaking abnormally with a rattling sound. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed with a blown head gasket and that the engine block needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 106,000.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2012 TOYOTA PRIUS, Manufacturer: Toyota Motor Corporation
Incident: Nov 2023
Apr 2024

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.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2012 TOYOTA PRIUS V, Manufacturer: Toyota Motor Corporation
Incident: Apr 2024
Feb 2024

I was driving on the internet doing 60mph and there was a very loud bang and then a shaking of the parts under the hood. I was right next to an exit and coasted off the exit to a hotel parking lot. I had car towed to my mechanic. He said that the piston went thru the engine and the engine is done and needs replaced. I am having a hard time trusting Toyota again to purchase another Prius. I have had Prius for over 10 years and never had anything like this occur. I had no warning signs and no dashboard lights lit up until after all of this occurred and scared the life out of me then the engine light came on.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2012 TOYOTA PRIUS, Manufacturer: Toyota Motor Corporation
Incident: Jul 2024
Nov 2023

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.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2012 TOYOTA PRIUS V, Manufacturer: Toyota Motor Corporation
Incident: Jan 2022
Sep 2023

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

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2012 TOYOTA PRIUS V, Manufacturer: Toyota Motor Corporation
Incident: Mar 2023
Aug 2023 Crash

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

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2012 TOYOTA PRIUS V, Manufacturer: Toyota Motor Corporation
Incident: Oct 2022
Jun 2023

Head gasket failure

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2012 TOYOTA PRIUS, Manufacturer: Toyota Motor Corporation
Incident: Nov 2023
Mar 2022

Head gasket blow up at 175000 miles

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2012 TOYOTA PRIUS V, Manufacturer: Toyota Motor Corporation
Incident: Mar 2022
Sep 2021

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.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2012 TOYOTA PRIUS V, Manufacturer: Toyota Motor Corporation
Incident: Apr 2021
Feb 2021

THIS VEHICLE HAS BEEN BURNING OIL FOR THE PAST 10,000 MILES. VEHICLE HAS HAD ALL SERVICES AND SYNTHETIC OIL CHANGES DONE FROM DAY 1 AT THE DEALERSHIP. OIL CHANGES EVERY 5,000 MILES SINCE DAY 1. AT 90,000 MILES THE CAR STARTED BURNING OIL EXCESSIVELY. COMPLAINTS AND DIAGNOSTICS WERE ATTEMPTED AT TOYOTA FRANCHISE DEALERSHIPS BUT THEY FAILED TO FIND THE ISSUE. FINALLY AT 100,000 MILES THE ENGINE FAILED DUE TO HEAD GASKET FAILURE. THIS VEHICLE IS CLASSIFIED AS A PARTIAL ZERO EMISSION VEHICLE AND IT IS REGISTERED IN A STATE THAT FOLLOWS CALIFORNIA AIR RESOURCE BOARD REGULATIONS AND IS BEING SERVICED IN A STATE THAT FOLLOWS AS WELL. UNDER THE PZEV REGULATIONS, TOYOTA WARRANTIES EMISSION RELATED COMPONENTS FOR 15 YEARS OR 150,000 MILES. UNDER TOYOTAS WARRANTY GUIDE IT STATES SEALS AND GASKETS ARE COVERED. THE MANUAL DOES NOT CLARIFY ANY FURTHER LEAVING THE COVERAGE LEVEL VAGUE AND QUESTIONABLE. UPON TRYING TO GET TOYOTA TO REPLACE THE ENGINE, THEY GAVE US A WEEK OF NO RESPONSES AND FINALLY DECLINING THE CLAIM EVEN WHEN THE MANUAL STATES IT SHOULD BE COVERED. THE OIL BURNING ISSUE WITH THIS MOTOR IS A BIG PROBLEM THAT TOYOTA HAS BEEN TRYING TO COVER UP. TOYOTA IS QUOTING $13,000 FOR ENGINE REPLACEMENT. THEY HAVE A SERVICE BULLETING REGARDING THE OIL BURNING BECAUSE IT'S A KNOWN ISSUE, BUT THEY ONLY HONOR CLAIMS UNDER THE 5 YEAR 60,000 MILES POWER TRAIN WARRANTY.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2012 TOYOTA PRIUS, Manufacturer: Toyota Motor Corporation
Incident: Jan 2021
Dec 2020

WHEN IDLING THERE IS A LOUD RATTLE AND MULTIPLE RANDOM MISFIRES IN THE ENGINE. APPEARS TO BE A HEAD GASKET LEAK PROBLEM FROM READING FORUMS. I HAVE BEEN TO MULTIPLE REPAIR SHOPS THEY CANNOT DETERMINE THE PROBLEM.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2012 TOYOTA PRIUS, Manufacturer: Toyota Motor Corporation
Incident: May 2020
Aug 2020

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.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2012 TOYOTA PRIUS V, Manufacturer: Toyota Motor Corporation
Incident: Aug 2020
Jul 2020

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

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2012 TOYOTA PRIUS V, Manufacturer: Toyota Motor Corporation
Incident: Jul 2020
Jun 2020

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

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2012 TOYOTA PRIUS V, Manufacturer: Toyota Motor Corporation
Incident: Jan 2020
Mar 2020

PROBLEM WITH HEAD GASKET, LOW MILES, COLD ENGINE STARTING, STATIONER, AND SOME TIMES IN MOTION

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2012 TOYOTA PRIUS, Manufacturer: Toyota Motor Corporation
Incident: Oct 2019
Mar 2020

2012 TOYOTA PRIUS II, DEALER MAINTAINED, NOW NEEDS NEW ENGINE DUE TO BLOWN HEAD GASKET. MILEAGE 151000. THE CAR HAS RUN PERFECTLY UNTIL A RECENT ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. WHEN IT WAS BROUGHT INTO THE DEALERSHIP, THE DIAGNOSIS WAS MISFIRING OF 2 CYLINDERS AND COOLANT LEAKING INTO CYLINDERS 3 AND 4. THERE WAS NO PREVIOUS ENGINE PROBLEMS. AN OFFICIAL COMPLAINT WAS FILED WITH TOYOTA CUSTOMER SERVICE. THEY RESPONDED THAT THERE WAS NO FAULT ON THEIR END AND I SHOULD HAVE THE ENGINE REPLACED AT AN AUTHORIZED TOYOTA DEALER. A SEARCH FOR THIS TROUBLE RESULTED IN SEVERAL OTHER COMPLAINTS OF THE FAILURE OF HEAD GASKETS IN THIS YEAR AND MODEL PRIUS.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2012 TOYOTA PRIUS, Manufacturer: Toyota Motor Corporation
Incident: Mar 2020
Dec 2019

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.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2012 TOYOTA PRIUS V, Manufacturer: Toyota Motor Corporation
Incident: Oct 2019
Nov 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.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2012 TOYOTA PRIUS V, Manufacturer: Toyota Motor Corporation
Incident: Nov 2019
Nov 2019

HEAD GASKET 77,000 MILES WITH THE HEAD GASKET ISSUE THE CAR ENGINE WAS SHAKING WHEN IT'S WARMING UP. THE CAR LOG SHOWED MISFIRES IN 1ST AND 4TH CYLINDERS.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2012 TOYOTA PRIUS, Manufacturer: Toyota Motor Corporation
Incident: Feb 2019
Aug 2019

BOUGHT THIS CAR BRAND NEW IN 2012 AND HAVE ALWAYS PERFORMED MAINTENANCE ON TIME. BETWEEN THE LAST OIL CHANGE AND THIS OIL CHANGE THE PRIUS IS BURNING OIL AND I AM HAVING TO ADD AT LEAST TWO QUARTS OF OIL BEFORE IT IS BACK ON THE DIPSTICK. I AM NOTICING THIS IS A PROBLEM WITH THE 2010-2014 PRIUS AND THAT TOYOTA HAS DONE NOTHING TO SOLVE IT. I DO NOT WANT TO BE ON A LONG TRIP AND BURN THROUGH OIL AND LOCK MY ENGINE UP CAUSING HARM TO MYSELF OR OTHERS.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2012 TOYOTA PRIUS, Manufacturer: Toyota Motor Corporation
Incident: Aug 2019
Jul 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.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2012 TOYOTA PRIUS V, Manufacturer: Toyota Motor Corporation
Incident: Jan 2019
Jun 2019

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

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2012 TOYOTA PRIUS V, Manufacturer: Toyota Motor Corporation
Incident: Jan 2016
Apr 2019

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.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2012 TOYOTA PRIUS V, Manufacturer: Toyota Motor Corporation
Incident: Apr 2019
Apr 2019

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.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2012 TOYOTA PRIUS V, Manufacturer: Toyota Motor Corporation
Incident: Apr 2019
Jan 2019

I WENT TO THE CHARLES MAUND TOYOTA DEALER AT AUSTIN, TX FOR A RECALL. NHTSA RECALL ID 18V684. ACCORDING TO THE OFFICIAL RECALL REMEDY FROM NHTSA, "IF THE VEHICLE HAS EXPERIENCED AN INVERTER FAILURE WITH CERTAIN HYBRID SYSTEM FAULTS RELATED TO THIS CONDITION, THE INVERTER ASSEMBLY WILL BE REPAIRED OR REPLACED FREE OF CHARGE." MY CAR LOST POWER ON THE HIGHWAYS SEVERAL TIMES RECENTLY. THE ERROR CODE IS P0A08, WHICH IS RELATED TO INVERTER FAILURE WITH CERTAIN HYBRID SYSTEM FAULTS, SO THE INVERTER ASSEMBLY SHOULD BE REPAIRED OR REPLACED FREE OF CHARGE. BUT THE DEALER DIDN'T WANT TO REPLACE OR REPAIR THE INVERTER FOR MY CAR. THERE IS STILL A POTENTIAL THREAT ON MY CAR TO LOSE POWER ON HIGHWAYS.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2012 TOYOTA PRIUS, Manufacturer: Toyota Motor Corporation
Incident: Jan 2019

Trend Over Time

Complaints by year

Quick Summary

The 2012 Toyota Prius has 40 Engine complaints on file. 1 crashes have been reported. Review the timeline above for detailed owner experiences.