61 problems related to electrical system have been reported for the 2012 Toyota Prius. The most recently reported issues are listed below. Please also check out the statistics and reliability analysis of the 2012 Toyota Prius based on all problems reported for the 2012 Prius.
Vehicle was serviced for safety recall j0v. After service, in car electronics systems did not work properly: navigation, bluetooth/phone integration, audio system. Dealer refused to acknowledge that recall service was responsible.
Was driving down the street in my Prius when all of a sudden the car went totally dead. It did not go into a limp-home mode. I was dead in the water in the middle of a street all of a sudden. We had to get out and push it out of the street. Mechanic says its a known issue with Prius and inverter. That was pretty dangerous and I was glad we werent on the freeway. We were unaware of any recall. The car went into "disco mode" - every warning light it had was on and blinking but the car was completely dead.
My car will turn on, but it will not shift into drive or reverse until numerous attempts. I usually have to turn it on and off for about 10-15 times before it will allow my to shift into gear. The key fob will lock and unlock the car. The car will still turn on, ac will still come on, radio still works. The only thing that doesn't work on the first 10-15 tries is the sifting into gear. Priuschat forum talk about this issue a lot. They all have similar stories with the same details as mine. It takes me about 5-7 min to get my car started. Once I finally get the car in gear, no issues pop up for the rest of the drive. All of this started about within the last month for me.
On my way home I suddenly saw a sign on the screen "check the hybrid system. Stop in a safe place". I pulled over, smelled smoke and saw smoke in the rear. I opened the trunk ans frightened by flame. I pulled things out and covered the flame with two big towels and succeeded in putting it out, although I got burned on my fingers. I called geico. They sent a towing car and it took my car to my apartment. When geico took my car to a collision center, they said it is total loss after inspecting it. I claimed it to Toyota. They inspected it, but said that there was no evidence that the car had electrical or mechanical defect. I did nothing but driving the car, but it caught fire. Whose responsibility is that? I believe the producer should take the responsibility but they do not. Where can I be compensated for the loss?.
The actuators for the locks on 3 of the doors have failed over time. I have replaced the front-driver side actuator once previously and it started to fail first. When I lock the car, I only have one door that unlocks which is the rear-passenger door. If it fails, I will be locked out of the car. It seems wrong that I cannot unlock my car well. It seems wrong this has failed multiple times on a 6yr old car. It is defective and potentially unsafe.
Tl the contact owns a 2012 Toyota Prius. The contact stated that NHTSA campaign number: 17v718000 (electrical system) exceeded a reasonable amount of time for repair. The contact received the recall notice in November of 2017. The dealer (thousand oaks Toyota, 2401 thousand oaks blvd, thousand oaks, CA 91362) stated that the part for the repair was not available. The manufacturer was also contacted and confirmed that the part was unavailable. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.
The car lock doors no longer work and must be locked and unlocked manually. Went to Toyota dealership and replaced remote battery to no end. Now attempting to isolate the part that is causing the problem with all four doors. Safety is an issue because, in the event of an accident, I would not be able to exit the vehicle due to door locking malfuntion.
Tl- the contact owns a 2012 Toyota Prius. The contact stated that while parked, there were rodents entering inside of the vehicle. The contact stated that the cabin air filter did not have a mesh grill which was allowing the rodents to enter through a hole in the cabin air filter and then into the glove compartment console and into the interior of the vehicle. The dealer was contacted and informed that the wires were soy based causing the attraction of rodents to the hood of the vehicle however the vehicle was not taken for an inspection. An independent mechanic was also contacted who confirmed that the cabin air filter did not have a mesh grill which resulted in the rodents entering through a hole into the cabin air filter and enter the glove compartment console to the interior of the vehicle. The vehicle was then taken to a mechanic where a hardware cloth grill was installed on the cabin air filter. The vehicle was repaired and rodents were no longer entering the vehicle. In addition, the contact was required to clean the feces remaining in the interior of the vehicle utilizing a mask, gloves, and disinfectant and in order to avoid contact with a virus from the feces, the contact was advised not to vacuum let the virus become airborne. The contact was concerned that the rat feces in the vehicle could result in a fatal disease in the event a child would ride in the vehicle and was unaware of not to eat the feces. The contact was concerned that if rodents entered though the a/c unit and defecated inside and activate the air condition unit if there was feces a virus could become airborne. The manufacturer was notified of the failure then informed the contact that the failure was not covered under warranty and that the failure was an outside influence which was not their responsibility. The approximate failure mileage was 40,000. The VIN was not available. Djr.
My 2008 Toyota Prius's dashboard indicators (odometer, warning signs and everything) showed symptoms of disappearing momentarily during second half of the year 2016. Upon restarting, it used to come back. However, on February 18, 2017, the dashboard light won't come back even after multiple time restarting. Drove to work in that condition hoping the dashboard indicators will come back but they didn't. Made an appointment with dealership to check it out on Monday. Before the appointment, the indicators came back so I cancelled the appointments. When discussing the problem with a friend, I was told that Toyota is aware of this problem and have extended the warranty for such repairs. Upon hearing this, I called Toyota customer service to inquire and was told that the extended warranty is expired and can't fix the problem under warranty. Driving without the dashboard lights is a safety issue that Toyota shall address for all affected vehicles.
Door locking mechanism, security issue, vehicle will not lock due to faulty lock actuator--- may effect other actuators. Vehicle stationary and on start up for motion.
My Prius was just fine then one day it stalled while I was driving in the middle of the free way. I took my vehicle in to elmore Toyota in westminster, CA, they found it had a failed inverter and it was still covered under warranty. It took 2 weeks for them to fix it, but when they returned my car, the slip indicator was now on and would not turn off. They claim it was like that prior to the failed inverter, this was false, my car was running perfect. They then wanted to charge me nearly $1k to fix a problem I did not have prior to failed inverter. I feel the situation was connected but they refuse to cover it.
When the headlights are on, the speedometer does not display when the dashboard lights are dimmed. All other displays dim, but the speed of the car is no longer displayed.
Driving in the evening, using headlights. Turn vehicle off and exit. Within an hour, get back into vehicle, start, turn on headlights and they (low beams) fail to illuminate. High beams work, as do parking lights, but the low beams stopped working, and they still fail to work. Driving without headlights or perpetual use of high beams is a safety hazard and distraction for other motorists causing an unsafe condition. Have made an appointment with local Toyota dealership for maintenance, in early Feb. 2014. The vehicle is still under factory warranty, less than 36 months old with fewer than 36,000 miles.
The contact owns a 2012 Toyota Prius hybrid. The contact stated that the automatic startup engaged independently with a loud clunking noise. The vehicle was towed to an authorized dealer for diagnosis. The technician was unable to duplicate the problem. The vehicle was also diagnosed by a different dealer who refused to repair the vehicle. The manufacturer was notified of the problem. The vehicle had not been repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 32,775. . . Updated 02-28-14 the consumer stated the vehicle was traded in. Updated 03/19/2014.
When our neighbor with a 2013 Prius key fab enters our 2011 Prius it disables the ignition. It will sometimes allow the car to start by touching our key fab to the ignition button however if engine stops, like at a stop light, it will disable the ignition again not allowing you to start the car unless you put your key fab up to the start button again. The dealer knew about the situation and agreed it is a safety hazard but said Toyota will not fix the problem.
The contact owns a 2012 Toyota Prius v. The contact stated that while driving 25 mph, smoke emitted from the dashboard and the vehicle's mileage fluctuated. The contact also stated that her insulin pump malfunctioned while in the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the smoking failure was not diagnosed but the contact was informed that the Smart key's frequency interfered with the insulin pump. The manufacturer was contacted about the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 156.
While driving at night, all lights, especially red in color, which are viewed from front windshield, appear as three distinct images. The source light, then a distinct shadowed light above and below the source. This safety issue is extremely compounded when driving at night in high traffic situations where there are hundrends of tailights in front of me. All those lights are essentially trippled causing confusion and distraction. Toyota refuses to aknowlege the issue. Through research, I have found that this is a common issue with many frustrated owners just living with it because Toyota wont fix it. It is a huge safety issue. Please help make Toyota rectify this huge safety issue before it causes preventable accidents!!.
Navagation screen, when sun hits the screen from right direction the screen can act like a very bright mirror and blind driver without warning.
Driving 70 mph car began to go into high rpm, then accelerated to 74 from 70 mph. I tried to decrease speed then vehicle shut off got a long beep and message on display "check hybrid system, pull over immediately" all lights on dash were indicating failures. Coasted to safety with 5 passengers in vehicle across traffic at 9:30 pm to shoulder. Tried to restart several times then vehicle went into high rpm then engine knocked loudly and was completely disabled. Lost brakes, pedal was hard, lost power steering, difficult to maneuver. I still had 2 bars indicating plenty of fuel in car. Prior fillup was 7. 6 gallons at pump, usually get over 500 miles per tank, trip meter only showed under 400 miles since fill up so had plenty of fuel and there was no low fuel indicator. Reported all problems to dealer. They only noted the car shut down but told me they confirmed everything I said and that Toyota engineers are trying to resolve this since they are aware of this type of problem. So far dealer and Toyota have not addressed the high rpm, the acceleration, loss of electronics and hybrid system failure and told me they havenever heard of any Toyota ever having a report of a high rpm or acceleration without intent to accelerate form the driver. Vehicle is unsafe, has 4944 miles and this problem occurred about a month after purchase. Toyota still does not know what the problems are and in possession of the vehicle.
Car becomes immobile - will not shift into reverse or drive. Computer keeps sending the message to put it in park and depress brake, but once that is done, any attempt to shift into reverse or drive triggers the message, endlessly. The problem is apparently intermittent. Occurred for two hours yesterday, after occurring to a lesser extent in preceding days (in the days preceding the total breakdown, I was able to shift after a slight delay and a few attempts). The dealership to which I had it towed said it was fine today. Everything checks out. This is a safety hazard because the car can be in an unsafe position when it becomes immobile. I was partly out of a parking space, somewhat blocking traffic. The problem involves the computer and the transmission - at least.
New Prius does not work bluetooth wise with existing phone. Prius I just traded in did. No resolution from dealer (Toyota world o newark delaware) and no resolution from Toyota corporate. I was told they could do nothing and that I would have to purchase new phones. We are driving vehicle without bluetooth without cell phones in our ears thereby creating safety hazard.
The contact owns a 2012 Toyota Prius. The contact stated that the navigation would stop speaking to him when entering a certain area. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where the failure could not be replicated. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted about the failure. The failure and current mileages were 7,000.
From date of purchase, vehicle performed unpredictably. Transitioning from electric to motor was rough and noticeable. At 600 miles, a significant impact was felt during transition. Dealer found nothing. Brake pedal traveled to the floor and vehicle went through stop sign at low speed. Route 44 Toyota insisted I needed to get used to electronic brakes. Toyota insisted brakes worked as prescribed. Recently, a aaa driver discovered the ground wire on the battery was loose. The battery was replaced and the vehicle now functions as described, the hill hold functions as described. Nhtsa did an inspection in response to a defect petition - vehicle did not perform as described in the federal register. Brake pedal is now high, as it was initially. This vehicle was sent from the factory with a loose battery ground and it was covered up by everyone from Toyota, dealerships to NHTSA when the correction was simple. Toyota does not stand behind their product.
1. When vehicle transitioned from battery to motor, significant impact resulted 2. Brake pedal traveled to floor, dash warning light came on [vehicle towed] 3. Attempting to leave dealer's lot, brake pedal traveled to floor. Technician witnessed.
Cigarette/power outlet fuse always blows very frequently - even with a gps use of cellphone charger only. Have been to Toyota dealership and have not addressed the issue after several complaints. Replacing fuses does not address the issue. This is a safety issue for people dependent on gps and communication specially for long travels. ## VIN failed ##.
The contact owns a 2012 Toyota Prius. The contact stated that the vehicle was equipped with a hands-free phone system. The contact expressed concerns that he had to activate too many buttons in order to operate the phone system. As a result, the contact felt that the system could create a safety hazard while driving. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer and no assistance was provided. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and stated that the vehicle was operating as intended. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 5.