2012 Toyota Prius Toyota Prius 2012

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2012 Toyota Prius repairs by problem area

Engine (28%)

Transmission and Drivetrain (1%)

Brakes and Traction Control (11%)

Suspension and Steering (9%)

Electrical and Air Conditioning (27%)

Paint, Rust, Leaks, Rattles, and Trim (11%)

Other (11%)

Chart based on 88 repairs.
See TSBs and recalls for the 2012 Toyota Prius.

2012 Toyota Prius repair cost distribution

$2500+ (1%)

$1000 - $2499 (4%)

$500 - $999 (9%)

$100 - $499 (22%)

< $100 (64%)

Worried about potential repair costs? An extended warranty can provide peace of mind.

Chart based on 69 repair trips. The repair cost chart excludes repairs made under warranty, do-it-yourself repairs, and repair trips that include maintenance.

2012 Toyota Prius

Engine not specified

Toyota Prius in Florida, United States
Nov 2014 - Dec 2014
Dec 2014

41000 mi
Water pump failure 

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2012 Toyota Prius 4dr Hatch

98-horsepower 1.8L I4 Plug-in Hybrid CVT FWD

Toyota Prius in California, United States
Sep 2013 - Jan 2018
Oct 2014

41200 mi

US $875
Power management control unit, 12 volt battery 
Toyota Prius in California, United States
Feb 2013 - May 2018
Nov 2013

11000 mi
Rattles & squeaks from doors, dash, center console, and glove box. Poor allowance for plastic part contraction during temperatures below 55°. Ameliorated by padding at points of noise. 
Toyota Prius in New York, United States
Sep 2012 - Jan 2017
Dec 2013

12000 mi
Friction brake pads kicks in abruptly and disengages in split second. It felt like hitting a wall split second. 
Mar 2014

16000 mi
The master cylinder sensor error code found and the entire unit was replaced. 
Toyota Prius in California, United States
Feb 2016 - Jun 2022
Dec 2016

104000 mi
Headlight bulbs. 
Apr 2017

112000 mi

US $27
Windshield wiper fluid only squirted from one nozzle. A small distribution valve was the cause. Repaired myself. 
Toyota Prius in Utah, United States
Apr 2015 - Jun 2022
Apr 2016

54800 mi

US $600
Water pump failed for radiator 
Jun 2021

122000 mi

US $100
Replaced battery 
Toyota Prius in California, United States
Apr 2013 - Dec 2014
May 2013

9000 mi
Plug In Hybrid making unusual knocking noise when under the moderate load to the engine. Dealers could not find the problem and deemed as normal operation. I had Regular Prius Hybrid (Not Plug In), and never had this issue before. 

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2012 Toyota Prius 4dr Hatch

98-horsepower 1.8L I4 Hybrid CVT FWD

Toyota Prius in North Carolina, United States
Jan 2015 - Dec 2017
Nov 2017

76000 mi

US $35
Rear view mirror fell off windshield. Dealer attempted to re-glue it back on, and it fell off again without two weeks. Rear view mirror fell off windshield again 2 weeks after previous repair attempt. This time the dealer called in a specialty glass company to properly prep the windshield to reglue the mirror back on. 
Toyota Prius in New York, United States
Sep 2014 - Sep 2017
Aug 2017

95000 mi

US $145
New front brake pads installed. 
Toyota Prius in Georgia, United States
Aug 2015 - Nov 2017
Sep 2017

95000 mi
Hybrid engine was not working. They changed the static inverter. 
Toyota Prius in California, United States
Sep 2015 - Sep 2018
Mar 2016

32000 mi
Timing cover oil leak. Seals were replaced. 
Toyota Prius in California, United States
Nov 2012 - Sep 2018
May 2017

90000 mi

US $40
Replaced PCV valve 
Toyota Prius in New York, United States
Feb 2013 - Jun 2022
Feb 2018

99000 mi

US $900
Rear brake calipers changed - one was stuck and the other one was leaking replaced rear brake pads and rotors 
Toyota Prius in North Carolina, United States
Jun 2015 - Jun 2018
Sep 2017

77000 mi

US $4
Abs dashboard light came on as well as the tire pressure light. Added brake fluid. All dash lights are now normal 
Toyota Prius in California, United States
Dec 2012 - Mar 2018
Mar 2018

28000 mi

US $185
Original 12V battery was unable to hold charge 
Toyota Prius in Georgia, United States
May 2021 - Jun 2022
Jul 2021

121000 mi

US $30
replaced headlight bulbs 
Toyota Prius in North Carolina, United States
Aug 2017 - Jun 2022
May 2022

126000 mi
Hybrid inverter failed (yellow not red triangle), covered by Toyota warranty extension 
Toyota Prius in North Carolina, United States
Jul 2021 - Jul 2022
Sep 2021

610000 mi

US $300
Dead 12v battery 
Toyota Prius in Georgia, United States
Feb 2023 - Mar 2023
Mar 2023

155000 mi

US $1290
Replaced master cylinder assembly 
Toyota Prius in Washington, United States
Jun 2016 - Jun 2022
Feb 2022

65000 mi

US $113
Replace headlight 
Toyota Prius in Virginia, United States
Feb 2015 - Dec 2018
Dec 2018

161000 mi

US $45
Replaced hatch lift struts 
Toyota Prius in California, United States
Jun 2015 - Sep 2016
Aug 2016

30300 mi

US $2175
Air conditioning compressor failure. On request, Toyota paid 75 percent of parts, labor and tax. 
Toyota Prius in New Hampshire, United States
Jul 2012 - Jun 2022
Apr 2018

175000 mi

US $360
Loud Noise/Hum emanating from rear of car developed over the winter time; I thought it was the snow tires. When I changed over from snows to summer tires, the noise remained and I diagnosed problem to rear wheel bearings. 
Jun 2022

249000 mi

US $212
Replaced Spark Plugs Replaced rear pads and rotors 
Toyota Prius in Missouri, United States
Apr 2018 - May 2018
May 2018

204595 mi

US $230
Both low-beam headlamps have stopped working and will not come on. High-beams work, markers work. 
Toyota Prius in California, United States
Jul 2015 - Apr 2021
Mar 2018

98000 mi

US $15
The Car is Burning Excessive Oil. About 3.5 quarts in 10000 miles. Apparently a common issue on a Toyota Prius (2010-2015). Interesting thing is it's not burning enough oil to do the "repair". According to the Toyota TSB on the issue the car needs to burn more then 1 quart in 1000 miles. The repair is to replace the pistons and rings which is not trivial, and rather expensive. I will do an oil analysis and see if I have excessive metal. And if not switch oil to a 0w-30 or 0w-40. 
Toyota Prius in Nevada, United States
Jan 2012 - Jul 2018
Nov 2016

110500 mi

US $3766
Hybrid battery pack. 8yr, 125k Extended warranty does not cover hybrid components. Hybrid components only covered up to 8yr, 100k 
Toyota Prius in California, United States
Jul 2012 - Jun 2019
Apr 2013

24000 mi
brakes making a ticking noise. they haven't been able to resolve it 
Jun 2018

140000 mi

US $1600
oil pan leak found. apparently common at lower mileage on prius. they replaced the computer also because it had drips on it, but didn't charge me for that. 
Toyota Prius in California, United States
Oct 2012 - Dec 2014
Jan 2013

10000 mi
a piece of wire/cord was showing through on the drivers side cushion bottom 
Toyota Prius in California, United States
Feb 2013 - Jun 2022
Jun 2013

11000 mi
Center console box lid fell off (mechanism for closing the lid broke) 
Aug 2014

29000 mi
Dimmer of dashboard instruments would dim down then brighten up 100% on and on time to time. Started happening after excessive vibration driving with snow chains. Fixed by dealer. 
Sep 2018

86000 mi
Inverter components overheated and burned (a known issue covered under Toyota's extended warranty up to 15 years of coverage with no miles limit) 
Toyota Prius in Florida, United States
Aug 2012 - Feb 2017
Oct 2012

3000 mi
The car had a "clunky" feel in the steering from new. It was only noticeable when moving the steering wheel large amounts at rest, and parking lot speed. The steering intermediate shaft was replaced, fixing the problem. Rough U-joint. 
Toyota Prius in Pennsylvania, United States
Jul 2012 - Apr 2022
Jun 2013

32000 mi

US $120
Tire inflation issue 
Toyota Prius in California, United States
Mar 2012 - Jun 2018
Oct 2013

22700 mi
Bluetooth connectivity to telephone would not work. The Bluetooth antenna was replaced. 
Feb 2014

26000 mi
Left headlight went out, was replaced under warrabty 
Nov 2016

62800 mi

US $17
Replaced burned out left headlight. Also replaced right headlight at the same time. 
Toyota Prius in North Carolina, United States
May 2012 - Jun 2022
Oct 2016

61500 mi

US $50
Passenger side windshield wiper stopped working. 
Jul 2021

100000 mi

US $200
Replaced headlights. 
Toyota Prius in Florida, United States
Jul 2012 - Jun 2018
Jan 2015

38900 mi
Front door lock actuators failed. 
Jun 2016

75000 mi

US $300
blower fan stopped working. same thing happened on my last Prius at about same mileage. 
Feb 2018

105000 mi

US $100
elected to not repair locks. elected to not A/C blower. 
Jun 2018

110000 mi

US $539
Replace AC fan. and other minor AC stuff. 
Toyota Prius in Quebec, Canada
Mar 2013 - Jan 2023
Feb 2014

16120 mi

C $10
One fog light bulb (H11) was replaced. I did the replacement, took me 15 minutes. 
Toyota Prius in California, United States
May 2013 - Jun 2018
Oct 2016

74200 mi

US $50
Oil leak from timing cover gasket. 
Toyota Prius in Malaysia
Jan 2014 - Jan 2022
Sep 2014

16740 mi

$300
Fixed dashboard and rear boot rattling. Tighten steering column. Replaced manifold and fuel injector. 
Feb 2015

24240 mi
Steering column assembly knocking noise when turning. 
May 2015

27660 mi
Lazy to report the problem due to time constrain. Will report at the next service. 
Feb 2016

38180 mi
Replace EGR Windscreen inner layer star shape Fume smell when accelerating. Center console rattling noise Replaced steering rack Replaced seat track Front and back bumper discoloration 
Apr 2016

36580 mi
Replaced rear boot weather strip 
Jun 2016

42160 mi
Steering rod rattling noise 
Oct 2016

49160 mi
Engine tapping noise. Performed fuel ignition decarbonize 4 times. Readjust, tighten steering rod Rear LH passenger door rattling noise Replace HV battery. OBD2 error code: P0A80 
Jan 2022

110980 mi
Engine oil leaking and suspect of piston ring issues. Manifold, throttle body serviced. Recommended by dealer to replace with semi-sync oil and monitor the leakage. 
Toyota Prius in Oregon, United States
Feb 2012 - Feb 2014
Feb 2013

23000 mi
system displays an KEY NOT FOUND error when rear hatch is lifted while car is running. Opted to live with it until dealer updates software. system displays an KEY NOT FOUND error when rear hatch is lifted while car is running. Opted to live with it until dealer updates software. 
Mar 2013

25000 mi
Front power outlet stopped working. Will wait until next Dealer-paid oil change to repair. 
Apr 2013

25500 mi
There was a short in a wire relating to the auxillary power plug-in. The dealer believed that their leather installer had improperly put the console back together when finishing. 
Toyota Prius in California, United States
Dec 2014 - May 2020
Aug 2016

51800 mi

US $300
Difficulty starting vehicle. Towed to dealer. Dealer recharged battery overnight. Starting problem showed again. Second visit, dealer stated no problem with 12V battery. I demanded a replacement. Everything normal now. Brakes squeak when the vehicle is going reverse. Will go to dealer to address problem. There is a TSB concerning this problem. T-SB-0248-12. Will update. 
Toyota Prius in California, United States
Apr 2014 - Nov 2019
Aug 2014

18700 mi
Increasing rattles from console 
Toyota Prius in Florida, United States
Jun 2013 - Sep 2018
Jun 2016

63000 mi

US $800
A slight knock could be heard when turning, especially if turning in bumpy conditions. If turning under speed, a slight clicking sound was heard. Upper control arm bushing wore out early requiring a replacement. 
Feb 2017

73500 mi
A slight knock could be heard when turning, especially if turning in bumpy conditions. If turning under speed, a slight clicking sound was heard. Upper control arm bushing wore out early requiring a replacement. This is the 2nd time for the same problem, at the same shop. We were told again that they could not reproduce the issue. Will return when time permits to take technicians for a test drive. 
Toyota Prius in North Carolina, United States
Jul 2013 - Jun 2022
Aug 2014

35800 mi

US $52
Trouble Code P0138 O2 Oxygen Sensor Circuit High Voltage (Bank1, Sensor2). Dealer found sensor wire "chewed". We paid for diagnosis only and I replaced the O2 sensor with aftermarket part (Denso which also manufactures the OEM sensor). 
Oct 2021

104000 mi
Intelligent Power Module and Inverter replaced along with brake repairs, both known issues and covered under recalls. 
Toyota Prius in Pennsylvania, United States
Sep 2013 - Jul 2018
Jul 2016

123000 mi
Dealer repaired and repainted roof due to rust issues 
Dec 2017

155000 mi

US $524
Engine developed a miss needed new coil, spark plugs, Induction system cleaning 
Toyota Prius in California, United States
Jan 2014 - Mar 2015
Mar 2014

37000 mi

US $58
Check engine light came on because of fuel tank vacuum leak. Techs tightened fuel cap and cleared alarm. 
Toyota Prius in New York, United States
May 2015 - Jun 2022
May 2016

50000 mi
DC-DC converter warranty repair 
Mar 2018

73550 mi

US $50
Passenger side headlight and parking light was off. After parking bulb changed the headlight started to work. So the set of bulbs are in storage, Also changed the high-beam by error but let it in so I have a spare :-) 
Jun 2022

103000 mi

US $160
There were a few times the car would not allow to switch to drive, all warning lights were on ... after shut down and restart (sometime once ) everything was normal and a few days later this happened again. Shop couldn't find anything and since then it has NOT reoccurred. Noticed a metallic clicking noise somewhere in the mid section of the engine bay ... turns out the heatshild of the first catalytic converter broke off. Toyota Dealership found the issue but they do not "repair" but replace the whole exhaust section for $2700. So I declined that and it was temporary fix with mechanical wires. and they said not critical. Later the heatshield was removed hopefully not causing more trouble. 

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2012 Toyota Prius Repair Histories

See our lemon odds and nada odds page to see vehicles with no repairs or vehicles with more than three repairs. To see how frequently 2012 Toyota Prius problems occur, check out our car reliability stats.