Toyota · Prius · 2011
6
Recalls
510
Complaints
5/5
Safety Rating
The 2011 Toyota Prius has 6 recalls and 510 owner-reported complaints on file with NHTSA. Overall safety rating: 5 out of 5 stars. Most reported issue: service brakes (193 reports).
Source: NHTSA Public Records · Updated Apr 22, 2026
This page combines three types of NHTSA data: recall campaigns (official manufacturer or government actions), owner complaints (unverified consumer reports), and crash test ratings (where available). A vehicle with many complaints is not necessarily less reliable — complaint volume correlates with sales volume and vehicle age. Recalls indicate identified defects, not overall quality. To compare this model year with others, use the year navigation in the sidebar or return to the model overview page.
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Overall Frontal Rating
Driver and Passenger Assessment
Driver Side
Passenger Side
Overall Side Rating
Side Barrier and Side Pole Tests
Driver Side
Passenger Side
Rollover Resistance
12.1% rollover risk in single-vehicle crash
Safety Features
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2010-2014 Toyota Prius and 2012-2014 Toyota Prius V vehicles. Excessive voltage in the Intelligent Power Module (IPM) within the inverter may cause the hybrid system to shut down, causing the vehicle to stall while being driven.
Remedy Status
Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will update the software for the motor/generator control electronic control unit (ECU) and the hybrid control ECU as necessary, free of charge. The recall began January 22, 2019. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-888-270-9371. Toyota's number for this recall is J0V. Note: The software updates in this recall are needed even if the vehicle had the software previously updated under recalls 14V-053 or 15V-449.
Southeast Toyota Distributors, LLC (SET) is recalling certain 2005-2011 4Runner, Highlander, Sequoia, and Sienna, 2005-2010 Avalon and Tundra, 2006-2008 Camry Solara, 2006-2010 Highlander hybrid, 2006-2011 Rav4 and Tacoma, 2007-2010 FJ Cruiser, 2007-2011 Camry hybrid, 2009-2010 Venza, 2010-2012 Prius, 1988-1990 and 2005-2010 Camry, and 1989 and 2009-2010 Corolla vehicles equipped with aftermarket accessory seat heaters with a copper strand heating element. The electrical wiring in the seat heaters may be damaged when the seat cushion is compressed.
Remedy Status
SET will notify owners, and dealers will disconnect the seat heaters, free of charge, and refund the purchase price of the seat heater accessory. The recall began on July 14, 2016. Owners may contact SET customer service at 1-866-405-4226. SET number for this recall is SET16B.
Toyota is recalling certain model year 2010 through 2014 Prius vehicles. 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 and the vehicle will have reduced power allowing it to only drive a short distance.
Remedy Status
Toyota will notify owners and dealers will update the software for both the motor/generator control electronic control unit (ECU) and the hybrid control ECU, free of charge. If an owner experiences a failure of the inverter before the vehicle receives updated software, the dealer will repair or replace the inverter assembly with a new one at no charge. The recall began on March 21, 2014. Owners may contact Toyota at 1-800-331-4331.
Southeast Toyota Distributors, LLC (SET) is recalling certain models interspersed through model years 2009 through 2013 as follows: model year 2009-2012 Tacoma, 4Runner, Camry, Camry Hybrid, Prius, and RAV4; model year 2009-2010 Avalon, FJ Cruiser, and Highlander Hybrid; model year 2010-2013 model year Corolla, Sienna and Tundra; model year 2009-2013 Highlander and Venza; model year 2012 Prius V; and model year 2010-2012 Sequoia. During modification by SET to include accessories such as leather seat covers, seat heaters or headrest DVD systems, these vehicles may not have had the passenger seat occupant sensing system calibration tested. Without passing the calibration test, the occupant sensing system may not operate as designed.
Remedy Status
Southeast Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will test the sensitivity of the occupant detection sensors, and recalibrate them as necessary. The recall began on March 21, 2013. Owners may contact Southeast Toyota at 1-800-301-6859.
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain model year 2010-2012 Toyota Prius, 2010 and 2012 Toyota Prius Plug-in Hybrid, and 2011-2012 Lexus CT200h vehicles. A weld in the curtain shield air bag inflator may crack causing one or both portions of the inflator to eject into the passenger cabin.
Remedy Status
Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will install retention brackets to the curtain shield air bags, free of charge. The recall began on October 17, 2016. Owners may contact Toyota Customer Service Department at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's number for this recall is Toyota G0U, and Lexus GLJ.
Southeast Toyota Distributors, LLC (SET) is recalling certain model year 2010-2011 Prius and Corolla, 2009-2011 Venza, 2006-2010 Avalon, 2007-2010 FJ Cruiser, 2005-2011 Sienna and Sequoia, 2006-2011 Tacoma 4x2 and 4x4, Camry, Highlander, Tundra 4x2 and 4x4, and 2007-2011 Rav4 and 4Runner. The affected vehicles may experience compression of the seat cushion which may damage the seat heater wiring.
Remedy Status
SET will notify owners, and dealers will disconnect the heaters with copper strand heating elements and refund the purchase price of the seat heater accessory, free of charge. The recall is expected to began in January 2015. Owners may contact SET customer service at 1-866-405-4226.
Brake Booster went out right at 160000 miles. ABS, emergency parking light, tire pressure light, and others I'm not sure if went on. Brakes felt very mushy and scary to drive.
While driving, the Brake, ABS, traction light and other light lit up. The car lurched in an odd way. I can hear the oil pressure pump turn on every 5 seconds. Toyota shops told me the master cylinder and booster pump are failing and that the brakes will stop working while driving, causing an accident.
I was driving my car at over 70 mph on a highway, no check engine, no issues, just had oil changed when check hybrid system alert came on with check engine light. I started to change lanes to get to shoulder when my car just died, completely. It died in the middle of the highway merging with another major road, so I was stuck between 2 lanes of 70mph traffic on either side. The time to react to the sudden warning to my car dying was less than 2 minutes. I quickly called 911 to ask for help and was told someone had already reported my breakdown as well because my car had died in a horribly dangerous area. I was very lucky that a state trooper came quickly and blocked off my car until it could be towed for repair. I was told that I need a new Hybrid Battery. The fact that I had no signs of failure before complete shut down makes for a very dangerous driving situation and makes me second guess ever buying a Prius again.
ABS, Slip Indicator and Brake warning lights have appeared on the cars dashboard. DTC fault code C1391 has appeared indicating a failure of the Brake Booster and Brake Booster Pump assemblies per Toyota Customer Support Bulletin (ZJB) No.: POL18-03. Loss of regenerative braking, putting the safety off occupants at risk.
The Master Cylinder started failing while I was driving the car, the car only has 138k miles, the dashboard lit up like a Christmas tree, all the warning lights were on, and when I went to step on the brake, I had to push it all the way to the floor for any braking to happen. I remember being scared for my life because I had almost no brakes which I could've got into a serious accident or been killed had it failed completely. I took the car to the dealer and they diagnosed it with code C139: Abnormal Leak at Accumulator Assembly, and recommended a new Brake Booster with Master Cylinder Assembly and Brake Booster Pump Assembly with Bracket. The car by age was not in Toyota's extended warranty on the parts but mileage-wise it still is, so I was footed with a $4-5k bill to replace both parts.
The abs, brake, and traction control are intermittently on and off recently. I thought that there was a visible leak in the brake fluid. But my mechanic said that there was no feasible leaks found upon inspection. The car has also been inspected in Maryland without any issues. I came across many forums that said that this is a common issue in Prius. My safety was at risk if this is due to internal failure or defect of the product, especially because I drive with my [XXX] almost everyday to take her to daycare. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
VIN: [XXX] Year/Make/Model: 2011 Toyota Prius Mileage: 87,433 Date: 11/4/2025 DESCRIPTION Sudden 80% brake loss. Loss of ABS Brake Light + ABS + Traction Control lights on dash (photo attached). Known failed brake actuator (C1391) — identical to 500+ complaints in PE19-004. Toyota corporate denied coverage (email attached). This is a SAFETY RECALL issue — please reopen investigation. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
ABS Brake pump booster and actuator broke and got me almost into an accident. It's a known issue and it's a safety issue because car can still run but the brake is less sensitive. Please get Toyota to honor the repair.
Toyota issued a Customer Support Program ZJB for extended coverage of the brake booster and actuator assembly (this notice was not sent to the correct address the car was registered to with the dmv in 2019 so I never received the notice for this program) The Toyota program length was for 10 years or 150k miles. My car’s part just failed at 129k which is far below the 150k threshold. Despite being outside the 10 year window I am still under the mileage, the car is in perfect condition and this car is used for work for uber. The malfunction of the Toyota part in my car is a critical safety issue and because it is outside of the program Toyota refused to provide any goodwill assistance
The contact owned a 2011 Toyota Prius. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed in an intersection, a Ford F-150 vehicle crashed into the front driver's side of the vehicle. The contact stated he was pinned between the door and the infotainment system. The airbags failed to deploy. No warning lights were illuminated. The contact was taken to the local hospital by a friend in a private vehicle, and the contact received medical assistance. The contact sustained internal bruising and external bruising and cuts. Additionally, the contact sustained a major injury was on the neck, on the laryngeal prominence area of the neck and on the collar bone. The medical Doctor informed the contact that the major injury could heal in 4 weeks, or in 7-8 months. The contact was also informed that the major injury could become a permanent condition, causing cramps and stiffness depending on the weather. The contact was experiencing trouble sleeping due to the injuries. The vehicle was towed to a local tow lot and was totaled. A Police report was filed. The leasing company the vehicle was purchased from was notified of the failure. The contact related the failure to an unknown air bag recall. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 325,000.
Odometer Fraud. The contact purchased a 2011 Toyota Prius. The contact stated that while attempting to register the vehicle, it was discovered that there was a mileage discrepancy. The vehicle was a dealer sale. At the time of purchase, the mileage was 145,000 and at the time of registration, it was discovered that the mileage was 227,000. The contact stated that while driving at 60 MPH, the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact took the vehicle to Auto Zone and was informed that the catalytic converter had failed and needed to be replaced. The contact was informed that it was not a new failure and that there was a possibility that the dealer may have removed the check engine light prior to the sale.
ABS warning system on dashboard is intermittent. I hear computer noises near the front driver tire. Then the warning light goes out or reappears on dashboard. Issue is the expensive diagnostic fee that may not unearth the cause, and if cause identified the diagnostic fee cannot be applied to the expensive repair. That’s a hard pill to swallow —and not affordable given economy, and I just had all four tires replaced along with a wheel alignment. Also, the yellow tire pressure light now blinks non-stop. (Previously it blinked 3x then stayed on but stopped blinking.) Anyways, Lots of covo about same issue in the 2011 Prius chat room I found after googling “2011 Toyota Prius ABS warning system.” Wondering if software needs updating, or perhaps there’s a systemic mfg defect?
Around 14 months ago (march 2024) I purcheded a replacment battery pack for our 2011 Toyota Prius form NexPower Energy (also going by, project lithium, sodiumhybrid) based out of CA. The battery pack is a lithum pack that replaces the orginal nickel metal hydride pack. In the beginning of June 2025, the car through an battery error and went into limp mode wile my wife was driving, when i go home and plugged in my scanner to check the battery out i noticed that the cells were out of balance and some were becoming very over charged. My fear is that if the cells were continued to be overcharged an thermal runaway event might occure due to BMS not being included with the overall pack.
I' m getting ABS warning light. Dealer confirmed that I need to replace Brake Actuator and Accumulator which costs me over $3K. Dealer refused to cover under warrant though it's a known issues with TOYOTA PRIUS vehicles.
My ability to break unexpectedly stopped working while I was on the highway during morning, rush-hour. I was going 55 mph on the highway at the time and luckily, I was on an uphill incline when they went out, thus allowing me to be able to ‘naturally’ slow down. But had I not been on an incline at that time of the brakes faulting, I would have 100% caused a wreck because I could not break at all. My emergency breaks weren’t even working, which is confusing because I thought that was the whole point of the emergency break, was for if your regular brakes become faulty… But NONE of my brakes worked. Which has created a new fear I didn’t know could happen while driving… Also, all the lights that have to do with the breaking system were on (ABS, Traction control, BREAK lights). And a consistent building up hissing noise under the hood.
Our trac abs and brake lights came on and braking became more difficult but not totally gone. I took it to my mechanic (not Toyota dealer) and he said the codes were going off for the abs hydraulic system and it would be $3000 to fix! This is unacceptable. I feel like my safety is affected but no one else has been hurt YET. I’m trying to be proactive. they first appeared last month. No manufacturer, insurance agent or cop has inspected it. It can be inspected by appt. Please help
ABS actuator and pump failure
Brake warning came on and wouldn’t go off. Followed by continuous beeping and now the brakes are no longer working properly. You have to force the brake all the way to the ground to even come to a rolling stop. The problem first occurred on 3/8/25. The brake actuator seems to be a reoccurring problem that Toyota addressed but is no longer fixing. It is dangerous to drive my vehicle and others have said their brakes have completely failed when this problem arose.
My brakes suddenly stopped responding correctly as I was pulling up to a busy road. My car went part way into traffic and I was nearly hit. After speaking to my mechanic and my local Toyota dealership, I was informed that there was a know issue with the Brake Booster and Hydraulic Accumulator on this vehicle and that Toyota had extended the warranty several times but that it no longer covered my vehicle. They never once acknowledged the safety issue and I was never notified of the risk. I believe the extended warranty was setup to avoid a recall and hide the risk. I firmly believe a recall should be done on these parts and owners should be notified of known safety risks this presents.
There were not any prior problem with my 2011 Toyota Prius' brake but it started making air pumping noises when I brake which makes me very nervous to drive my car. A local mechanic confirmed that the problem is the faulty brake booster assembly and pump. Toyota issued Customer Support Program for this problem but covered only up to 10 years from the first date of use. Although my car has less than 120,000 mileage, I have to pay for this repair and it will cost me close to $2500 at a local repair shop! I want to go to Toyota dealership to fix but their cost is going to be even more! According to online research, many Prius owners have this same problem and have to pay out of their own pockets. This is unacceptable. Toyota should put a recall on this problem and cover the repair cost!!
Showing 1–20 of 25 complaints
The 2011 Toyota Prius has 6 recalls recorded by NHTSA.
NHTSA has received 510 owner-reported complaints for the 2011 Toyota Prius.
The 2011 Toyota Prius received an overall safety rating of 5 out of 5 stars from NHTSA.
The most commonly reported complaint categories for the 2011 Toyota Prius are service brakes (193 reports), exterior lighting (39 reports), air bags (33 reports).
Yes. NHTSA has 6 recalls on record for the 2011 Toyota Prius. Scroll up to review the published recall summaries, consequences, and remedies. To check for unrepaired recalls on your specific vehicle, use your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
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This page summarizes publicly available data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Complaint counts reflect reports submitted to NHTSA by vehicle owners and do not by themselves prove defect severity or vehicle safety. Safety ratings may not be available for all vehicle-years. This site is not affiliated with NHTSA or any vehicle manufacturer. For official information, visit the official NHTSA page for this vehicle.