2012 Toyota Prius Powertrain & Transmission Problems

I am writing to bring attention to a critical safety issue affecting the 2012 Toyota Prius and other Toyota models equipped with the brake booster and actuator system. These components are failing at alarming rates, leaving vehicles with no functional brakes, ABS, or traction control. Additionally, this failure compromises the hybrid system due to the regenerative braking no longer working, potentially causing further damage to hybrid components and resulting in repairs costing several thousand dollars. Toyota issued Customer Support Program ZJB, which covered these issues for a limited period. This program was in effect from August 31, 2021, with no mileage or year restrictions, but offered secondary coverage for up to 10 years or 150,000 miles from the vehicle’s first use. Unfortunately, my vehicle, with approximately 130,000 miles and 12 years of age, was denied coverage when brought to a dealer after the program had ended. Despite the brake booster and actuator failing, the dealership did not advise me not to drive the vehicle, further emphasizing the gravity of this oversight. This is a significant safety hazard, as vehicles with these failures lack the ability to stop effectively, risking lives on the road. Furthermore, this problem is not isolated to my Prius; it affects thousands of Toyota vehicles equipped with these components. The estimated repair cost exceeds $3,000, an undue burden on owners for an issue that stems from defective manufacturing. I firmly believe Toyota’s decision to address this problem through a limited Customer Support Program, rather than a full recall, is inadequate and irresponsible. This issue meets the criteria for a safety recall and should be treated as such by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). I respectfully urge the NHTSA to investigate this matter further asap/mandate a recall for all affected vehicles. This is a big safety issue. [XXX] [XXX] [XXX] [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

The contact owns a 2012 Toyota Prius. The contact noticed that there was a significant amount of water on the floorboards from the windshield whenever it rained heavily. Additionally, the contact stated while at a traffic sign on a hill, the vehicle would roll backwards while in drive when she took her foot off the accelerator. The contact did not notice any warning lights. The contact also noticed that while parking the vehicle, whenever the PARK button on the dashboard was not depressed while the vehicle was running, the vehicle would roll forward. The contact took the vehicle to the local dealer, where it was not diagnosed and was not yet repaired. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 80,000.

I went into Toyota of Fort Walton Beach, FL to remedy a recall (NHTSA Recall Number 18V684). She said that this recall is not on their list and thus would do nothing. I want this recall repaired as presently there is a safety risk. There are phrases in this recall of "1 unrepaired recall" and "Recall incomplete".

I WAS DRIVING MY 2012 PRIUS C AND I'M MIDDLE OF TRAFFIC MY CAR LOST ITS POWER, THANKFULLY I WAS ABLE TO PARK THE CAR. I GOT IT TOWED TO THE DEALERSHIP AND THEY TOLD ME IT'S THE INVERTER. I ADVISED THAT I HAD READ ON RECALLS ON THEM THEY SAID MY CAR DIDN'T HAVE A RECALL THEY ARE WANTING ME TO PAY 4K FOR A NEW INVERTER ( WHICH I KNOW IT'S THE SAME ISSUE OTHER 2012 PRIUS C HAVE HAD ISSUES TOO). IT'S UPSETTING THAT NO INVESTIGATION IS TAKING PLACE JUST SORRY AND OHH BY THE WAY THE EMPLOYEE AT THE DEALERSHIP HANDLING MY CASE OFFERED ME $200 FOR MY CAR SAID I WOULD NOT GET MORE THAN $400 IF I TRIED SELLING IT LIKE THAT. VERY UNPROFESSIONAL AND CAN'T EVEN TRUST MY OWN DEALERSHIP.

VEHICLE WAS IN MOTION TRAVELING ABOUT 50 MPH WHEN AN EFFORT WAS MADE TO PASS ANOTHER VEHICLE ON A 2 LANE ROAD, THE VEHICLE LOST POWER WHILE WE WERE PASSING, WE BARELY GOT BACK INTO OUR LANE AND JUST BARELY AVOIDED A HEAD ON COLLISION. THEN THE VEHICLE SLOWED TO ABOUT 15 MPH AND LIMPED TO A STOP A MILE LATER. WE COULD HAVE DIED.

TRANSAXLE IS FAILING AFTER 100K MILES OF NORMAL DRIVING AND MAINTENANCE. SPOKE WITH BOTH A TOYOTA DEALER AND TRANSMISSION SHOP WHO SAID THE CVT FAILURE ON THIS MODEL YEAR AND THE FOLLOWING SEVERAL IS AN EXTREMELY COMMON OCCURRENCE. THIS IS A $5000+ REPAIR FAIRLY EARLY IN THE LIFE OF THE VEHICLE. THE TRANSMISSION SHOP SAID THIS WAS DUE TO POOR INITIAL DESIGN.

WHEN I WAS MAKING A RIGHT TURN I HEARD A LOUD "BOOM" SOUND AND HAD TO GRAB MY STEERING WHEEL HARD SO I WOULDNT DRIFT ONTO THE OTHER LANE BECAUSE MY CAR WAS SHAKING AND SKIDDING THEN RIGHT AFTER MY CAR EMERGENCY DASH LIGHTS CAME ON AND TOLD ME SYSTEM FAILURE PARK YOUR CAR IMMIDENTLY KEEP IN MIND WHILE THIS WAS HAPPENING MY CAR ONLY WENT UP TO TWENTY MILES PER HOUR WITH MY CAR MAKING A LOUD SOUND AS IF I WAS GOING 80 MPH IT SOUNDED LIKE I WAS SPEEDING WHEN I WAS ONLY GOING ABOUT TWENTY MILES PER HOUR.

WHEN I DRIVE OVER ANY TYPE OF BUMP, (POTHOLE, SPEED BUMP, ETC) AND MY FOOT IS ON THE BRAKE....THE CAR WILL SUDDENLY SPEED-UP INSTEAD OF SLOW DOWN. VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION AND IT HAPPENS EVERY TIME.

SOON AFTER GETTING A RECALL SOFTWARE UPDATE FOR THE HYBRID SYSTEM, THE CAR DISPLAYED HYBRID SYSTEM CHECK MESSAGE AND LOST POWER. CAR HAD TO BE TOWED. CREATED AN EXTREMELY DANGEROUS SITUATION DUE TO NATURE OF PROBLEM WHILE DRIVING ON THE ROAD AND HAD TO PULL OVER RIGHT AWAY.

I PULLED INTO MY DRIVEWAY AND PRESSED THE STOP BUTTON TO PUT THE CAR IN PARK AND SHUT OFF THE ENGINE. I GOT OUT OF THE CAR AND LEFT THE DRIVER'S DOOR OPEN. I WALKED TO THE MAILBOX TO GET THE MAIL AND HEARD A CRASH AS THE CAR DROVE OFF AND HIT A TREE AND LANDSCAPE WALL.

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

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.

MY CAR IS BURNING EXCESSIVE OIL

WAS TRYING TO ACCELERATE THE VEHICLE HAD NO POWER , WHILE DRIVING ON THE STREET, THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WAS ON.

VEHICLE STABILITY CONTROL, ANTI-LOCK BRAKE, AND TRACTION CONTROL LIGHTS INTERMITTENTLY TURN OFF. A FEW TIMES IT SHUT DOWN THE HYBRID SYSTEM AND TELL ME TO STOP . NOW ALL THOSE LIGHTS ARE ALL ON AND I AM DRIVING WITHOUT VSS, ABS AND TRACTION CONTROL. BRAKING IS GETTING HARDER. I TOOK IT TO THE DEALER AND THEY TOLD ME THE COST IS $3500. I DID SOME RESEARCH AND FOUND OUT THAT THIS IS A KNOWN PRIUS PROBLEM PROBLEM

TOOK IN CAR FOR OIL CHANGE /TIRE ROTATION , A SOFTWARE UPDATE WAS PERFORMED WITHOUT MY AUTHORIZATION FROM TOYOTA ON TO MY PRIUS V , CAR WENT FROM GETTING 40 MPG HIGHWAY TO 32-33 MPG HIGHWAY . CITY MPG DROPPED FROM 41 MPG TO 36-37MPG . DEALER CLAIMS CAR HAS WRONG TIRES WHICH I AGREE, EXCEPT THOSE TIRES WERE THE SAME TIRES ON THE CAR BEFORE AND AFTER THE SOFTWARE UPDATE. CALCULATED THE GAS MILEAGE MYSELF BEFORE THE RECALL AND WAS PRETTY CLOSE TO WHAT THE CAR'S COMPUTER SAID TI WAS , CALCULATED THE GAS MILEAGE AFTER THE SOFTWARE UPDATE WAS DONE AND IT CAME VERY CLOSE TO WHAT THE COMPUTER SAID.

I OWNED THIS VEHICLE SINCE BRAND NEW. IT HAD HAPPENED MORE THAN A DOZEN TIMES. WHEN GOING OVER BUMPS OR UNEVEN SURFACES, WITH THE SAME PRESSURE APPLIED TO THE BREAK, THE 2012 PRIVUS FAILED TO STOP AND LURCHED SEVERAL FEET BEFORE STOPPING. WE HAD AN INCIDENT THAT WE ALMOST RAN INTO PEDESTRIAN YESTERDAY WHEN THIS ISSUE OCCURS. THIS IS VERY CONCERNED TO MY FAMILY. WE BOUGHT THIS VEHICAL BACK TO THE DEALER SHIP WHERE WE PURCHSED IT.(EXPRESSWAY DORCHESTER TOYOTA IN MASSCHUSETTES) THEY SAID THEY COULD NOT FIX IT BECAUSE THEY COULD NOT REPRODUCED AT THE DEALSHIP. THE SERVICE OF MANAGER CLAIMED THIS IS WORKING AS DESIGNED FROM THE (TRACKING CONTROL). I FEEL THIS IS A FALSE STATEMENT, THIS DOES NOT HAPPENED TO MY OTHER CARS THAT HAS TRACTION CONTROL. TOYOTA SHOULD REALLY STARTING FIXING IT BEFORE SOMEONE GETS KILLED! *TR

I RECEIVED THE WARNING, PLEASE CHECK HYBRID SYSTEM. AFTER CHECKING THE DTC THE FOLLOWING CODE APPEARED ON THE COMPUTER: P0A08:DC/DC CONVERTER CIRCUIT STATUS WHICH INDICATES AN INVERTER PROBLEM. LOOKING AT THE RECALL WEBSITE USING VIN NUMBER, SHOWED NO RECALL CONCERNING THIS. THE PROBLEM HAPPENED MANY TIMES WHILE DRIVING ON A CITY OR A HIGHWAY

AFTER TOYOTA POWER MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE RECALL INSTALLED "POWER MANAGEMENT UPGRADE" SOFTWARE IN MY CAR I IMMEDIATELY EXPERIENCED SERIOUS PROBLEMS WITH MY IGNITION /START OF HYBRID/GASOLINE ENGINE. AFTER PRESSING IGNITION, I HAD TO WAIT 15 TO 20 MINUTES AND PRESS START BUTTON ON/OFF REPEATEDLY UNTIL THE GASOLINE ENGINE IGNITE BUT HYBRID FAILED TO START. IT IS NOT NORMAL BECAUSE A PRIUS HYBRID ENGINE STARTS FIRST NOT THE GASOLINE ENGINE. TOYOTA HAS DISABLED SOME IMPORTANT FUNCTIONS IN ITS POWER MANAGEMENT RECALL SOFTWARE UPDATE THAT AFFECTS THE HYBRID ENGINE PERFORMANCE AND FAILURE TO START. I DRIVE MY PRIUS 3-4 TIMES A MONTH AND I DID NOT HAVE ANY PROBLEM BEFORE THE RECALL SOFTWARE UPGRADE BECAUSE PRIUS OWNERS MANUAL CLEARLY SAYS THAT THE BATTERY WITH BE DISCONNECTED BY BATTERY SAVING FUNCTION WHEN YOUR CAR IS PARKED FOR LONG TIME, SEVERAL DAYS, WEEKS. IN FACT, WHEN YOUR CAR IS PARKED FOR JUST DAYS, TOYOTA POWER MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE (RECALL) IS DRAINING THE CAR BATTERY AND RECONFIGURING THE RELAYS TO POWER UP THE GASOLINE ENGINE. TOYOTA OWNERS MANUAL CLEARLY STATES THAT WHEN YOU ARE PARKED, "POWER MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE DISCONNECTS THE AUXILIARY BATTERY FROM THE HYBRID SYSTEM." HOWEVER, AFTER THE RECALL, NOT ONLY AUXILIARY BATTERY IS NOT DISCONNECTED BUT THERE ARE LOTS OF "ACTIVITY" IN HYBRID ENGINE THAT DRAINS THE BATTERIES. I CALLED THE TOYOTA SERVICE AND THEY NOW SAY YOU HAVE TO KEEP THE CAR ON A CHARGER ALL THE TIME WHEN PARKED FOR SEVERAL DAYS. OF COURSE , IT IS A HUGE SAFETY PROBLEM TO KEEP THE CAR ON A CHARGER ALL THE TIME WHEN PARKED FOR DAYS BECAUSE THE BATTERY IS HOUSED IN THE CABIN AND THE VENTILATION DOES NOT EXIST UNLESS YOU PARK YOUR CAR OUTDOORS. AT THE SAME TIME TOYOTA RECOMMENDS KEEPING THE CAR ON A CHARGER , IT ALSO WARNS OF EXPLOSION CAUSED BY CHARGING THE BATTERIES IN A GARAGE.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 TOYOTA PRIUS. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE TRAVELING 45 MPH, THE VEHICLE ACCELERATED WITHOUT WARNING. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE JERKED AND MADE A LOUD NOISE. THE VEHICLE RESUMED TO ITS NORMAL ACCELERATION AFTER THE BRAKES WERE APPLIED. THE FAILURE OCCURRED ON THREE OCCASIONS. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 22,000. THE CONSUMER STATED WHEN SHE APPLIED THE BRAKE LIGHTLY, THE ENGINE REVVED UP AND THE VEHICLE DID NOT SLOW DOWN. THE CONSUMER HAS SINCE SOLD THE VEHICLE. UPDATED 09/23/14