2012 Toyota Prius C Problems, Complaints & Recalls
- Compared with other Prius C years
- Far more complaints than other years 1st of 8 for complaints
- Safety recalls
- None on file
- NHTSA crash rating
- Not rated
Owners have filed 64 complaints with NHTSA about the 2012 Toyota Prius C. That is the most of any Prius C model year in the database (8 years). The most reported problem area is service brakes (26 complaints, 41%), typically at around 25,000 miles. Complaints mention 9 crashes, 1 fire, 9 injuries. There are no safety recalls on file for this model year. NHTSA has opened 2 defect investigations involving it.
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- 64owner complaints
- 0safety recalls
- 2NHTSA investigations
- 9complaints mentioning a crash
Complaints are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume.
Most common 2012 Toyota Prius C problems
Complaints grouped by the part of the car owners reported, with the median mileage when the problem happened.
| Problem area | Complaints | Share | Median miles | Owners mention most | Typical repair cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Service Brakes | 26 | 41% | 25,000 | — | — |
| Electrical System | 15 | 23% | 100,250 | — | — |
| Air Bags | 8 | 13% | 34,000 | — | — |
| Unknown or Other | 8 | 13% | 74,200 | — | — |
| Engine | 5 | 8% | 88,000 | — | — |
| Electronic Stability Control (esc) | 4 | 6% | 70,500 | — | — |
| Power Train | 4 | 6% | 118,000 | — | — |
| Seat Belts | 4 | 6% | 35,781 | — | — |
| Exterior Lighting | 3 | 5% | 92,000 | — | — |
| Seats | 3 | 5% | 37,000 | — | — |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 3 | 5% | 65,000 | — | — |
| Forward Collision Avoidance | 2 | 3% | — | — | — |
| Fuel/propulsion System | 2 | 3% | 54,000 | — | — |
| Steering | 1 | 2% | 92,400 | — | — |
| Structure | 1 | 2% | 5,000 | — | — |
| Visibility | 1 | 2% | 22,000 | — | — |
| Visibility/wiper | 1 | 2% | 36,000 | — | — |
One complaint can list several problem areas, so shares can add up to more than 100%.
Complaints by year received
2012 Toyota Prius C recalls (0)
No safety recalls are on file for the 2012 Toyota Prius C.
To see whether a specific car still has an open recall, enter its VIN on NHTSA's official recall lookup. You can also decode a VIN here.
NHTSA defect investigations
- Pedestrian alert sounds (DP22005) — opened Jan 27, 2023, closed Aug 7, 2023, led to recall 22V063000.
- Drivability, Service brake failure (DP13002) — opened Mar 18, 2013, closed Jul 25, 2014.
Recent owner reports
Short excerpts of the latest complaints filed with NHTSA, with personal details removed. Full reports can be searched on NHTSA.gov.
The contact owned a 2012 Toyota Prius C. The contact stated that while attempting to park, the vehicle rapidly accelerated upon tapping the brake pedal and crashed into a brick storefront without warning. The air bags failed to deploy upon impact. A bystander inside the store assisted the contact…
The contact owns a 2012 Toyota Prius C. The contact stated that while driving 20 MPH, the message "Check Hybrid Status - Stop vehicle in Safe Place Immediately" was displayed. There were several warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed with an…
While driving 65 mph on the expressway on January 12th, 2026 under cruise control, I tapped my brakes to slow down. My brake warning light came on, along with the ABS warning light, and the anti-swerve warning light. Cruise control no longer worked, and my brakes were noticeably hard to apply. I…
Brakes went soft with little braking power. Traced the fault code to a faulty braking actuator; toyota says this is past the coverage date for the recall.
I own a 2012 Toyota Prius C with approximately 156,578 miles. The vehicle has been diagnosed with C1391 â Abnormal Leak in Accumulator, which causes the brake actuator to lose hydraulic pressure. This results in frequent buzzing from the actuator pump, illuminated warning lights (BRAKE, ABS…
Other Toyota Prius C years
| Year | Complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 Prius C | 0 | 1 |
| 2018 Prius C | 6 | 2 |
| 2017 Prius C | 2 | 1 |
| 2016 Prius C | 12 | 0 |
| 2015 Prius C | 17 | 1 |
| 2014 Prius C | 33 | 0 |
| 2013 Prius C | 57 | 0 |
| 2012 | 64 | 0 |
See all Toyota Prius C problems by year, every Toyota model, or the Toyota VIN decoder.
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Frequently asked questions
What are the most common problems with the 2012 Toyota Prius C?
Owners most often report service brakes, electrical system, air bags problems. The top one, service brakes, accounts for 26 complaints.
Was there a recall on the 2012 Toyota Prius C?
No safety recalls are on file for this model year.
Was the 2012 Toyota Prius C a good year?
Complaint data can't fully answer that, because counts aren't adjusted for sales. Compared with other Prius C model years, the 2012 has far more complaints than most years. Always get a pre-purchase inspection and check the VIN for open recalls.