2010 Toyota Prius Engine Problems
Owners have filed 140 complaints with NHTSA about engine problems on the 2010 Toyota Prius, 5% of all complaints for this model year. Half of the reports with a mileage happened before 101,700 miles. The words owners use most often: “check hybrid” (17% of reports).
- 140engine complaints
- 101,700median miles at failure
- 3mention a crash
- 1mention an injury
- 0related recalls
- $6,300typical repair cost reported by owners
- 45%of reports with a speed happened at 50+ mph
What owners describe
Phrases that appear unusually often in these complaints compared with complaints about other cars.
- Check hybrid: mentioned in 24 of 140 complaints (17%)
- Oil consumption: mentioned in 24 of 140 complaints (17%)
- Software update: mentioned in 7 of 140 complaints (5%)
- Head gasket: mentioned in 7 of 140 complaints (5%)
How much does it cost to fix?
Owners who wrote down what they paid or were quoted put the typical engine repair on the 2010 Toyota Prius at $6,300, and half of them between $2,700 and $7,950.
Based on 13 NHTSA complaints about this problem alone that state a repair bill or quote (2013–2022), converted to 2026 dollars with the U.S. consumer price index. These are owners' own figures, not a quote: they include dealer quotes, and owners who file complaints often faced larger repairs, so they can run higher than typical shop prices. Prices vary by shop, region and warranty coverage. How we calculate this.
At what mileage do engine problems happen?
Based on 114 complaints that reported the odometer reading.
How serious are the reports?
Of 140 complaints, 3 mention a crash, 4 a fire, 1 an injury.
Toyota Prius engine complaints by model year
| Model year | Engine complaints | Share of that year | Median miles |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 Prius | 2 | 8% | — |
| 2021 Prius | 2 | 33% | 5,200 |
| 2020 Prius | 1 | 7% | — |
| 2019 Prius | 6 | 20% | 61 |
| 2018 Prius | 3 | 8% | 49,141 |
| 2017 Prius | 12 | 13% | 19,700 |
| 2016 Prius | 17 | 11% | 40,100 |
| 2015 Prius | 8 | 5% | 10,000 |
| 2014 Prius | 17 | 8% | 63,000 |
| 2013 Prius | 37 | 9% | 76,000 |
| 2012 Prius | 31 | 7% | 77,000 |
| 2011 Prius | 47 | 9% | 114,740 |
| 2010 Prius | 140 | 5% | 101,700 |
| 2009 Prius | 19 | 4% | 80,500 |
| 2008 Prius | 49 | 3% | 103,320 |
| 2007 Prius | 37 | 2% | 112,000 |
| 2006 Prius | 25 | 2% | 131,000 |
| 2005 Prius | 15 | 1% | 120,000 |
| 2004 Prius | 9 | 1% | 105,675 |
| 2001 Prius | 2 | 1% | 160,000 |
When owners reported it
Related recalls (0)
No safety recall lists engine for the 2010 Toyota Prius. A pattern of complaints does not always lead to a recall.
What owners report
Short excerpts of recent complaints, with personal details removed. Full reports are on NHTSA.gov.
I own a 2010 Toyota Prius hybrid 4 door sedan. I am the second owner of the vehicle. I purchased it in 2018 from a used car dealer. The vehicle ran well up until 2022 where a âcheck hybrid warning would appear on the dashboard along with a yellow triangle and service engine light would come on…
At around 1000,000 miles my Toyota Prius started burning oil like crazy. The dealer did an oil consumption test and confirmed the problem. I had to have my engine rebuilt because the rings were not seating properly. I had to bear all costs even though this is clearly a manufacturing default.
The Gas Engine had internal destruction Cylinder broke and car became unusable at 158K miles despite being a Hybrid with al Toyota maintenance at Al hendrickson toyota of Coconut Creek, FL. This is Unacceptable and Demonstrate Internal Combustion Engine Failure that fortunately occurred near my…
Frequently asked questions
Do all 2010 Toyota Priuss have engine problems?
No. NHTSA has 140 owner complaints about engine for the 2010 Toyota Prius (5% of the 2,823 complaints for this model year). Complaint data shows that the problem is reported, not how many of all cars sold are affected.
Was there a recall on the 2010 Toyota Prius engine?
No recall currently lists engine for this vehicle.
At what mileage do engine problems start?
The median reported mileage is 101,700 miles: half of the reports with a mileage came before that.
How much does it cost to fix engine problems on the 2010 Toyota Prius?
Owners report a typical cost of $6,300 (half paid between $2,700 and $7,950), from 13 complaints that state a repair bill or quote, in 2026 dollars.
What do owners say about engine problems on the 2010 Toyota Prius?
The most frequent phrase is “check hybrid”, in 24 of 140 complaints, followed by “oil consumption” (24).
Other 2010 Toyota Prius problems
See all 2010 Toyota Prius problems or engine problems across all Prius years.