2012 Toyota Prius Service Brakes Problems

NHTSA component category: SERVICE BRAKES · data through 07/14/2026

180Service Brakes complaints

43%Of all 419 complaints

#1Most-reported category

Source: U.S. NHTSA complaint data. Complaints are unverified reports from vehicle owners — a complaint is not a confirmed defect.

How service brakes ranks on this vehicle

SERVICE BRAKES180 · 43%

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM49 · 11.7%

EXTERIOR LIGHTING36 · 8.6%

ENGINE31 · 7.4%

Unspecified / other31 · 7.4%

Share of the 419 complaints citing each category; one complaint can cite several. Full breakdown on the 2012 Toyota Prius overview page.

What owners report

“THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 TOYOTA PRIUS. WHILE DEPRESSING THE BRAKE PEDAL, IT MADE AN ABNORMAL NOISE. THE DEALER DIAGNOSED THAT THE BRAKE ACTUATOR WAS…”NHTSA complaint 10838650 — filed 02/26/2016

“VEHICLE HAD LITTLE OR NO BRAKING POWER IN A PANIC STOP SITUATION. THIS WAS LIKELY CAUSE BY A DELAY SWITCHING FROM REGENERATIVE BRAKING TO MECHANICAL…”NHTSA complaint 10749388 — filed 08/18/2015

“I OWN A 2012 PRIUS WITH THE TECHNOLOGY PACKAGE, INCLUDING RADAR ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL. I BELIEVE THESE SAME RADAR SENSORS ARE ALSO USED TO DETECT…”NHTSA complaint 10682017 — filed 02/08/2015

Excerpts are shortened and scrubbed of personal details; they are individual, unverified reports.

Service Brakes complaints by year filed

Frequently asked questions

Does the 2012 Toyota Prius have service brakes problems?

Service Brakes is the most-reported problem area on the 2012 Toyota Prius: 180 of 419 complaints on file (43%). Complaints are unverified owner reports, not confirmed defects.

How many complaints does the 2012 Toyota Prius have in total?

419 complaints were on file with NHTSA as of 07/14/2026. Across all categories, 45 involved a crash, 2 involved a fire, 31 reported injuries, and none reported deaths.

What does NHTSA's service brakes category include?

NHTSA assigns each complaint to standard component categories; this page reports the SERVICE BRAKES category exactly as NHTSA defines and records it.

About this data — Complaint figures on this page are consumer reports submitted to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), a U.S. government agency. NHTSA does not verify individual complaints; a complaint is not proof that a defect exists, and counts reflect what owners chose to report, not confirmed failure rates. Recall information comes from official NHTSA safety recall campaigns; recall repairs are free at authorized dealers. Always check your specific vehicle by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. CarModelProblems.com is an independent site and is not affiliated with NHTSA or any vehicle manufacturer. Data through 07/14/2026.