Car Issues Tracker
Vehicle complaints, recalls & safety data — sourced from NHTSA

2010 Toyota Prius: Complaints, Recalls, and Known Problems

Owners have filed 2,819 safety complaints about the 2010 Toyota Prius with U.S. regulators. Here's what the federal data shows, system by system.

Data: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation · Retrieved July 14, 2026 · Counts change as new reports are filed

2,819
Complaints
10
Recalls
4
Investigations

Complaints for this vehicle report 183 crashes, 13 fires, 65 injuries, 2 deaths.

Key findings
  1. Brakes & stability issues dominate. They appear in 69% of the 2,819 complaints on file — an unusually concentrated failure pattern.
  2. 4 NHTSA defect investigations are associated with this vehicle.

What owners report

Complaints filed with NHTSA name the vehicle system involved. For the 2010 Toyota Prius, brakes & stability issues stand far above everything else.

Complaints by vehicle system
System mentions in 2,819 complaints · a complaint can cite more than one system
Brakes & stability
1,958
Speed control
287
Electrical
192
Engine & cooling
173
Other / unspecified
168
Visibility & lighting
166
Fuel & propulsion
99
Airbags & restraints
95

"There are issues with the brake. Many times the brake pedal goes down to the floor and it losses ability to stop. Apparently there is a common ABS actuator and Brake issues. Toyota will not address the issue"

Owner complaint filed March 2026 · Service Brakes · NHTSA ODI 11727774

"Brakes have failed with a DTC C1391 indicating an accumulator leak. The brake booster pump constantly runs. When the DTC is triggered the brake feel becomes suddenly different as regen braking is lost. Appears to be a very common and expensive repair. Toyota has already had recalls and extended repair program for these parts but they are now expired and not covered."

Owner complaint filed August 2025 · Service Brakes · NHTSA ODI 11679218

When complaints were filed

Complaint filings for the 2010 Toyota Prius over time:

Complaints filed per year — 2010 Toyota Prius
Year the complaint was filed, not the incident year
65
1,468
96
53
106
116
94
132
104
132
58
85
77
73
57
48
46
9
091011121314151617181920212223242526
2026 is a partial year (through July 14, 2026).

Recall history: 10 recalls

10 recalls apply to some or all 2010 Toyota Prius vehicles. Recall repairs are free at any dealer, with no time limit.

Feb 201010V-036
Equipment:Other:Labels

SOUTHEAST TOYOTA IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2005-2011 PASSENGER VEHICLES FOR FAILING TO COMPLY WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 110, "TIRE SELECTION AND RIMS." THESE VEHICLES WERE SOLD WITHOUT THE REQUISITE LOAD CARRYING CAPACITY MODIFICATION LABELS.

Feb 201010V-035
Equipment:Other:Labels

GULF STATES TOYOTA IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2005-2010 VEHICLES FOR FAILING TO COMPLY WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 110, "TIRE SELECTION AND RIMS." THESE VEHICLES WERE SOLD BETWEEN SEPTEMBER 1, 2005 AND JUNE 2, 2008 WITHOUT THE REQUISITE LOAD CARRYING CAPAC…

Feb 201010V-039
Service Brakes, Air:Antilock:Control Unit/Module

TOYOTA IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2010 TOYOTA PRIUS AND LEXUS HS250H PASSENGER VEHICLES. CUSTOMERS HAVE EXPERIENCED INCONSISTENT BRAKE FEEL AFTER ABS ACTUATION DURING SLOW AND STEADY APPLICATION OF THE BRAKES ON ROUGH OR SLICK ROAD SURFACES. STOPPING DISTANCES MAY BE INCREASED COMPARED WITH A C…

Jan 201313V-014
Air Bags:Frontal:Sensor/Control Module-Inactive

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 y…

Jun 201313V-235
Service Brakes

Toyota is recalling certain model year 2010 Prius vehicles manufactured March 31, 2009, through October 9, 2009; and model year 2010 Lexus HS250h vehicles manufactured June 19, 2009, through October 9, 2009. Nitrogen gas from a component of the brake booster pump assembly could leak into the brake f…

Feb 201414V-053
Hybrid Propulsion System: Inverter

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 w…

Nov 201414V-743
Seats:Front Assembly:Seat Heater/Cooler

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 affect…

Jun 201616V-396
Seats:Front Assembly:Seat Heater/Cooler

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 Priu…

Jun 201616V-487
Air Bags:Side/Window

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…

Oct 201818V-684
Hybrid Propulsion System

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.

Does your car have an open recall?

Recall repairs are free at any dealer, with no time limit. Look up your 17-character VIN on the official NHTSA site to see open recalls for your specific vehicle. Check your VIN at NHTSA.gov →

Frequently asked questions

How many complaints does the 2010 Toyota Prius have?

As of July 14, 2026, owners have filed 2,819 complaints about the 2010 Toyota Prius with NHTSA. The most-reported system is brakes & stability.

How many recalls does the 2010 Toyota Prius have?

The 2010 Toyota Prius has 10 NHTSA recalls on file. Recall repairs are free at any dealer.

Methodology & source

All figures come from the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) public APIs: the Office of Defects Investigation complaint database, the recalls database, and NCAP safety ratings, retrieved July 14, 2026.

Complaints are self-reported by consumers and are not verified by NHTSA or by this site. A single complaint may cite multiple vehicle systems, so system mentions can sum to more than the complaint total. Complaint volume is influenced by fleet size, media attention, and recall notices, and is not by itself a measure of defect rates.

This site is not affiliated with NHTSA or any manufacturer. Nothing here is repair, purchase, or legal advice. For your specific vehicle, use the official NHTSA VIN lookup and consult a qualified technician.