2010 Toyota Prius problems
Owners have filed 3,482 complaints about the 2010 Toyota Prius with NHTSA. Service brakes, hydraulic account for 25.6% of them — the clear leader, ahead of service brakes at 16.9%.
Complaints3,482
Crashes255
Fires22
Injuries111
Deaths2
What owners report breaking
Service brakes, hydraulic 25.6% · 892
Service brakes 16.9% · 590
Service brakes, electric 14.4% · 502
Vehicle speed control 8.2% · 287
Electrical system 5.6% · 194
Exterior lighting 4.3% · 149
Engine 4.0% · 140
Unknown or other 3.1% · 108
Severity
Of those complaints, 255 describe a crash, 22 describe a fire, 111 report an injury and 2 report a death.
Reading the numbers
Across the 17 model years of the Toyota Prius in this data, 2010 draws the most complaints of any of them.
Filings have fallen off, 145 in the last three years against 271 in the three before. That is normal as a generation leaves the road.
The median odometer reading at the time of complaint was 7,200 miles.
In owners' own words
The contact owns a 2010 Toyota Prius. While driving approximately 50 to 55 mph on normal road conditions pressure was applied to the brake pedal, followed by no power response for a second. The failure occurred intermittently. In addition, when after a complete stop the vehicle began shaking excessively. The authorized dealer and manufacturer have been notified of the malfunctions. The failure mileage was 400. Service brakes, hydraulic · reported at 400 miles
2010 Prius. Car lurches everyday when braking at stop signs. Car drifts forward and does not immediately respond to brake pedal being pushed down. Often happens in the middle of the stop. Brakes will start working but then "slip" in the middle at very low speeds. Doubt the anti-lock brake system could be the problem as speed are very low. Has been occurring since the car was purchase in the summer of 2009. Service brakes, hydraulic · reported at 4,233 miles
When traveling over a pothole or bump in the road during brake application of my 2010 Prius, I sometimes lose braking power and the car will lunge forward or seem to accelerate. It's scary but thankfully I've been far enough away from the car in front of me that I haven't hit it. I didn't know whether to report this until I heard of the complaints that you were receiving and realized that it was a major problem. Service brakes, hydraulic · reported at 3,000 miles
Verbatim from NHTSA filings. Complaints are unverified owner reports.
Safety recalls
Checking NHTSA for open recalls…