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What 516 owners told NHTSA about the 2011 Toyota Prius

These are the actual owner complaints behind this car’s reliability verdict, filed with the federal government, unedited. They’re unverified reports, not confirmed defects: read them as leads for your pre-purchase inspection, not a diagnosis.

All (516)Crash / fire / injury (44)Brakes (270)Electrical system (68)Lights (49)Airbags (46)Engine (46)Speed control (28)Transmission & drivetrain (18)Electronic Stability Control (esc) (16)Visibility & wipers (13)Fuel system (11)

7 of 516 complaints match · Electrical system · crash/fire/injury only · clear filters

Jun 21, 2019Electrical systemFire

WE WERE ON FREEWAY WHEN AN ODD SMELL WAS DETECTED. THERE WERE SEVERAL LARGE TRUCKS IN THE AREA AND WE PASSED OFF THE SMELL TO THE TRUCKS. A COUPLE OF MILES LATER THE PASSENGER SAID, "THE FLOOR IS ON FIRE!" AT THIS POINT, AN ABUNDANCE OF SMOKE APPEARED ABOVE THE DASHBOARD ON THE PASSENGER'S SIDE. WE EXITED THE FREEWAY, FOUND A FIRE EXTINGUISHER AND WERE ABLE TO PUT OUT THE FIRE. THE LOCAL TOYOTA DEALER WAS INFORMED BUT NO ACTION WAS TAKEN. THE INSURANCE COMPANY HAS TOTALED THE VEHICLE. WE ARE AWAITING THE SETTLEMENT CHECK. WE HAVE NO IDEA WHAT STARTED THE FIRE. THERE WERE NO INDICATORS I.E. WARNING LIGHTS/BUZZERS, ETC. PRIOR TO THE FIRE. THE AREA UNDER THE DASHBOARD ON THE PASSENGER'S SIDE IS A CHARRED MASS. THEREIN A LARGE HOLE AT THE TOP OF THE DASH NEAR WHERE THE SPEAKER FOR THAT SIDE IS HOUSED. *BF*JB

NHTSA ODI 11221795

Dec 5, 2018Electrical systemEngineFire

AS I WAS DRIVING DOWN THE FREEWAY MY CAR FILLED WITH SMOKE AND I REALIZED MY ENGINE HAD CAUGHT FIRE, I WAS ABLE TO GET OUT, THE WHOLE FRONT OF MY CAR WAS ENGULFED IN FLAMES IN NO TIME

NHTSA ODI 11156109

Nov 29, 2018Electrical systemElectronic Stability Control (esc)BrakesCrash

DRIVING VEHICLE DOWN HIGHWAY, TAPPED BRAKES BUT BRAKES DID NOT WORK, ALL THE LIGHTS ON MY DASH LIT UP. I LOST TRACTION IN BRAKES CAUSING VEHICLE TO LOSE CONTROL.

NHTSA ODI 11154783

Oct 24, 2018Electrical systemAirbagsHybrid Propulsion SystemCrash1 injury

TL* THE CONTACT OWNED A 2011 TOYOTA PRIUS. WHILE DRIVING 40 MPH, THE VEHICLE LOST POWER WITHOUT WARNING. AS A RESULT, THE CONTACT CRASHED INTO A TREE AND A CEMENT BARRIER. THE AIR BAG FAILED TO DEPLOY. THE VEHICLE WAS RESTARTED AND WAS ABLE TO BE DRIVEN TO THE CONTACT'S RESIDENCE. THE CONTACT SUSTAINED BACK, NECK, AND CHEST INJURIES THAT DID NOT REQUIRE MEDICAL ATTENTION. A POLICE REPORT WAS NOT FILED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO A DEALER OR INDEPENDENT MECHANIC FOR DIAGNOSTIC TESTING. THE VEHICLE WAS LATER DEEMED DESTROYED. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VIN WAS INCLUDED IN NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 18V684000 (HYBRID PROPULSION SYSTEM). THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE AND PROVIDED A CASE NUMBER. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 72,000.

NHTSA ODI 11142471

Jul 16, 2015Electrical systemAirbagsBrakesCrash

MY WIFE WAS DRIVING OUR 2011 PRIUS DURING STOP AND GO TRAFFIC. SHE SAID THE CAR JUST TOOK OFF ON HER ON IT'S OWN SHE TRIED TO BRAKE BUT IT WOULDN'T STOP. IT CRASHED INTO THE MOTORHOME THAT I WAS DRIVING. THE AIR BAGS NEVER DEPLOYED. THE CAR WAS TOTALED DUE TO THE EXTENSIVE DAMAGE.

NHTSA ODI 10734475

Jul 4, 2015Electrical systemLightsFire

VIN # [XXX] TOYOTA PRIUS 2011, DRIVING ON INTERSTATE 80 EAST, AT 65 MPH, SMOKE CAME OUT OF THE HOOD, HEADLIGHT AND WIRE SMELLED AND BURNED, CAR WAS ALMOST IN FIRE. SHUT OFF CAR AND HEADLIGHT AND SMOKE STOP. BOTH HEADLIGHT ARE DAMAGE DUE TO FIRE. KEPT BOTH HEAD LIGHT OFF, GOT HOME AND DID NOT USE THE CAR FOR A FEW MONTHS. CAR IS STILL UNDER WARRANTY BUT DEALER REFUSE TO REPAIR THE PROBLEM, TELLING ME I HAVE USE AN AFTERMARKET BULB. THE BULB THAT CAUSE THE PROBLEM WAS THE BULB THAT CAME WITH THE CAR AS NEW. I TRIED TO TAPE UP THE BURNED WIRE TO GET THE CAR SAFETY HOME. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

NHTSA ODI 10731939

Jun 25, 2014Electrical systemFire

OWNER OF VEHICLE DRIVING TO WORK WHEN THEY OBSERVED A RED GLOW IN FRONT OF THEM. THE OWNER THEN OBSERVED SMOKE FROM THE FRONT. THE OWNER PULLED OFF ROADWAY AND MORE SMOKE DEVELOPED. THE VEHICLE THEN CAUGHT ON FIRE. THE FIRE CONSUMED THE PASSENGER COMPARTMENT. A FIRE SCENE EXAMINATION WAS PERFORMED AND THE ORIGIN WAS DETERMINED TO BE IN THE PASSENGER SIDE DASH AREA WHERE CIRCUIT BOARDS AND WIRING BUNDLES WERE LOCATED. THE FIRE RESULTED IN A TOTAL LOSS OF THE VEHICLE. *TR

NHTSA ODI 10605946

Working with the data? Download all 516 complaints as CSV · fetched from NHTSA July 10, 2026

How to use these: a complaint is one owner’s report, filed voluntarily and published unverified. Patterns matter more than any single story. If several owners describe the same failure at similar mileage, put that system at the top of your pre-purchase inspection list. Back to the full 2011 Toyota Prius verdict →