The 2011 Toyota Prius has 6 NHTSA recall campaigns affecting an estimated 2,002,005 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 662 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the service brakes. Last updated July 5, 2026.
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.
Consequence
If the hybrid system shuts down unexpectedly, it can increase the risk of a crash.
Remedy
Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will update the software for the motor/generator control electronic control unit (ECU) and the hybrid control ECU as necessary, free of charge. The recall began January 22, 2019. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-888-270-9371. Toyota's number for this recall is…
AIR BAGS16V4870002016-06-30482,002 affected
Defect
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 the passenger…
Consequence
If either portion of the curtain shield air bag inflator ejects into the passenger cabin, there is an increased risk of injury to vehicle occupants.
Remedy
Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will install retention brackets to the curtain shield air bags, free of charge. The recall began on October 17, 2016. Owners may contact Toyota Customer Service Department at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's number for this recall is Toyota G0U, and Lexus GLJ.
SEATS16V3960002016-06-027,749 affected
Defect
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 Prius, 1988-1990 and…
Consequence
If damaged, the copper strand heating element may short circuit, increasing the risk of a fire.
Remedy
SET will notify owners, and dealers will disconnect the seat heaters, free of charge, and refund the purchase price of the seat heater accessory. The recall began on July 14, 2016. Owners may contact SET customer service at 1-866-405-4226. SET number for this recall is SET16B.
SEATS14V7430002014-11-193,233 affected
Defect
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 affected vehicles may…
Consequence
Damage to the seat heater wiring could cause the wires to short, increasing the risk of the seat burning and causing personal injury to the occupant.
Remedy
SET will notify owners, and dealers will disconnect the heaters with copper strand heating elements and refund the purchase price of the seat heater accessory, free of charge. The recall is expected to began in January 2015. Owners may contact SET customer service at 1-866-405-4226.
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 warning lamps…
Consequence
The vehicle may enter a fail-safe/limp-home mode that limits the drivability of the vehicle. The hybrid system could also shut down completely resulting in a vehicle stall, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy
Toyota will notify owners and dealers will update the software for both the motor/generator control electronic control unit (ECU) and the hybrid control ECU, free of charge. If an owner experiences a failure of the inverter before the vehicle receives updated software, the dealer will repair or replace the inverter…
SEATS13V0140002013-01-163,235 affected
Defect
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 year Corolla,…
Consequence
If the front passenger seat occupant sensing system is out of calibration, the front passenger airbags may not deploy or they may deploy inappropriately for the passenger's size and position. This could increase the risk of personal injury during the event of a vehicle crash necessitating airbag deployment.
Remedy
Southeast Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will test the sensitivity of the occupant detection sensors, and recalibrate them as necessary. The recall began on March 21, 2013. Owners may contact Southeast Toyota at 1-800-301-6859.
Complaints by component
SERVICE BRAKES
259
16crashes4injuries
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
61
3crashes4fires1injuries
EXTERIOR LIGHTING
48
1fires
ENGINE
46
1crashes2fires
AIR BAGS
45
18crashes12injuries
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
28
1crashes1injuries
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
27
3crashes
POWER TRAIN
18
ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC)
16
1crashes
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
11
Total complaints662
What owners report
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal
information removed.
“The abs actuator (brake booster) went out suddenly. It is 100% available for inspection. It is being towed to m&m auto repair in gaston sc. I was not sure if the car was going to stop when I was trying to figure out what was wrong. The car was acting like it wasn't going to stop until a few…”
“There is a known problem with the brake booster and skid control that was a part of an customer support extended recall program. Our prius has very low miles (less that 60,000) so the issue didn't trigger for us until recently. Unfortunately, we are out of the extended recall program of 10 years…”
“2011 prius. 80k miles. Brake booster buzz coming on every 15 seconds now. Abs, traction and brake lights on. I’ve heard of many prius owners with the same issue. I also have another prius with the same issue at 120k miles. Brake booster accumulator codes popping up with 80k miles. It is a safety…”
“2011 prius. 80k miles. Brake booster buzz coming on every 15 seconds now. Abs, traction and brake lights on. I’ve heard of many prius owners with the same issue. I also have another prius with the same issue at 120k miles. Brake booster accumulator codes popping up with 80k miles. It is a safety…”
“I was driving my car and suddenly the traction , hand brake and abs sign started showing up. I usually apply only 10% of force on brake pedal but after this I have to apply almost 60% of force to even slow down the car. Almost 90% force to stop the car it has threatened safety of my family. When…”
“I was driving my car and suddenly the traction , hand brake and abs sign started showing up. I usually apply only 10% of force on brake pedal but after this I have to apply almost 60% of force to even slow down the car. Almost 90% force to stop the car it has threatened safety of my family. When…”
“I was driving my car and suddenly the traction , hand brake and abs sign started showing up. I usually apply only 10% of force on brake pedal but after this I have to apply almost 60% of force to even slow down the car. Almost 90% force to stop the car it has threatened safety of my family. When…”
“Brake booster went out right at 160000 miles. Abs, emergency parking light, tire pressure light, and others I'm not sure if went on. Brakes felt very mushy and scary to drive.”
Defect investigations
InvestigationDP19004 Opened 2019-09-30 · closed 2021-01-21
Brake Actuator Valve Wear
On September 19, 2019, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) received a defect petition from Mr. Roger Hogan requesting that the Agency investigate and recall certain Toyota Prius, Prius PHV, Camry Hybrid and Avalon Hybrid vehicles for a brake actuator valve wear condition covered under Toyota Customer Support…
InvestigationDP22005 Opened 2023-01-27 · closed 2023-08-07
Pedestrian alert sounds
NHTSA received a petition on or about July 18, 2022, requesting that Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 141 be applied to all electric and hybrid vehicles operating in the United States. The petition can be reviewed at NHTSA.gov under ODI Number 11486072. FMVSS 141 establishes performance requirements for…
InvestigationDP23005 Opened 2023-11-22 · open
Brake Actuator Valve Wear
The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) has received a petition dated September 19, 2023 from the owner of a 2012 Toyota Prius V requesting that ODI reevaluate its decision to deny DP19-004. In the letter, the petitioner reported experiencing an unexpected and complete loss of brake power while driving, accompanied…
InvestigationDP23005 Opened 2023-11-22 · open
Brake Actuator Valve Wear
The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) has received a petition dated September 19, 2023 from the owner of a 2012 Toyota Prius V requesting that ODI reevaluate its decision to deny DP19-004. In the letter, the petitioner reported experiencing an unexpected and complete loss of brake power while driving, accompanied…
Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL,
FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 2011 Toyota Prius as of
July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page
contains ads and affiliate links. Full methodology.