2011 Toyota Prius problems and complaints
Owners have filed 519 complaints with NHTSA about the 2011 Toyota Prius. The most-reported areas: Service Brakes (274), Electrical System (68), Exterior Lighting (49).
Key takeaways
- 519 owner complaints on file with NHTSA.
- 37 involve a crash, 7 a fire, 17 reported injuries.
- Complaints are unverified owner reports; recalls are confirmed defects.
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Service Brakes | 274 | 53% |
| Electrical System | 68 | 13% |
| Exterior Lighting | 49 | 9% |
| Engine | 46 | 9% |
| Air Bags | 46 | 9% |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 28 | 5% |
| Unknown Or Other | 28 | 5% |
| Power Train | 18 | 3% |
| Electronic Stability Control (esc) | 16 | 3% |
| Hydraulic | 12 | 2% |
| Fuel/Propulsion System | 11 | 2% |
| Hybrid Propulsion System | 11 | 2% |
One complaint can name several components, so shares add up to more than 100%.
| Version | Overall | Front | Side | Rollover |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 Toyota Prius 4 DR FWD | 5/5 | 4/5 | 5/5 | 4/5 |
Latest complaints, as filed
Owner-written and unverified by NHTSA.
Service Brakes - filed 2026-09-14
I am filing this complaint to report an active, severe safety defect involving a sudden, un-warned loss of power braking assist due to a failing factory brake actuator/booster pump assembly. My vehicle is exhibiting the exact internal hydraulic seal failure, pressure drop, and audible hissing/sipping sound outlined in ...
Service Brakes - filed 2026-08-10
Vehicle Information: 2011 Toyota Prius, 144,000 miles. Component: Hydraulic Service Brakes, Electronic Stability Control, Anti-lock Braking System. Description of Incident: While driving at normal speeds, the vehicle suddenly experienced a severe reduction in braking capability. The dashboard simultaneously illuminate...
Service Brakes - filed 2026-07-26
Every time I'd press the brakes there'd be an audible "click" noise and then when taking my foot off the brake it'd sound like a manual tire pump being pressed... kind of like air filling / hydraulic sound. This worried me (I don't mess around with brakes). One other thing that would happen is if I pressed the brake ha...
Diagnose it yourself
As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases, at no extra cost to you.
More for the 2011 Toyota Prius
Complaints are reports filed by owners with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. NHTSA publishes them without verifying them, and counts rise with how many cars were sold, so compare years of the same model rather than different models. Crash ratings are NHTSA's own 5-Star Safety Ratings results.