Problems · by component
2010 Toyota Prius power train problems
79 owner complaints to NHTSA about the 2010 Toyota Prius cite power train, 3% of all 2,823 complaints for this model year.
Complaints
79
3% of all complaints
Crashes
9
Reported by owners
Fires
1
Reported by owners
Injuries
4
Reported by owners
What owners say about the power train
Verbatim from NHTSA complaints, newest first
“The contact owns a 2010 Toyota Prius. The contact stated while driving 45 MPH downhill on a mountain and depressing the accelerator pedal, the pedal travelled down to the floorboard, but the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended. The contact pulled over to the side of the road. The contact stated that upon turning off and restarting the vehicle several times, the vehicle responded as needed. The contact stated that the failure recurred after making a turn at 3-4 MPH downhill. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The dealer and the manufacturer were notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 194,000.”
“While driving through the mountains, the ABS, Brake, and Slippery (traction control) warning lights all suddenly illuminated on the dashboard. This happened without any noticeable trigger, and the warning lights remained on for the duration of the drive. I'm concerned about potential issues with the braking or stability systems and request a diagnostic check to ensure everything is functioning properly. Also I am aware that there was recall on Prius 2010 related to ABS system. My VIN was not included in that but seems like similar issue”
“Purchased new a 2010 Toyota Prius third generation level 4 in July of 2009. Hybrid battery pack failed just after 150,000 warranty lapsed at 155,000 miles. January 2023 floods in Merced, CA damaged one of blocks in Hybrid battery pack driving through waters at 191000 miles on odometer. This threw DTC POA 080 'Check Hybrid System' message. The following month February 2023 at 191500 miles I notice loud cooling fan for hybrid battery operating for the first time ever! Fan is located in rear seat behind front passenger. Air vent is clearly visible. I believe defective fan led to overheating of hybrid battery premature failure at 155,000 miles.”
“Traveling at freeway speed just after midnight, the "check engine" light came on. Less than one minute later, the "check hybrid system" alert came on, with an exclamation mark inside of a yellow triangle symbol displayed. The vehicle instantly had no power when the accelerator was depressed. The vehicle coasted to a stop and would not shift into drive. The vehicle was towed to our home. Upon delivering the vehicle to our home, the tow driver used an emergency battery jump start device and the vehicle was able to shift into drive and be driven into the garage. The 12 volt battery was replaced the next day and the vehicle no longer exhibited any disfunction. This was an unexpected event with no warning that the 12 volt battery was in need of replacement. It could have resulted in a serious collision, if the freeway had been more congested, as the vehicle had been immediately driven 2 lanes over to the nearest exit, and came to a stop just after exiting, safely at the side of the road. This is a very dangerous safety condition that should have had some type of alert that the simple 12 volt battery system was in danger of failing, causing a catastrophic failure of…”
“TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2010 TOYOTA PRIUS. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS PARKED IN HER DRIVEWAY, THE VEHICLE INDEPENDENTLY ROLLED BACKWARDS OUT OF THE DRIVEWAY. AS A RESULT, THE REAR END OF THE VEHICLE RAN INTO A TREE. THE AIR BAGS FAILED TO DEPLOY. A POLICE REPORT WAS NOT FILED.THERE WERE NO INJURIES SUSTAINED. THE VEHICLE WAS ABLE TO DRIVE AND WAS TAKEN TO A COLLISION CENTER. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED AS OF YET. A DEALER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE MANUFACTURER HAD NOT BEEN INFORMED OF FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 173,991. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE.*DT”
“TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2010 TOYOTA PRIUS. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT UNKNOWN SPEEDS, THE VEHICLE STALLED WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS TURNED OFF AND RESTARTED OCCASIONALLY. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 18V684000 (HYBRID PROPULSION SYSTEM). THE DEALER WAS NOT CALLED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 120,000.”
Showing 6 of 79 reports. Read every report on NHTSA.gov.
Data from NHTSA Complaints API (owner reports, unverified) · synced Nov 4, 2026NHTSA vehicle page
Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.