Problems · by component

2010 Toyota Prius steering problems

30 owner complaints to NHTSA about the 2010 Toyota Prius cite steering, 1% of all 2,823 complaints for this model year.

Complaints
30
1% of all complaints
Crashes
8
Reported by owners
Fires
0
Reported by owners
Injuries
3
Reported by owners
01 —Owner reports

What owners say about the steering

Verbatim from NHTSA complaints, newest first
“Have multiple warning lamps that light up on and off and the brakes in my car get spongy making the braking unsafe. The lights that turn on are the steering/ traction , brake, and abs light. There are multiple complaints online on YouTube from similar issues ongoing and no recall made. My mechanic says it indicates a leak however there is no brake fluid missing and on YouTube there’s work arounds because people keep getting the same message, yet no recall has been made. This can affect steering and cause an accident. Please recall soon. Including YouTube link so you can see all the comments and issues from thousands that don’t know how to report but view to fix temporarily. [XXX]”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Sep 4, 2025Steering, Unknown or other, Service brakesODI 11685121
“Hello there, my name is Lashyrah and I do not know much about cars so most of this is unknown. The person I bought my vehicle from did not give me much information and I was desperate at the time so I bought it. Most of the lights on the dashboard are on: ABS, Brake system, Engine, Tire/Safety Alert, Fuel pump reset warning, and Stability control are lights that come and go. I have used the code system to try to reset these things and they go away then pop back up. Sometimes while I am driving, all the dashboard lights disappear and the breaks start getting really touchy and it feels completely different driving until the previous lights all come back on. This has been an issue before and when I last went to Toyota to get my car serviced, I asked them to check the lights and system, and if they could do a multi-point inspection. They wanted me to pay $300 just to find out why the lights keep coming back on. Please help me get this fixed at no cost I am a single mom and college student working part time so I need my car to get around or a free loaner car to get around until this is fixed. I strongly feel these are recalls that did not get taken care of or are…”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Aug 4, 2022Steering, Electrical system, Service brakesODI 11477501
“TL* THE CONTACT OWNED A 2010 TOYOTA PRIUS. WHILE DRIVING 60 MPH, THE FRONT WHEELS SHOOK AND THE CONTACT LOST CONTROL OF THE STEERING WHEEL. THE CONTACT CRASHED INTO ANTHER VEHICLE, WHICH THEN CAUSED THE OTHER VEHICLE TO CRASH HEAD ON INTO A MEDIAN. THE AIR BAGS DEPLOYED. THERE WERE NO INJURIES. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE VEHICLE WAS DEEMED TOTALED AND WAS TOWED TO THE CONTACT'S HOME, AWAITING AN INVESTIGATION. THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE WAS NOT DETERMINED. THE DEALER AND MANUFACTURER WERE NOT NOTIFIED. THE CONTACT REFERENCED NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 18V684000 (HYBRID PROPULSION SYSTEM). THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 120,000.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Oct 23, 2019Steering, WheelsCrash reportedODI 11270517
“MY CAR GOT STALL ON THE ROAD, IT HAD A PROBLEM RELATED WITH THE HYBRED SYSTEM. I TOOK IT TO THE TOYOTA DEALER AND THEY SAID IT WAS IN A RECALL LIST. SO THEY FIXED BUT THEY DAMAGED THE SUSPENSION OF MY CAR AND NOW THEY DON'T WANT TO FIX IT. MY CAR IS MAKING A NOISE WHEN I MOVE THE STEERING WHEEL AND ALSO WHEN I BRAKE. MY CAR WASN'T MAKING SUCH NOISE BEFORE THE STALL ON THE ROAD. I AM FRUSTRATED WITH ALL THIS PROBLEMS IN MY CAR.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Mar 23, 2019Steering, Suspension, EngineODI 11191143
“ELECTRIC STEERING MAKES THE STEERING WHEEL HARD TO TURN AND IS ERRATIC. DEALER SAID THE CAR NEEDS A NEW STEERING MOTOR/COLUMN. CAR IS NOT SAFE TO DRIVE. MY RESEARCH HAS FOUND OTHER MODEL PRIUS WITH SILIRAR PROBLEMS AND ALSO THE RAV4 HAS STEERING ISSUES. THIS OCCURS WHILE DRIVING THE CAR. MY WIFE REFUSED TO DRIVE THE CAR. AND I HAVE PARKED IT. DEALER WANTS ALMOST 3000$ TO REPLACE.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Feb 19, 2019SteeringODI 11181218
“WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS IN MOTION, THE ENGINE STARTED SHAKING, THE STEERING AND BRAKES LOCKED UP AND THE ENGINE CEASED UP AS THE CAR SHUT OFF. GOT ERROR CODE P3190 FOR POOR ENGINE POWER, AND THEN A DAY LATER EVERYTHING WAS NORMAL. THIS IS THE 2ND TIME THIS HAS HAPPENED WHILE DRIVING, THE FIRST TIME WAS IN A 2002 PRIUS.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Jan 24, 2019Steering, Electrical system, EngineODI 11171795

Showing 6 of 30 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.