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2010 Toyota Prius: engine and transmission complaints

NO ELEVATED SIGNAL
11%
278 of 2,821 relevant owner complaints are about the engine, transmission or fuel system

No elevated drivetrain complaint concentration in the available NHTSA records for the 2010 Toyota Prius. Engine, transmission and fuel system account for 11% of relevant complaints.

Better than 96% of the 1,230 model years we track (2010–2023).

NHTSA data checked September 13, 2026
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Drivetrain complaints
278
engine, transmission, fuel
Total complaints
2,821
this model year
Fires reported
13
owner-reported
Recall campaigns
10
183 crashes · 65 injuries

Complaints by component

SERVICE BRAKES1,973 · 70%
HYDRAULIC849 · 30%
ELECTRIC502 · 18%
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL287 · 10%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM192 · 7%
EXTERIOR LIGHTING148 · 5%

The years either side

2010
11%
278 of 2,821
2011
17%
71 of 518
2012
18%
111 of 697
2013
18%
95 of 589
2014
20%
58 of 320
2015
18%
34 of 205
2016
19%
31 of 182
2017
25%
33 of 147
2018
28%
13 of 58
2019
21%
7 of 38
2020
19%
5 of 30
2021
too few complaints
2022
21%
6 of 32
2023
too few complaints

Manufacturers fix things mid-generation. A bad year next to a clean one is common; the fix usually arrived in between.

What owners reported

SUSPENSION,POWER TRAIN,SERVICE BRAKES12/28/2017CRASH2 INJURED
CAR IN TWO ACCIDENTS OVER TWO YEARS BODY WAS NOT PROPERLY WELDED BACK TO THE FRAME! BRAKES WERE NOT PROPERLY REALIGNED NEITHER WAS THE STEERING COLUMN TRANSMISSION BANDS WERE NOT OPERATING AND WOULD NOT SHIFT AND NUMEROUS OTHER PARTS FOR LEAKAGE FROM BRAKE LINES TO TRANSMISSION LINES ALL LINES WERE BROKEN AND SO ARE TH…
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,FUEL/PRO06/30/20211 INJURED
Check hybrid system light ignites, slows down vehicle in middle of high speed highway. First incident November of 2020 then several incidents after. Repair shops don't assure problem according to error codes & they recommend possibilities they cannot assure will resolve the problem. Car was taken into local dealership …
UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE01/15/20161 INJURED
I ALONG WITH AN ALARMING AMOUNT OF OTHERS HAVE EXPERIENCED THE 2010 PRIUS BEGIN TO BURN OIL AT AN ALARMINGLY HIGH RATE AROUND 60-80K MILES. THIS IS ACCOMPANIED WITH AN EMISSION INTO THE CABIN OF NOXIOUS FUMES DURING HIGH OIL BURN RATE (HEAVIER ACCELERATION) MOMENTS. WE HAVE ALL BEEN TOLD BY THE DEALERSHIPS THAT THIS IS…

Three of 278 drivetrain complaints. The full report shows more, with quotes about the engine in the car you are looking at first.

Recall campaigns on this model year (10)

HYBRID PROPULSION SYSTEM
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2010-2014 Toyota Prius and 2012-2014 Toyota Prius V vehicles. Excessive voltage in the Intelligent…
AIR BAGS:SIDE/WINDOW
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 C…
SEATS:FRONT ASSEMBLY:SEAT HEATER/COOLER
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 S…

This does not say whether a particular car has an open, unrepaired recall. That depends on the VIN.

Before you buy a 2010 Toyota Prius

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Experimental model-level information. This is not a vehicle inspection, vehicle-history report, financial advice or purchase recommendation. It describes patterns across a model year, not the condition of any individual vehicle.