2011 Toyota PRIUS - Ratings, Complaints and Recalls

The 2011 Toyota Prius receives a top safety rating of 5 stars overall, demonstrating excellent crashworthiness. It excels in various crash scenarios, with 4 stars for the front crash driver side, 5 stars for the front crash passenger side, and 5 stars for the overall side crash rating. Additionally, it scores a perfect 5 stars in combined side barrier and pole ratings both for the front and rear seats, as well as in the side pole crash test.

One notable safety feature in this Prius model is the standard electronic stability control, which helps drivers maintain control of the vehicle on slippery road surfaces or during emergency maneuvers. However, it does not come equipped with forward collision warning or lane departure warning systems.

In terms of complaints and recalls, there have been 449 complaints reported for this vehicle, with 6 recalls issued. While the number of complaints is worth noting, the high safety ratings and presence of stability control enhance the overall safety and reliability of the Toyota Prius.

Top stats at a glance

Complaint Count

449

Recall Count

6

Investigation Count

3

Safety Rating

5/5

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Safety Features

2011 Toyota Prius 4 DR FWD Safety Features

Here are the safety features that come as standard on the 2011 Toyota Prius 4 DR FWD

Electronic Stability Control (ESC)

ESC is an advanced safety feature in vehicles designed to help drivers maintain control during challenging driving conditions. By continuously monitoring various factors such as steering angle, vehicle speed, and individual wheel speeds, ESC can detect and reduce the risk of skidding or loss of control. It achieves this by automatically applying brakes to specific wheels to stabilize the vehicle.

Standard
Forward Collision Warning (FCW)

Forward Collision Warning (FCW) is a safety feature in vehicles that helps prevent frontal collisions by alerting the driver of an imminent collision with a vehicle or obstacle ahead. Using sensors such as radar or cameras, FCW monitors the distance and speed of vehicles in front, and if it detects a potential collision, it provides visual and/or auditory warnings to prompt the driver to take evasive action.

No
Lane Departure Warning (LDW)

Lane Departure Warning (LDW) is a safety feature in vehicles that alerts drivers when their vehicle unintentionally drifts out of its lane without signaling. Utilizing cameras or sensors to monitor lane markings on the road, LDW detects when the vehicle crosses these lines and triggers visual, auditory, or haptic alerts to notify the driver of potential lane departure.

No

2011 Toyota Prius 4 DR FWD Safety Ratings

Here we have the crash and rollover ratings for the 2011 Toyota Prius 4 DR FWD Where possible we've included the ratings for the oldest and latest models of this car so you can compare how the safety ratings have changed over time.

Frontal Crash Ratings

Combines Driver and Passenger star ratings into a single frontal rating. The frontal barrier test simulates a head-on collision between two similar vehicles, each moving at 35 mph.

Test 2005 Score 2011 Score 2024 Score
Overall Front Crash Rating Not Rated 4 Not Rated
Front Crash Driver Side Rating 5 5 Not Rated
Front Crash Passenger Side Rating 4 4 Not Rated

Side Crash Ratings

Combines Side Barrier and Side Pole Star Ratings into a single side rating.

Test 2005 Score 2011 Score 2024 Score
Overall Side Crash Rating Not Rated 5 Not Rated
Side Crash Drivers Side Rating 4 5 Not Rated
Side Crash Passenger Side Rating 4 5 Not Rated
Combined Side Barrier Pole Rating - Front Not Rated 5 Not Rated
Combined Side Barrier Pole Rating - Rear Not Rated 5 Not Rated
Overall Side Barrier Rating Not Rated 5 Not Rated

Rollover Ratings

The Rollover Resistance test measures the risk of rollover in a single-vehicle, loss-of-control scenario.

Test 2005 Score 2011 Score 2024 Score
Rollover Rating Not Rated 4 Not Rated
Rollover Possibility % 0% 0% 0%
Dynamic Tip Result No Tip
Side Pole Crash Rating Not Rated 5 Not Rated

Complaints for the 2011 Toyota PRIUS

This chart show the number of complaints for each car component. A Higher number of complaints could indicate that this car might have a common fault. Something to look out for when purchasing one.

Component Complaints

Choose a component to see what complaints people have made about them.

Complaint:
"brake warning lights came on, brake stopping has diminished significantly, throwing error codes, attached pictures of the error codes"
Components Involved: SERVICE BRAKES
Date of incident: 2024-02-02

Complaint:
"while driving the car i had three lights turn on the dash simultaneously. the parking brake light, traction control light, and abs light. the brakes worked but felt spongy and not as responsive as normal. i had it checked out and it has code c1391. the recommendation is to replace the brake booster pump. i was quoted over $2,000 for the repair. there was a toyota customer support program zjb that addressed this exact issue. it expired two years ago, and i am now stuck with the repair costs. i believe toyota should have notified me of this potential danger and/or inspected the vehicle. i meet all the requirements of the bulletin, but it has expired. i reached out to toyota, and they would not offer any assistance."
Components Involved: SERVICE BRAKES
Date of incident: 2024-02-01

Complaint:
"the brake system is constantly failing/malfunctioning.it is available for inspection upon request. there has been several incidents where other vehicles have nearly been rear ended. i took my 2011 toyota prius (hybrid) to toyota approximately 8 months ago. they/toyota did confirm that the problem was indeed the brake booster. the warning lamps did come on soon as the brakes started malfunctioning."
Components Involved: SERVICE BRAKES
Date of incident: 2023-03-03

Complaint:
"i have a 2011 toyota prius with 85k miles, as i was driving on the highway the abs light, brake light, and tsv light came on and then brakes were not working like normal. had to pump the brakes very rapidly and steer off to the right side of the highway and use the emergency brake to come to a complete stop. i called the toyota dealer and they said its the brake accumulator fault and they will not cover the fix because it was out of the 10year/150k mile warranty per sb. towed my car to an independent service center and they confirmed it was the brake accumulator c1391 code. cost me $3000 to fix."
Components Involved: SERVICE BRAKES
Date of incident: 2024-09-12

Complaint:
"i’ve been told by our machanic that our prius’ abs braking system is malfunctioning."
Components Involved: SERVICE BRAKES
Date of incident: 2024-05-08

Complaint:
"brake abs system dashboard lights warning system always always going off for the 9 years i've owned the car. had the abs system replaced and still the dashboard lights going off and the system not functioning properly."
Components Involved: SERVICE BRAKES
Date of incident: 2023-12-09

Complaint:
"i have been experiencing intermittent brake issues with this car now for the last 50k miles. sometimes the warning lights on the dash will activate, sometimes not when i am experiencing issues. the power assist is the problem. - it activates and then deactivates without warning instantaneously, while applying brakes or not. sometimes when i am applying the brakes without the brake assist working, it will instantaneously start working without warning, causing my car to almost lock up its brakes. this is very dangerous, especially in traffic. when i apply my brakes at any given time, i never know if i am going to have power assist or not. i have replaced the brake master cylinder once already with a mobile mechanic and the problem went away for about one year but now it is happening again so this seems to be a reoccurring issue with this car. i have decided to just stop driving the car and bought a different one. i am a delivery courier and i cannot be driving a vehicle unsafe as this. i have reported the issue to my local dealership, but they are refusing to troubleshoot without charging me and it’s telling me there are no recalls."
Components Involved: SERVICE BRAKES
Date of incident: 2023-05-11

Complaint:
"my brakes were making noise since month,now the abs light turn on."
Components Involved: SERVICE BRAKES
Date of incident: 2025-05-10

Complaint:
"the abs, anti-skid, and brake lights came on. immediately, the brakes were less than full stopping power, and it was obvious it was not safe to drive the car any further. we had noticed that a pump was being activated when the brakes were being used, but no service codes were being displayed when checked. we later found out there was a recall on the brake booster and accumulator, but it was only a limited recall, no notice was sent to us, and no repair was authorized by toyota unless the brakes completely failed. once the dash warning lights came on, the c1391 service code appeared when checked, "abnormal leak of acc pressure". this issue is a safety matter because your brakes fail instantaneously at any moment while driving."
Components Involved: SERVICE BRAKES
Date of incident: 2024-11-09

Complaint:
"traction control, abs and brake warning lights came on while driving. car is now at the dealership for complete replacement of power pump and master cylinder assembly at a cost of $3,300.00"
Components Involved: SERVICE BRAKES
Date of incident: 2023-06-09

Recalls for the 2011 Toyota PRIUS

Component Recalls

Choose a component to see what recalls people have made about them.

Recall:
"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 experience compression of the seat cushion which may damage the seat heater wiring."
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.

Component(s) Involved: SEATS > FRONT ASSEMBLY > SEAT HEATER/COOLER
Date of incident: 2014-11-19

Recall:
"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 2005-2010 camry, and 1989 and 2009-2010 corolla vehicles equipped with aftermarket accessory seat heaters with a copper strand heating element. the electrical wiring in the seat heaters may be damaged when the seat cushion is compressed."
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.

Component(s) Involved: SEATS > FRONT ASSEMBLY > SEAT HEATER/COOLER
Date of incident: 2016-06-02

TOYOTA Overall Complaint Ranking

This table shows the ranking of car manufacturers when it comes to most complaints and recalls. The manufacturer with the most complaints is at the top. However this doesn't necassarily mean they should be avoided. Some manufacturers might just have more popular or affordable cars which a lot of people have bought. Which means there's more scope for a complaint to be made. Use the ranking table below as a part your wider research into buying a car.

TOYOTA ranks 3 out of 44 in the complaints ranking table.

Manufacturer Complaint Count Recall Count Ranking
FORD 208,358 3,259 1
CHEVROLET 111,306 2,082 2
TOYOTA 81,019 1,852 3
HONDA 61,937 1,268 4
NISSAN 56,226 930 5
DODGE 45,756 827 6
HYUNDAI 44,150 649 7
GMC 34,441 1,410 8
KIA 29,832 501 9
CHRYSLER 27,698 254 10
TESLA 26,230 730 11
BMW 24,890 1,877 12
VOLKSWAGEN 23,125 829 13
MERCEDES-BENZ 19,066 2,925 14
SUBARU 18,513 703 15
MAZDA 10,599 364 16
PONTIAC 10,430 138 17
CADILLAC 9,434 444 18
AUDI 7,865 1,093 19
BUICK 7,851 279 20
SATURN 7,672 84 21
MERCURY 7,374 135 22
LEXUS 6,373 408 23
LINCOLN 5,897 423 24
ACURA 5,722 382 25
MINI 5,585 366 26
INFINITI 4,000 187 27
MITSUBISHI 3,912 397 28
VOLVO 3,875 727 29
PORSCHE 2,646 1,231 30
SUZUKI 2,272 123 31
FIAT 2,205 80 32
SAAB 1,536 76 33
JAGUAR 1,195 198 34
SMART 528 17 35
GENESIS 436 42 36
ISUZU 249 37 37
ALFA ROMEO 161 37 38
MASERATI 76 46 39
BENTLEY 46 159 40
POLESTAR 42 2 41
LUCID 14 6 42
CODA 4 2 43
MAYBACH 0 0 44

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