436 of the
15,583 complaints filed about the Toyota Prius
are about the airbag system —
3% of everything owners reported.
The worst model year for it is 2010.
The contact owned a 2012 Toyota Prius. The contact stated that while making a left turn at 10 MPH, another vehicle crashed into the vehicle and t-boned the front passenger's side door of the vehicle. The air bags did not deploy. There was no warning light illuminated. After the impact, the front windshield slowly cracked. A Police report was filed. The contact and her husband were transported by ambulance to the hospital. The contact suffered a fractured sternum, five fractured ribs, a crushed left wrist, and two fractured bones in the left ankle. The contact's husband had a fractured neck and five fractured ribs. The vehicle was towed to a tow yard and was declared a total loss by the insurance company. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 140,000.
NHTSA complaint #11757721 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
the cruise control was inop, technician said it was a clockspring failure, replaced the clockspring with a new part from walmart, then at times, the airbag failure light would come on, paid a technician to replace the replacement clockspring with an new one and the failure stopped, walmart is selling a part that could result in death
NHTSA complaint #11733033 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
I was driving my 2024 Toyota Prius and was involved in a front-end collision. The impact was strong enough to cause significant front-end damage, but the front airbag did NOT deploy. I was wearing my seatbelt at the time. This is a serious safety concern because the airbag should have deployed in this type of frontal impact. If the crash had been worse, I could have been seriously injured. I believe this may be a safety defect in the airbag system.
NHTSA complaint #11725998 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact owned a 2006 Toyota Prius. The contact stated that while slowly driving into an intersection and turning left at less than 3 MPH, the owner of a Ford F-150 coming from the driver's side of the vehicle at 35 MPH crashed into their driver's side door. The crash caused the vehicle to slide to a complete stop. None of the air bags deployed. The driver of the Ford F-150 stated that the sun created a glare, preventing them from noticing the red light they had driven through. The contact's vehicle was towed and deemed totaled by their insurance. A police report was filed. The contact received a broken rib, rotator cuff, whiplash, and back injuries. Medical attention was needed. The dealer was not informed of the failure. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 150,000
NHTSA complaint #11691629 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
I was the victim of an accident on [XXX]. The person of the other vehicle that collided with my vehicle after crossing at high speed and without stopping in the red light. The sensors of the anti-collision vehicle of my vehicle did not work and the air bag also did not work. Due to speed the airbag of the other vehicle triggered. I have shoulder pain due to impact. At the moment the insurer of the party involved is making it difficult to pay the compensation. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
NHTSA complaint #11681232 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact owned a 2011 Toyota Prius. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed in an intersection, a Ford F-150 vehicle crashed into the front driver's side of the vehicle. The contact stated he was pinned between the door and the infotainment system. The airbags failed to deploy. No warning lights were illuminated. The contact was taken to the local hospital by a friend in a private vehicle, and the contact received medical assistance. The contact sustained internal bruising and external bruising and cuts. Additionally, the contact sustained a major injury was on the neck, on the laryngeal prominence area of the neck and on the collar bone. The medical Doctor informed the contact that the major injury could heal in 4 weeks, or in 7-8 months. The contact was also informed that the major injury could become a permanent condition, causing cramps and stiffness depending on the weather. The contact was experiencing trouble sleeping due to the injuries. The vehicle was towed to a local tow lot and was totaled. A Police report was filed. The leasing company the vehicle was purchased from was notified of the failure. The contact related the failure to an unknown air bag recall. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 325,000.
NHTSA complaint #11678773 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact owns a 2010 Toyota Prius. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 16V487000 (Air Bags); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.
NHTSA complaint #11661544 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Vehicle: 2005 Toyota Prius VIN: [XXX] Date of Incident: April 2024 Location: Citrus Heights, California Incident Summary: In April 2024, I was involved in a front-end collision while driving my 2005 Toyota Prius. I rear-ended another vehicle at moderate to high speed. Despite the severity of the impact, the driver-side airbag failed to deploy. As a result, I was thrown forward and hit my head on the windshield, suffering lacerations and head trauma. After being evaluated by emergency responders and undergoing a hospital visit (MRI included), I was told I had not sustained any life-threatening injuries. However, since the crash, I have experienced severe cognitive symptoms, including confusion, chronic fatigue, sudden drowsiness, memory loss, and extreme mood swings. These symptoms are ongoing and have made daily life extremely difficult. I had brought the vehicle to Roseville Toyota in Roseville, CA, for a full pre-purchase inspection prior to the crash. They provided a CARFAX vehicle history report, but they did not inform me that the airbag had failed to deploy in a previous incident listed in the report. I was unaware the airbag system might be defective, and if I had known, I would not have driven or purchased the vehicle. To this day, there has been no recall issued for airbags on this vehicle, and I believe this is a dangerous and potentially fatal defect that must be investigated by NHTSA. I am asking for an investigation into why the airbag system failed, and whether other Toyota Prius models from these years have similar undisclosed issues. Supporting Info: •The vehicle had dealership service history. •Toyota has documentation showing the vehicle was inspected and that I received the CARFAX, but they failed to alert me to the airbag defect. •I was paid out for the vehicle’s value and partial medical expenses through insurance, but no accountability has been taken for the **failed airbag INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
NHTSA complaint #11658429 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
I was hit in the back by an SUV (my speed=40 mph, the SUV's speed=70 mph). As a result of the impact, my prius flew off the road, hit the roadside railings, and then rolled over 4 times landing upside down. However, NONE of the airbags deployed. This includes the front, side, and curtain airbags. The vehicle was serviced at a Toyota dealership a few years ago where they performed the airbag recall. However, the airbags did not deploy at all. Only sheer luck saved me from death due to the airbag malfunction.
NHTSA complaint #11655240 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact owns a 2013 Toyota Prius. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the contact's vehicle was involved in a head-on collision. The air bags did not deploy. The vehicle was towed to the contact's residence. The vehicle had not been inspected for damages. The contact was transported to the local medical center. The contact sustained injuries such as a fractured sternum and a fractured left foot. The contact received treatment and the local medical ctr for a total of four days and then transferred to a primary care facility. In addition, the contact was receiving continued treatment. A Police report was filed. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 73,761.
NHTSA complaint #11649711 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
I was driving car on [XXX] from santa cruz towards sanjose. Suddenly airbags deployed. There was minimal to no damage to the car. My auto insurance giving me hard time. They are not responding anything that how i can fix my car plus they haven’t gave me any rental car. My claim number is [XXX]. I am too scared to drive that car again Because it just got rubbed with the curve with the minimal impact but the air bags deployed. My other car usually got rubbed with curve so many times but the airbags never deploy. My car is currently at quick lube and smog shop address is 691 W Tennyson Rd, Hayward, CA 94544. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
NHTSA complaint #11628451 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact owns a 2024 Toyota Prius. The contact stated that while parallel parking and straightening the vehicle, he tapped the accelerator pedal, and the vehicle suddenly accelerated aggressively and crashed into a stoop. While reversing previously on three occasions, the vehicle braked suddenly without application with no object in the surrounding area. There were no reported injuries. The air bag deployed. There was smoke detected from the engine. There was no reported fire. A police report was filed. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 3,000.
NHTSA complaint #11613797 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Traveling approximately 15mph I collided with a full size truck the front end of my car totaled. I was wearing my seat belt and air bags did not deploy causing me to hit the steering wheel with enough force to fracture my sternum. This is the 2nd time a frontal impact occurred causing damage to the front bumper and air bags did not deploy.
NHTSA complaint #11602955 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact owned a 2008 Toyota Prius. The contact stated that while his mother was driving approximately 37 MPH, a second vehicle crashed into the rear passenger side causing the vehicle to go airborne and crash. During the crash, the front driver's side and front driver's side curtain air bags did not deploy. The driver's chest impacted the steering wheel causing her heart to sustain severe pressure and her ribs to collapse. Also, the front seat passenger was ejected from the vehicle through the windshield. Both occupants sustained fatal injuries due to the crash. The front passenger was not wearing a seat belt during the crash. A police report was taken at the scene. The vehicle was destroyed and towed to an impound lot. The vehicle was then towed by Toyota who confirmed there was an air bag failure. The vehicle was resold after being salvaged. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The local dealer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 6,500.
NHTSA complaint #11593497 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Problem 1. Both curtain airbags on the passenger side deployed while no one was sitting in those seats, no injuries sustained to anyone. This happened one time as it happened in a car accident, nothing indicated that the air bags were on or active at the moment. Problem 2. ABS system failure has caused the brakes on the prius to lock and not work while driving, almost causing an incident. The car has not been driven since for the fear of that happening again. The vehicle has been seen by a mechanic to determine it is the abs system. The ABS light has been on as well, it appeared a couple of weeks before the brakes locked up back in March of this year.
NHTSA complaint #11587762 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The Airbag lights were lit, the person sitting with seatbelt on (flashing) and the person sitting with an inflated airbag in front of them. I ran an OBD2 scan on SRS and got code B1656. Driver seat belt buckle Left Hand. I Investigated the latch and found one wire was snapped off and a couple of inches shorter that the wire that was still connected. I have included 2 pictures of the back end of the seat belt latch. You can see the broken wire and where it use to be connected.
NHTSA complaint #11575061 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact owns a 2008 Toyota Prius. The contact stated that while driving approximately 15 MPH, the brakes failed when pressed causing the vehicle to crash into the rear end of a second vehicle. During the crash, the air bags did not deploy and the rear driver-side seat belt had sprung outward, although no rear seat passenger was present. The second vehicle's rear driver's side passenger was later treated for an undisclosed injury. A police report was taken at the scene and the vehicle was towed away. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The manufacturer and local dealer were notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 240,000.
NHTSA complaint #11574057 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Airbags didn’t deploy in a front end collision that totaled the car. The driver hit their forehead on the steering wheel. Driver had bruising from the seatbelt. There were no warning lights or indications of any issues.
NHTSA complaint #11566726 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.