In-car Electronics
CD or DVD players, radio, speakers, GPS, communication system (e.g., OnStar), display screen freezes or goes blank, phone pairing (e.g. Bluetooth), voice control commands, steering wheel controls, portable music device interface (e.g., iPod/MP3 player), backup or other camera/sensors.
What Owners Say
"As with the GPS, the Backup camera worked intermittently. I solved the problem by replacing the MFD myself with a used unit"
Paul S., QC (2012 Toyota Prius 1.8-L 4 Cyl hybrid)"A CD started to "skip" or "stutter" so I pushed the eject button. The door opened but the CD failed to eject. The door would not close, and because of the way it was designed, my radio and, more importantly, my GPS and back-up camera screen, were not accessible! My service advisor at the dealership was able to get the CD to eject, thus restoring the other systems. Had he not been able to eject the CD, installation of a replacement unit would have cost me over $1000!"
Pamela U., NJ (2012 Toyota Prius Four 1.8-L 4 Cyl hybrid)"Cannot see back-up camera images in bright sunlight. Camera "eye" doesn't project clear image in rainy or snowy conditions. Water clings to the "eye," projecting an unclear image. Wider angle view would be helpful in busy parking lot -- have almost hit pedestrians when my vehicle started to move because they were not picked up be my camera. ALSO -- difficult to estimate distances. My screen has no "guidelines" as I've seen in other models. Those lines are essential!"
Pamela U., NJ (2012 Toyota Prius Four 1.8-L 4 Cyl hybrid)"Esp. in the daytime"
Gary A., FL (2012 Toyota Prius Five 1.8-L 4 Cyl hybrid)"I think they just used inferior display screen, It is not crisp. Also the screen is impossible to see if the headlights are on with sun glasses, light when its bright out even though I have learn how to keep the display in a bright mode no matter"
Carl F., NY (2012 Toyota Prius Plug-in Plug-in Hybrid)"Screen displays, Maintenance Required when maintenance is needed. Maintenance is completed by our mechanic. He can't reset the display, despite following Toyota's instructions. Go to the dealership and they do reset it, but even there it is not a simple operation and takes them 20 minutes. Very inconvenient for us because the dealership is an hour's round trip from our home."
Stephen P., NY (2012 Toyota Prius Plug-in 1.8-L 4 Cyl plug-in hybrid)"Sometimes when the phone is disconnected the car can not be put into gear without turning the car off and back on. This is troubling if you are at an intersection. t"
Chuck S., CA (2012 Toyota Prius 1.8-L 4 Cyl hybrid)"Samsung devices and Entunes not working; Toyota unwilling to change out module even though an extended warranty was purchased at the time of purchase. Multiple times at dealership only to have them tell me it is my phone not their system. My device works with many other blue tooth accessories and don't have the same problem as I do with Entunes. In addition with out Entunes/ the BT connection still freezes so it does not appear to be with Entunes. Multiple tickets were open and truly disappointed with Toyota about this ordeal especially since I purchased the Toyota extended warranty for this very reason. I suspected more technical issues with the radio console than i did with the foundation that the Prius brand has."
Marilee K., IL (2012 Toyota Prius Four 1.8-L 4 Cyl hybrid)"The right half of the screen is no longer functional, which displayed the odometer and other info."
George V., CA (2012 Toyota Prius Plug-in 1.8-L 4 Cyl plug-in hybrid)"Problem with the radio extension that affected the gps, back up camera"
Anonymous, NY (2012 Toyota Prius Three 1.8-L 4 Cyl hybrid)"The odometer, etc screen is blank and who cost over $2,00 to repair"
George V., CA (2012 Toyota Prius Plug-in 1.8-L 4 Cyl plug-in hybrid )"Screen went blank - unable to use any functions - phone, navigation, radio. Dealer had to replace entire unit after two tries of not ordering correct parts. Cost covered under separate extended warranty"
Anonymous, NM (2012 Toyota Prius Three Hybrid)"There was a short in the multifunctional display screen resulting in the draining of the 12v battery. The problem initially manifested itself in the display being delayed but ultimately led to the car not starting"
Anonymous, VA (2012 Toyota Prius Hybrid)"I had battery issues. Under warranty the battery was replaced, but afterwards, the dashboard display occasionally goes black when I'm driving with the lights on."
Anonymous, TX (2012 Toyota Prius Unsure 1.8-L 4 Cyl hybrid)"Sound system can't be connected to a phone to play music from my phone or take calls. They said it would cost $2000 to fix, so i didn't fix it."
Eve A., CA (2012 Toyota Prius Plug-in 1.8-L 4 Cyl plug-in hybrid)"The music autoplays whenever I connect using the USB port. The dealer has looked at it several time with no resolution"
Larry C., WA (2012 Toyota Prius Four 1.8-L 4 Cyl hybrid)"smart phone keypad does not always display correctly on instrument panel's screen"
Anonymous, MN (2012 Toyota Prius 1.8-L 4 Cyl hybrid)"Doesn't always sync with iphone. Music control from dash doesn't always work. I ned to turn iphone on, start music playing, then connect with USB for the music to play. This may be an iphone problem, and not the car. My old iphone didn't do this"
Anonymous, OH (2012 Toyota Prius Five Hybrid)"Sometimes skips, like an old LP record"
Anonymous, AR (2012 Toyota Prius Four Hybrid)"Does not interact well with my iphone. Often difficult or impossible to get music to play properly. Sometimes have to "reboot" the car by shutting off the engine & restarting to get the system to work"
Robert P., NY (2012 Toyota Prius Four Hybrid)"They put the plug-ins for the 'acc in' at the bottom of the middle arm rest where it's impossible to use without getting out of the seat to reach and plug things in. Plus, you have to take everything out of the compartment to do it. Then the lid on t"
Varley S., AZ (2012 Toyota Prius Four Hybrid)"Frequent trouble linking Android phone to Bluetooth"
Jacob M., IL (2012 Toyota Prius Four Hybrid)"If ipod connects, it will stop/start/disconnect/connect frequently. iPod works in all other vehicles (several rental cars, family/friend cars). Only will not work correctly in Prius. All other devices tried interface OK"
Anonymous, PA (2012 Toyota Prius Three Hybrid)"Car entertainment system can't/won't recognize iPhone and renders on screen interaction useless"
Christopher F., MA (2012 Toyota Prius Three Hybrid)"the stereo system can still play the radio or cds, but can no longer connect to a smart phone. repair at dealer would cost $2000 so we opted not to fix."
Anonymous, CA (2012 Toyota Prius Plug-in 1.8-L 4 Cyl plug-in hybrid)"Using my iPhone ITunes music when connected via USB, parts of songs are lost. It does not happen if I connect via Bluetooth."
Anonymous, OH (2012 Toyota Prius Five 1.8-L 4 Cyl hybrid)"Doesn't always pair with the device, sometimes have to disconnect the device and/or restart the car to make it pair. Also the car controls do not control the device very well."
Robert P., NY (2012 Toyota Prius Four 1.8-L 4 Cyl hybrid)"1) Touch screen often does not correctly correspond with gps"
Anonymous, MD (2012 Toyota Prius)"The main problem is you have to bring it to the dealer to updated at a cost of $350, ain't gonna happen."
Anonymous, FL (2012 Toyota Prius Five 1.8-L 4 Cyl hybrid)"while using the nav system occasionally changes the destination and map"
Anonymous, CA (2012 Toyota Prius Five 1.8-L 4 Cyl hybrid)"GPS system failed. Replacement did not lower radio volume when giving directions and therefore could not be heard. Dealership could not fix this problem but raised the volume of the GPS so that it could be heard over the radio. Then after the car battery died and was replaced, the GPS was not properly reset, and I was unable to re-enter destination addresses. That was supposedly done today, but I don't know for sure if this latest problem is resolved"
Susan D., FL (2012 Toyota Prius 1.8-L 4 Cyl hybrid)"It is difficult to use, it doesn't give you a lot of places to look for(esp. while moving), it doesn't have to say "recalculating" & it is cost prohibitive to update"
Gary A., FL (2012 Toyota Prius Five 1.8-L 4 Cyl hybrid)"GPS, Bluetooth and backup camera worked intermittently. The worked more often in cold temperatures. Toyota dealer wanted $3,000 to replace the MFD but said they would not guarantee the work. I found a used one for $175 and replaced it myself with the help of YouTube videos. Works fine now"
Paul S., QC (2012 Toyota Prius 1.8-L 4 Cyl hybrid)"Slow and cumbersome. They sacrificed efficiency for fancier visuals. Much inferior to the last Prius I owned. A classic case of needing to change just for the new model year. "New and improved gps" is virtually unusable except for the nugatory entertainment value of the pretty visuals"
Anonymous, CA (2012 Toyota Prius 1.8-L 4 Cyl hybrid)"doesn't work properly, i never use it to go anywhere. it does not put you on the right road"
Jeff B., CA (2012 Toyota Prius Plug-in Plug-in Hybrid)"Unreliable directions. Known POI's don't show up. Inability for passenger to program when moving"
John K., DC (2012 Toyota Prius Four Hybrid)"It's only happened 3 times in two years but the navigation system got lost. Since we cannot repeat the issue on demand, we have not been able to solve it"
Anonymous, NY (2012 Toyota Prius Three Hybrid)"It is inaccurate. Doesn't leave me off where the actual place is. Sometimes takes ridiculous route. Recalculates when going straight on freeway"
Anonymous, CA (2012 Toyota Prius Three Hybrid)"After a long (1 to 2 hours) period of operation the GPS display will freeze. It happens infrequently but the only way to reset the system is to turn the car off and restart"
Jan S., RI (2012 Toyota Prius Four Hybrid)"The whole radio/navigation system/entune system just quit working"
Sarah V., MN (2012 Toyota Prius Plug-in Plug-in Hybrid)"GPS has given very bad/ erroneous routing guidance in congested areas, is slow to give turn warnings. Screen is ridiculously hard to see when I wear sunglasses or polarizing lens. I have resorted to using a 10 year old Magellan GPS near the steering"
Carl F., NY (2012 Toyota Prius Plug-in Plug-in Hybrid)"On Interstate, many 'straight miles to go', GPS tells us to 'turn left', several times of course. Took to different dealer (non-leasing) - They checked and updated the GPS. Problem has not occurred since"
Anonymous, FL (2012 Toyota Prius Three Hybrid)"frequently locks up during navigation. only reset is to power down entire car. even after reset, often claims known addresses to be "not navigable". awful software. loses GPS lock without warning"
Joseph G., VA (2012 Toyota Prius Five Hybrid)"In dash screen can't handle complicated GPS (in city). Constantly freezes up and only fix is to completely turn off car and restart"
Christopher F., MA (2012 Toyota Prius Three Hybrid)"The interface is nearly unusable. Inputting an address takes long minutes. Gave up even trying as I can ask my iPhone for directions to a given address and be on my way in seconds. Entune is cumbersome and often generates errors or fails to work at all. Never worth the trouble to use it."
Anonymous, FL (2012 Toyota Prius Unsure 1.8-L 4 Cyl hybrid)"GPS failed and was replaced by the dealership with a refurbished unit. The replacement unit was incorrectly set and would not let me input some local addresses. The dealership corrected that problem when I brought it back and complained. The replacement unit also did not lower the radio volume for navigation directions, which meant that the directions could not be understood. When I complained, the dealership raised the GPS audio volume. Now, although this function is not working as it's supposed to, the GPS is at least usable."
Susan D., FL (2012 Toyota Prius 1.8-L 4 Cyl hybrid)"Maps are increasingly out-of-date in areas I travel in frequently. Cannot be updated."
Robert P., NY (2012 Toyota Prius Four 1.8-L 4 Cyl hybrid)"cannot program in address"
Ronald N., MN (2012 Toyota Prius Three 1.8-L 4 Cyl hybrid)"Prius bluetooth will connect to my wife's IPhone, but not to my Samsung Android phone."
Bob S., MA (2012 Toyota Prius Three 1.8-L 4 Cyl hybrid)"Difficult to pair, then often de-couples the pairing. Difficult to use two different phones"
John K., DC (2012 Toyota Prius Four Hybrid)"Same phone as always. Suddenly it will pair but after 2 minutes the car's bluetooth system stops. The phone is still working!"
Anonymous, WA (2012 Toyota Prius Hybrid)"When I first purchased this car I did not own a Bluetooth capable cell phone. I have since purchased a Dorio cell phone through Cellular One. I cannot reliably get it linked to the car even though both the phone and the car are Bluetooth equipped"
Anonymous, NY (2012 Toyota Prius Two Hybrid)"It never works consistently, and it's a pain to keep setting the phone up to the system. (Though this may be more of a reflection on the owner than that car's system,)"
Sally G., IL (2012 Toyota Prius Hybrid)"The Blue Tooth feature in my 2012 Prius will not pair and work with my AT&T Samsung 7 smartphone. I have found and installed an update from the Toyota web site to upgrade the in car entertainment system, but this did not resolve the problem. My wife's Apple 7 smartphone works via Blue Tooth as it should, with no issues. I refuse to go to a Toyota Dealer and pay a minimum of two hours of service time for them to looks at this BlueTooth issue, especially if they decide the resolution is to replace the entertainment system head which is outside of warranty"
Anonymous, MA (2012 Toyota Prius Three 1.8-L 4 Cyl hybrid)"complete failure of the bluetooth hardware; it would have cost $2000 to replace so we chose not to,"
Anonymous, MI (2012 Toyota Prius Unsure 1.8-L 4 Cyl hybrid)"I have a Samsung 7 Galaxy phone, it will connect via Bluetooth to my Prius, but typically after a short time, it will disconnect. My Prius Navigation/Entertainment/GPS system shows that Bluetooth if off, and I can not turn it back on. My wife's IPhone 7 does not have this issue. I did go to the Toyota web site, downloaded to a Memory Stick, an update for my Navigation/Entertainment/GPS system, which is the most current one they have on their site. It seemed to greatly improve my Bluetooth pairing problem for a few weeks, but now it is as bad as it has ever been. From reviewing online forums, some other Prius owners who have this same problem have gone to the Toyota dealer, though the other Prius owners have stated that their Toyota dealers did not state that they would fix this problem, rather they would update all firmware for the Prius. I love my Prius, but I hate this issue between the Bluetooth pairing with my Samsung 7 Galaxy Android phone."
Anonymous, MA (2012 Toyota Prius Three 1.8-L 4 Cyl hybrid)"it is all connected. If you cannot connect your smart phone nothing else works on the console."
Marilee K., IL (2012 Toyota Prius Four 1.8-L 4 Cyl hybrid)"entune system hit or miss. May pair on its own,most of the time app needs to be uninstalled then reinstall. System will operate until mode changed ie used phone or radio then you need to uninstall and reinstall entune app,while driving to use system. was told by Totota compatability w/Android phone. I have been using same phone from purchase date till present.Phone never had this problem during 1st couple of years. was told update on system may solve problem, may not. Updates are not free to download, there is a fee at dealership. Was told updates may not solve problem. Toyota could not offer any help reguarding issue"
Anonymous, NY (2012 Toyota Prius Plug-in 1.8-L 4 Cyl plug-in hybrid)"Toyota had problems diagnosing the problem and then getting the correct parts to the dealer. Eventually the correct parts were acquired and the problem was fixed."
Katherine B., CA (2012 Toyota Prius Three 1.8-L 4 Cyl hybrid)"My handsfree phone part would not pair with my phone and when you went to the display to try and turn on Bluetooth, the screen would not respond. The dealer had to replace the same part 3 times. The problem seems fixed although on a time or two I've tried to use my handsfree phone and the same thing happened. If I turned my car off and back on then waited for a mile or two the handsfree phone would work, The dealer and Toyota rep indicated this is a part problem. It was most frustrating. I am very disappointed in Toyota."
Anonymous, MO (2012 Toyota Prius Three 1.8-L 4 Cyl hybrid)"I purchased a new iPhone X and while the display indicates it has paired with an iPhone, it shows that it does not connect to the phone when I try to access Entune apps like weather, movies, fuel prices, etc. this issue started when I bought the IPhone. Prior to that the weather app stopped working regularly (I had a Moto that did sync with the car). The app stopped updating daily, and while I can access these apps on the phone, they do not connect to the car (with iPhone). I called Toyota about the weather app, but they saw no issues with it (someone in Texas) and still does not update. I'll bring it to the dealer s attention the next time I take it in for oil service. The voice command never worked well. Voice recognition didn't recognize very often. I can get to Red Robin anywhere, but other locations have to typed in."
Hal B., IA (2012 Toyota Prius Three 1.8-L 4 Cyl hybrid)"Unable to turn radio off, adjust the volume or change the station."
John S., NY (2012 Toyota Prius Three 1.8-L 4 Cyl hybrid)"Satellite radio stopped functioning. AM/FM is okay"
Anonymous, CA (2012 Toyota Prius Three 1.8-L 4 Cyl hybrid)"Recently the satellite reception failed due to a problem with the antenna. The antenna and the base were replaced under warranty"
Anonymous, NJ (2012 Toyota Prius Three 1.8-L 4 Cyl hybrid)"Whole new radio/ nav system had to be replaced"
Anonymous, FL (2012 Toyota Prius Three 1.8-L 4 Cyl hybrid)"Lost fm reception. Said they "thought" it was the antenna, but it would cost $300 to take the dash apart and find out. Then there would be the cost of repair. So I no longer have fm reception"
Anonymous, CA (2012 Toyota Prius 1.8-L 4 Cyl hybrid)"Very poor reception from both the FM radio and the Sirius system. FM radio reception notably worse than in our 2004 Subaru Forester"
Robert P., NY (2012 Toyota Prius Four Hybrid)"There is a problem with the sound in the rear speakers"
William H., NJ (2012 Toyota Prius Three Hybrid)"Radio has an annoying cutout of broadcast sound approximately every minute. Dealer asked too much to trouble shoot and no guarantee warranty would cover. So no fix! Also had the alternator failed which caused battery to fail. Both replaced under wa"
Maurice L., CA (2012 Toyota Prius Hybrid)"The previously mentioned issue with the display going blank was traced to a short in the radio, which is a component of the display housing. The short in the radio led to the problem with both the radio and display"
Anonymous, VA (2012 Toyota Prius Hybrid)"Radio stopped working. No AM, FM. Would cost $100 per year to subscribe to satellite radio. Annoying that I have to play music thru my iPhone and link it via BlueTooth to the car to hear anything. Toyota says there only remedy is to pay a flat $800 fee, and they will replace the radio with a rebuilt unit that has the same features. Third party radios would not be able to connect to backup camera. So I have to put up with listening to my own phone. At least I can still make/take phone calls hands-free while driving."
Anonymous, FL (2012 Toyota Prius Unsure 1.8-L 4 Cyl hybrid)"Satellite radio stopped working, so cancelled subscription. Estimate cost for diagnostics and repair cost seems high."
Anonymous, CA (2012 Toyota Prius Three 1.8-L 4 Cyl hybrid)"Satellite radio module stopped working. Had it to shop 3 times before it was fixed/replaced. Repair was covered under warranty."
Anonymous, CA (2012 Toyota Prius Three 1.8-L 4 Cyl hybrid)"Software that controls maximum speed while accelerating needed an update. One hour recall fix at dealer."
Patrick O., OH (2012 Toyota Prius Four 1.8-L 4 Cyl hybrid)"i HAVE NOT HAD AN EXPERIENCE WITH THE PROBLEM; HOWEVER, DID GET A RECALL NOTICE THAT IT EXISTED & NEEDS TO BE REPAIRED. HAVEN'T BEEN ABLE TO SCHEDULE THE REPAIR DUE TO RECENT FLOODING IN THE AREA. HOPEFULLY CAN DO THIS IN THE NEXT WEEK OR TWO."
J H., OK (2012 Toyota Prius Two 1.8-L 4 Cyl hybrid)"the cruise control lever broke off through normal everyday use. There was no abuse of the lever"
Anonymous, FL (2012 Toyota Prius Hybrid)"This is the worst system for recognizing commands that I have ever experienced. The system rarely recognizes the street or if I use the phone it rarely recognizes the name I am attempting to call"
Tim M., CA (2012 Toyota Prius Three Hybrid)"Useless"
Anonymous, NY (2012 Toyota Prius Plug-in 1.8-L 4 Cyl plug-in hybrid)
"Whole Nav / Radio system had to be replaced at 53246 miles"
Anonymous, FL (2012 Toyota Prius Three 1.8-L 4 Cyl hybrid)