At about 100,000 miles the engine began using (burning) oil at the rate of about 1 quart every 1000 miles. Now at 150,000 miles the oil usage is 1 quart per 500 miles. The oil has been changed using the recommended lubricant more often than required since the car was new. Toyota is aware of the problem and has redesigned the pistons and rings but but offers no financial help for cars off warranty. The dealer estimated repair cost is over $5000.
2012 Toyota Prius V: excessive oil consumption
6 of the 219 complaints about the 2012 Toyota Prius V describe excessive oil consumption.
- owner complaints
- 6
- of this car's complaints
- 3%
- recalls
- 0
Is there a fix? 59 service bulletins cover this area of the car. See below
Excessive oil consumption by model year
- 20131
- 20126
What owners say
Vehicle has been consuming oil to the point where the vehicle needs monthly oil changes. Was told many toyota prius models have had an oil consumption issue and that I should file a complaint.
Our 2012 prius v has continuously been burning oil at an alarming rate. It was put through an oil consumption test at the dealership and they claimed not to know what the problem was (just that the car was getting older and we should probably buy a new one), even though they have issued a tsb to dealerships about this problem. At this point, we are barely able to drive the car any distance without having to put more oil in. We have always kept up on the maintenance for the vehicle, we recently replaced the head gasket and the coolant in the car, but now the car just runs hot with the fan running all the time and the oil is consistently burning. We've never had to put oil into the car ourselves between maintenance sessions and now they have us coming in to change oil every 5k miles instead of every 10k miles as before. Even then, we are still having to add oil in between visits. I bought the car as a commuter vehicle, it has about 200,000 miles on it, driving it 5 days per week, about 100 miles per day. Depending on the quote to fix it (from a non dealer because they won't acknowledge there's a problem), I will probably have to trade the car in at a minimal value in order to purchase a new car, which I really cannot afford to do right now. This problem is only occurring when the car is moving. There is no leak, as it would be evident on my driveway. I mostly drive the car on the highway.
Excessive oil consumption started 70,000 miles. Burn oil 1qt every 1000 miles getting worse
My car is burning excessive oil
My pruis is burning oil at a faster rate than it should be.
Service bulletins that may apply
- Obsolete notice
- This bulletin includes basic procedures for performing a rescue charge on Ni-MH high voltage (HV) batteries
- This is to advise of various price adjustments that will affect Toyota Genuine Motor Oil and Long Life...
- TT: HVAC drain tube is found to be blocked/clogged.
- Obsolete notice
- Warranty Enhancement Program: Toyota has received reports of a rough idle and/or rattle noise from the...
- Revision notice
- TT: Rev2 Some Customers may complain about a Hybrid Vehicle Battery cooling system warning message
Related recalls
No recalls on record for this model year.
Questions about the 2012 Toyota Prius V oil consumption
Is excessive oil consumption a common problem on the 2012 Toyota Prius V?
6 of 219 owner complaints about the 2012 Toyota Prius V (3%) mention excessive oil consumption. The model year with the most reports is 2012.
Is there a recall or service bulletin for this on the 2012 Toyota Prius V?
There are 0 recalls and 59 service bulletins for the same area of the car. Check them below with your VIN.
Other symptoms on the 2012 Toyota Prius V
ABS 58Brake failure 25Stalling 17Warning lights 10Check engine light 8Headlights 5Jerking 5Loss of power 5
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