Toyota Prius problems, complaints & recalls by model year
Across 8 model years (2018–2025), NHTSA has logged 262 owner complaints and 11 safety recalls for the Toyota Prius. That averages 7.2 complaints per year on the road — far fewer complaints than typical (index 0.18 against all tracked vehicles). Within the Compact cars segment it ranks #2 of 9 by complaints per year (#1 = fewest); the segment average is 21.9.
Counts are normalized by time on the road, not by sales volume: a popular model generates more reports than a rare one, and complaints are not verified individually. How we count
Analysis
The trend is flat. Measured on complaints filed in the first two years on the road and compared with other vehicles of the same model year, the 2023 and 2024 models are within 0% of the 2018 and 2019 models (16 early complaints per model year versus 18).
The 2024 model year has the highest rate (15.1 complaints per year) and the 2021 model year the lowest (2.8). The 2024 model year runs at least 50% above this model's average of 7.2 complaints per year on the road across its tracked model years. The 2021 model year runs at least 40% below this model's average of 7.2 complaints per year on the road.
Across all tracked model years the most common problem area is Electrical (19.1% of complaints), followed by Body & structure (12.2%) and Unspecified or other (12.2%). 50 complaints (19.1%) describe a crash or fire; across all model years owners report 27 injuries and 1 death.
In the last 12 months owners filed 66 complaints versus 42 in the previous 12 months — up 57%. The 2024 model year generated the most recent reports (23). Across model years, half of all reported incidents occur within 22 months of the model year's start.
Recalls: 11 recall campaigns across the tracked model years, most of them received in 2019 (4). 1 NHTSA investigation has covered this model; the latest is “Pedestrian alert sounds” (defect petition, opened 2023-01-27, closed 2023-08-07).
Within its segment it has more complaints per year than Mazda Mazda3, but fewer than Subaru Impreza, Kia Forte, Volkswagen Jetta and Nissan Sentra.
Model years at a glance
| Year | Complaints | Complaints per year on the road | Complaint index | Last 12 months | Recalls | Most common issue | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | 59 | 6.7 | 0.17 | 6 | 3 | Body & structure | View › |
| 2019 | 39 | 5.0 | 0.12 | 6 | 3 | Brakes | View › |
| 2020 | 30 | 4.4 | 0.11 | 0 | 1 | Electrical | View › |
| 2021 Fewest complaints | 16 | 2.8 | 0.07 | 3 | 0 | Engine | View › |
| 2022 | 32 | 6.7 | 0.17 | 6 | 1 | Electrical | View › |
| 2023 | 26 | 6.9 | 0.17 | 11 | 4 | Electrical | View › |
| 2024 ▲50%+ | 42 | 15.1 | 0.37 | 23 | 4 | Electrical | View › |
| 2025 Too new to rank | 18 | 10.1 | 0.25 | 11 | 2 | Electrical | View › |
▲50%+ = 50%+ above this model's average yearly rate. “Too new to rank”: under two years on the road, so the model year cannot be named the one with the fewest complaints yet. 1.00 means the same rate as the comparison group. 2.00 means twice as many complaints per year on the road. Complaints in first 2 years on the road: vs. same-year average. How we count
Trend · vs. same-year average
Complaints in first 2 years on the road ÷ All-vehicle average (1.00)
When complaints were filed
Last 12 months: 66 · Previous 12 months: 42 Rising
Problem areas
Electrical ›
50 · 19.1% · 1.21 vs. all vehicles · Rising
Body & structure
32 · 12.2% · 1.34 vs. all vehicles · Too few recent reports to judge
Unspecified or other
32 · 12.2% · 1.36 vs. all vehicles · Too few recent reports to judge
Brakes
30 · 11.5% · 1.9 vs. all vehicles · Too few recent reports to judge
Wheels, tires & suspension
29 · 11.1% · 4.42 vs. all vehicles · Too few recent reports to judge
Engine
22 · 8.4% · 0.38 vs. all vehicles · Too few recent reports to judge
Transmission / powertrain
19 · 7.3% · 0.62 vs. all vehicles · Too few recent reports to judge
Airbags & seat belts
16 · 6.1% · 1.61 vs. all vehicles · Too few recent reports to judge
Lighting
10 · 3.8% · 2.46 vs. all vehicles · Too few recent reports to judge
Other
9 · 3.4% · 1.86 vs. all vehicles · Too few recent reports to judge
Driver-assist systems
6 · 2.3% · 0.4 vs. all vehicles · Too few recent reports to judge
Steering
4 · 1.5% · 0.24 vs. all vehicles · Too few recent reports to judge
Fuel system
3 · 1.1% · 0.26 vs. all vehicles · Too few recent reports to judge
Only problem areas with at least 40 complaints get their own page.
Vehicle age at incident
Median age at incident: 22 months
What owners report
The contact owned a 2024 Toyota Prius Prime. The contact stated that while driving 20 MPH with cruise control engaged, while depressing the brake pedal, the vehicle accelerated. The vehicle crashed into the rear bumper of the vehicle ahead.
I was driving the vehicle at less than 15 miles in Wickham Park on Oct. 1, 2026. As I slowly turned right into a parking lot, the vehicle suddenly picked up speed, and crashed into a big tree near the parking lot.
The design and engineering of this vehicle is defective. All of the vehicles on the road need to be recalled. The outside an inside edges of the tire wear at an extreme rate which will result entire failure, collision, and eventually fatalities.
The center infotainment/navigation display on my 2019 Toyota Prius Prime repeatedly turns off and back on while driving. The screen goes blank and then restarts, including the map display. The vehicle itself continues to drive normally.
Description of Safety Defect: I am reporting an uncorrected factory design defect in the 5th-generation Toyota Prius (2024 model) that constitutes an immediate and ongoing daytime driving hazard.
Excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA, trimmed for length. The ODI number is NHTSA's record identifier.
Segment peers · Compact cars
| # | Models | Complaints | Complaints per year on the road | Complaint index | Trend | Recent activity | Recalls | Most common issue |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mazda Mazda3 | 325 | 6.0 | 0.15 | Improving | Within ±30% year on year | 15 | Electrical |
| 2 | Toyota Prius | 262 | 7.2 | 0.18 | Stable | Rising | 11 | Electrical |
| 3 | Subaru Impreza | 499 | 8.5 | 0.21 | Improving | Within ±30% year on year | 13 | Body & structure |
| 4 | Kia Forte | 549 | 12.9 | 0.32 | Improving | Within ±30% year on year | 10 | Engine |
| 5 | Volkswagen Jetta | 870 | 17.0 | 0.42 | Improving | Within ±30% year on year | 22 | Engine |
| 6 | Nissan Sentra | 935 | 19.3 | 0.48 | Improving | Within ±30% year on year | 15 | Electrical |
| 7 | Toyota Corolla | 1,147 | 26.7 | 0.66 | Stable | Within ±30% year on year | 15 | Engine |
| 8 | Hyundai Elantra | 1,434 | 28.7 | 0.71 | Worsening | Within ±30% year on year | 19 | Engine |
| 9 | Honda Civic | 3,012 | 68.2 | 1.69 | Worsening | Falling | 14 | Steering |
Recalls by year received
- Campaigns: 11
- Do-not-drive / park-outside: 0
- Over-the-air fix: 0
Safety recalls: 2018 (3) · 2019 (3) · 2020 (1) · 2021 (0) · 2022 (1) · 2023 (4) · 2024 (4) · 2025 (2)
Investigations
- Pedestrian alert sounds Closed
NHTSA received a petition on or about July 18, 2022, requesting that Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 141 be applied to all electric and hybrid vehicles operating in the United States. The petition can be reviewed at NHTSA.gov under ODI Number 11486072. FMVSS 141 establishes performance requirements for pedestrian alert sounds for motor vehicles. The standard applies to hybrid and ele…