NHTSA has received 38 owner complaints about the 2019 Toyota Prius, or 5.0 per year on the road — far fewer complaints than typical for a vehicle of its age (complaint index 0.12, where 1.00 is the average of all tracked vehicles). Among the 76 model-year 2019 vehicles we track, it ranks #6 for fewest complaints per year. Against other Toyota models its rate is 85% lower; against other Compact cars it is 78% lower.
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
Complaints filed between 2019-04-22 and 2026-08-26. Median delay from incident to filing: 7 days.
38Complaints
5.0Complaints per year on the road
0.12Complaint index vs. all tracked vehicles
3Recalls
18.4%Share involving a crash or fire
6Last 12 months
Analysis
The previous model year (2018) drew 6.7 complaints per year, more than this one. The following model year (2020) drew 4.5 per year, fewer than this one. In its first two years on the road the 2019 model collected 13 complaints, 84% lower than the average vehicle of the same model year.
The most common problem area is Brakes (23.7% of complaints), followed by Engine (18.4%) and Wheels, tires & suspension (18.4%). Brakes complaints are 3.9 times as common here as across all tracked vehicles. Within Brakes reports, owners most often mention “brake”, “discovered”, “began”, “pedal” and “warning”. 7 reports (18.4%) describe a crash or fire; owners mention 2 injuries and 0 deaths.
Half of the reported incidents happened within 50 months of the model year's start; the busiest period was after five years (32% of incidents). 6 complaints were filed in the last 12 months.
NHTSA lists 3 safety recalls for this model year. 29% of the complaints fall in component areas that a recall addresses. 1 NHTSA defect investigation covers this model year; the most recent is “Pedestrian alert sounds” (opened 2023-01-27, closed 2023-08-07).
Complaint index
vs. all tracked vehicles0.12
vs. other Toyota models0.15
vs. other 2019 models0.11
vs. other Compact cars0.22
Complaints in first 2 years on the road · vs. same-year average (13)0.16
* I was pulling into a parking space at a slow speed. When I applied the brake the car accelerated causing the car to scrape the car next to the space. The car then stopped. * The acceleration was out of my control and the brakes did not stop it.
Brakes · 2024-10-16 · ODI 11620209 · Crash
I was idling at a parking space and went to turn off my car. The vehicle surged forward and the BRAKE sign came on. I pushed my brake to the floor and nothing happened. I was moving toward a brick wall so I put in in reverse and the car surged backwards.
Electrical · 2024-04-24 · ODI 11585051 · Crash
Coolant is leaking into the catalytic converter. This seems to be a common issue. Toyota issued a technical service bulletin on XXX covering this exactly.
Engine · 2026-08-26 · ODI 11759842
Frequency when I start car makes a very loud , painful high pitch noise for anywhere from 5-15 seconds
Electrical · 2026-07-13 · ODI 11749970
I was parked. I put my car in reverse. I heard the beeping sound confirming it was in reverse. I put my foot on the accelerator and the car went forward instead of reverse. This happened twice. I immediately shut off the car and turned it back on.
Interior & equipment · 2026-02-06 · ODI 11716267
Excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA, trimmed for length. The ODI number is NHTSA's record identifier.
Summary: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2019 Prius vehicles. An electrical short circuit in the combination meter could occur, causing the speedometer, the odometer, and the fuel gauge to go blank. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 101, "Controls and Displays."
Risk: A blank main display will not show important information like vehicle speed or fuel level. Driving with an inoperative display can increase the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the flash memory chip (ROM) production date, and if necessary, replace it along with the combination meter circuit board, free of charge. The recall began February 7, 2020. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-888-270-9371. Toyota's numbers for this recall are 19TA21 and 19TB21.
ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC) Campaign 19V544000 · 2019-07-24
Summary: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2019 Lexus LS500, LC500, ES300h, UX250h, LS500h, Toyota Prius, RAV4 HV, 2019-2020 Toyota Prius Prime, and 2020 Corolla HV vehicles. The brake booster pump may fail causing a deactivation of the Vehicle Stability Control system and a loss of braking assist. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 126, "Electronic Stability Control Systems."
Risk: Deactivation of the vehicle stability control system or a loss of braking assist increases the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and, if necessary, replace the brake booster pump, free of charge. The recall began September 20, 2019. Toyota owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-888-270-9371 and Lexus owners may contact Lexus customer service at 1-800-255-3987. Toyota's numbers for this recall are K1L/K0L. Lexus' numbers for this recall are K2F/KLF.
Summary: Gulf States Toyota (GST) is recalling certain 2019 C-HR, 4Runner, Avalon, Avalon Hybrid, Camry, Camry Hybrid, Highlander, Land Cruiser, Prius, RAV4, Sequoia, Tacoma, Sienna, Tundra and Yaris vehicles. The text on the load capacity label may become illegible. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 110, "Tire Selection and Rims."
Risk: If the driver cannot read the label, they may unknowingly overload the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: GST will notify owners, and dealers will provide corrected load carrying capacity modification labels, free of charge. The recall began May 24, 2019. Owners may contact GST customer service at 1-800-444-1074. GST's number for this recall is 19R1.
DP22005 · ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:PROPULSION SYSTEM · Opened 2023-01-27 · Closed 2023-08-07 · Campaign 22V063000 · Model years: 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022
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…
Frequently asked questions
How many complaints were filed for the 2019 Toyota Prius?
38 complaints were filed with NHTSA for the 2019 Toyota Prius, or about 5.0 per year on the road.
What is the most common problem reported for the 2019 Toyota Prius?
The most common category is Brakes, accounting for 23.7% of complaints.
Does the 2019 Toyota Prius have any recalls?
NHTSA lists 3 safety recall(s) for this model year. 1 NHTSA defect investigation covers this model year; the most recent is “Pedestrian alert sounds” (opened 2023-01-27, closed 2023-08-07).
Is the 2019 Toyota Prius still generating complaints?
6 complaints were filed in the last 12 months.
How does the 2019 Toyota Prius compare with similar vehicles?
NHTSA has received 38 owner complaints about the 2019 Toyota Prius, or 5.0 per year on the road — far fewer complaints than typical for a vehicle of its age (complaint index 0.12, where 1.00 is the average of all tracked vehicles). Among the 76 model-year 2019 vehicles we track, it ranks #6 for fewest complaints per year. Against other Toyota models its rate is 85% lower; against other Compact cars it is 78% lower.