2021 Toyota Prius problems, complaints & recalls
NHTSA has received 16 owner complaints about the 2021 Toyota Prius, or 2.8 per year on the road — far fewer complaints than typical (complaint index 0.07, where 1.00 is the average of all tracked vehicles). Among the 85 model-year 2021 vehicles we track, it ranks #4 of 85 by complaints per year (#1 = fewest). Against other Toyota models its rate is 92% lower; against other Compact cars it is 87% 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
Limited data: fewer than 30 complaints, so shares and indexes are unstable.
Complaints filed between 2021-03-25 and 2026-03-09. Median delay from incident to filing: 19 days.
Analysis
The previous model year (2020) drew 4.4 complaints per year, more than this one. The following model year (2022) drew 6.7 per year, more than this one. In its first two years on the road the 2021 model collected 5 complaints, 92% lower than the average vehicle of the same model year.
The most common problem area is Engine (18.8% of complaints), followed by Electrical (18.8%) and Transmission / powertrain (12.5%). 5 reports (31.2%) describe a crash or fire; owners mention 2 injuries and 0 deaths.
Half of the reported incidents happened within 34 months of the model year's start; the busiest period was years three to five (38% of incidents). 3 complaints were filed in the last 12 months.
NHTSA lists no safety recalls for this model year. 1 NHTSA investigation covers this model year; the most recent is “Pedestrian alert sounds” (defect petition, opened 2023-01-27, closed 2023-08-07).
Complaint index
- vs. all tracked vehicles0.07
- vs. other Toyota models0.08
- vs. other 2021 models0.07
- vs. other Compact cars0.13
- Complaints in first 2 years on the road · vs. same-year average (5)0.08
- #4 of 85 · 2021Rankings ›
1.00 means the same rate as the comparison group. 2.00 means twice as many complaints per year on the road.
When complaints were filed
- Crashes reported: 5
- Fires reported: 0
- Injuries: 2
- Deaths: 0
Vehicle age at incident
Median age at incident: 34 months
What owners report
I was slowly entering a handicapped parking place right in front of a business. The distance from the front of the parking space to the building wall was about 15 feet, one car length.
My vehicle is equipped with Toyota Safety Sense, which includes Full-Speed Range Dynamic Radar Cruise Control (DRCC) and a Pre-Collision System.
Odometer Fraud. The contact purchased a 2021 Toyota Prius Prime. The contact discovered that there was a mileage discrepancy after the purchase. The vehicle was a private sale. At the time of the purchase, the vehicle mileage was 73,000.
When i am going down it's charging when the charge reaches 6 from 8 the engine starts working and stop changing at that point and the power continues comes from engine only without the hybrid battery and there are no codes
Rodents accessed and damaged the car because there essentials components are not protected.
Excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA, trimmed for length. The ODI number is NHTSA's record identifier.
Segment peers · 2021 · Compact cars
| Models | Complaints | Complaints per year on the road | Complaint index |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 Subaru Impreza | 14 | 2.4 | 0.06 |
| 2021 Toyota Prius | 16 | 2.8 | 0.07 |
| 2021 Mazda Mazda3 | 54 | 9.3 | 0.23 |
| 2021 Kia Forte | 69 | 11.9 | 0.29 |
| 2021 Volkswagen Jetta | 69 | 11.9 | 0.29 |
| 2021 Nissan Sentra | 132 | 22.8 | 0.57 |
| 2021 Honda Civic | 159 | 27.5 | 0.68 |
| 2021 Hyundai Elantra | 160 | 27.6 | 0.68 |
| 2021 Toyota Corolla | 186 | 32.1 | 0.8 |
Safety recalls (0)
No recalls on record for this model year.
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…