NHTSA has received 32 owner complaints about the 2022 Toyota Prius, or 6.7 per year on the road — far fewer complaints than typical (complaint index 0.17, where 1.00 is the average of all tracked vehicles). Among the 92 model-year 2022 vehicles we track, it ranks #15 of 92 by complaints per year (#1 = fewest). Against other Toyota models its rate is 80% lower; against other Compact cars it is 69% 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 2021-10-14 and 2026-07-09. Median delay from incident to filing: 6 days.
32Complaints
6.7Complaints per year on the road
0.17Complaint index vs. all tracked vehicles
1Recalls
21.9%Share involving a crash or fire
6Last 12 months
Analysis
The previous model year (2021) drew 2.8 complaints per year, fewer than this one. The following model year (2023) drew 6.9 per year, about the same. In its first two years on the road the 2022 model collected 21 complaints, 72% lower than the average vehicle of the same model year.
The most common problem area is Electrical (21.9% of complaints), followed by Brakes (18.8%) and Engine (12.5%). 7 reports (21.9%) describe a crash or fire; owners mention 4 injuries and 0 deaths.
Half of the reported incidents happened within 15 months of the model year's start; the busiest period was the first year (41% of incidents). 6 complaints were filed in the last 12 months.
NHTSA lists 1 safety recall 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 vehicles0.17
vs. other Toyota models0.2
vs. other 2022 models0.17
vs. other Compact cars0.31
Complaints in first 2 years on the road · vs. same-year average (21)0.28
The contact owned a 2022 Toyota Prius. The contact stated that while idled forward into a parking space at the local car wash, the brake pedal was depressed to stop but the vehicle erroneously accelerated forward and crashed into a brick wall where it came to…
Other · 2025-01-22 · ODI 11637566 · Crash
Extremely loud, ear-piercing noise from speakers when the vehicle is started. Lasts about two to three seconds. My ears have been damaged by it. My young boys cried while in their car seats and said that their ears hurt. Noise occurs randomly.
Electrical · 2023-11-03 · ODI 11553332
The contact owns a 2022 Toyota Prius. The contact stated that while driving, depressed the brakes, brake pedal became stiff and had to apply extra force to apply the brakes. The issue occurred multiple times.
Brakes · 2026-06-03 · ODI 11741774
Odometer Fraud. The contact purchased a 2022 Toyota Prius. It was discovered that there was a mileage discrepancy. The vehicle was a private sale. At the time of purchase, the vehicle mileage was 29,909.
Electrical · 2026-03-12 · ODI 11723906
The contact owns a 2022 Toyota Prius. The contact stated that while attempting to use the front driver's side seat belt, the lap belt and the anchor bolt detached, rendering the seat belt unusable.
Airbags & seat belts · 2026-01-30 · ODI 11714567
Excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA, trimmed for length. The ODI number is NHTSA's record identifier.
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:ENGINE CONTROL MODULE (ECU/ECM):SOFTWARE Campaign 21V734000 · 2021-09-22
Summary: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2022 Prius and Prius Prime vehicles. The Engine Control Unit (ECU) software may falsely detect an error and shut down the hybrid system, causing a loss of drive power.
Risk: A loss of drive power increases the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Dealers will update the ECU software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed November 18, 2021. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's number for this recall is 21TB07/21TA07.
DP22005 · defect petition · 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…
