Prius (XW50)
Data covers 5 NHTSA model names
Reliability Score
Complaints by Engine Code
2ZR-FXE,1NM
1.8L 4-cyl / 96 hpView details
Complaint Breakdown
2ZR-FXE+1NM
1.8L 4-cyl / 96 hpView details
Complaint Breakdown
Toyota Prius Unidentified Engine
View details
Complaint Breakdown
1NZ-FXE+1LM
1.5L 4-cyl / 72 hpView details
Complaint Breakdown
Show 2 additional engine variants with limited data
3MZ
3.3L 6-cyl / 225 hpView details
Complaint Breakdown
1ZZ-FE
1.8L 4-cyl / 138 hpView details
Complaint Breakdown
Battery & Propulsion Reliability
Hybrid (HEV)
Battery & propulsion complaint analysis for the 2016-2022 Toyota Prius
That's below the typical rate for hybrids in this dataset (median 7.0 per year). Battery & propulsion complaints are lower than peer average for this category.
What kind of battery complaint?
Among the 30 battery-related complaints, here's the type mix. These percentages describe what the complaints are about — not how reliable the vehicle is overall.
Hybrid system warnings, eCVT, motor-generator, hybrid transaxle.
Loss of power, drive unit, inverter, traction motor, DC-DC converter.
Low-voltage battery deaths, common on EVs and hybrids that use a 12V for accessories.
Battery fires, smoke, thermal runaway. Includes any complaint with fire reported.
Propulsion battery defects, capacity loss, BMS faults, replacement claims.
Regen brake feel, one-pedal driving, B-mode complaints.
Battery & propulsion recalls (4)
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2016 Prius vehicles. A capacitor within the hybrid system may not have been properly bolted to the inverter housing.
Consequence: If the capacitor was not properly secured, vibrations from driving the vehicle may damage the capacitor, shutting down the hybrid system, causing a loss of motive power and increasing the risk of a crash.
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.
Consequence: A loss of drive power increases the risk of a crash.
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2018-2019 Prius C vehicles. The DC-DC converter may fail resulting in the auxiliary battery no longer receiving power from the converter, which may cause a loss of drive.
Consequence: A loss of drive increases the risk of crash.
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2013-2015 Prius and 2014-2017 Prius V vehicles not included in recall 18V-684. Excessive voltage in the Intelligent Power Module (IPM) within the inverter may cause the hybrid system to shut down, causing the vehicle to stall while being driven.
Consequence: An unexpected hybrid power system shut down may increase the risk of a crash.
Sample complaint excerpts
Hybrid Drivetrain
- [2016] I turned on my car in a flat parking lot, reversed out of my spot, and drove up to a traffic light to exit the parking lot. When the light turned green, I took my foot off the brake and tried to accelerate, but nothing happened. After a few seconds, my car lurched forward with a sudden jerk, and I was able to exit, but this behavior (no movement, then sudden jerk) continued to happen. I was scare
- [2016] My car suddenly stopped in the middle of the road with message "Hybrid system stopped steering power low". Safety concern to this happen on the middle of road during rain or cold.
- [2016] Driving on the freeway the car stalled and was unable to accelerate. The issue seems identical to the 2020 recall. 2020-06-23 Recall no. 20V369000 Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2013-2015 Prius and 2014-2017 Prius V vehicles not included in recall 18V-684. Excessive voltage in the Intelligent Power Module (IPM) within the inverter may cause the hybrid system
Electric Propulsion
- [2016] Driving on the freeway the car stalled and was unable to accelerate. The issue seems identical to the 2020 recall. 2020-06-23 Recall no. 20V369000 Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2013-2015 Prius and 2014-2017 Prius V vehicles not included in recall 18V-684. Excessive voltage in the Intelligent Power Module (IPM) within the inverter may cause the hybrid system
- [2016] WHEN THE CAR IS IN DRIVE AND STATIONARY ON A HILL FACING UP WARDS (LIKE IN A DRIVEWAY) THE CAR STILL SENDS ELECTRICAL POWER TO THE ELECTRIC MOTOR AND TO THE WHEELS EVEN WHEN THE BRAKES ARE APPLIED. THIS ONLY HAPPENS WHEN FACING UP A HILL. ALL ELECTRICAL POWER IS SUPPOSE TO TURN OFF WHEN THE BRAKE IS PRESSED. THIS STARTED HAPPENING TWO WEEKS AGO AND THE DEALERSHIP SAID THAT THIS IS NORMAL BUT I
- [2016] WHEN COMES TO A STOP AND ON ACCELERATION VEHICLE WON'T MOVE ESPECIALLY AFTER RAIN AND CAR WASH. IT HAPPENED 10 TIMES SINCE JUNE 2017 AND ONCE A WEEK LATELY. EVERY TIME IT STARTS WITH LOUD NOISE FROM ENGINE,RIGHT AFTER THAT THE BATTERY BAR DROPPED FROM FULL BAR TO ONE BAR QUICKLY IN ONE SECOND. IF I HAVE TO STOP AT THE TRAFFIC LIGHT WHEN THIS HAPPENS IT WON'T MOVE. EARLY THIS YEAR 01/12/2018,IT 'S
12V Auxiliary Battery
- [2016] WITH THE AUXILIARY BATTERY WELL CHARGED THE GAS ENGINE WILL TURN OFF WHEN VEHICLE COMES TO A STOP. IN ORDER TO TURN THE IGNITION KEY TO THE OFF POSITION AND REMOVE THE KEY IT IS NECESSARY TO MOVE THE SHIFT LEVER TO THE PARK POSITION. AT THE SAME TIME IT IS ADVISABLE TO SET THE PARKING BRAKE. IF DISTRACTED IT IS POSSIBLE TO OPEN THE DOOR AND LEAVE THE VEHICLE WITH THE ELECTRIC ENGINE STILL RUNNI
- [2018] UNKNOWN My car started stalling when it comes to a full stop. I.e. if I stop at a red light or stop sign, and I then press the gas, it stalls. It might inch forward, but it doesn’t really accelerate. This happened last year, and I took it to the dealer. They couldn’t reproduce the results, and they could only suggest changing my small 12V battery. Today, it stalled 8 times, between 2 short drive
- [2018] ERROR CODES P0113 AND P0102 AND WARNING MESSAGES FOR CHECK ENGINE AND ICS MALFUNCTION* LAPPEARED WHEN STARTING THE GARAGED VEHICLE IN APPROXIMATELY 55F ROOM TEMPERATURE. TOYOTA OF ESCONDIDO AND TOYOTA'S CUSTOMER CARE TELEPHONE CENTER EXPLAINED THAT THEY WILL NOT INSPECT (ALTHOUGH UNDER THE 3-YEAR/36,000 MILES WARRANTY) WITHOUT A SERVICE FEE. ONLINE, REPORTS THAT A FAILING 12V BATTERY MAY CAUSE M
Thermal Events
- [2017] The catalytic converter heat exchanger failed internally, causing coolant to leak into the exhaust system. Symptoms included white smoke from exhaust and coolant loss with no visible ground leak. This is a documented factory defect per Toyota Technical Service Bulletin T-SB-0135-19 affecting 2016-2019 Prius models. Toyota has denied warranty coverage despite the vehicle was originally bought & spe
- [2017] WE PURCHASED A 2017 TOYOTA PRIUS ON JANUARY 29TH 2017 AND ON MARCH 22ND 2017 THE CAR CAUGHT ON FIRE OUT OF NO WHERE. THE CAR WAS PARKED AND OFF WHEN SMOKE BEGAN TO COME OUT FROM THE AROUND THE SHIFT CHANGER AND THE TOUCH SCREEN AREA. AFTER A FEW SECONDS THE CAR WAS COMPLETELY ON FIRE.
- [2018] THE CAUGHT ON FIRE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT WHILE PARKED. NOTHING WAS TURNED ON AND NOTHING WAS PLUGGED IN. THE CAR WAS TOTALED. TOYOTA IS REFUSING TO ADMIT THIS CAR HAS A PROBLEM AND RANDOMLY CATCHES FIRE. TOYOTA JUST ISSUED A RECALL ON ANOTHER MODEL OF THE PRIUS FOR THIS SAME ISSUE.
High-Voltage Battery
- [2017] For the past year or so we have had issues with the vehicle not starting properly. If we leave the radio, wipers, heater, or air conditioner in the ON position when we shut the car off, or a window down a little on a hot day, a sensor triggers a Low Battery error code. We have had the battery checked and it is NOT low. When this happens to start the car we need to get a jumpstart from someone.
- [2018] On at least 4 occasions when the EV battery becomes depleted while driving at highway speeds and the car is switching to gas, the engine completely loses all power. This has lasted from 10-30 seconds. The dealership said a small battery needed to be replaced, and replaced that, but this recurred within a month of replacement.
Regenerative Braking
- [2017] PLEASE NOTE: THAT I HAVE OWNED A PREVIOUS GENERATION PRIUS - A 2011 - AND I AM MORE THAN AWARE THAT REGENERATIVE BRAKING WORKS ENTIRELY DIFFERENTLY THAN A CONVENTIONAL BRAKING SYSTEM. SO IN NO WAY AM I REFERRING TO THE "USUAL NOISES" THAT COME FROM REGENERATIVE BRAKING. PLEASE SEE ATTACHED DOCUMENT FOR EXPLANATION OF LIFE AND SAFETY ISSUE.
Source: classified from NHTSA complaint and recall data. "Battery-related" includes high-voltage propulsion battery, charging system, hybrid drivetrain, electric propulsion, regenerative braking, 12V auxiliary battery, and thermal-event complaints. Other complaints (suspension, steering, brakes, infotainment) appear in the engine and vehicle-level sections. Rates are absolute counts, not normalized per-VIN — high-volume models naturally produce more raw complaints than low-volume ones. Self-reported death and injury counts are capped per complaint to limit form abuse.
Battery: Toyota Hybrid Gen4 NiMH
Pack overview
Known issues
How this pack ages (industry context)
Industry fleet aggregates: 2.3% average annual capacity loss across 22,700 EVs / 21 models (Geotab, 2026), and 95% range retention at 5 years on average across 30,000+ vehicles (Recurrent, 2026).
OEM warranty floor on this pack: 10 yr / 150k mi.
Public per-pack degradation curves are not available for most models. Individual results vary materially with climate, charging behavior, and DC fast-charge frequency.
Owner Complaints by System
Complaints owners filed with NHTSA about the Toyota Prius, counted across every engine. A complaint can name more than one system.
What to check on a used 2016-2022 Toyota Prius
On a used 2016-2022 Toyota Prius, the systems with the most NHTSA owner complaints are the electrical system (80), the brakes (78) and the engine (57). Each one has an inspection step below, with counts as of 2026-10-12. A complaint is an owner report, not a confirmed defect, and counts rise with sales.
- Switch on every electrical item in turn: lights, windows, locks, wipers, climate fan, screen and power outlets.Costly repair. NHTSA has 80 owner complaints on the 2016-2022 Toyota Prius about the electrical system.
- On an empty road, brake firmly from 40 mph with a light grip on the wheel.Safety. NHTSA has 78 owner complaints on the 2016-2022 Toyota Prius about the brakes.
- Start the engine cold and listen for the first 30 seconds, then again at idle once it is warm.Costly repair. NHTSA has 57 owner complaints on the 2016-2022 Toyota Prius about the engine, all engines combined.
- Switch the ignition on and watch the airbag light. On the drive, check the backup camera and any collision or lane warning.Safety. NHTSA has 51 owner complaints on the 2016-2022 Toyota Prius about the airbags and driver-assist systems.
- Accelerate gently through every gear, then once at full throttle. Shift into Reverse and back to Drive.Costly repair. NHTSA has 38 owner complaints on the 2016-2022 Toyota Prius about the transmission and drivetrain, all engines combined.
- Drive slowly in a parking lot and note each time the engine starts and stops.Costly repair. NHTSA has 13 owner complaints on the 2016-2022 Toyota Prius about the hybrid system.
Recalls (13)
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.
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2013-2015 Prius and 2014-2017 Prius V vehicles not included in recall 18V-684. Excessive voltage in the Intelligent Power Module (IPM) within the inverter may cause the hybrid system to shut down, causing the vehicle to stall while being driven.
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."
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."
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2018-2019 Prius C vehicles. The DC-DC converter may fail resulting in the auxiliary battery no longer receiving power from the converter, which may cause a loss of drive.
Show 8 older recalls
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."
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2016-2018 Toyota Prius vehicles. A portion of the engine wire harness connected to the hybrid Power Control Unit (PCU), could contact the cover at this connection and wear, causing an electrical short circuit.
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2018 Toyota Prius C vehicles sold in Puerto Rico. The front passenger air bag and recommended child occupant seating positions label may not have been attached during assembly. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 208, "Occupant Crash Protection."
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2016 Toyota Prius and Lexus RX 350, RX 350 F Sport, RX 450h F Sport and RX 450h vehicles and 2015-2016 Lexus NX 200T, NX Turbo and NX 300h vehicles. The air bag pressure sensors and/or the acceleration sensors may fail causing the side/curtain shield air bags and/or the front air bags to not deploy in the event of a crash.
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2016 Prius vehicles. A capacitor within the hybrid system may not have been properly bolted to the inverter housing.
Gulf States Toyota, Inc. (Gulf States) is recalling certain 2017 4Runner , 86, Avalon, Camry, Camry Hybrid, Corolla, Corolla iM, Highlander, Highlander Hybrid, Prius, Prius C, RAV4, RAV4 Hybrid, Sienna and Yaris vehicles. The spare tire air pressure was not adjusted to the proper pressure as stated on the Tire Pressure Label.
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain model year 2016-2017 Prius vehicles manufactured August 6, 2015, to October 3, 2016. The affected vehicles are equipped with a foot-operated parking brake system that has a parking brake cable that may disengage.
Toyota Motor Engineering and Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain model year 2016 Toyota Prius vehicles manufactured November 30, 2015, to June 14, 2016. An air bag inflator manufacturing error may result in the inadvertent partial inflation of the front passenger air bag.
NHTSA Safety Ratings About NHTSA ratings
Alternatives in Compact Hatchback
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the most common 2016-2022 Toyota Prius complaints?
Owners have filed 505 complaints with NHTSA about the 2016-2022 Toyota Prius. The systems they name most often are the electrical system, the brakes and the engine.
Is the 2016-2022 Toyota Prius a good used car?
That depends on the model year, the mileage and the maintenance history of the car in front of you. Owners have filed 505 complaints with NHTSA about the 2016-2022 Toyota Prius. Check which systems they name most often and whether a recall is still open on that car.
How many NHTSA complaints does the 2016-2022 Toyota Prius have?
NHTSA has 505 owner complaints on file for the 2016-2022 Toyota Prius as of the latest data pull. A complaint is an owner's report, not a confirmed defect, and counts rise with sales.
What recalls affect the 2016-2022 Toyota Prius?
NHTSA lists 13 recalls covering some 2016-2022 Toyota Prius vehicles. Which ones apply depends on the VIN: enter it at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see the open campaigns on a specific car.
What should I check before buying a used Toyota Prius?
Run the VIN through NHTSA's recall lookup and confirm every open recall has been done. Look hardest at the electrical system, the brakes and the engine, the systems owners complain about most. Ask for maintenance records, have an independent mechanic inspect the car and run a vehicle history report for prior accidents and title issues.
What are the NHTSA crash test ratings for the Prius?
The 2022 Toyota Prius received an overall 5-star safety rating from NHTSA. Frontal crash: 4 stars. Side crash: 5 stars. Rollover: 4 stars (10.7% rollover probability). Electronic Stability Control: Standard. Forward Collision Warning: Standard. Lane Departure Warning: Standard. These ratings are based on standardized crash tests conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
Data from NHTSA federal complaints database. 505 complaints analyzed. Data confidence: high. Last updated: 2026-10-12.