Toyota Prius Prime Problems by Model Year
NHTSA recorded 122 consumer complaints across the 8 model years of the Toyota Prius Prime (2017–2024) that have at least 5 complaints. 2017 has the most, with 42. Across all years, the part named most often is electrical system (27 mentions). Pick a model year below to see its parts, mileage, recalls and service bulletins.
All Prius Prime model years
Years with fewer than 5 complaints are not listed. The score compares years of the same model, allowing for the era and for how long each year has collected complaints: 50 is a typical year, lower means fewer complaints. It is not adjusted for sales volume.
| Year | Complaints | Median mi | Recalls | TSBs | Score (50 = typical) | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 15 | 7,000 | 4 | 98 | — | Too new |
| 2023 | 6 | 8,548 | 4 | 90 | — | Too new |
| 2022 | 8 | 6,350 | 1 | 125 | — | Not enough data |
| 2021 | 10 | 34,000 | 0 | 122 | — | Not enough data |
| 2020 | 16 | 9,250 | 1 | 123 | — | Falling |
| 2019 | 9 | 9,014 | 1 | 116 | — | Not enough data |
| 2018 | 16 | 15,000 | 0 | 98 | — | Stable |
| 2017 | 42 | 6,500 | 0 | 108 | Not compared (fewer than 3 comparable model years) | Stable |
Parts named most often, all years
Counts add up complaint mentions across the listed years. A complaint can name several parts.
- Electrical system27 25%
- Visibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors)19 17%
- Other or unknown15 14%
- Transmission and drivetrain13 12%
- Brakes13 12%
- Vehicle speed control8 7.3%
- Wheels7 6.4%
- Tires7 6.4%
Example complaints
One per model year, chosen for length and detail. Personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.
2017: “I lost power on overpass. Hybrid malfunction light, collision light, engine light all came on. Almost matching recall, but Toyota service told me it's a module and would cost 1200$ to fix. I told them no. Charged me 144$ and I erased code, with no problem since? Toyota does not care and I complained?”
NHTSA complaint #11378328, filed 2020-12, 30 miles2018: “After starting from a stop after the traffic light turned green, the car in front of me pulled ahead as they accelerated faster than me. When the car in front of me was about 50 yards in front of me, and I had reached about 25 miles per hour the car's collision avoidance system engaged and slammed on the brakes and brought me to a full stop. The car in front of me had not applied their brakes or slowed at all, and there were no visible obstacles. …”
NHTSA complaint #11307431, filed 2020-02, 22,500 miles2020: “I was going to park my car in parking lot of my apartment. I pushed the baker, the car didn't decrease the speed or stop, but accelerated. It was just out of control and crashed to the wall. The sensor system didn't do any job, not even a warning.”
NHTSA complaint #11376393, filed 2020-11, 2,000 milesOther Toyota models
18,213 complaintsToyota Prius
12,520 complaintsToyota Corolla
11,741 complaintsToyota RAV4
9,405 complaintsToyota Sienna
8,832 complaintsToyota Tacoma
8,477 complaintsToyota Tundra
6,946 complaintsToyota 4RUNNER
5,902 complaints
About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 29, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate. Methodology