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Electrical systemPart report

2013 Toyota Prius Electrical system Problems

Complaints
52about this part
Share
13%of 414 total for the year
Median mileage
65,000miles
Trend
StableComplaints filed in the last 3 full calendar years are within 25% of the 3 years before.

NHTSA recorded 52 complaints about the electrical system of the 2013 Toyota Prius, 13% of the 414 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 65,000 miles. 2 a fire, according to the filers. 1 recall campaign on record is filed under a similar system.

Example complaints

Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.

“I am having problems with rodents getting into my car. I fear that they are chewing on electrical wiring and there is possible distraction to the driver. When I was driving (car was moving) a mouse crawled up on my shoulder. These problems appear to be a problem with this model Toyota and could cause a distraction to the driver and a driving issue with wiring.”

NHTSA complaint #11352266, filed 2020-08, 69,000 miles

“My Toyota Prius was involved in a hit run accident. Yark collision completed work on vehicle. When picking up car from yark my car would not start spoke with one of the mechanic he said my battery died and I explained to them I had no issues ,prior to bringing my car to yark I had just had diagnostic test done at Toyota. Vehicle sat at my residence over night and vehicle had died again. I contacted yark told them I was bringing battery in for them to charge because I was not sure as to what was going on since we had already replaced battery. …”

NHTSA complaint #11374173, filed 2020-11, 133,425 miles

“We have had multiple low beam bulb failures. Usually it starts with 1 the burns out the other within a week or two. In the last year we have replaced both bulbs 3 times. The last time was february 24th last night on march 11th we received a warning ticket for a headlight out. I went to replace the bulb again and it was good, after removing it I reinstalled and it worked. Shut the car off and came back out and it wouldn't come on again without disconnecting the harness and plugging it back in. There is noticeable discoloration on both headlight plugs.”

NHTSA complaint #11317660, filed 2020-03, 120,000 miles

“My car has stopped running with all warning lights and hybrid system failure warning three times now. First time I was driving when lights came on but got to parking lot where it died. I was able to restart car after a couple of hours, still all warning lights and hybrid warning showing but was able to get it to dealership. Second time I was driving on small road and was able to get car to side of road. Again it started after a couple hours with all warnings lit and I was able to drive to dealership were it also died again but they started it later by resetting codes. …”

NHTSA complaint #11310325, filed 2020-02, 127,000 miles

“While driving our 2013 Prius on a 5 five-lane highway 2-10-20, our Prius goes into limp home mode all the sudden and slows the car down significantly while driving at highway speed. This occurred at the same time as I was passing a car to exit the highway, also with another car close at the rear clearly intending to get ahead of me after I had passed the other car. I unexpectedly realized that I had no acceleration and that the all the dash lights had come on. I was very fortunately to be able to maneuver across the driving lanes to the highway exit without being hit as my speed go down. …”

NHTSA complaint #11308646, filed 2020-02, 110,000 miles

Related recalls

Related service bulletins

Electrical system: other model years

YearComplaintsShare of year
2026233%
2025638%
2024415%
2023524%
2022625%
2021117%
2020214%
2019413%
201825%
20171112%
20162013%
20152716%
20143316%
20135213%
20125212%
20116813%
20101927%
20096012%
200823516%
200724812%
200615211%
200517817%
200417729%
20031313%
20021811%
20012716%

Other parts of the 2013 Toyota Prius

Brakes
242 complaintsOther or unknown
51 complaintsEngine
37 complaintsVehicle speed control
22 complaintsAir bags
18 complaintsFuel system
16 complaintsTransmission and drivetrain
14 complaintsBody and structure
13 complaintsExterior lighting
12 complaintsForward collision avoidance
12 complaintsWheels
9 complaintsHybrid propulsion system
8 complaints

← All problems reported for the 2013 Toyota Prius

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.

To check a specific vehicle for open recalls, use its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. Methodology