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Electrical systemPart report

2015 Toyota Prius Electrical system Problems

Complaints
27about this part
Share
16%of 166 total for the year
Median mileage
21,000miles
Trend
FallingComplaints filed in the last 3 full calendar years are at least 25% lower than in the 3 years before.

NHTSA recorded 27 complaints about the electrical system of the 2015 Toyota Prius, 16% of the 166 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 21,000 miles. 5 of these say a crash was involved and 1 a fire, according to the filers.

Example complaints

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

“Anytime I change elevations the engine seems to rev when it is idling on cruise control. On the downhill, the car will accellerate to ignore the speed on cruisecontrol to dangerous high velocity. I reported this to Toyota of north hollywood three times... It was never addressed.”

NHTSA complaint #11351905, filed 2020-08, 2,000 miles

“Random electrical problems started happening. Bluetooth would not allow me to answer incoming phone. I could not call out. Unable to change radio station, turn on/off radio. Unable to turn on cd, or eject disk. Then radio will start working and am able to use bluetooth if I dial from my cell phone. All within a week. Last night ,I drove in silence. No radio, cd, bluetooth. Have maintenance appt. Tues., and stated problems w/ electrical system. Didn't matter if car was moving or stopped.”

NHTSA complaint #10824682, filed 2016-02, 33,888 miles

“Within a 6 day period, the main 12 volt battery died and the car which was only 3 weeks old would not start. Also the cable used to charge the hybrid battery trips the circuit breaker in my house each time even though it is a ground fault outlet and a 20 amp breaker. I had to call out a tow truck to jumpstart the battery both times. Car was parked and directions were followed exactly for charging it. I took it to the dealer who found nothing wrong and was told I should have a dedicated line to charge the car, even though I wasn't told this by the salesman. …”

NHTSA complaint #10781478, filed 2015-10, 575 miles

“I was sitting in the passenger seat of the car while it was parallel parked. I pressed the push to start button to turn on the battery so I could charge my phone. There was no one in the driver seat. The car turned completely on when I reached over to press the button. Not only did the engine start, but without anyone pressing on the breaks the car released itself from being parked. The car started rolling backwards into the car parked behind me. I have no explanation about how this happened. I have been reading into it and apparently it's a defect of the 2015 and older models. …”

NHTSA complaint #10889298, filed 2016-07, 21,000 miles

“I was pulling out of a parking space where my front was up against a building with a car on either side of me. I reversed for about 25' where a telephone pole mandated that I make a k-turn to get out. As I switched from reverse to forward, I saw a spark as the car jet-propelled forward. I tried to break multiple times, but the car accelerated the 25' into the wall. All airbags deployed, and fluid gushed out of the front end. The car was declared a total loss. I was told by Toyota and my insurance company that I must have accidentally accelerated instead of repeatedly breaking. …”

NHTSA complaint #10723794, filed 2015-06, 3,200 miles

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 2015 Toyota Prius

Brakes
93 complaintsOther or unknown
15 complaintsTransmission and drivetrain
13 complaintsEngine
8 complaintsExterior lighting
7 complaintsForward collision avoidance
7 complaintsVehicle speed control
7 complaintsAir bags
6 complaintsFuel system
6 complaintsBody and structure
6 complaintsVisibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors)
5 complaintsHybrid propulsion system
3 complaints

← All problems reported for the 2015 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