Owners have filed 172 complaints on the Toyota Prius C, covering 2012–2018. The system named most often is Electrical System (41 reports). Worst years by volume: 2013, 2012, 2014; cleanest: 2017, 2018, 2016. 25 reports describe a crash, 1 a fire. On average the car was 6.3 years old when the problem happened.
What breaks on Toyota Prius C
Grouped by the system owners named — percentages are shares of all 172 Prius C complaints. Open any row for the full reports in owners' own words.
Electrical System 41 Read
While in motion, the vehicle switched out of ready mode. The vehicle did not switch back into ready mode. Body damage incurred during emergency stop, due to vehicle going at about 35mph when the malfunction occurred on a surface street
While in line at a church food bank, with cars in front and in back of me, the Prius C suddenly lunged forward. While my foot was on the brake, I hit the car in front of me. The impact was strong enough to cause almost $1400 worth of damage to the car in front of me and more than that for my car. My car's fender is…
Certain 2018+ and all later Toyota Prius C modes have a 12V battery for which there is currently no OEM or aftermarket replacement. The battery has a form factor (shape and size) that is exclusive to these vehicles and not used in any other car sold in North America. Vehicles with failed batteries (like mine) cannot…
Service Brakes 40 Read
Brakes, I have anti lock brakes, but if I have to press the brake the least bit hard it locks up. I have talked to the dealer about this problem and he says its normal. They also grab when I put them on. This is my third prius and I have never had this problem. I think this needs to be looked into.it makes the car…
My name is [XXX] currently active duty military stationed in San Diego. Can you please check if my car VIN number [XXX] 2016 Toyota Prius C 103k miles still covered for brake booster malfunction code 1391. I have told they are extended warranty up to 10 yrs less 150k. Toyota dealer here seems not seeing any warranty…
A few months after purchase, while driving the car, all of the dash indicator lights came on and the display flashed "brake override malfunction, see dealer." the brake and the gas were not being used at the same time. Shortly thereafter, while stopped at a light with a foot firmly on the brake, the brakes disengaged…
Air Bags 14 Read
Car was involved in a 18+ car accident. Traveling at approx 55mph all traffic came to a sudden stop. The car did stop before impact. Driver pressed himself to the seat while slamming on breaks. A car slammed into the back of the prius which shot the prius forward, wedging it between the 2 vehicles in front of it. Upon…
The contact was driving a company-owned 2017 Toyota Prius C. The contact stated that while driving at 65 MPH, another driver merging onto the highway attempted to cross multiple lanes of traffic, misjudged, and collided with the front passenger-side fender of the contact’s vehicle. As a result, the contact’s vehicle…
Our vehicle was struck in the side this week, and the air bags did not deploy. We were on a residential street traveling around 30mph
Power Train 9 Read
I entered a large, strip mall parking area and was driving at the vastly reduced speed one would use in such a situation. My intention was to park my car to enter a store in the mall. I turned a corner to park on the side of the building (parking options were limited). As I entered a parking space (moving at the speed…
Toyota is trying to cover up the true number of vehicles subject to the hybrid system recall.. Toyota claims this vehicle is not the subject of recall, yet the vehicle displays all the symptoms described in the recall.. 1.) the vehicle was in motion at freeway speed on westbound hwy 92 on 12/27/2020 at approximately…
City street ...pressed on gas after the light changed and it did not go forward and then waivered for awhile. I was very close to home. I do not know how it will work tomorrow . No warning lights were on. It has acted funny before like this on highway trips and then it wouldn't do it. Toyota dealers do not even know…
Exterior Lighting 9 Read
At night on dark streets with no other lighting, you cannot see to drive unless you use high beams. There is a line across the windshield; a horizon. You can see below that horizon (a thin area), but it's black above it, making it very hard to see. Visibility is only a few feet. I contacted toyota and the sales and…
I was driving at night on back roads when both headlights went out. I stopped the car, turned it off and restarted it to see what would happen. The lights did not go on, however, I found that if I held the switch up as though I was turning on high beams, the high beams worked. I could not get the low beams to work. I…
The seal of the rear lamp assembly becomes unsealed and lets water in. Burns our bulbs and short out electrical system because of this. Second right rear assembly was replaced today and now front units are also foggy so I know that the seal on the lamp unit is also wearing. I read about this with other Prius and other…
Vehicle Speed Control 8 Read
The contact owned a 2017 toyota prius c. The contact stated while driving approximately 40 mph, the vehicle inadvertently accelerated. The contact stated while the brake pedal was being depressed the vehicle failed to stop. The contact then swerved to the right and hit a curb as the vehicle went air bourne. The front…
At approximately 2:10pm on monday december 10, 2014 I was returning home from a brief trip. I was making the 90 degree right turn into my driveway when I felt my car, a prius, accelerate by itself. But this acceleration was not like what you get when you step on the gas. It was as if the car had a mind of its own and…
As I was pulling into a space in front of my school, and had my foot on the accelerator, going less than five miles per hour, the car suddenly accelerated at great speed, crashing into a stairwell and stair railing. The car engine suddenly revved up and sped ahead; then I went to put my foot on the brake, but the car…
Engine 5 Read
I was driving in san francisco I had three passenger with me in the car and when I was going up to the hill the car power starts getting weaker and I was hearing that cares in the car I don't want to go up the hill now I'm like it's keeps going weaker and weaker and weaker and all the sudden the car started rolling…
The contact owns a 2014 toyota prius c. While driving 35 mph, the vehicle stalled without warning. The vehicle managed to restart after a few attempts and the failure was corrected. The contact was able to drive the vehicle home. A dealer and the manufacturer were not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was…
The contact owns a 2014 Toyota Prius C. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost motive power. The contact was able to move the vehicle to the shoulder of the roadway safely. The contact stated that before losing motive power, an unknown warning light illuminated. The vehicle was…
Steering 5 Read
Immobilized failure due to combination of brake hose failure preventing hybrid control/shift actuator. Hybrid steering lock became disengaged and could not communicate with the certification ecu due constant power being disabled due to complete main body failure. Hybrid system cannot go back into park however ecm side…
Ireceived the warning that "pre-collision system malfunction" while I was driving on the highway this morning. The warning message asked me to stop the car at a safe place and visit the dealer. As soon as I got off the highway, the car stopped itself, and the steering was locked. The car was completely disabled. After…
While driving, I received a warning "hybrid system malfunction". Within seconds, the vehicle powered off and the steering wheel LOCKED. I had no control of the car and came to an abrupt stop in lane 1 of a two lane road. I was fortunate that it was late in the evening with few cars on the road, had I been on the…
Prius C years to avoid — and the clean ones
Complaints per model year. More reports usually means more cars on the road as well as more trouble, so read the crash and fire columns alongside the count.
| Model year | Complaints | Top system | Crashes | Fires |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Electrical System | 1 | — | |
| 2017 | Air Bags | 2 | — | |
| 2016 | Electrical System,hybrid Propulsion System | — | — | |
| 2015 | Air Bags | 2 | — | |
| 2014 | Air Bags | 5 | — | |
| 2013 | Air Bags | 8 | — | |
| 2012 | Air Bags | 7 | 1 |
The same model year, different builds
Every complaint carries the first 11 characters of the VIN — plant, year, body and engine. That is a production series, and complaints are spread across them very unevenly.
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Distinct production series | 56 |
| Average complaints per series | 3.1 |
| Worst single series | 7 complaints |
| Average age at failure | 6.3 years |
A model average of 3.1 hides a worst series at 7. Enter a VIN above to see the numbers for that exact build instead of the model as a whole.
Owners reported these. Find out if yours is one of them.
- Complaints matched to the exact production run, not just the model
- What the car is worth given what tends to fail on it
- The original window sticker and factory options
- Full research report as a PDF for the pre-purchase inspection
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How we count
Every figure here comes from complaints owners filed with NHTSA — 1,100,006 of them, covering 1,982 models built between 1981 and 2026.
A complaint is an unverified report: someone wrote down what happened to their car. It is not a confirmed defect and not a recall. What makes the volume useful is the pattern — when thousands of owners of the same build describe the same failure, that is a signal no marketing brochure will give you.
Two things we do that the source does not. First, we compute the age of the car at the moment of failure from the incident date and the model year. Second, we group complaints by the first 11 characters of the VIN — the production series — so a bad plant run does not disappear into a model-wide average.
Frequently asked questions
What are the worst years for the Prius C?
By complaint volume, 2013, 2012, 2014 drew the most owner reports. Bear in mind that popular years put more cars on the road, so check the crash and fire columns too.
Which Prius C years are the cleanest?
2017, 2018, 2016 have the fewest complaints on file. For recent years that can simply mean the cars are young.
How many complaints does the Toyota Prius C have?
172 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, covering 2012–2018. Of those, 25 describe a crash and 1 a fire.
Are these complaints verified?
No. They are unverified reports from owners. NHTSA publishes them as filed and investigates only a fraction. The value is in the pattern, not in any single report.
Can I check complaints for one specific car?
Yes — enter its VIN above. We match the first 11 characters, which identify the plant, year, body and engine, so you get complaints on that exact production series rather than the whole model.