Owners have filed 442 complaints on the Toyota Prius V, covering 2011–2017. The system named most often is Service Brakes (202 reports). Worst years by volume: 2012, 2013, 2014; cleanest: 2011, 2017, 2016. 42 reports describe a crash, 6 a fire, 3 a death. On average the car was 7.3 years old when the problem happened.
What breaks on Toyota Prius V
Grouped by the system owners named — percentages are shares of all 442 Prius V complaints. Open any row for the full reports in owners' own words.
Service Brakes 202 Read
Traveling at approximately 25 mph in a neighborhood, I had just turned into a diagonal parking space in a cul-de-sac at about 10am and the car suddenly accelerated forward and hit a yellow iron post beyond the front of the parking space. It happened in a matter of 2-3 seconds and I couldn't stop the car by braking.…
The contact owns a 2014 Toyota Prius V. The contact stated that the vehicle was previously involved in two car crashes, where the vehicle rear-ended other vehicles due to the brakes failure. The air bags did not deploy. A police report was filed after the second crash, but the information was not available. The…
We were in stop and go traffic on the highway for just over a half hour with my two young children in the car. Speeds below 10 miles per hour. At the time of incident, we were traveling between 5-7 mph. Tried coming to a stop with about 10 feet between our car and a big rig in front. The brakes wouldn't egange.…
Electrical System 51 Read
While parking my vehicle and slowing down to enter a parking space, I eased off the brake to pull into the space when I heard the engine rev loudly and then the car accelerated and continued to accelerate despite attempts to pump the brakes, release the brakes without touching any pedal and also trying to put the…
'takata recall ' I believe there is a major problem with toyota prius v they make it only for five years, they stop making it after 2016 because they realize there is so much problems in the engine, many car this model the engine get in fires, head gasket had to be replaced at 125,000 mile. Hybrid battery it go bad at…
Unknown. I was basically driving on the freeway, when my car's engine suddenly stopped running. The car was automatically put into neutral and was not able to control the speed of the car, so I had to move to the side of the freeway. As I was sitting in the car, I started smelling burned wire and interior started to…
Engine 35 Read
I am having issues with my Toyota I was never contacted NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID: 18V684000. My car has failed numerous times
Driving down the highway, the engine suddenly threw a rod, causing a terrible jolt, after which the engine burst into flames. There had been no warning lights
The contact owns a 2015 Toyota Prius V. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, there was an abnormal knocking sound coming from the engine compartment. The check engine warning light was illuminated. Additionally, the contact stated while driving at speeds under 65 MPH, the vehicle intermittently lost…
Vehicle Speed Control 21 Read
I was slowly ( < 5mph) approaching a stoplight at a busy intersection in a 25 mph zone on a 4 lane street there were 2 vehicles ahead of me. Everything seemed fine until my vehicle suddenly accelerated rapidly and I was unable to stop it. The path of least resistance was to drive it into the car in front of me and not…
While slowing and pulling into a parking space, in front of the dentist office where my wife had an appointment, the vehicle suddenly accelerated. It jumped the curb, and she steered hard right to avoid the building directly in front oh the parking space. She sideswiped the front of 2 vehicles parked next to the space…
On [XXX] at [XXX] I was backing out of a driveway when my 2016 Prius V5 accelerated on its own. When I applied the brakes, nothing happened. I hit a curb, which flattened the front passenger tire. In order to get the car to stop, I took it out of gear and put it in neutral. The car finally came to a stop. My speed…
Air Bags 18 Read
My 2017 prius v was involved in 2 recent crashes in which the air bags did not deploy: front end/bumper impact on 6/1/18 and front & rear end impact which totaled car on 7/3/18. Both times air bags did not deploy. Impact on 6/1/18 caused other car's (2008 honda accord) air bags to deploy, but not mine. Toyota sent…
The contact owns a 2015 toyota prius. While driving approximately 40 mph, the contact crashed into the front passenger side of another vehicle. The air bag did not deploy. A police report was filed. The contact sustained injuries that required medical attention. The vehicle was damaged and towed to a body shop where…
Airbags failed to deploy upon impact with guardrail. Drivers side front corner hit the guardrail at approx. 45% angle at 50-60mph. The vehicle was inspected by an insurance rep. And was deemed a total loss. The car is available for inspection
Power Train 17 Read
The contact owns a 2013 toyota prius v. Whenever the vehicle was placed in park, the vehicle continued to roll. The contact's vehicle crashed into the front fender of another vehicle. The air bags did not deploy. A police report was not filed and there were no injuries. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was…
The car was parked on a steep incline while I closed a gate behind me to a gated driveway. When I got back in the car and put the car in drive, I took my foot off of the brake and before I could get it to the gas pedal the car immediately rolled back and into the gate. The car released as if it was a standard shift…
Driving on freeway my prius V started shaking violently from what appeared to be overheating of water pump failure or the coolant invertor pump. I believe this to be a known issue Toyota is aware of when I took my Prius into Camelback Toyota in Phoenix they said they could not recreate the issues. I know this was…
Steering 13 Read
NHTSA recall number 15V449 manufacturer recall: for / hybrid inverter/power module (ipm) crash involving prius v (owned by another person - my mother was hit and killed by prius v) occurred on sr 105. Prius v traveling n on outside lane crossed inside lane and 11' grass median bordered by concrete into s bound inside…
8/2/22 My ABS light came on. Took the car to a dealer. They kept it for six weeks and returned it on 10/3/22. No charge and no explanation. 11/7/22 engine light came on. Took in to dealer, they returned it 11/17/22 indicated incorrect air/ fuel mixture. 10/9/23 Traveling 47 mph, came around a mountain and encountered…
Was driving at approx 20mph on a side road when the car completely lost power and went dead. All the dashboard warning lights lit up at the same time. Lost steering control (the steering wheel became very heavy and was unable to steer). Managed to coast to a stop a 100 feet away (since the car had absolutely no…
Exterior Lighting 12 Read
Since we had purchase our car prius v four with drl (day running lights)(vertical LED unit in bumper) they never worked properly-hence not visible in our accident.. Unlike other earlier models the user could adjust the sensor and turn this feature on or off-but now the feature can only be performed by a toyota service…
I purchased my 2017 prius v ii in may 2017. Approximately 9 months or so after purchase my headlights burnt out, first the driver's side then passengers side. I am now replacing, purchasing new headlights every 3-4 because they continue to burn out. I've tried various brands including buying directly from toyota but…
The problem appears at night, and is very dangerous on curving mountain roads which I drive often. It is a four lane road, often hwy 17. As the ambient light reduces, as there are fewer cars around me, the windshield darkens from top to bottom, and leaves me with perhaps only 10 inches at the bottom I can see through.…
Prius V 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Air Bags | 3 | — | |
| 2016 | Air Bags | 6 | — | |
| 2015 | Air Bags | 2 | — | |
| 2014 | Electrical System | 5 | 3 | |
| 2013 | Air Bags | 8 | 1 | |
| 2012 | Air Bags | 18 | 2 | |
| 2011 | Exterior Lighting | — | — |
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 | 84 |
| Average complaints per series | 5.3 |
| Worst single series | 26 complaints |
| Average age at failure | 7.3 years |
A model average of 5.3 hides a worst series at 26. 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
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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 V?
By complaint volume, 2012, 2013, 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 V years are the cleanest?
2011, 2017, 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 V have?
442 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, covering 2011–2017. Of those, 42 describe a crash and 6 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.