2016 Toyota Prius problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Visibility/Wiper (39) · Service Brakes (16) · Vehicle Speed Control (13)
🧭 Reliability snapshot
Compared against other Toyota Prius model years — complaint volume vs the model's median year, recalls and severity. How we score →
🛣️ Complaints by mileage
100 NHTSA complaints that reported an odometer reading.
Safety recalls (5)
Electrical System:wiring 2018-09-05 · campaign 18V579000 · 192,347 vehicles
Defect: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2016-2018 Toyota Prius vehicles. A portion of the engine wire harness connected to the hybrid Power Control Unit (PCU), could contact the cover at this connection and wear, causing an electrical short circuit.
Risk: An electrical short can increase the risk of a fire.
Fix: Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the engine wire harness assembly and replace it if damage is found. A protective sleeve or protective tape will be included to prevent any future damage. These repairs will be performed free of charge. The recall began October 30, 2018. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-888-270-9371. Toyota's number for this recall is J0T.
Air Bags:side/Window 2018-01-31 · campaign 18V085000 · 48,672 vehicles
Defect: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2016 Toyota Prius and Lexus RX 350, RX 350 F Sport, RX 450h F Sport and RX 450h vehicles and 2015-2016 Lexus NX 200T, NX Turbo and NX 300h vehicles. The air bag pressure sensors and/or the acceleration sensors may fail causing the side/curtain shield air bags and/or the front air bags to not deploy in the event of a crash.
Risk: If the air bags fail to deploy in a crash, it can increase the risk of injury.
Fix: Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will replace the sensors as necessary based on their serial numbers, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin March 12, 2018. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's numbers for this recall are JLA, J0F.
Hybrid Propulsion System: Inverter 2017-10-18 · campaign 17V658000 · 6 vehicles
Defect: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2016 Prius vehicles. A capacitor within the hybrid system may not have been properly bolted to the inverter housing.
Risk: If the capacitor was not properly secured, vibrations from driving the vehicle may damage the capacitor, shutting down the hybrid system, causing a loss of motive power and increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will replace the inverter, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin by early December 2017. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's number for this recall is H0U.
Parking Brake 2016-10-14 · campaign 16V741000 · 91,585 vehicles
Defect: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain model year 2016-2017 Prius vehicles manufactured August 6, 2015, to October 3, 2016. The affected vehicles are equipped with a foot-operated parking brake system that has a parking brake cable that may disengage.
Risk: If the parking brake cable disengages from the mechanism and the transmission is left in a gear other than 'Park' while the ignition is on and the driver leaves the vehicle, the vehicle may roll unexpectedly, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will install a clip at the parking brake cable end to prevent the cable from disengaging, free of charge. The recall began November 10, 2016. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-888-270-9371. Toyota's number for this recall is G01.
Air Bags:frontal:passenger Side:inflator Module 2016-09-16 · campaign 16V672000 · 7,817 vehicles
Defect: Toyota Motor Engineering and Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain model year 2016 Toyota Prius vehicles manufactured November 30, 2015, to June 14, 2016. An air bag inflator manufacturing error may result in the inadvertent partial inflation of the front passenger air bag.
Risk: A front passenger air bag that unintentionally inflates can increase the risk of a crash or injury.
Fix: Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger air bag assembly, free of charge. The recall began November 10, 2016. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's number for this recall is G0W.
Service bulletins (302)
Technical service bulletins are repair instructions manufacturers send dealers for known issues. Unlike recalls, the fix is not automatically free — but naming the bulletin at the service desk can save diagnosis time and support goodwill repairs.
Engine 2026-08-20 · T-SB-0110-20 Rev2 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
obsolete notice august 20, 2026: this bulletin is now obsolete. please see t-sb-0051-26.
Engine 2026-08-20 · T-SB-0051-26 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this bulletin includes basic procedures for performing a rescue charge at battery on high voltage (hv) ni-mh and li-ion batteries.
Unknown Or Other 2026-01-07 · T-SB-0055-24 Rev2 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
some 2005 – 2026 toyota vehicles that have undergone water intrusion may exhibit a condition in which a musty odor is present. follow the procedures in this bulletin to remediate the odor and address this condition. the purpose of this service bulletin is to provide general guidelines and procedures
Electrical System 2025-08-20 · T-TT-0790-25 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
some customers may experience echoing on the line calling the vehicle when using bluetooth hands free. this is caused by the phone hands free volume being too low.
Electrical System 2025-06-13 · T-SB-0058-23 Rev1 · Service Campaign
the air conditioning dye injection tool kit has been developed to aid in identifying the location of air conditioning refrigerant leaks. the procedures outlined in this service bulletin aid in locating, inspecting, and repairing refrigerant leaks.
Engine 2024-12-10 · T-SB-0110-20 Rev2 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this bulletin includes basic procedures for performing a rescue charge at battery on high voltage (hv) ni-mh and li-ion batteries. this bulletin should be used in conjunction with the applicable model and model year repair manual while performing the battery rescue charge. the grx-5100 should be use
Showing the 6 most recent of 302 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2026-10-06 · Vehicle Speed Control“i turned on my car in a flat parking lot, reversed out of my spot, and drove up to a traffic light to exit the parking lot. when the light turned green, i took my foot off the brake and tried to accelerate, but nothing happened. after a few seconds, my car lurched forward with a sudden jerk, and i was able to exit, but this behavior (no movement, t…”
2026-06-29 · Traction Control System · 100,028 mi“the contact owns a 2016 toyota prius. the contact stated that while the vehicle was on and running, the abs and traction control warning lights illuminated, and the messages "braking power low - stop in a safe place”, “see owner's manual", "braking power low - visit the dealer", and "abs malfunction - see dealer" were displayed. the contact stated …”
2026-05-12 · Service Brakes“second time !!!! during ownership of car that brakes fail. same problem as before brake actuator/booster failures: multiple reports indicate issues with the abs actuator or brake booster pump, leading to warning lights ("braking power low", "abs system malfunction").…”
2026-04-21 · Fuel/Propulsion System“the car has a very strong gas smell, especially when full.…”
2025-08-04 · Unknown Or Other“found coolant leak from heat exchanger into exhaust pipe. looks like, t-sb-0135-19. …”
2025-04-11 · Exterior Lighting“the headlights are either too bright or aimed poorly that it blinds oncoming traffic, who frequently flash their high beams at me. this occurs without any load in back and without me using the high beams. can toyota either adjust the bulbs or place a film on the headlights to prevent blinding oncoming traffic? thank you!…”
2025-03-13 · Engine“water pump failed without warning and caused irreparable damage to the engine ("blown" engine requiring replacement). vehicle began to stall and not respond to attempted acceleration while traveling on 4 lane divided highway, 55 mph speed limit. one "maintenance required" message was received the previous week, but disappeared. this is the same …”
2025-01-25 · Engine“refer to tsb 0135-19 dealer denied repairing under the california emissions defect and performance warranty.…”
2025-01-16 · Steering“my car suddenly stopped in the middle of the road with message "hybrid system stopped steering power low". safety concern to this happen on the middle of road during rain or cold. …”
2024-07-09 · Power Train“during summer months when temperatures are above 100 degrees when accelerating from a complete stop i can hear the engine rev and the rpms increase but the vehicle will move at 1-2 mph. even if the accelerator is to the floor. after 3-4 seconds the tires will squeal and the vehicle will be jolted forward then it will slowly accelerate. this happens…”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.