2020 Toyota Prius Prime problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Visibility/Wiper (4) · Vehicle Speed Control (3) · Power Train (3)
🧭 Reliability snapshot
Compared against other Toyota Prius Prime model years — complaint volume vs the model's median year, recalls and severity. How we score →
Safety recalls (1)
Service Brakes 2019-07-24 · campaign 19V544000 · 6,925 vehicles
Defect: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2019 Lexus LS500, LC500, ES300h, UX250h, LS500h, Toyota Prius, RAV4 HV, 2019-2020 Toyota Prius Prime, and 2020 Corolla HV vehicles. The brake booster pump may fail causing a deactivation of the Vehicle Stability Control system and a loss of braking assist. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 126, "Electronic Stability Control Systems."
Risk: Deactivation of the vehicle stability control system or a loss of braking assist increases the risk of a crash.
Fix: Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and, if necessary, replace the brake booster pump, free of charge. The recall began September 20, 2019. Toyota owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-888-270-9371 and Lexus owners may contact Lexus customer service at 1-800-255-3987. Toyota's numbers for this recall are K1L/K0L. Lexus' numbers for this recall are K2F/KLF.
Service bulletins (123)
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.
Electrical System 2026-01-30 · T-SB-0106-22 Rev2 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
obsolete notice january 30, 2026: this bulletin is now obsolete. please see t-sb-0001-26.
Electrical System 2026-01-28 · T-SB-0001-26 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
some 2018 – 2024 model year toyota vehicles equipped with a premium audio with dynamic navigation system require a special service tool (sst) usb flash drive to update the map, points of interest, and system software.
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
Engine 2025-06-17 · T-TT-0784-25 Rev1 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
some ecus can set a dtc that is common with other ecus. this can lead to accidental use of the wrong repair manual when diagnosing these type of dtcs.
Engine 2025-06-13 · T-TT-0784-25 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
some ecus can set a dtc that is common with other ecus. this can lead to accidental use of the wrong repair manual when diagnosing these type of dtcs.
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.
Showing the 6 most recent of 123 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2025-09-29 · Vehicle Speed Control · 54,300 mi · 💥 crash“the contact owns a 2020 toyota prius prime. the contact stated that while pulling into a parking lot, traveling down the aisle, and driving around the end cap to the second aisle, pulling into the parking spot at 5 mph, the vehicle suddenly accelerated. the wheels squealed. the vehicle traveled through the spot and sideswiped another vehicle, and s…”
2025-02-28 · Service Brakes, Hydraulic · 67,000 mi“the contact owns a 2020 toyota prius prime. the contact stated while driving at approximately 40 mph, the brake pedal was depressed while making a left turn onto another road, but the vehicle failed to slow down. the contact stated that the brake pedal was vibrating, and the vehicle felt like it was skidding on ice. the contact stated the vehicle m…”
2024-03-27 · Tires“i purchased goodyear assurance maxlife 195/65 r 15 from sam's club in kingston on august 2023. on [xxx] my tire blew out on the inner sidewall of my tire. when i spoke with an employee from the automotive department in sam's club about my tire, the person said " let me guess, was it an assurance maxlife?" i said "yes, how did you know?" the employe…”
2024-01-10 · Visibility/Wiper“the car had about 8000 miles on it. it was parked in garage the night before. in the morning the outside temperature was 39f. during my 30 minutes driving, the front defrost was turned on. afterwards it was parked on driveway and at that time the windshield was fine. 6 hours later, i noticed a spiderweb like crack under the camera section on the fr…”
2023-08-12 · Visibility:rearview Mirrors/Devices:exterior“the right side outside mirror glass detached and fell off while driving down the road. there was no noticeable defect on the vehicle prior to this and no known reason for this to happen. the vehicle was operating normally and was not involved in any sort of unusual maneuvering or crash. upon taking it to the toyota dealership it was found that glas…”
2022-12-09 · Vehicle Speed Control · 14,000 mi · 💥 crash“the contact owns a 2020 toyota prius prime. the contact stated that while driving slowly into a parking space the vehicle suddenly experience unintended acceleration and accelerated forward before crashing into a building. during the crash, the front end of the vehicle was severely damaged but the air bags did not deploy. no injuries were reported.…”
2022-08-15 · Power Train“i was driving yesterday on freeway in the 2nd lane ,all of a sudden car went from drive to neutral,i didn't touch transmission gear lever and i put gas and it says it is on neutral n,i was in dangerous situation, the other cars were flying by,i put on hazard lights slowly changed lanes because it was not on d drive mode,pulled it over to shoulder …”
2022-02-01 · Power Train · 6,000 mi · 💥 crash“the contact owns a 2020 toyota prius prime. the contact stated that while coasting her vehicle into a parking spot at 2 mph, the vehicle independently accelerated forward with her foot lightly on the accelerator pedal. the vehicle jumped the curb and crashed into two vehicles. the contact was uncertain if any warning lights illuminated on the instr…”
2021-02-18 · Structure:body · 15,200 mi“i was driving to work into the garage. the entrance of the garage has a mild incline with a narrow entrance and i normally will slow down so i can steel the car slowly. i was going at about 10 to 15 mile speed and felt a stall first and then the car went into accelerated mode on its own. i felt the car was shift to a different gear on its own up to…”
2021-02-12 · Tires · 3,400 mi“the outer side of my r front passenger tire blew out in two places,(not near the tread area) while driving on a good highway road surface approx 50 mph. 3400 miles total on the odometer. no bump when i heard the tire pop.…”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.