Toyota Prius Reliability by YearBest & worst years, problems & recalls — NHTSA data

Automanufactures are Phasing Out Spare Tires Toyota and other automakers no longer include spare tires in new vehicles. I recently experienced the serious consequences of their decision . While driving to work in my new 2025 Toyota Prius, I got a flat tire. I manage to get to work and parked in a parking garage. My husband came to help and went to install the spare. He opened the trunk and found Styrofoam under the liner with a tire inflation kit... no spare tire! We had a horrible experience for the next three days!!! So... Consumer Beware: • Tire kit is not a solution; it does not work for all leaks. • Tow trucks can not access cars in parking garages due to low height. • Driving out could damage tire rims. • Health risks from exposure to the tire inflation chemicals: headaches within an hour, lasting into the next day, skin irritation, and respiratory inflammation/congestion. Time, Labor, and Cost; (It's all on the consumer) After days and many hours of calling Toyota, the dealer, and tire shops, we had to: • drive back to remove the flat tire • order a new tire • deliver to the flat tire to the shop • pick up the new tire the next day • drive back to replace the flat ourselves. Solutions / Warnings: • Spare tire: Toyota does not make one, leaving consumers without options. • Consumers must rely on unreliable tire kits, roadside assistance towing to a dealership (which could not help because tow trucks can not fit in parking garage) or do it all yourself. • No adequate health warnings on the tire kit—contains natural rubber (latex), propylene, and ammonia. Toyota reps offered no empathy or real solutions, only demeaning statements that consumer should know that Toyota (and other automakers) no longer includes spare tires only ineffective tire kits, leaving Toyota and others removing spare tires to save money and appear to improve gas mileage creates serious risk for consumers.

Infotainment screen stuck on "Experience Drive Connect" screen which disables all the safety devices on the vehiucle. OEM needs to update the software to remove this screen. Screen is tied to Toyota subscription service. I believe all new Toyota products would have this vulnerability.

Design of rear window, side mirrors and large rear pillar greatly reduce the visibility and checking of blind spot if you are a taller person. Blind spot electronic detection can not be trusted as it's performance is intermittent. Solution would be for Toyota of retrofit electronic mirror feature like installed in the Limited version of this car. This feature has live rear view camera enabled on the rearview mirror at all times. Prius without this feature is very dangerous to drive.

2025 Toyota Prius XLE. The upgraded 12 inch infotainment flickers light then dark then back to light several times. Automatic braking is being turned off without knowledge. The Toyota cruise control and adaptive cruise control will say unavailable or see owners manual. Different safety features will turn off on their own. The 12 inch infotainment center will switch from Apple car play to regular radio (Sirius Xm) on its own.

Randomly, the car have a delay of approximately 2 seconds when I hit the gas pedal. It happened multiple times, 2-3 times per day. The gas pedal can pe pressed to the floor, it won’t react. After 2 seconds or so it will react and drive normally. I noticed this is happening when the car is in EV mode ( I’m either stopped at red light, or I’m slowing down a bit/taking a turn. This is a hazardous situation and very dangerous.

I started hearing a scratching/rubbing noise from the brake, and feeling the scratching/rubbing through the brake pedal, making it difficult to push down. I almost crashed in the ally into my garage, but the emergency braking took over and stopped the car very suddenly, snapping my neck a bit, and it is still sore as of me writing this report. Since then brake pedal makes scratching/dry rubbing noise with heavy rubbing and grabbing feel through pedal. It only happens at 20mph or below during quick stops (not smooth stop, press pedal quickly), at 15-25% pedal position. When holding pedal at that position while moving, rubbing/grabbing through the pedal feels rhythmic like it's related to wheel rotation. If car is creeping in Neutral or Drive (no gas pedal pressed), and you lightly press the pedal, you can hear and feel like something is grabbing/releasing/grabbing/releasing. Sometimes it the brake pedal resists and there is a very loud rubbing or grinding noise, and I have to press the pedal very hard. This can also be replicated when the car in in Park. Lightly pressing on the brake pedal causes the braking pump to make a whirring sound to build pressure (this is normal), but at the end there is a scratching sound and grinding feeling in the pedal. I took it to the dealer 3 days after purchasing it on June 25th, 2025 and the assistant service manager reproduced the issue in front of me, and thought it was the brake actuator going bad or something with ABS. However, the master tech at the dealer just drove it around, DID NOT CHECK ANY COMPONENTS except the thickness of the brake pads, and declared everything fine. I fear for my safety in this car. If I am involved in an accident, it will be because the braking system failed in this car and the dealer refused to fix it.

The wireless charging in my vehicle and others have reported the same problem. The phone gets so hot to the touch while charging that it is causing cell phones to shutdown and possibly damage them. There needs to be a update to provide cooling air to the charging area to avoid customers phone damage or worse a possible fire due to the extreme temperature the phones are obtaining.

The headlights at night are too low. They only illuminate 1 car's length away and Toyota doesn't want to touch it to raise it more. I asked my local dealer SF Toyota Service Center, where I said "It feels dangerous", and they just kinda shrugged their shoulders. This is not a defect, it seems to be as intended (or at least as rolled off the factory floor) because other 2023 Prius owners agree it is aimed too low. Someone believes they were "optimized" for the Radar Cruise Control camera, and not the driver. Some also report that an internal component of the headlight is casting a shadow within the light beam, indicating a second issue related to the headlight visibility. My ask: I want Toyota to fix both issues on my vehicle. I feel limited to day driving which is a problem, especially when I want to do outdoor recreational activities like hiking in the mountains or seeing a sunset at the top of a mountain. The beam cutoff is too low when the road isn't flat. This is especially a problem when there are zero reflectors on the road, which is an issue in areas like the highway into Santa Cruz.

2023+ Toyota Prius models display an advertisement on the touchscreen head unit and there is no way to remove it besides subscribing to Toyota's optional "Drive Connect" feature. Displaying an advertisement to the driver of a car that cannot be turned off without paying is a safety hazard.

The contact owns a 2023 Toyota Prius. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the accelerator pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended. The contact stated that the vehicle lost motive power. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was driven to the residence. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The failure was a persistent failure. The contact stated that the vehicle was unsafe to drive. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 35,050.

The contact owns a 2023 Toyota Prius. The contact received a recall notification, NHTSA Campaign Number: 26V049000 (Electrical System, Latches/Locks/Linkages)however the parts were unavailable. The dealer was contacted, the contact was informed that the parts were unavailable. The manufacturer was not contacted. The contact had not experienced any failure regarding the unrepaired recall.

What component failed: The rear plastic trim on my 2023 Toyota Prius cracked without any impact, accident, or external cause. The component is still on the vehicle and available for inspection upon request. Safety risk: While this is primarily a structural/cosmetic defect, cracking plastic trim that was not caused by the owner suggests a broader manufacturing quality issue. If this type of failure occurs in components closer to safety systems, it could pose a more serious risk. Confirmed by dealer: Yes. I brought the vehicle to a Toyota dealership and service center (Berkeley Toyota) for inspection. They confirmed the cracking. The vehicle was purchased at Livermore Toyota. Other inspections: The vehicle was inspected by the Berkeley Toyota dealership and service center. No other parties have inspected it at this time. Prior warning signs: None. There were no warning lights, sounds, or symptoms before the crack appeared. It was discovered suddenly with no preceding indicators.

The contact owned a 2023 Toyota Prius. The contact received notifications of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 26V049000 (Electrical System, Latches/Locks/Linkages) and 24V274000 (Electrical System, Latches/Locks/Linkages); and requested to be removed from the recall distribution list. The local dealer and manufacturer were contacted.