IllustrationI had to avoid an oncoming driver who lost control in a flash storm and ended up colliding with a telephone pole head on going 60mph. No safety devices activated at all, and Toyota refuses to admit it’s a problem.
2017 Toyota Prius Prime
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Limited comparison data
There is not enough comparable history to draw a useful model-year comparison.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Prius Prime years →Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
All reported categories
Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
Limited mileage data: 19 of 42 reports include usable mileage. There isn’t enough coverage to show a useful chart.
NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.
What to inspect
Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.
- Visibility/wiper. Review the 9 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Electrical System. Review the 7 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Engine. Review the 4 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
5 crash reports0 fire reports3 injury reports
Air Bags complaints
2 reportsJUST FIVE MINUTES AFTER I LEFT THE HOUSE, I WAS DRIVING AT 15 MILES MPH ON A CURVED ROAD AND THE VEHICLE COMPLETELY LOST POWER. THIS INCLUDES BOTH THE ELECTRIC MOTOR AND THE GAS MOTOR. BOTH THE STEERING SYSTEM AND BRAKES MALFUNCTIONED, CAUSING THE STEERING WHEEL TO BECOME TOO STIFF TO TURN AND THE BRAKES WERE NOT ABLE TO BE PRES…
Read full complaint
JUST FIVE MINUTES AFTER I LEFT THE HOUSE, I WAS DRIVING AT 15 MILES MPH ON A CURVED ROAD AND THE VEHICLE COMPLETELY LOST POWER. THIS INCLUDES BOTH THE ELECTRIC MOTOR AND THE GAS MOTOR. BOTH THE STEERING SYSTEM AND BRAKES MALFUNCTIONED, CAUSING THE STEERING WHEEL TO BECOME TOO STIFF TO TURN AND THE BRAKES WERE NOT ABLE TO BE PRESSED DOWN NO MATTER HOW HARD I TRIED. THIS CAUSED THE CAR TO SWERVE OFF THE ROAD AND HIT A LIGHT POLE. NOT ONLY DID THE AUTOMATIC COLLISION PREVENTION SYSTEM FAILED TO WORK, THE AIRBAGS ALSO FAILED TO DEPLOY WITH THE AMOUNT OF IMPACT. THIS HAS CAUSED SEVERE DAMAGE TO MY CAR AND SEVERE INJURY TO MY BODY. UNFORTUNATELY, THIS WAS NOT THE FIRST TIME THE VEHICLE EXPERIENCED A POWER FAILURE. THE FIRST TIME I WAS IN STOP AND GO TRAFFIC ON THE FREEWAY. THE CAR COMPLETELY SHUT OFF FOR 5 SECONDS AND TURNED BACKED ON AGAIN. LUCKILY THE VEHICLE WAS NOT MOVING DUE TO THE SPEED OF TRAFFIC. I TOOK THE VEHICLE BACK TO THE DEALERSHIP AND COMPLAINED ABOUT THIS PROBLEM. HOWEVER, THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT FAILED TO FIND ANY PROBLEM. THE SECOND TIME IT HAPPENED I WAS DRIVING ON A STRAIGHT ROAD AND THE VEHICLE SLOWED DOWN AND COMPLETELY SHUT OFF. NOTHING APPEARED ON THE MONITOR NOR THE DASHBOARD, JUST LIKE THE FIRST TIME. I COULD NOT GET THE VEHICLE TO START FOR 30 MINUTES. I EVEN CAPTURED THIS INCIDENT ON VIDEO THAT NO MATTER HOW MANY TIMES I'VE PRESSED THE START BUTTON, I COULD NOT GET THE VEHICLE TO POWER UP AGAIN (ENGINE OR BATTERY MODE). JUST LIKE LAST TIME, I TOOK MY VEHICLE TO THE DEALERSHIP, BUT THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT ONCE AGAIN FAILED TO FIND ANY PROBLEM WITH THE VEHICLE. AT ALL TIMES, I'VE DONE MY DUE DILIGENCE TO ENSURE THAT THE BATTERY WAS FULLY CHARGED BEFORE I BEGIN DRIVING FOR THE DAY AND WITH ADEQUATE FUEL FOR THE ENGINE MODE. TOYOTA'S NEGLIGENCE AND THE POOR QUALITY OF THE VEHICLE HAVE CAUSED ME AN ALMOST LIFE-THREATENING ACCIDENT.
Official recalls
0No recalls in this snapshot.
Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗
NHTSA investigations
1DP22005 · Pedestrian Alert Sounds
Opened Jan 27, 2023 · Closed Aug 7, 2023
Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Electrical System:propulsion System
NHTSA received a petition on or about July 18, 2022, requesting that Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 141 be applied to all electric and hybrid vehicles operating in the United States. The petition can be reviewed at NHTSA.gov under ODI Number 11486072. FMVSS 141 establishes performance requirements for pedestrian alert sounds for motor vehicles. The standard applies to hybrid and electric vehicles that have a gross vehicle weight rating of 4,536 KG or less or are defined as low-speed vehicles. The standard became fully applicable to all such vehicles manufactured on or after March 1, 2021.On January 27, 2023, NHTSA opened Defect Petition (DP) 22-005 to evaluate the subject matter described in the petition. On June 24, 2023 and as supplemented on June 25, 2023, the petitioner notified NHTSA he was withdrawing his petition. The petitioner indicated that, based on his review of data, there is no justification for asserting potential benefits that could be derived from actions sought by my petition. Based on the petitioner's withdrawal, DP22-005 is closed. Closure of this DP does not represent a determination by NHTSA regarding the subject matter of the petition.