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2020 Toyota Prius Prime

Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations

Limited comparison data

There is not enough comparable history to draw a useful model-year comparison.

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How this year compares

Owner complaints by model year

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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: 12 of 16 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 5 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Electrical System. Review the 3 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Power Train. Review the 3 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 reports0 injury reports

Electrical System complaints

3 reports
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6,000 miles · Feb 1, 2022
Electrical SystemPower TrainCrash

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 illu…

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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 instrument panel during the failure. The air bag did not deploy upon impact. Police were called to the scene; however, since no injuries or property damage were reported, they informed that contact that they would not be needed. The contact had the vehicle towed to an independent mechanic where it remained in their possession. A dealer was notified and offered no assistance. The manufacturer was also notified and informed her that she would receive a callback. The vehicle had yet to be repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 6,000.

NHTSA ODI #11449750

15,200 miles · Feb 18, 2021
Electrical SystemExterior LightingStructure

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 G…

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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 80 TO 100 MILES. I AM LUCKY THERE IS A CEMENT POLE IN FRONT OF ME AND THE CAR WENT RIGHT INTO THE POLE SMASHING THE LEFT SIDE(DRIVER SIDE OF THE CAR ) I HAVE TO STEP ON THE BREAK TO STOP THE CAR. IT ALL HAPPENED VERY QUICKLY WITHIN FEW MINUTES. I WAS LUCKY THERE WAS NO ONE IN FRONT OF ME AND I WAS NOT HURT. I NEVER HAD ISSUE WITH TOYOTA CAR AND THIS WAS THE FIRST TIME. I ACTUALLY HAD CAR IN THE DAY BEFORE FOR 15,000 MILES MAINTENANCE

NHTSA ODI #11396870

18,930 miles · Feb 3, 2021
Electrical System

THE DISPLAY ON THE MEDIA-CONTROL UNIT WOULD SOMETIMES GO BLANK, IN PART OR ENTIRELY. THE TOUCHSCREEN ISSUES INTERFERED WITH DRIVERS' ABILITY TO USE HEAT, AIR CONDITIONING, DEFROST AND DEFOGGING SYSTEMS. THIS HAS HAPPENED AT LEAST 30 TIMES DURING THE PAST YEAR. THE LAST INCIDENT OCCURRED ON 01/13/2021. THIS HAPPENS WHILE IN MOTIO…

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THE DISPLAY ON THE MEDIA-CONTROL UNIT WOULD SOMETIMES GO BLANK, IN PART OR ENTIRELY. THE TOUCHSCREEN ISSUES INTERFERED WITH DRIVERS' ABILITY TO USE HEAT, AIR CONDITIONING, DEFROST AND DEFOGGING SYSTEMS. THIS HAS HAPPENED AT LEAST 30 TIMES DURING THE PAST YEAR. THE LAST INCIDENT OCCURRED ON 01/13/2021. THIS HAPPENS WHILE IN MOTION. IT ALSO HAPPENED ON MY 2017 PRIUS PRIME MANY TIMES. THIS PROBLEM HAS BEEN REPORTED TO TOYOTA BY MANY OWNERS. NO SOLUTION HAS BEEN FORTHCOMING. THIS IS THE SAME ISSUE THAT PROMPTED THE CURRENT TESLA RECALL. THE PRIUS CHAT ONLINE SITE MENTIONS THIS TYPE OF ISSUE MANT TIMES.

NHTSA ODI #11394408

Official recalls

1

19V544000 · Electronic Stability Control (esc); Service Brakes

Jul 24, 2019

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."

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: Deactivation of the vehicle stability control system or a loss of braking assist increases the risk of a crash.

Remedy: 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.

Additional source detail variants (2)

Service Brakes

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."

Consequence: Deactivation of the vehicle stability control system or a loss of braking assist increases the risk of a crash.

Remedy: 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.

Electronic Stability Control (esc)

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."

Consequence: Deactivation of the vehicle stability control system or a loss of braking assist increases the risk of a crash.

Remedy: 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.

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

1

DP22005 · 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.