NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
What owners actually said
164 reportsMileage unknown · Dec 2, 2021
Electrical SystemUnknown Or Other
I bought this vehicle on July 3, 2015. When I took it in for an oil change in Dec. 2015, I was informed that there was a mice infestation and that the electrical wires and other systems were damaged, resulting in about $2,800 in repairs due to the mice chewing the wiring. I just took this vehicle back in on 29 Nov. 2021 because…
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I bought this vehicle on July 3, 2015. When I took it in for an oil change in Dec. 2015, I was informed that there was a mice infestation and that the electrical wires and other systems were damaged, resulting in about $2,800 in repairs due to the mice chewing the wiring. I just took this vehicle back in on 29 Nov. 2021 because some of the systems weren't working properly, and they confirmed that a mouse has again chewed up the electrical system, again costing about $5,000 in repairs. I've just been informed by my exterminator that Toyota uses a wiring harness coated with a soybean based coating which is causing reports of mice damage in a lot of Toyota vehicles. We have 2 other vehicles which are not Toyota vehicles and have never had a single problem with mice chewing the wiring harnesses of those vehicles, although all are parked in the same area. The vehicle is currently pending repairs at Fred Haas Toyota Country in Houston, TX and will be there for at least a couple of weeks pending availability of parts. Electrical issues of this type can cause serious failure of safety features. Toyota has never told me that they use soy based elements in their vehicles that would entice rodents to chew the wiring or otherwise entice them into the vehicle. I do not have a report from insurance yet, but I have filed a claim.
NHTSA ODI #11442485
Mileage unknown · Oct 30, 2021
Electrical System
Window buttons on drivers side master power window switch failed. Felt warm on door. There have been recalls of other models of Toyota cars including Prius C.
NHTSA ODI #11438744
Mileage unknown · Sep 25, 2021
Electrical SystemFuel/propulsion SystemService Brakes
As stated from 5 months after we bought it, and the first prius, the car won't start. No matter if parked flat, keys in or out over night, or the temp, when the break is pushed it is squishy and makes draining noise and won't start. As a dr on call i have LOST patients because I could not leave my house. i carry and use the char…
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As stated from 5 months after we bought it, and the first prius, the car won't start. No matter if parked flat, keys in or out over night, or the temp, when the break is pushed it is squishy and makes draining noise and won't start. As a dr on call i have LOST patients because I could not leave my house. i carry and use the charger daily ever since. Taken in lots. they say, "you don't drive enough..or some other bogus excuse, like don't leave keys in car, which is how priuses start and run!. the car is driven in all ways a lot. also we buy headlights and headlamps on both about every 2 months. also it looses power and has shut off while driving. the worst is when it would start on its own in the locked garage. at that point my wife just quit driving all together. nothing but nightmares. She almsot crashed on fw when power went out.
NHTSA ODI #11434322
Mileage unknown · Aug 13, 2021
Unknown Or Other
On August 10, 2021 my 2015 Prius was parked in a Strip Mall parking lot. When I turned on the Prius and shifted into reverse, after traveling only a foot or so, the shift selector popped into Neutral. When I shifted into Drive, it happened again. After several tries with the same results, I called Findlay Toyota Service. I was …
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On August 10, 2021 my 2015 Prius was parked in a Strip Mall parking lot. When I turned on the Prius and shifted into reverse, after traveling only a foot or so, the shift selector popped into Neutral. When I shifted into Drive, it happened again. After several tries with the same results, I called Findlay Toyota Service. I was advised to have the car towed, at my expense, to Findlay Toyota Service. Note: the tow truck driver reported to me and the Findlay Service Representative that he could keep the shift selector in gear by holding it in place with his hand while driving it to the tow truck. The Prius was left at Findlay Toyota for 2 days. The Service Rep reported that 3 different mechanics plus himself could not duplicate the problem; the Prius stayed in gear for them. I researched online and found other Prius owners reported this problem ocurring intermittantly. The only solution seems to be replacing the Shift Selector Switch at a cost of $838.35 + tax. Even though this is clearly a safety hazard, there is no recall.
NHTSA ODI #11429021
Mileage unknown · Aug 12, 2021
EngineService Brakes
While attempting to accelerate from a stop light, the Prius stalled. It would not accelerate although the engine revved. I restarted the car by powering completely off and back on. I tried to accelerate again multiple times until it slowly came up to speed the third attempt. The car was in drive and has never happened before. Th…
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While attempting to accelerate from a stop light, the Prius stalled. It would not accelerate although the engine revved. I restarted the car by powering completely off and back on. I tried to accelerate again multiple times until it slowly came up to speed the third attempt. The car was in drive and has never happened before. This is a safety concern for multiple reasons but the main being it can cause harm to those in the vehicle as well as other drivers on the road when the car stalls unexpectedly. There were no warning signals on the dash. Toyota dealer looked at it right away, ran diagnostics, and could not find an issue. Nothing was “fixed” or updated.
NHTSA ODI #11428898
110,000 miles · Jul 13, 2021
Electrical SystemHybrid Propulsion System
The contact owns a 2015 Toyota Prius. The contact stated while attempting to start the vehicle, there were several unknown warning lights illuminated. Additionally, the Hybrid System failure message was displayed on the instrument panel. The vehicle was not drivable. The contact towed the vehicle to the local dealer, where it wa…
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The contact owns a 2015 Toyota Prius. The contact stated while attempting to start the vehicle, there were several unknown warning lights illuminated. Additionally, the Hybrid System failure message was displayed on the instrument panel. The vehicle was not drivable. The contact towed the vehicle to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed with needing the inverter to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired but was pending the repair. Upon investigation, the contact associated the failure with NHTSA Campaign Number: 20V369000 (Hybrid Propulsion System) however, the Vin was not included. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 110,000.
NHTSA ODI #11424551
45,000 miles · Jun 22, 2021
Hybrid Propulsion System
The contact owns a 2015 Toyota Prius. The contact stated that while driving at 15 MPH, the vehicle began to die as the "check hybrid system, stop the vehicle in a safe place" warning message illuminated on the instrument panel. The contact was able to barely pull off to the side and called the police for assistance. The police w…
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The contact owns a 2015 Toyota Prius. The contact stated that while driving at 15 MPH, the vehicle began to die as the "check hybrid system, stop the vehicle in a safe place" warning message illuminated on the instrument panel. The contact was able to barely pull off to the side and called the police for assistance. The police were able to move the vehicle to the side of the road and a tow truck was called for assistance. A police report was filed. The vehicle was initially towed to a gas station but the contact then had the vehicle towed to a dealer. While there, she discovered NHTSA Campaign Number: 20V369000 (HYBRID PROPULSION SYSTEM), which she linked to her failure; however, her VIN was not included in the recall. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The vehicle had yet to be repaired and remained in the possession of the dealer. The failure mileage was 45,000
NHTSA ODI #11421858
Mileage unknown · Jun 8, 2021
Electrical SystemFire
During routine low speed suburban driving, a fire started under the hood in the right front of the car. The smoke was first noticed by a pedestrian so I pulled over, got out of the car, and called 911. I had no prior warning of any sort. The fire completely destroyed the car. This is being investigated by Toyota. I have photos a…
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During routine low speed suburban driving, a fire started under the hood in the right front of the car. The smoke was first noticed by a pedestrian so I pulled over, got out of the car, and called 911. I had no prior warning of any sort. The fire completely destroyed the car. This is being investigated by Toyota. I have photos and would be happy to provide more details.
NHTSA ODI #11420093
Mileage unknown · May 27, 2021
Electrical SystemFuel/propulsion SystemPower Train
When I looked up my car on Kelly Blue Book for pricing, it said that it has been recalled as of 2020. I was not aware of this at all and could have got into a serious accident. I recently purchased a 2015 Toyota Prius Hybrid in February and not even my saleswoman told me that it has been recalled. It has a sleuth of issues that …
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When I looked up my car on Kelly Blue Book for pricing, it said that it has been recalled as of 2020. I was not aware of this at all and could have got into a serious accident. I recently purchased a 2015 Toyota Prius Hybrid in February and not even my saleswoman told me that it has been recalled. It has a sleuth of issues that came with it.
NHTSA ODI #11418762
115,000 miles · May 11, 2021
Exterior Lighting
HEADLAMP HAS GONE OUT 3 TIMES, MARKER LIGHT 2 TIMES. EXISTING RECALL ON PREVIOUS YEAR PRIUS SHOULD BE EXTENDED TO 2015 MODELS
NHTSA ODI #11416038
NHTSA investigations
3DP23005 · Brake Actuator Valve Wear
Opened Nov 22, 2023 · No close date supplied
Status: open (inferred from source dates) · Service Brakes, Hydraulic:foundation Components; Service Brakes, Hydraulic:power Assist
The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) has received a petition dated September 19, 2023 from the owner of a 2012 Toyota Prius V requesting that ODI reevaluate its decision to deny DP19-004. In the letter, the petitioner reported experiencing an unexpected and complete loss of brake power while driving, accompanied by multiple dashboard warning lights. This petition is based on the petitioner's direct experience and assessment that ODI closed DP19-004 because its prompting petition was withdrawn by that petitioner. ODI will review the work conducted during DP19-004 and a review of any additional related complaints and crashes via a new defect petition The petition and related materials can be reviewed at NHTSA.gov under the following ODI number:11553736.
Additional source detail variants (2)
Service Brakes, Hydraulic:foundation Components
The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) has received a petition dated September 19, 2023 from the owner of a 2012 Toyota Prius V requesting that ODI reevaluate its decision to deny DP19-004. In the letter, the petitioner reported experiencing an unexpected and complete loss of brake power while driving, accompanied by multiple dashboard warning lights. This petition is based on the petitioner's direct experience and assessment that ODI closed DP19-004 because its prompting petition was withdrawn by that petitioner. ODI will review the work conducted during DP19-004 and a review of any additional related complaints and crashes via a new defect petition The petition and related materials can be reviewed at NHTSA.gov under the following ODI number:11553736.
Service Brakes, Hydraulic:power Assist
The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) has received a petition dated September 19, 2023 from the owner of a 2012 Toyota Prius V requesting that ODI reevaluate its decision to deny DP19-004. In the letter, the petitioner reported experiencing an unexpected and complete loss of brake power while driving, accompanied by multiple dashboard warning lights. This petition is based on the petitioner's direct experience and assessment that ODI closed DP19-004 because its prompting petition was withdrawn by that petitioner. ODI will review the work conducted during DP19-004 and a review of any additional related complaints and crashes via a new defect petition The petition and related materials can be reviewed at NHTSA.gov under the following ODI number:11553736.
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.
DP19004 · Brake Actuator Valve Wear
Opened Sep 30, 2019 · Closed Jan 21, 2021
Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Service Brakes, Hydraulic:power Assist
On September 19, 2019, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) received a defect petition from Mr. Roger Hogan requesting that the Agency investigate and recall certain Toyota Prius, Prius PHV, Camry Hybrid and Avalon Hybrid vehicles for a brake actuator valve wear condition covered under Toyota Customer Support Programs ZJB and ZKK (subject CSP?s). In support of his request, the petitioner identified 117 NHTSA complaints allegedly related to the subject CSP condition, including 60 reporting crashes. On September 30, 2019, ODI opened Defect Petition DP19-004 to evaluate the petitioner?s request for an investigation. In August 2020, the petitioner notified the Agency that he was withdrawing his petition. Because the petitioner has withdrawn the petition, we are denying the petition as moot and no further analysis of this petition is necessary.NHTSA is authorized to issue an order requiring notification and remedy of a defect if the Agency?s investigation shows a defect in the design, construction, or performance of a motor vehicle that presents an unreasonable risk to safety. 49 U.S.C. ?? 30102(a)(9), 30118. Because the petitioner has with withdrawn the petition, the petition is denied as moot. This action does not constitute a finding by NHTSA that a safety-related defect does not exist. The Agency notes that it is not required to receive a defect petition prior to opening a defect investigation and will take further action if warranted by future circumstances.