Toyota Prius Prime (Phev)

Where it stands out against its peers

• Visibility/wiper: more complaints than 97% of 2017 cars — 19% of its 377 complaints, where an ordinary 2017 car has 3%.
• Vehicle speed control: more complaints than 94% of 2017 cars — 11% of its 377 complaints, where an ordinary 2017 car has 4%.

Same model year only, at least 30 peer cars, zeros included. Every car has a worst part; this shows which, and how far from ordinary it is. A high share means more to check, not a verdict.

Before you buy one

Built from what this car fails on, not from general knowledge of the model.

• VISIBILITY/WIPER — 69 owners reported this
• SERVICE BRAKES — 26 owners reported this, 3 involving a crash
• ELECTRICAL SYSTEM — 18 owners reported this
• STEERING — 17 owners reported this, 3 involving a crash
• STRUCTURE — 17 owners reported this
• ENGINE — 16 owners reported this
• FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM — 15 owners reported this
• VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL — 14 owners reported this, 5 involving a crash
• POWER TRAIN — 13 owners reported this, 2 involving a crash
• EXTERIOR LIGHTING — 11 owners reported this, 2 involving a crash
• SEATS — 8 owners reported this, 2 involving a crash
• ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM — 7 owners reported this
• TIRES — 7 owners reported this
• VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,SERVICE BRAKES — 6 owners reported this, 6 involving a crash
• AIR BAGS — 5 owners reported this, 5 involving a crash
• VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,ENGINE — 5 owners reported this
• WHEELS — 5 owners reported this

Crash test

Crash-tested by NHTSA, the American road safety agency.

Specification

Recalls

Filed by the manufacturer with a regulator. A recall is repaired free of charge, whoever owns the car now.

77% of 2022 cars have more recall campaigns than this one, and an ordinary one has 3. More of them means more to check the service record for, not a worse car.

• 16V741000

  If the parking brake cable disengages from the mechanism and the transmission is left in a gear other than 'Park' while the ignition is on and the driver leaves the vehicle, the vehicle may roll unexpectedly, increasing the risk of a crash.

  Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will install a clip at the parking brake cable end to prevent the cable from disengaging, free of charge. The recall began November 10, 2016. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-888-270-9371. Toyota's number for this recall is G01.

• 17V295000

  A spare tire that is not inflated to the proper value may not perform as intended, increasing the risk of a crash.

  Gulf States will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the spare tires, adjusting their pressure as necessary, free of charge. The recall began June 15, 2017. Owners may contact Gulf States customer service at 1-800-444-1074. Toyota's number for this recall is 17R2.

• 18V579000

  An electrical short can increase the risk of a fire.

  Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the engine wire harness assembly and replace it if damage is found. A protective sleeve or protective tape will be included to prevent any future damage. These repairs will be performed free of charge. The recall began October 30, 2018. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-888-270-9371. Toyota's number for this recall is J0T.

• 19V244000

  If the driver cannot read the label, they may unknowingly overload the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.

  GST will notify owners, and dealers will provide corrected load carrying capacity modification labels, free of charge. The recall began May 24, 2019. Owners may contact GST customer service at 1-800-444-1074. GST's number for this recall is 19R1.

• 19V544000

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

  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.

• 19V876000

  A blank main display will not show important information like vehicle speed or fuel level. Driving with an inoperative display can increase the risk of a crash.

  Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the flash memory chip (ROM) production date, and if necessary, replace it along with the combination meter circuit board, free of charge. The recall began February 7, 2020. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-888-270-9371. Toyota's numbers for this recall are 19TA21 and 19TB21.

• 21V734000

  A loss of drive power increases the risk of a crash.

  Dealers will update the ECU software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed November 18, 2021. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's number for this recall is 21TB07/21TA07.

Regulator investigations

Opened by NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation. An investigation is a question the regulator asked about a possible defect, not a fault it found — most end without a recall.

• Pedestrian alert sounds

  Defect petition, opened January 2023, closed August 2023.

What the maker told its dealers

Service bulletins are the manufacturer's own repair guidance to dealers, filed with NHTSA. A bulletin is not a defect finding; the count rises with how many things a maker writes down, not only with how many go wrong.

Toyota filed one bulletin about the 2027 Prius Prime (Phev).

• Other: 1

• This bulletin contains the PDS procedures that apply specifically to the 2027 model year Prius and Prius PHV vehicles · August 2026

Grouped by NHTSA's top-level system; a bulletin filed under a sub-heading counts toward its system.