2015 Toyota Prius problems
Owners have filed 220 complaints with NHTSA about the 2015 Toyota Prius. Brakes is the most reported problem area, at 42% of complaints. After that come electrical system (12%) and drivetrain & axles (6%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 220 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Brakes 42% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 54 and 1
- Injuries and deaths
- 31 and 3
- Typical mileage
- 25,000 miles 96 complaints with mileage
Source: NHTSA owner complaints
Where the complaints are
Share of this model year's complaints by the part of the car involved. One complaint can name more than one part, so the shares can add up to more than 100%.
When problems show up
View the numbers
| Mileage | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 0k to 20k miles | 40 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 20 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 10 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 7 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 6 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 8 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 2 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 0 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 0 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 2 |
| 200k+ miles | 1 |
What the data shows
Among the 96 complaints that report mileage, the typical (median) problem appeared at about 25,000 miles. For brakes specifically, the median reported mileage is about 41,000 miles (23 complaints with mileage).
Safety-related details: 54 complaints mention a crash; 1 complaint mentions a fire; 31 injuries reported; 3 deaths reported. Its complaints are more severe on average than those of 92% of model years in our database.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 2015 ranks 16th most-complained-about out of 23 model years of the Toyota Prius with enough data (94 complaints in that window). It is also covered by 1 safety recall campaign.
What owners wrote
A few complaints as filed, shortened and with personal details removed. The first ones are among the most serious reports for this model year; the rest are typical.
Tl* the contact owned a 2015 toyota prius. While another driver was operating the vehicle at approximately 40 MPH, another vehicle crashed into the front end of the vehicle. As a result, the roof collapsed on the driver and two passengers. There were two fatalities upon impact and the third passenger was airlifted to a hospital. The doctor diagnosed that the third passenger was brain dead, which LED to her death due to the roof collapsing on her head. The vehicle was destroyed and towed away.
Tl* the contact owned a 2015 toyota prius. The contact stated that while her husband was driving approximately 55 MPH, another vehicle rear-ended the contact's vehicle. As result the contact's vehicle rolled over multiple times crashing into a ditch. The contact stated that only the front passenger air bag deployed. There was no warning light illuminated. A police report was filed.
Random electrical problems started happening. Bluetooth would not allow me to answer incoming phone. I could not call out. Unable to change radio station, turn on/off radio. Unable to turn on CD, or eject disk. Then radio will start working and am able to use bluetooth if I dial from my cell phone. All within a week. Last night ,I drove in silence. No radio, CD, bluetooth. Have maintenance appt. Tues., and stated problems w/ electrical system. Didn't matter if car was moving or stopped.
The brake assist. Driving and suddenly no brakes. Happened 2x in this vehicle and had to get a tow each time, even after getting new brake pads the first time it happened at my mechanics. The dealer confirmed today that they would fix the problem at $2700. The lights for traction and abs went off with a warning sound. Pulled over both times and called aaa for tow…..each a separate incident.