2016 Toyota Prius problems
Owners have filed 218 complaints with NHTSA about the 2016 Toyota Prius. Wipers, windshield & visibility is the most reported problem area, at 19% of complaints. After that come brakes (9%) and electrical system (9%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 218 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Wipers, windshield & visibility 19% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 10 and 0
- Injuries and deaths
- 6 and 0
- Typical mileage
- 18,000 miles 135 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 | 72 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 34 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 12 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 6 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 4 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 2 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 0 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 2 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 0 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 0 |
| 200k+ miles | 3 |
What the data shows
Among the 135 complaints that report mileage, the typical (median) problem appeared at about 18,000 miles. For wipers, windshield & visibility specifically, the median reported mileage is about 18,000 miles (35 complaints with mileage).
Safety-related details: 10 complaints mention a crash; 6 injuries reported. Its complaints are less severe on average than those of 80% 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 2016 ranks 11th most-complained-about out of 23 model years of the Toyota Prius with enough data (182 complaints in that window). It is also covered by 5 safety recall campaigns.
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 owns a 2016 toyota prius. The contact stated that while driving at a very low speed a second vehicle suddenly crashed into the rear of the vehicle pushing it into the rear end of a third vehicle positioned ahead. During the incident the vehicle sustained significant damage to the front end and was destroyed but the air bags did not deploy. The front passenger sustained neck and back injuries which required medical treatment. A police report was taken at the scene and the vehicle was towed away.
The contact owned a 2016 Toyota Prius. The contact stated that while switching lanes, the vehicle was rear-ended by another vehicle driving at 30 MPH. The contact's front driver's side seat backrest inadvertently moved backward, which caused her shins to hit the dashboard under the steering wheel during impact. None of the air bags deploy upon impact. The contact later received medical attention at the hospital for injuries to her shins. A police report was filed.
February 7, 2018 !01 frwy north approaching santa rosa/ pleasant valley off ramp on the downgrade out of newbury park at 25 MPH in the right lane. A.brake lights are seen in car ahead. B.the dash board lights up red with the word brake in red c.a loud pulsating audio noise can be heard coming from the speakers. D.the driver touches the brakes and the car goes into full ABS emergency braking reducing speed from 25 MPH to 12 MPH in less than 1/2 second e.the driver and the passengers experience a violent lurch which…
The center display has a mirror high gloss/glare finish. Because of this mirror finish, when the sun is at an angle coming through either the side or back windows, the sun is reflected back into the driver's eyes. There should be a recall on the car to replace center display to prevent accidents.
We had a tire blowout on an interstate highway and discovered there was no spare tire in our new car. The device to repair the tire didn't work as the tire was ripped. We had to wait 2 hours for a tow truck, with huge trucks passing us at 80 MPH, very close. We were terrified. We still don't know what really happened as we didn't see anything that would have ripped the tire. The car is new, still under warranty. Every car should have a spare tire for emergencies like this. We did not know it didn't have one.