Model year record

2016 Toyota Prius

5 recall campaigns on file for this model year. 227 owner complaints on file.

Recalls

Recall campaignNHTSA 18V579000

Electrical system: wiring

Component
Electrical system: wiring
Manufacturer
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing
Vehicles affected
192,347
Reported to NHTSA
2018-09-05
Owners notified
2018-10-30

Defect description

Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2016-2018 Toyota Prius vehicles. A portion of the engine wire harness connected to the hybrid Power Control Unit (PCU), could contact the cover at this connection and wear, causing an electrical short circuit.

Safety risk

An electrical short can increase the risk of a fire.

Manufacturer remedy

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.

Recall campaignNHTSA 18V085000

Air bags: side/window

Component
Air bags: side/window
Manufacturer
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing
Vehicles affected
48,672
Reported to NHTSA
2018-01-31
Owners notified
2018-03-30

Defect description

Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2016 Toyota Prius and Lexus RX 350, RX 350 F Sport, RX 450h F Sport and RX 450h vehicles and 2015-2016 Lexus NX 200T, NX Turbo and NX 300h vehicles. The air bag pressure sensors and/or the acceleration sensors may fail causing the side/curtain shield air bags and/or the front air bags to not deploy in the event of a crash.

Safety risk

If the air bags fail to deploy in a crash, it can increase the risk of injury.

Manufacturer remedy

Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will replace the sensors as necessary based on their serial numbers, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin March 12, 2018. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's numbers for this recall are JLA, J0F.

Recall campaignNHTSA 17V658000

Hybrid propulsion system: inverter

Component
Hybrid propulsion system: inverter
Manufacturer
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing
Vehicles affected
6
Reported to NHTSA
2017-10-18
Owners notified
2017-12-15

Defect description

Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2016 Prius vehicles. A capacitor within the hybrid system may not have been properly bolted to the inverter housing.

Safety risk

If the capacitor was not properly secured, vibrations from driving the vehicle may damage the capacitor, shutting down the hybrid system, causing a loss of motive power and increasing the risk of a crash.

Manufacturer remedy

Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will replace the inverter, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin by early December 2017. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's number for this recall is H0U.

Recall campaignNHTSA 16V741000

Parking brake

Component
Parking brake
Manufacturer
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing
Vehicles affected
91,585
Reported to NHTSA
2016-10-14
Owners notified
2016-11-10

Defect description

Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain model year 2016-2017 Prius vehicles manufactured August 6, 2015, to October 3, 2016. The affected vehicles are equipped with a foot-operated parking brake system that has a parking brake cable that may disengage.

Safety risk

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.

Manufacturer remedy

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.

Recall campaignNHTSA 16V672000

Air bags: frontal: passenger side: inflator module

Component
Air bags: frontal: passenger side: inflator module
Manufacturer
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing
Vehicles affected
7,817
Reported to NHTSA
2016-09-16
Owners notified
2016-11-10

Defect description

Toyota Motor Engineering and Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain model year 2016 Toyota Prius vehicles manufactured November 30, 2015, to June 14, 2016. An air bag inflator manufacturing error may result in the inadvertent partial inflation of the front passenger air bag.

Safety risk

A front passenger air bag that unintentionally inflates can increase the risk of a crash or injury.

Manufacturer remedy

Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger air bag assembly, free of charge. The recall began November 10, 2016. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's number for this recall is G0W.

Owner complaints

A complaint is one person's report to a federal agency. It is not a finding.

ComponentComplaintsMedian mileage
Visibility/wiper4017,800 mi
Unknown or other316,000 mi
Engine2040,100 mi
Service brakes195,986 mi
Electrical system1717,200 mi
Power train1524,000 mi
Vehicle speed control1214,500 mi
Structure: body1017,658 mi
Air bags74,100 mi
Fuel/propulsion system740,100 mi
Tires620,000 mi
Suspension55,986 mi
Exterior lighting431,200 mi
Wheels43,000 mi
Seats350 mi
Steering3
Electrical system: 12V/24V/48V battery220,000 mi
Electronic stability control (ESC)23,510 mi
Seat belts225,000 mi
Service brakes, hydraulic2100,028 mi
Traction control system2100,028 mi
Air bags: frontal: driver clockspring/spiral cassette1
Back over prevention: warnings131,200 mi
Electrical system: wiring: fuses and circuit breakers1223,601 mi
Engine and engine cooling: cooling system: pump1223,601 mi
Equipment13,875 mi
Forward collision avoidance170,000 mi
Forward collision avoidance: warnings131,200 mi
Hybrid propulsion system1159,141 mi
Parking brake1
Structure1
Tires: pressure monitoring and regulating systems13,000 mi
Vehicle speed control: accelerator pedal17,700 mi
Visibility: rearview mirrors/devices: interior16,300 mi
Visibility: windshield1

The 2015 model has about half as many complaints as this one. The 2017 model has about 1.5 times as many complaints as this one. These figures reflect raw complaint counts, not failure rates. Higher-selling model years naturally receive more complaints.

Safety recall repairs are provided free of charge by franchised dealers, regardless of vehicle age or mileage. This page displays aggregated data for the model year. To check recall status for a specific vehicle, search its VIN at nhtsa.gov.