Toyota
Toyota Prius years to avoid
Years to avoid: 2014, 2015 and 2016. Best years: 2018, 2019 and 2020.
The 2014, 2015 and 2016 Toyota Prius draw the most owner complaints for their age: 2014 has 182 complaints (14 for each year on the road), 2015 has 165 complaints (14 for each year on the road) and 2016 has 154 complaints (14 for each year on the road), against a median of 7 a year across the 10 model years old enough to judge. The most reported problem on the 2014 is brake wear (96 reports).
- 501complaints
- 8recall campaigns
- 3model years with a page
Newest report Sep 17, 2026 · checked Oct 2, 2026
Pick your model year
Owner complaints on file for each year.
Years to avoid
2014
Most reported: brake wear (96 reports, median 106,000 miles) and stalling (14 reports, median 98,000 miles).
2015
Most reported: brake wear (92 reports, median 95,000 miles) and hybrid system (12 reports, median 50,000 miles).
2016
Most reported: windshield (42 reports, median 20,000 miles) and brake wear (19 reports, median 17,000 miles).
Best years
2018
Too few complaints for a page of its own.
2019
Too few complaints for a page of its own.
2020
Too few complaints for a page of its own.
Complaints for each year on the road
Each model year's NHTSA complaints divided by the calendar years it has been on sale, counting this one (a 2018 model has had 9). Older cars have had longer to collect complaints, so raw totals flatter the new ones. Blue bars are the years to avoid. Too new to judge: 2025.
Within one model, sales change less from year to year than they do between models, so a jump here is mostly a jump in problems. The call: the years to avoid are the (up to three) highest at 1.5 times the model's median rate or more, and the best are the (up to three) lowest at two thirds of it or less, from 2016 on.
Guide How much should a years-to-avoid list decide? What these lists get wrong
At a glance
- Where the complaints sit
- The 2014 has the most complaints of any Toyota Prius year here: 182 of 501 (36%).
- Problem across the years
- The top problem moves around from year to year. Brake wear leads in 2 of the 3 model years and has the most reports overall, 207. Pooled across the years, half of the 106 owners who gave a mileage for brake wear were under about 95,000 miles.
- Crash, fire and injury reports
- 13% of Toyota Prius complaints report a crash, a fire or an injury, against 6% for the typical vehicle on this site. The highest share is on the 2015, 30 of its 165 complaints.
- Recalls on the top problem
- None of the 3 model years where owners report brake wear has a recall on the same system.
- When owners filed
- Complaints are still climbing. 2025 brought 69, the most of any year so far. So far in 2026, 58 more have come in. Filings on record start in 2015.
Photo: EurovisionNim, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
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Photo: Elise240SX, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Model years with too few complaints for a page of their own: 2017 (91), 2018 (36), 2019 (30), 2020 (14), 2022 (24), 2023 (19), 2024 (26), 2025 (16).
Year by year
2016 Toyota Prius avoid
154 owner complaints, 14 for each year on the road (2.1 times the model median). Most reported: windshield (42 reports, median 20,000 miles), brake wear (19 reports, median 17,000 miles) and infotainment (11 reports). 8 reports involved a crash and 6 people were hurt. 5 recalls, including 18V-579 on the electrical system and 18V-085 on the airbags.
2015 Toyota Prius avoid
165 owner complaints, 14 for each year on the road (2.0 times the model median). Most reported: brake wear (92 reports, median 95,000 miles) and hybrid system (12 reports, median 50,000 miles). 29 reports involved a crash and 17 people were hurt. 1 recall: 20V-369 on the hybrid system.
2014 Toyota Prius avoid
182 owner complaints, 14 for each year on the road (2.1 times the model median). Most reported: brake wear (96 reports, median 106,000 miles), stalling (14 reports, median 98,000 miles) and airbag (12 reports, median 70,000 miles). 22 reports involved a crash and 13 people were hurt. 3 recalls, including 20V-369 on the hybrid system and 18V-684 on the hybrid system.
Recalls that cover several model years
Excessive voltage in the Intelligent Power Module (IPM) within the inverter may cause the hybrid system to shut down, causing the vehicle to stall while being driven.
Questions
What Toyota Prius years should you avoid?
The 2014, 2015 and 2016 Toyota Prius draw the most owner complaints for their age: 2014 has 182 complaints (14 for each year on the road), 2015 has 165 complaints (14 for each year on the road) and 2016 has 154 complaints (14 for each year on the road), against a median of 7 a year across the 10 model years old enough to judge. The most reported problem on the 2014 is brake wear (96 reports).
What are the best years for the Toyota Prius?
The 2018, 2019 and 2020 draw the fewest complaints for their age: 2018 has 36 (4 a year), 2019 has 30 (4 a year) and 2020 has 14 (2 a year). Model years before 2016 aren't called best, because complaints filed before 2015 aren't in the files this site reads and their counts run short.
What is the most common problem on the Toyota Prius?
Brake wear, with 207 reports across the 3 model years that have a page here. It's the single most reported problem on the 2014 and 2015.
How many recalls does the Toyota Prius have?
8 recall campaigns cover the Toyota Prius model years 2014 to 2016 on this site. The widest, 20V-369 on the hybrid system, covers 2 model years.
How many Toyota Prius complaints involve a crash, fire or injury?
13% of them, against 6% for the typical vehicle on this site. The 2015 has the highest share.
Is there a recall for brake wear on the Toyota Prius?
No. None of the 3 model years where owners report it has one on the same system.