FaultScore

Worst years for a Toyota Prius

Owners have filed 15,583 complaints about the Toyota Prius with NHTSA across model years 2000 to 2026. More of them are about the brakes than anything else.

Avoid

2010 Toyota Prius

3,482 complaints — the highest FaultScore of any year, mostly brakes.

Cleanest on record

2025 Toyota Prius

28 complaints — the lowest FaultScore of the graded years.

Every Toyota Prius year, graded

The grade compares each year against the rest of this model's own run — never against another car. Click any bar or row to open that year's report.

Complaints filed with NHTSA, by model year. Bar colour is the FaultScore grade: A B C D F ungraded
Year Grade Complaints Crashes Fires Median miles Most reported
2026 5 1 0 Electrical System
2025 B 28 3 0 Driver Assist & Collision Avoidance
2024 C 31 10 0 3,000 Other & Unspecified
2023 B 26 2 0 Electrical System
2022 C 31 8 0 34,600 Electrical System
2021 C 11 3 0 5,200 Engine & Cooling
2020 C 23 13 0 14,260 Other & Unspecified
2019 C 53 16 0 4,500 Brakes
2018 C 46 8 0 10,000 Windows, Mirrors & Wipers
2017 C 127 20 6 14,000 Windows, Mirrors & Wipers
2016 B 215 10 0 17,800 Windows, Mirrors & Wipers
2015 C 215 54 1 25,250 Brakes
2014 C 281 45 2 28,000 Brakes
2013 D 544 57 7 45,000 Brakes
2012 D 544 76 3 41,031 Brakes
2011 C 664 56 10 75,000 Brakes
2010 F 3,482 255 22 7,390 Brakes
2009 D 644 90 7 32,500 Brakes
2008 F 1,894 214 10 55,000 Lights
2007 D 2,451 191 11 52,000 Lights
2006 D 1,690 110 7 50,000 Lights
2005 F 1,298 133 5 78,000 Lights
2004 C 737 50 2 72,436 Lights
2003 B 123 5 0 75,000 Steering
2002 C 201 16 5 65,395 Steering
2001 C 215 23 3 60,824 Steering
2000 4 0 0 Lights

What breaks on a Toyota Prius

Across every model year on file. Follow a row for that part's complaints and the year it was worst.

Brakes 4,567 29.3%

Worst in 2010

Lights 3,536 22.7%

Worst in 2007

Electrical System 1,607 10.3%

Worst in 2007

Worst in 2010

Engine & Cooling 784 5.0%

Worst in 2010

Worst in 2010

Airbags 436 2.8%

Worst in 2010

Body & Structure 430 2.8%

Worst in 2007

Worst in 2010

Worst in 2010

Worst in 2010

Steering 387 2.5%

Worst in 2002

Worst in 2016

Tires 155 1.0%

Worst in 2001

Exactly what failed on a Toyota Prius

The named sub-assemblies behind those complaints, across every model year.

Headlights 288 25.4%
Body 260 23.0%
Control Unit/Module 194 17.1%
Automatic Transmission 76 6.7%
Engine 70 6.2%
Automatic Emergency Braking 62 5.5%
Antilock/Traction Control/Electronic Limited Slip 53 4.7%
Accelerator Pedal 50 4.4%
Instrument Cluster/Panel 43 3.8%
12V/24V/48V Battery 36 3.2%

Complaints filed over time

Every complaint about every Toyota Prius, by the month it reached NHTSA.

Jan 2001 peak 2,502 Aug 2026

Toyota Prius problems by state

Where owners filed from. Heavier states are usually just bigger markets, but a part that fails in heat or salt shows up here first.

Compare the Toyota Prius

Side by side on complaint history. Remember that raw totals track how many were sold as much as how good they were.