36 of the
649 complaints filed about the Toyota Prius V
are about the fuel system —
6% of everything owners reported.
The worst model year for it is 2013.
8/2025 Car stalled on freeway. Went to dealer. They said nothing wrong. Then on a trip north, car stalled again on freeway. Went to the nearest dealer. They too said nothing wrong. This time same thing. There is a recall for the exact symptoms of the exact car yet they say the repair was done. Why does my vin not qualify for the exact symptoms that generated a recall? This was super dangerous at freeway speed. Toyota knows there is a problem with the inverter and it's computer. Now I'm paying again for a diagnosis. That makes $750 just diagnosing and now if they actually decide it is the inverter, I have to pay upwards of $3000 even though there is a recall? What the heck?
NHTSA complaint #11733421 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The car stalls randomly and does not enter fail-safe mode. The dealer says it is the transmission but the transmission has never shuddered or hesitated. I am reading that these vehicles have intelligent power modules in the hybrid inverter that fail and can cause stalling. I feel like the dealership is working with Toyota to avoid addressing the actual problem. In the meantime I was sent home in a vehicle that continues to stall randomly and does not enter fail-safe mode.
NHTSA complaint #11673861 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
2013 toyota prius v has 3 recalls for the same issues but my vin # says there isn't any recalls associated with it. I need help. It stalled on me on my way home from work luckily not on the high way now it's throwing code c1310 c1259 c1241 it won't crank all it does is click. I replaced 12v batterychecked all connectors.
NHTSA complaint #11671768 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The car began to jerk, made knocking noises, miss fires on cylinder 1, 2 and 4, coolant leakages, oil leakages, compression issues and the check engine light keeps turning on and off. My safety has been put into play because, the car would jerk many of times as it would want to stop as I was driving. I would then have to pull over and call for assistance. Per the Toyota service advisor he recommended that I needed a new rebuilt engine kit. The extended warranty company stated that I was negligent with my car and denied my claim and refused to pay for the 10 grand motor and I had to tow my car to another shop. However, the car at this time is still experiencing the same malfunctions. The warning lamps are still showing at this present time and prior to the failure of problem. This car meets the "Lemon law guidelines, However, I have been informed otherwise that I don't meet the criteria for lemon law due it being expired sometime last year in Oct of 2024. As stated this is a lemon car.
NHTSA complaint #11635974 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The Head Gasket failed on my vehicle, and began to burn coolant and overheat my engine. Upon description of the issue, a dealership mechanic was able to diagnose the issue. The sudden failure of my vehicle due to overheating while driving was extremely risky, and I had no indication that the issue was a head gasket until a dealership mechanic was able to look at my vehicle after being towed. I had taken my vehicle to a third-party mechanic, and they could not tell me why my vehicle was burning coolant, but provided a temporary Stop-Leak fix that did not hold. The first appearance of the Check Engine light was about 9 months ago, was assumed to be the spark plugs, which I had replaced, but then my coolant light started coming on with the check engine light for about a week before the engine overheat incident. The vehicle has been inspected by a Toyota Hybird Mechanic. No other inspections have been done. My safety and other's safety was put at-risk as my steering, speed control, and speed monitoring systems immediately shut off once the system detected an overheat, making it difficult to pull over safely and slowly to address the issue/call a tow truck. I required physical assistance from another motorist to move my vehicle off the road to allow others to pass.
NHTSA complaint #11633406 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Driving on the freeway the car stalled and was unable to accelerate. The issue seems identical to the 2020 recall. 2020-06-23 Recall no. 20V369000 Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2013-2015 Prius and 2014-2017 Prius V vehicles not included in recall 18V-684. 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. I was told by the service center that my car is not on the recall list so they are unable to work it as a recall.
NHTSA complaint #11618479 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The hybrid system was shut down while driving. The symptoms are like the description in this recall (NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V684000). However, my VIN is not on the recall list.
NHTSA complaint #11569382 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
My Prius V has slow acceleration and the RPMs seem to go unusually high on acceleration. This makes it dangerous to pull out from a stop sign, etc. in certain situations that would be fine in another car of the same make and model. And recently it has started to throttle up when taking my foot off the gas and even when pressing on the brake. This happens intermittently and randomly. Fortunately no accidents have occurred yet and I'm trying to get the problems resolved with Toyota, but the dealer says it will be hard for them to diagnose when the problem is not occurring and there are no warning lights. Less than 60,000 miles on it.
NHTSA complaint #11487615 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact owns a 2012 Toyota Prius V. The contact stated while driving approximately 65 MPH, the vehicle stalled. The contact stated that the power steering and power brakes failed to operate as needed. The contact stated that the check hybrid system and check battery warning lights were illuminated. The contact pulled off the roadway safely but was unable to restart the vehicle. The contact had the vehicle towed to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the inverter needed to be replaced. The vehicle had not been repaired. The contact researched online and related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V684000 (Hybrid Propulsion System). The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 247,000.
NHTSA complaint #11483532 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
My car stalled while I was driving it on 2 separate occasions. It is a 2014 w less than 70K miles: 1/2022 Within seconds of 2 or more warning lights going on, the engine stalled. I was able to steer, brake and drive on the electric motor towards home. The electric motor drove another .5 mile before it also died, leaving me with no power steering or brakes. I was on a slight incline and coasted most of the way off road. The car was towed to our local dealer, which said the intake manifold had failed. Dealer replaced IM and related hoses and gaskets. 6/2022 I was driving on a busy interstate at high speed in the passing lane. The car started to lose power and decelerate. I maneuvered to the side of the road and UP! the on ramp. Made it to roadside business on remaining battery power.
NHTSA complaint #11469843 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
my wife's 2014 Prius V failed to run. after towing to service diagnosed as failed Inverter. service records indicate this was serviced as a recall 2/2019. now toyota refuses to recognize problem as a warranty issue for repair. even though Recall notice indicates repair or replacement should be free of charge. breakdown occurred 5/14/2022. incident started as she was getting on highway. drove home at 25mph.
NHTSA complaint #11465014 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
WHILE DRIVING IN INTERSTATE TRAFFIC THE CAR LOST POWER AND WOULD ONLY GO 11MPH. WHEN I GOT TO A SAFE PLACE TO PULL OVER THE HYBRID SYSTEM SHOWED FAILURE AND SEVERAL OTHER WARNING LIGHTS. THE CAR HAD A PREVIOUS RECALL FOR POWER MANAGEMENT COMPLETED IN 4/2019. THIS IS AN INVERTOR FAILURE
NHTSA complaint #11366871 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
WE WERE DRIVING IN THE CITY AND AFTER GOING ON A SLIGHT INCLINE ROAD THE CAR STARTED TO LOSE POWER. NOTICED A FEW WARNING INDICATORS CAME ON THE DASH THEN I LOST THE ABILITY TO ACCELERATE THE CAR SO I HAD TO PULL OVER WHILE IT WAS SLOWING DOWN. I RESTARTED THE CAR AND WAS ABLE TO DRIVE SHORT DISTANCES TILL IT COMPLETELY LOST THE ABILITY TO DRIVE DUE TO LOST OF ACCELERATION. VERY SCARY SITUATION AND IT SEEMS LIKE ITS DUE TO THEIR INVERTER ISSUES THEY WERE TRYING TO FIX WITH A SOFTWARE UPDATE. IF THE SHOP CONFIRMS, ITS DUE TO THE INVERTER ISSUES, NOT SURE IF ID FEEL SAFE DRIVING THE CAR EVEN IF THEY REPLACE THE WHOLE INVERTER ASSEMBLY. IT'S OUR FAMILY CAR FOR ROAD TRIPS AND I WOULDN'T FEEL COMFORTABLE UNTIL THEY FIND A SOLID FIX FOR THIS ISSUE. 3 RECALLS FOR THE SAME ISSUE? THAT'S RIDICULOUS.
NHTSA complaint #11326622 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
THE ENGINE OIL RUNS LOW BETWEEN OIL CHANGES AND NO WARNING LIGHTS ARE DISPLAYED. THE CAR WAS IN MOTION AND SHAKING AND JERKING OCCURRED. THE CAR WAS ON A CITY STREET. I ADDED THE APPROPRIATE TYPE AND WEIGHT OF OIL. IT HAS HAPPENED SEVERAL TIMES SINCE FIRST TIME BUT I CHECK IT REGULARLY. I KNOW ONE OTHER PRIUS V 5 2013 OWNER WHO HAS THE SAME ISSUE.
NHTSA complaint #11316850 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
ON JUNE 5TH, 2019, I TOOK MY CAR IN TO ROUND ROCK TOYOTA AND THEY PERFORMED THE 2018 TOYOTA PRIUS V RECALL FIX. SINCE THEN, MY MPG HAS GONE FROM AN AVERAGE OF 41 MILES PER GALLON, WHICH HAS STAYED CONSISTENT SINCE I PURCHASED THE CAR BRAND NEW IN JUNE 2012, DOWN TO 32 MPG. I TOOK THE CAR BACK TO ROUND ROCK TOYOTA FOR A DIAGNOSIS ON SEPT 30, 2019 AND THEY SAID THAT THEY CANNOT FIND ANYTHING WRONG, THERE ARE NO ERROR CODES, AND THAT MY NOW GREATLY REDUCED 32 MPG FELL WITHIN TOYOTA STANDARDS. I AM WRITING TO FILE A COMPLAINT THAT THEIR 2018 RECALL FOR THE TOYOTA PRIUS V HAS A PROBLEM AND NEEDS TO BE REVISITED OR THE VEHICLES SHOULD BE TAKEN OFF THE ROAD. I AM CO-FILING A COMPLAINT WITH THE EPA AS WELL.
NHTSA complaint #11265675 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
I WAS LEAVING WORK AND AS I GOT ON TO THE FREEWAY, I NOTICED THAT WHEN I PRESSED THE ACCELERATION, THE CAR WOULD REV AND JERK. DIDN'T THINK MUCH OF IT THINKING I WOULD MAKE IT HOME. BY TIME I MADE IT TO THE FREEWAY, MY CAR BEGAN TO REV LOUDLY AND I NOTICED I WAS LOOSING ACCELERATION. AROUND THIS TIME I WAS GOING ALMOST 65MPH. SO I PULLED OFF THE FREEWAY AND INSPECTED THE ENGINE, DIDN'T SEE ANYTHING OUT OF THE ORDINARY SO TRIED TO CRANK IT UP AGAIN. CAR CRUNK, 'READY' LIGHT CAME ON AND SO DID ELECTRIC VEHICLE MODE. AS THE CAR WENT START THE ENGINE, THE LOUD RATTLE AND SHAKING OF THE CAR COULD BE HEAR AND FELT. I WAS ABLE TO DRIVE ANOTHER HALF A MILE BEFORE THE CAR JUST SHUT DOWN. THEY CAR WOULD NOT DRIVE OVER 5 MILES PER HOUR. WHEN IT SHUT DOWN THE ENGINE BEGAN TO SMOKE SO I KNEW THAT COULD NOT BE GOOD. I TRIED TO TURN IT BACK ON AND AT THE POINT I NOTICED I COULD NOT PUT THE CAR INTO REVERSE NOR DRIVE. THE 'READY' LIGHT DID NOT COME ON AND I NO LONGER HAD POWER STEERING. THE FOLLOWING DAY I GOT IT TOWED TO THE MECHANIC AND WAS INFORMED THAT I HAD 'THREW A ROD.' I LOOKED AND SAW THAT OTHER OWNERS HAD SUBMITTED A COMPLAINT WITH VERY SIMILAR ISSUES. THOUGHT THAT SUBMITTING THIS WOULD BE EFFECTIVE AS IF THIS ISSUE PERSIST. THERE MAY NOT BE OTHER OWNERS WHO ARE LUCKY ENOUGH TO MAKE IT OFF THE FREEWAY WITHOUT HAVING ANY ACCELERATION POWER.
NHTSA complaint #11265415 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.