2016 Toyota Prius Electrical Problems
22 owner-reported electrical complaints from NHTSA data
Data sourced from NHTSA public database. For informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified mechanic.
Electrical Recalls (1)
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING
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.
Fix: 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.
Owner Complaints (22)
While driving on the freeway, your car displayed warning messages about low braking power, antilock brake system malfunction, pre-collision system malfunction, and lane departure alert malfunction all at once. You were instructed to stop in a safe place, and the situation was frightening as you nearly had an accident. The issue likely involves the electrical system affecting multiple safety systems simultaneously, which will require diagnostic scanning to identify the root cause.
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While driving at 70 MPH, your steering wheel stopped responding and the vehicle began shutting down, with warning lights appearing on the dashboard. A mechanic diagnosed that your hybrid battery was low and the engine wiring harness had failed. The hybrid battery was able to recharge, but the dealer said the wiring harness would need to be replaced to fully restore the vehicle.
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While driving on the interstate, your car displayed a pre-collision system malfunction error, your brake light came on, cruise control stopped working, and your ABS light turned on. Based on your research, this appears to be a known issue with the brake booster failing in Prius V models. The fix will likely involve inspecting or replacing the brake booster assembly.
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BLUE TOOTH CONNECTION VIA PHONE WILL BE DROPPED AFTER 7-10 SECONDS POST CONNECTION TO THE VEHICLE. AUDIO PLAYER CAN BE CONNECTED SEPARATELY BUT ONCE THE PHONE CONNECTS THE DISPLAY CONSOLE RESETS AS IF THE CAR WAS JUST BEING STARTED. CAR CAN BE STATIONARY NOT MOVING. NO DIFFERENCE
I PREVIOUSLY SENT IN A COMPLAINT BUT THERE HAVE BEEN DEVELOPMENTS AND I NEEDED TO EXPLAIN MORE CLEARLY. OUR TOYOTA HAS LESS THAN 18,000 MILES AND HAS BEEN VERY WELL TAKEN CARE OF. DESPITE THIS, OUR VEHICLE HAS NOT BEEN IN OPERATION SINCE EARLIER THIS MONTH. IT STARTED BY FLASHING WARNING LIGHTS 2 WEEKS AGO AND THEN WOULDN'T START UP. SATURDAY WHEN I OPENED THE DRIVER DOOR TO GET SOMETHING OUT OF THE INOPERABLE VEHICLE, THIS INITIATED A VERY LENGTHY TERRIBLE SOUND COMING FROM UNDER HOOD ON DRIVER'S SIDE. IT SOUNDED LIKE SOMETHING WOULD EXPLODE UNDER THE HOOD. THIS HORRIBLE PROCESS APPEARANTLY DRAINED THE WHOLE BATTERY. IT HAS ABSOLUTELY NO SIGNS OF LIFE NOW. ALL OF THIS HAPPENED WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS STATIONARY.
THE GPS SYSTEM REPORTS INACCURATE SYSTEM LOCATION. I LIVE IN HENDERSON, NV, BUT IT SHOWS THE LOCATION AS BOULDER CITY, NV. THIS IS AN 11 MILE DIFFERENCE. I HAVE TOYOTA'S SOS FEATURE (LIKE ONSTAR), SO IF EMERGENCY ASSISTANCE IS NEEDED, THEY WOULD NOT COME TO THE CORRECT LOCATION. I DO NOT KNOW IF IT IS ONLY MY CAR OR OTHERS. THE SOS REP SEEMED TO BE AWARE, BUT NO NOTICE WAS SENT OUT TO CUSTOMERS FOR SERVICE OR RECALLS.
I HAVE OWNED SEVERAL TOYOTA VEHICLES OVER THE YEARS - A TERCEL, A RAV4, A TACOMA AND A PRIUS V. RECENTLY I WAS HIT WITH A $1680 + REPAIR TO MY 2016 PRIUS V DUE TO 'RODENT DAMAGE' TO MY WIRING. THIS INCLUDED DAMAGE TO 3 OUT 4 BRAKE LINES, AN O2 SENSOR LINE, A FUEL LINE SENSOR AND POSSIBLY A FUEL PUMP WIRING HARNESS. THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON WHILE DRIVING AT 60MPH. I WAS DRIVING ON 1 WORKING BRAKE LINE!! MY CAR WAS IN THE TOYOTA SHOP FOR 3 DAYS. I'VE READ THAT TOYOTA DENIES RESPONSIBILITY FOR USING WIRING THAT ATTRACTS RODENT CHEWING. I HAVE BEEN FORCED TO TAKE THIS LOSS OF USE AND DAMAGE TO MY AUTO INSURANCE POLICY AND AM EXTREMELY CONCERNED THAT I WILL FACE THIS TYPE OF DAMAGE IN THE FUTURE WITH MORE CATASTROPHIC RESULTS LIKE AN ACCIDENT. THIS POSSIBILITY MAKES THE OWNERSHIP OF A MY PRIUS FINANCIALLY AND PRACTICALLY UNTENABLE!!! I CAN'T DEPEND ON MY PRIUS TO BE ABLE TO DRIVE ME TO MY WORK OR AND ANY OTHER DESTINATION SAFELY IF THE DESIGN OF THIS VEHICLE MAKES THE WIRING ACCESSIBLE TO RODENTS. I CAN'T KILL EVERY RODENT THAT MAY ENCOUNTER MY CAR IN EVERY LOCATION I PARK OR DRIVE MY CAR!! SINCE THIS HAS HAPPENED NOT ONLY TO ME BUT ALSO OTHER TOYOTA OWNERS, I WANT TO KNOW WHAT TOYOTA IS DOING TO PREVENT AND/OR CORRECT THIS PROBLEM? I'M HAVING TO PAY FOR INSTALLING NEW WIRING, WHICH UNLESS THE TOYOTA SERVICE CENTER DOING THE REPAIR DOES SOMETHING TO PREVENT THIS FROM HAPPENING AGAIN, THE WIRING WILL STILL BE SUBJECT TO THE SAME DESTRUCTION DUE TO TOYOTA'S BAD DESIGN AND/OR INFERIOR MATERIALS THAT PERMIT RODENT DAMAGE.
WHEN STARTING THE CAR THE ELECTRONIC DASHBOARD WAS BLACK WITH NO INFO ON SPEED. WE DROVE IT 70 MILES HOME GUESSING AT THE SPEED. WE TURNED IF OFF AND RESTARTED IT WITH THE SAME RESULT. THEN WE GOT HOME, TURNED IT OFF, RESTARTED IT AND THE DASHBOARD WAS BACK, WORKING NORMALLY. WTF? NOT HAVING A SPEEDOMETER IS A HUGE SAFETY HAZARD. THERE SHOULD BE A FALLBACK FOR THIS. WE CANT TRUST THIS CAR AND LIKELY WILL TRADE IT IN SOON FOR SOMETHING ELSE.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 TOYOTA PRIUS. WHILE DRIVING 66 MPH, THE VEHICLE DECELERATED AND LOST POWER IN THE MIDDLE OF TRAFFIC. THE CONTACT ATTEMPTED TO PLACE THE VEHICLE INTO NEUTRAL, BUT WAS UNSUCCESSFUL. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE CONTACT'S RESIDENCE AND THEN TOWED TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC. THE MECHANIC DIAGNOSED THAT A FUSE WAS BLOWN AND A NEW WATER PUMP NEEDED TO BE INSTALLED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE AND DID NOT ASSIST. THE DEALER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 223,601. THE VIN WAS UNKNOWN.
WHILE PARKING MY VEHICLE AND SLOWING DOWN TO ENTER A PARKING SPACE, I EASED OFF THE BRAKE TO PULL INTO THE SPACE WHEN I HEARD THE ENGINE REV LOUDLY AND THEN THE CAR ACCELERATED AND CONTINUED TO ACCELERATE DESPITE ATTEMPTS TO PUMP THE BRAKES, RELEASE THE BRAKES WITHOUT TOUCHING ANY PEDAL AND ALSO TRYING TO PUT THE TRANSMISSION INTO PARK. THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT STOP AT ALL. I WAS AFRAID FOR MY LIFE AND TRIED EVERYTHING TO AVOID OTHER VEHICLES AND PEDESTRIANS AS THE CAR ACCELERATED GREATLY. I STEERED THE CAR TO TRY AND AVOID A SLIGHT EMBANKMENT AND CURVE BUT WITH THE RAPID SPEED OF THE CAR, IT BECAME HARD TO MANEUVER THE CAR. THE VEHICLE JUMPED THE CURB STRIKING A TREE AND THEN A CONCRETE POST. THE CAR CAME TO REST ON ITS SIDE AFTER IMPACT. THE CAR WAS A TOTAL LOSS.
WHEN COMES TO A STOP AND ON ACCELERATION VEHICLE WON'T MOVE ESPECIALLY AFTER RAIN AND CAR WASH. IT HAPPENED 10 TIMES SINCE JUNE 2017 AND ONCE A WEEK LATELY. EVERY TIME IT STARTS WITH LOUD NOISE FROM ENGINE,RIGHT AFTER THAT THE BATTERY BAR DROPPED FROM FULL BAR TO ONE BAR QUICKLY IN ONE SECOND. IF I HAVE TO STOP AT THE TRAFFIC LIGHT WHEN THIS HAPPENS IT WON'T MOVE. EARLY THIS YEAR 01/12/2018,IT 'S BEING TOWED TO PUENTE HILLS TOYOTA DEALER AND SERVICE COULDN'T FIND ANY CLUE AFTER 5HRS. ON 06/01/2018 WE BROUGHT IT IN AGAIN FOR SAME ISSUES TO THE SAME DEALER AND BEING TOLD NO CLUE AFTER 5 HRS AGAIN . ON 06/06/2018 AT 18.38 PM PST, IT HAPPENED AGAIN.. I FEEL SO UNSAFE TO DRIVE, IT MIGHT GET ME KILLED ANYTIME WHEN IT HAPPENS,
OVER THE PAST YEAR AND OVER 15,000 MILES OUR 2016 TOYOTA PRIUS FOUR TOURING HAS EXPERIENCED SUDDEN DISPLAYS OF WARNING MESSAGES AND LIGHTS REPORTING BRAKING POWER LOW - VISIT YOUR DEALER; BRAKING POWER LOW - STOP IN A SAFE PLACE - SEE OWNER'S MANUAL; PRE-COLLISION SYSTEM MALFUNCTION - VISIT YOUR DEALER; ANTI-LOCK BRAKE SYSTEM MALFUNCTION - VISIT YOUR DEALER; LANE DEPARTURE ALERT MALFUNCTION - VISIT YOUR DEALER; ICS MALFUNCTION - VISIT YOUR DEALER; CHECK CRUISE CONTROL SYSTEM - VISIT YOUR DEALER. THE FOLLOWING CODES/FAULTS HAVE BEEN DETECTED: ABS - C1403, C1407, C1415; PARKING SENSORS - C164D, C1A50; BLIND SPOT MONITOR - C1A45; BLIND SPOT MONITOR SLAVE - C1A45; PRE-COLLISION SYSTEM 2 - C1A50; LANE-KEEPING ASSIST 2 - C1A50; ECU - P157800 & CRUISE ECU - P157800. THE WARNING MESSAGES/LIGHTS CAME AND WENT WHILE DRIVING ON BOTH CITY STREETS AND HIGHWAYS. EACH TIME I TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER. THEY COULD SEE THE CODES IN MEMORY, BUT COULD NOT REPLICATE THE PROBLEM. NO PARTS WERE REPLACED. THE ONLY THING THEY HAVE DONE IS TO TAKE APART AND RESEAT SOME OF THE CONNECTOR CABLES AND THEN SEND US ON OUR WAY TELLING US TO BRING IT BACK IN IF IT HAPPENS AGAIN. WE ARE SERIOUSLY CONCERNED ABOUT THE SAFETY OF THIS VEHICLE AND HAVE NO REASSURANCE THAT THE PROBLEM HAS BEEN RESOLVED AND NO REASSURANCE THAT MAJOR BRAKING SYSTEMS MIGHT NOT BE AVAILABLE TO ME IF IT OCCURS AGAIN. I CONTACTED TOYOTA CUSTOMER ASSISTANCE WITH NO CHANGE IN THEIR POSITION. I AM CURRENTLY NEGOTIATING TO TRADE THE VEHICLE IN AS I AM NOT COMFORTABLE THAT THE PROBLEM IS RESOLVED AND DEEPLY CONCERNED THAT IT WILL HAPPEN AGAIN. I HAVE SHARED VIDEO OF THE WARNING MESSAGES AND LIGHTS WITH THE DEALER, BUT AM UNABLE TO UPLOAD VIDEO HERE.
THE CAR HAS BEEN TOWED TWICE. EVERY TIME I ATTEMPT TO TURN ON THE CAR, THERE IS NO POWER. THE DEALER SAYS IT IS THE BATTERY AND HE HAS CHANGED THE BATTERY TWICE. I AM AFRAID TO USE THE CAR AND GET STRANDED IN THE HIGHWAY.
RODENTS WERE ATTRACTED TO THE SOY-BASED WIRING USED BY TOYOTA AND CAUSED EXPENSIVE DAMAGE BY CHEWING WIRES. TOYOTA HAS HAD PROBLEMS WITH THIS WIRING AND RODENT DAMAGE FOR 4 YEARS AND I WAS UNAWARE OF THIS WHEN I BOUGHT THE VEHICLE. THEY REFUSE TO PAY FOR MY DAMAGE AND ALSO REFUSE TO REPLACE THE WIRING WITH NON-SOY WIRING, WHICH MEANS IT COULD EASILY HAPPEN AGAIN. MANY OTHER CUSTOMERS, I DISCOVER, HAVE REPORTED RODENT DAMAGE TO WIRING BECAUSE OF THE SOY-BASED MATERIAL.
WHILE DRIVING ON HWY 14 AT APPROXIMATELY 1100 AM, MY SON'S VEHICLE LEFT REAR TIRE BLEW OFF. HE SUMMONED ASSISTANCE TO AAA WHO CAME AND PUT THE SPARE TIRE IN, HE SUBSEQUENTLY DROVE THE CAR TO SIERRA TOYOTA IN LANCASTER CA AND CHANIN YESCAS SERVICE DEPT MGR ASSISTED WITH HAVING THE CAR CHECK. I AM CONCERNED WITH THIS VEHICLE IT IS THE 2ND INCIDENT WITH HAVE HAD WITH THE VEHICLE WITHIN A WEEK. PLEASE ASSIST ASAP.
I PURCHASED A NEW 2016 PRIUS FOUR ON FEBRUARY 16, 2016. THE LITERATURE ON THE TOYOTA FACTORY WEBSITE SAYS MY PRIUS IS EQUIPPED TO SWITCH FROM ENGLISH TO METRIC UNITS. UNFORTUNATELY, TOYOTA FAILED TO DISCLOSE THAT ANY PRIUS MANUFACTURED IN JANUARY AND FEBRUARY AND DELIVERED TO THE UNITED STATES DID NOT HAVE THIS FEATURE WORKING CORRECTLY. WITHOUT THE ABILITY TO SWITCH TO METRIC UNITS, BY GOVERNMENT MANDATE, MY PRIUS DOES NOT MEET CANADIAN MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY REGULATIONS. APPARENTLY SOME 2016 PRIUS VEHICLES SOLD IN CANADA ALSO CANNOT SWITCH TO ENGLISH UNITS WHEN DRIVING IN THE UNITED STATES PRESENTING A POTENTIAL SAFETY HAZARD. TOYOTA HAS APPARENTLY FAILED TO REVEAL A MATERIAL FACT THAT THE PRIUS SOLD TO ME DOES NOT MEET THE CANADIAN MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY REGULATIONS. THERE WAS NO DISCLOSURE ON THE VEHICLE MONRONEY STICKER THAT THIS PRIUS HAS A DISABLED OR DELETED ENGLISH TO METRIC UNIT SPEEDOMETER DISPLAY. AFTER 10 MONTHS FROM MY DATE OF PURCHASE, THE ONLY REMEDY TOYOTA OFFERS IS FOR ME TO PURCHASE A NEW PRIUS TO REPLACE MY NEW PRIUS AT MY EXPENSE. WHEN I PURCHASED MY NEW 2016 TOYOTA PRIUS, I DID NOT KNOW I WAS PURCHASING A VEHICLE WITH VAPORWARE SOFTWARE. THERE WAS NOT A CLEAR AND CONSPICUOUS DISCLOSURE THAT TOYOTA DELETED THE OPTION TO SELECT BETWEEN ENGLISH AND METRIC UNITS WHICH AFFECTS MULTIPLE VEHICLE SYSTEMS SUCH AS NAVIGATION, HEATER/AC, SPEEDOMETER, AND ODOMETER. FOR MY FIRST SIX MONTHS OF OWNERSHIP, THE NAVIGATION SYSTEM WOULD CONSTANTLY REBOOT UNTIL TOYOTA FIXED THEIR SOFTWARE. THIS SYSTEM REBOOTING WAS A SIGNIFICANT DRIVER DISTRACTION. TOYOTA ADVERTISES, "LET'S GO PLACES." FOR TRUTH IN ADVERTISING, TOYOTA SHOULD REALLY SAY, "LET'S GO PLACES, EXCEPT TO CANADA, MEXICO AND THE REST OF THE PLANET BECAUSE SOME TOYOTA SPEEDOMETERS CAN'T DISPLAY METRIC UNITS." *TR
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2016 TOYOTA PRIUS. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE SPEEDOMETER GAUGE DID NOT ALLOW THE ABILITY TO SWITCH FROM MILES PER HOUR TO KILOMETERS. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER, BUT WAS UNABLE TO BE DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED DUE TO N MANUFACTURER DEFAULT. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 1,500. ....UPDATED 02/06/17 *BF *CN
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2016 TOYOTA PRIUS C. WHILE DRIVING VARIOUS SPEEDS, A RUBBER ODOR EMITTED FROM THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER, BUT NO FAILURE WAS DETERMINED. SEVERAL DAYS LATER, THE "HYBRID COOLANT SYSTEM NEEDS SERVICE" WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A DEALER WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED AS A SAFETY HAZARD. THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS UNABLE TO BE DRIVEN AND THAT THE BATTERY COMPARTMENT FILTER SYSTEM NEEDED CLEANING TO PREVENT THE BATTERIES FROM OVERHEATING. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 7,000.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2016 TOYOTA PRIUS. WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS STATIONARY, THE BATTERY BECAME EXTREMELY HOT. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED BY THE CONTACT. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 20,000. UPDATED 01/26/2017*CT *CN
I RECENTLY PURCHASED MY 3RD TOYOTA IN AUGUST (2016 PRIUS). I UPGRADED MY 2011 PRIUS BECAUSE I REALLY NEEDED BUILT IN NAVIGATION DUE THE NATURE OF MY JOB AND MY COMMUTE. I AM CURRENTLY EXPERIENCING ISSUES WITH THE RADIO/NAVIGATION SYSTEM, WHICH IS VERY FRUSTRATING BECAUSE THIS IS A "BRAND NEW" CAR. THE NAVIGATION SYSTEM AND RADIO TURN OFF AND ON CONTINUOUSLY DURING THE MOST DANGEROUS AND INCONVENIENT TIMES (I.E. WHEN I AM NAVIGATING THOUGH UNFAMILIAR WOODED AREAS IN THE DARK WHEN IT'S RAINING). THIS ALSO CAUSES ONE OF MY INSTRUMENT PANELS TO GO BLANK. I HAVE HAD TO STOP USING THE NAVIGATION SYSTEM ALTOGETHER AT TIMES, WHICH AGAIN IS THE REASON THAT I UPGRADED MY CAR IN THE FIRST PLACE. THIS BEGAN HAPPENING INTERMITTENTLY IN SEPTEMBER, AND THE PROBLEM HAS GOTTEN PROGRESSIVELY WORSE OVER TIME. I TOOK OFF OF WORK TO HAVE THE ISSUE DIAGNOSED AND REPAIRED BY THE DEALERSHIP IN NOVEMBER AND TO HAVE THE PARKING CABLE RECALL ISSUE TAKEN CARE OF. I WAS INFORMED BY THE DEALER THAT THEY DID NOT HAVE THE PARTS IN TO ADDRESS THE RECALL ISSUE AND THE TECHNICIAN IMMEDIATELY NOTICED THE ISSUE WITH THE RADIO/NAVIGATION SYSTEM BUT WAS UNABLE TO CORRECT THE ISSUE BECAUSE THE UPDATE THAT "MIGHT" FIX IT IS NOT AVAILABLE YET. THIS IS VERY DANGEROUS AND THIS ISSUE NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED BEFORE SOMEONE GETS HURT.
THE COATING ON THE WIRING SYSTEM ATTRACTED RODENTS TO MY CAR, THE RODENTS ATE THROUGH THE ELECTRICAL AND TRIED TO NEST IN THE ENGINE BAY. THE RESULTS WERE MASSIVE SYSTEMS MALFUNCTIONS AND THE CAR WASN'T SAFE TO DRIVE. I HAD TO GET IT TOWED TO TOYOTA AND THEY STATED THAT THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM. "THEY'VE SEEN ALOT OF THIS RECENTLY"
RODENT DAMAGED WIRING AND CASINGS BY EATING/DAMAGING BOTH AT A COST SO FAR OF $2700. I HAVE OWNED THIS VEHICLE FOR ONE MONTH. I'VE BEEN TOLD THE WARRANTY DOES NOT INCLUDE THE DAMAGE. I ASKED ABOUT WHERE THE DEALERSHIP STORED THE VEHICLE PRIOR TO ITS DELIVERY TO ME. I WASN'T SATISFIED WITH THEIR EXPLANATION.