2020 Toyota Prius — Known Issues & Recalls

Your Prius has experienced sudden unintended acceleration twice while parking—once a year ago and again recently. Both times occurred on hot summer days (around 90°F) when you were slowly moving forward and deliberately moved your foot from the gas to the brake, yet the car surged forward at full speed. In the first incident, your car's collision avoidance braking system prevented a crash; in the second, you were able to stop it manually. The cause appears to be a malfunction in the throttle or engine control system that needs diagnostic evaluation.

Your vehicle came with original tires from the dealership. While no crash or fire occurred, original equipment tires may wear unevenly or perform differently depending on driving conditions and maintenance.

Your tire sidewalls are ballooning (bulging outward), which the dealer identified as a serious safety hazard. When inspected, three of your four tires showed the same problem, though less noticeably, despite the car having only 24,000 miles with just 12,000 miles on these particular tires. The dealer indicated this is a dangerous condition that requires immediate attention. The fix will likely involve replacing all affected tires.

While making a slow left turn at 5 MPH into your subdivision, your tire's sidewall suddenly blew out and couldn't be repaired. The Toyota dealer couldn't determine why the failure occurred, and the tire (a Toyo NanoEnergy A41 in size P195/65R15) has no manufacturer's warranty despite being original equipment. You're concerned this could have caused a serious accident if it had happened at highway speeds.

While turning into a parking space, you pressed the brake pedal but your 2020 Prius suddenly accelerated forward instead of slowing down. The car hit a concrete pole within one second and you were unable to stop it. The vehicle has been towed and is pending inspection by your insurance company. This issue may involve the brake system, accelerator pedal, or engine control electronics and will require professional diagnostic evaluation.

Your vehicle was hit by another car running a red light at high speed. Your forward collision warning system did not activate, and your airbags failed to deploy during the impact, though the other vehicle's airbags did work. You sustained shoulder pain from the collision. The repair may involve diagnostic testing of the airbag control module and forward collision sensor system, along with potential replacement of faulty sensors or the airbag control unit.

Your car suddenly accelerated to full throttle while you were slowly driving out of a parking lot, causing it to speed across the street and crash head-on into a fence. A "Check Engine" warning appeared on the dashboard indicating a malfunction in the electronic control of the engine, throttle, or automatic transmission. The crash resulted in whiplash and injuries requiring emergency room treatment. Diagnosis and repair will require a full inspection of the engine control system, throttle system, and transmission electronics by a Toyota dealer.

Your brake pedal is not stopping the car as expected. When you tried to park, the brakes failed to stop the vehicle, causing it to hit your garage wall. When you attempted to reposition the car, pressing the brake pedal caused the car to accelerate instead of stop, leading to a crash into your neighbor's garage and vehicle. This brake failure has resulted in significant property damage and poses a serious safety risk.

While making a right turn at about 5 mph, your Prius suddenly accelerated on its own and jumped the curb into some bushes. You pressed the brake pedal, but it didn't stop the car. No warning lights came on before this happened. The dealer was unable to diagnose or repair the problem, leaving you uncertain about the vehicle's safety.

Your dad experienced complete brake failure while driving on the highway in your nearly new 2020 Prius (only 700 miles). When he pressed the brake pedal, the brakes did not respond, and he was unable to stop the car before colliding with another vehicle. The crash was severe enough to deploy all airbags and total the car. Your mom also noted the car seemed to accelerate very quickly beforehand. The issue may involve the brake system's hydraulic components, master cylinder, or electronic brake control systems.

Your car's proximity sensors generate a cleaning alert during rainy weather, and cleaning them doesn't fix the problem. More concerning, your front collision avoidance system failed to slow the car when approaching another vehicle with cruise control enabled—a safety feature that should have worked. The dealer indicated this is normal behavior in wet conditions, but this could create a serious accident risk if driver assistance features aren't functioning reliably.

After your Prius was towed, you needed transmission repair along with repairs to the axle rods, rims, steering system, and rear wheels, plus bumper replacement. The towing event appears to have caused damage across multiple systems in your vehicle. Repairs will likely involve replacing or rebuilding the transmission, repairing steering components, and replacing damaged suspension and wheel parts.

Your instrument cluster display (the screen that shows your speed, fuel level, and odometer) has stopped working completely. You can't see how fast you're going, how much fuel is left, or other important driving information. The fix will likely involve diagnosing the electrical connection to the display or replacing the instrument cluster unit itself.

After heavy rain, your car's park assist and parking sensor system stop working, and a warning message appears on the dashboard. The system returns to normal operation once the car dries out. This issue appears to be related to moisture exposure during wet weather conditions.