2025 Toyota Prius — Known Issues & Recalls

Your Prius has an active safety recall where the rear hatch may unexpectedly open while you're driving. Toyota has stated there's no fix available until August 2026, which makes the vehicle unsafe to drive. You're currently paying loan and insurance payments on a car you can't safely use until the remedy becomes available.

Your infotainment screen is stuck on the "Experience Drive Connect" screen, which is disabling your vehicle's safety features like forward collision avoidance and back-over prevention. This screen is tied to Toyota's subscription service and prevents you from using critical safety systems. The fix will likely require a software update from Toyota to resolve this issue.

While parking and applying the brake lightly, your car suddenly lost braking when the front wheels touched the curb, causing it to lurch forward and hit a tree. Your foot was on the brake, but the car did not stop or activate any safety systems—you completely lost control. This issue appears to be related to a delay in switching from regenerative braking to conventional braking, particularly when wheels hit bumps or curbs. The fix would likely involve a software update to the braking system or inspection of the regenerative and conventional brake components.

Your 2025 Prius comes with a tire inflation kit instead of a spare tire. When you get a flat, the kit may not work for all types of leaks, and tow trucks often can't fit into parking garages to help. The chemicals in the kit can cause headaches, skin irritation, and breathing problems. If the kit doesn't work, you'll need to handle tire replacement yourself, which could take days and cost you time and money.

Your Prius has a large rear pillar and side mirrors that make it hard to see blind spots, especially if you're taller. The blind spot detection system doesn't work reliably—it only works sometimes. Toyota should add the camera-based rearview mirror system that comes on the Limited trim, which shows a live rear view at all times, to make the car safer.

Your 12-inch infotainment screen flickers between bright and dark repeatedly, and your safety features are turning off on their own without you doing anything—including automatic emergency braking, adaptive cruise control, and lane departure warning. The system also switches unexpectedly between Apple CarPlay and SiriusXM radio. These issues suggest a possible electrical or software problem with your infotainment and safety system integration that will likely require a software update or replacement of the infotainment unit.

Your Prius randomly experiences a 2-second delay when you press the gas pedal, happening 2-3 times daily. This delay occurs most often when the car is in electric-only (EV) mode, such as at a red light or while turning, and the pedal won't respond even when pressed fully until the delay passes. This creates a safety hazard because the car won't accelerate when you need it to.

Your brake system is making scratching and grinding noises, and you're feeling a grinding or grabbing sensation through the brake pedal, especially during quick stops at low speeds. The noise and feeling seem to happen in a rhythmic pattern that matches wheel rotation, and sometimes the pedal becomes very hard to press. Your dealer's service manager reproduced the issue and suspected a brake actuator or ABS problem, but the master technician only checked the brake pad thickness and cleared it as fine, which concerns you about your safety.

Your wireless phone charger is getting extremely hot while charging, which is causing phones to shut down unexpectedly and potentially causing damage. Other owners have reported the same issue. The charger needs better cooling or software improvements to prevent overheating that could damage your phone or create a fire hazard.

Your 2025 Prius headlights don't illuminate far enough at night — they only light up about one car length ahead, making it difficult to see the road safely. Some owners report that an internal component inside the headlight is also casting a shadow across the light beam, further reducing visibility. The dealer has indicated this appears to be how the headlights were designed from the factory and won't adjust them. Fixing this would likely require Toyota to recalibrate the headlight aim or redesign the internal headlight assembly to eliminate the shadow issue.

Your Prius displays an advertisement on the touchscreen that you cannot remove unless you pay for Toyota's optional 'Drive Connect' subscription service. This persistent ad on your display could be distracting while driving and may pose a safety concern since there's no way to disable it without paying for the subscription.