2013 Toyota Prius: owner complaints and recalls

Analysis of 399 owner complaints filed with NHTSA and 3 recall campaigns. Updated 2026-07-25.

399
Complaints
3
Recalls
37
Crash reports
3
Fire reports
22
Injuries
85.7
Severity index

Severity index 85.7 - Medium. This weights crashes, fires, injuries and fatalities per 100 complaints; see methodology.

Among the 145 2013 vehicles we track with at least 40 complaints on file, the 2013 Toyota Prius ranks 49 of 145 by severity, where 1 is the worst. Its severity is higher than 66% of its model-year peers. See the full 2013 ranking.

What actually fails

ComponentComplaintsShare of complaints citing it
SERVICE BRAKES23157.9%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM5012.5%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER4812.0%
ENGINE379.3%
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL215.3%
AIR BAGS184.5%
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM164.0%
POWER TRAIN143.5%

The single most-reported system is SERVICE BRAKES, cited in 231 of 399 complaints (57.9%). One complaint can name several systems, so these shares overlap and do not total 100%.

Complaints filed per year

2012: 12013: 282014: 282015: 112016: 162017: 122018: 282019: 292020: 202021: 182022: 172023: 322024: 562025: 802026: 23121314151617181920212223242526
YearComplaints
20121
201328
201428
201511
201616
201712
201828
201929
202020
202118
202217
202332
202456
202580
2026 (year to date)23
Complaint volume is rising - the last three years carry 3.1x the filings of the three before them, which usually signals a wear-related defect surfacing with age.

Recall campaigns

CampaignReportedComponentSummary
18V68400004/10/2018HYBRID PROPULSION SYSTEMToyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2010-2014 Toyota Prius and 2012-2014 Toyota Prius V vehicles. Excessive voltage in the Intelligent Power Module (IPM) within the inverter may cause the hybrid system to shut down, causing the vehicle to stall
14V05300012/02/2014HYBRID PROPULSION SYSTEM: INVERTERToyota is recalling certain model year 2010 through 2014 Prius vehicles. In the affected vehicles, the Intelligent Power Module (IPM) inside the inverter module (a component of the hybrid system) contains transistors that may become damaged from high operating temperatures. If
20V36900024/06/2020HYBRID PROPULSION SYSTEM: INVERTERToyota 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
Source. US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration public complaint and recall APIs (api.nhtsa.gov), retrieved 2026-07-25. Complaints are unverified consumer reports; volume is influenced by how many units were sold and how long the vehicle has been on the road. Not affiliated with NHTSA or any manufacturer.