2018 Toyota Prius problems and recalls

Owners filed 9 complaints on the 2018 Toyota Prius in the last three full years, out of 37 on record. The most cited component is the Unknown Or Other.

37
Complaints
1
Recalls
5
Crash reports
0
Fire reports
2
Injuries
70.8
Severity index

Severity index 70.8 Medium. The index weights crashes, fires, injuries and fatalities per 100 complaints. How it is calculated.

Middle half of all tracked vehiclesThis vehicle: 70.8p25 46p75 80cleanestworst
Severity index against the quartile range for all tracked vehicles.

Components cited in complaints

Unknown Or OtherUnknown Or Other: 6 complaints (16.2%)6 16%Exterior LightingExterior Lighting: 5 complaints (13.5%)5 14%Visibility/WiperVisibility/Wiper: 5 complaints (13.5%)5 14%Service BrakesService Brakes: 4 complaints (10.8%)4 11%Vehicle Speed ControlVehicle Speed Control: 4 complaints (10.8%)4 11%EngineEngine: 3 complaints (8.1%)3 8%Engine And Engine Cooli…Engine And Engine Cooling: 3 complaints (8.1%)3 8%Air BagsAir Bags: 3 complaints (8.1%)3 8%
A single complaint can cite more than one component, so shares total over 100%.
ComponentComplaintsShare of complaints citing it
UNKNOWN OR OTHER616.2%
EXTERIOR LIGHTING513.5%
VISIBILITY/WIPER513.5%
SERVICE BRAKES410.8%
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL410.8%
ENGINE38.1%
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING38.1%
AIR BAGS38.1%

Complaints filed per year

0492018: 92019: 92020: 22021: 22022: 22023: 32024: 22025: 42026: 4 (partial year)1891920212223242526
Complaints by the calendar year they were filed. The hatched bar is the current year to date.
YearComplaints
20189
20199
20202
20212
20222
20233
20242
20254
2026 (year to date)4
Filings in 2023 to 2025 ran 1.5x those in 2020 to 2022 (9 against 6).

Recall campaigns

CampaignReportedComponentSummary
18V57900005/09/2018ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRINGToyota 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

Other Toyota Prius model years

Severity index for every other model year on file. Compare all 13 years side by side.

Source. NHTSA public complaint and recall APIs (api.nhtsa.gov), retrieved 2026-10-06. Complaints are unverified consumer reports. Totals vary with units sold and years on the road. Not affiliated with NHTSA or any manufacturer.