- Safety
- 5
- of 5 stars
- Recalls
- 5
- on record
- MPG
- 0
- combined
Open recalls on record
5 safety recalls. Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer — check the VIN before you buy.
Vehicle Summary
2016 Toyota Prius
Before You Buy
Safety record at a glance
- Recall campaigns
- 5
- Owner complaints
- 179
- Complaints citing a crash
- 13
These are raw counts from NHTSA records. They are not normalized by how many of these vehicles are on the road, so a model that sold in large numbers will tend to show more of everything. We do not publish a composite safety or reliability score.
5 Recalls on Record
These recalls have been issued by the manufacturer. Contact any authorized dealer to verify they have been completed — repairs are free.
Safety recalls
5 NHTSA campaigns affecting this model year.
- 17V658000high
Hybrid propulsion system · inverter
HYBRID PROPULSION SYSTEM: INVERTER
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2016 Prius vehicles. A capacitor within the hybrid system may not have been properly bolted to the inverter housing.
Consequence
If the capacitor was not properly secured, vibrations from driving the vehicle may damage the capacitor, shutting down the hybrid system, causing a loss of motive power and increasing the risk of a crash.
Full campaign recordRemedy
Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will replace the inverter, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin by early December 2017. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's number for this recall is H0U.
- 18V579000high
Wiring harness issue
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.
Consequence
An electrical short can increase the risk of a fire.
Full campaign recordRemedy
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.
- 16V672000high
Airbag system issue
AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:PASSENGER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE
Toyota Motor Engineering and Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain model year 2016 Toyota Prius vehicles manufactured November 30, 2015, to June 14, 2016. An air bag inflator manufacturing error may result in the inadvertent partial inflation of the front passenger air bag.
Consequence
A front passenger air bag that unintentionally inflates can increase the risk of a crash or injury.
Full campaign recordRemedy
Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger air bag assembly, free of charge. The recall began November 10, 2016. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's number for this recall is G0W.
- 18V085000high
Airbag system issue
AIR BAGS:SIDE/WINDOW
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2016 Toyota Prius and Lexus RX 350, RX 350 F Sport, RX 450h F Sport and RX 450h vehicles and 2015-2016 Lexus NX 200T, NX Turbo and NX 300h vehicles. The air bag pressure sensors and/or the acceleration sensors may fail causing the side/curtain shield air bags and/or the front air bags to not deploy in the event of a crash.
Consequence
If the air bags fail to deploy in a crash, it can increase the risk of injury.
Full campaign recordRemedy
Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will replace the sensors as necessary based on their serial numbers, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin March 12, 2018. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's numbers for this recall are JLA, J0F.
- 16V741000high
Brake system issue
PARKING BRAKE
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain model year 2016-2017 Prius vehicles manufactured August 6, 2015, to October 3, 2016. The affected vehicles are equipped with a foot-operated parking brake system that has a parking brake cable that may disengage.
Consequence
If the parking brake cable disengages from the mechanism and the transmission is left in a gear other than 'Park' while the ignition is on and the driver leaves the vehicle, the vehicle may roll unexpectedly, increasing the risk of a crash.
Full campaign recordRemedy
Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will install a clip at the parking brake cable end to prevent the cable from disengaging, free of charge. The recall began November 10, 2016. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-888-270-9371. Toyota's number for this recall is G01.
NHTSA crash-test ratings
NCAP star ratings and the underlying test breakdown for the 2016 Toyota Prius.
Frontal crash
- Driver
- 4 / 5
- Passenger
- 4 / 5
Side crash
- Driver
- 5 / 5
- Passenger
- 5 / 5
- Side pole
- 2 / 5
Rollover
- Rollover risk
- 10.7%
- Dynamic tip
- No Tip
Driver-assistance technologies
- Electronic stability control
- Standard
- Forward collision warning
- Optional
- Lane departure warning
- No
What the ratings mean
NHTSA gives the 2016 Toyota Prius 5 out of 5 stars overall, level with the 5-star median for the 17 comparable 2016 vehicles NHTSA rated in this class.
NHTSA published results for every NCAP test in this program, so the overall star rating rests on a complete set of crash and rollover results.
NHTSA's dynamic test put this vehicle's rollover probability at 10.7% in a single-vehicle crash — the figure behind the rollover star rating, published here because the star alone hides how wide each band is.
Fuel economy & emissions
EPA figures for the 2016 Toyota Prius, with tailpipe CO₂ and class context.
0
City
0
Hwy
0
Comb
- Annual fuel cost
- $1,200
- Tailpipe CO₂
- 170 g/mi
- Charge time
- 0 hours (240V)
How this compares
The EPA holds too few vehicles in this class and model year to rank the 2016 Toyota Prius against its peers.
Tailpipe CO₂ is 170 grams per mile — about 2.6 metric tons over 15,000 miles of driving.
Consumer complaints
179 owner reports filed with NHTSA.
- 179
- Total
- 13
- Crashes
- 0
- Fires
- 8
- Injuries
Most reported components
- VISIBILITY37
- OTHER32
- ENGINE24
- BRAKES22
- ELECTRICAL13
Notable Issues
179 consumer complaints filed with NHTSA. 8 reports involve injuries. 13 reports involve a crash.
Most reported problems
Safety timeline
Every dated recall and NHTSA investigation for the 2016 Toyota Prius, newest first.
- Investigation closed
NHTSA closed investigation DP22005
Pedestrian alert sounds
- Investigation opened
NHTSA opened investigation DP22005
Pedestrian alert sounds
- Recall
An electrical short can increase the risk of a fire.
- Recall
If the air bags fail to deploy in a crash, it can increase the risk of injury.
- Recall
If the capacitor was not properly secured, vibrations from driving the vehicle may damage the capacitor, shutting down the hybrid system, causing a loss of motive power and increasing the risk of a crash.
- Recall
If the parking brake cable disengages from the mechanism and the transmission is left in a gear other than 'Park' while the ignition is on and the driver leaves the vehicle, the vehicle may roll unexpectedly, increasing the risk of a crash.
- Recall
A front passenger air bag that unintentionally inflates can increase the risk of a crash or injury.
Dates are the NHTSA report-received date for recalls and the ODI open/close date for investigations. Crash-test ratings are not shown here because the source does not provide a reliable publication date for them.
Specifications & ratings
Specifications
- Body class
- Sedan
- Drive type
- FWD
- Engine
- 2.5L 4-cyl
- Fuel type
- Regular Gasoline
- Transmission
- Automatic
- Seats
- 5
Fuel economy
0
City
0
Hwy
0
Comb
- Annual cost
- $1,200
- Fuel
- Regular Gasoline
NHTSA crash ratings
- Overall
- Frontal
- Side
- Rollover
Explore related
Systems recalled
Safety timeline
Full timeline- Investigation closed
NHTSA closed investigation DP22005
Pedestrian alert sounds
- Investigation opened
NHTSA opened investigation DP22005
Pedestrian alert sounds
- Recall
An electrical short can increase the risk of a fire.
- Recall
If the air bags fail to deploy in a crash, it can increase the risk of injury.
- Recall
If the capacitor was not properly secured, vibrations from driving the vehicle may damage the capacitor, shutting down the hybrid system, causing a loss of motive power and increasing the risk of a crash.