2017 Toyota Prius

No clear pattern

16.8% of complaints about the 2017 Toyota Prius arrived in its first year of service. That is an unusual figure for a 2017 vehicle, but with only 125 complaints on record the sample is too small to call it a pattern — the margin of error covers the range where ordinary vehicles sit. The figures below are reported without a verdict. The most-reported system is visibility / wipers (17 complaints), typically at 1.7 yr or about 10,000 miles.

Complaints: 125
Median age at failure: 2.1 yr
Median mileage: 14,000 n=92
Crash / fire / tow: 23.2% of reports
Safety recalls: 3

Safety recalls — NHTSA campaigns

18V579000 2018-09-05

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.

An electrical short can increase the risk of a fire.

17V295000 2017-05-02

Tires:temporary/emergency spare tire

Gulf States Toyota, Inc. (Gulf States) is recalling certain 2017 4Runner , 86, Avalon, Camry, Camry Hybrid, Corolla, Corolla iM, Highlander, Highlander Hybrid, Prius, Prius C, RAV4, RAV4 Hybrid, Sienna and Yaris vehicles. The spare tire air pressure was not adjusted to the proper pressure as stated on the Tire Pressure Label.

A spare tire that is not inflated to the proper value may not perform as intended, increasing the risk of a crash.

16V741000 2016-10-14

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.

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.

In owners’ own words

Visibility / wipers 11,500 mi 8 mo in service

TRAVELING EAST ON THE 10 THROUGH PHOENIX AZ, MY WINDSHIELD WAS HIT BY SOMETHING SO SMALL I COULDN'T SEE IT. CAUSED A STAR LESS THAN 1/3" BUT ALSO A WINDING CRACK ALMOST 1 FT. LONG. THE REAL PROBLEM IS THAT EVERY DAY WHEN I COME OUT TO MY CAR, THE CRACK HAS GROWN IN A SNAKING PATTERN. IT DOES NOT GROW AT ALL WHILE DRIVING. I PERIODICALLY CHECK IT WHILE DRIVING. TODAY THE CRACK GREW OVER 1 FT. IN LENGTH OVER THE COURSE OF THE MORNING, JUST SITTING IN THE DRIVE WAY.

Visibility / wipers 3,500 mi 9 mo in service

CAR WAS HIT BY FLYING DEBRIS WHICH PRODUCED LARGE CRACK IN WINDSHIELD. VEHICLE WAS TRAVELING DOWN TWO LANE HIGHWAY AT LEGAL SPEED.

Visibility / wipers 650 mi 11 mo in service

DRIVING ON HIGHWAY AND A SMALL ROCK HIT THE OUTER EDGE OF MY WINDSHIELD AND WITHIN 5 MINUTES HAD AN 8 INCH CRACK AND BY THE END OF THE DAY IT HAS EXPANDED TO OVER 12 INCHES. CALLED TO HAVE FIXED AND WINDSHIELD HAS BEEN ON BACKORDER FOR OVER A MONTH. CAR IS ONKY 1 WEEK OLD!

Other Prius model years

How to read this

This is what owners reported, not a reliability rating. People file with NHTSA about alarming failures, not routine ones, and complaint volume tracks how many cars were sold.
Failure ages come from the incident date on each complaint, populated on about 83% of records. Mileage is shown where reported — NHTSA’s 2021 system change cut mileage capture to roughly 15%, so it thins out sharply after MY2020.
Every rank compares this vehicle only against others of the same model year. A 2025 car has not had time to accumulate five-year failures, so comparing early-failure share across years is meaningless.
Fourteen make-months distorted by media storms and mass recalls — Toyota in February 2010 ran 11× normal volume across 33 models — are excluded.
Recalls are manufacturer actions and authoritative; complaints are not. A recall listed here may already have been performed on any individual car. Check a specific VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.

2017 Toyota Prius

When each system is reported — middle 50% of complaints

Safety recalls — NHTSA campaigns

In owners’ own words

Other Prius model years

How to read this