Research · complaint index

Toyota Prius C years to avoidWhat NHTSA complaint data does and doesn’t say

We compared 6 model years of the Toyota Prius C by owner complaints to NHTSA, adjusted for how long each year has been on the road. No single year stands far above the rest.

01 —Complaint index

Complaints per year on the road

1.0 = typical year for this model
View as table
Model yearComplaints per year since release
201329
201416
201511
201615
20179
20181
YearComplaintsPer year on roadIndexRecallsCrashesSignal
2018610.021Fewest complaints
20179190.6114Typical
2016162151.008Typical
2015132110.7127Typical
2014206161.1029Typical
2013401291.9043Typical
  • 20186 complaints · 2 recallsFewest complaints
  • 201791 complaints · 1 recallTypical
  • 2016162 complaints · 0 recallsTypical
  • 2015132 complaints · 1 recallTypical
  • 2014206 complaints · 0 recallsTypical
  • 2013401 complaints · 0 recallsTypical
Data from NHTSA Complaints & Recalls APIs · synced Nov 9, 2026

Fewest complaints for their age: 2018.

02 —FAQ

About this comparison

What Toyota Prius C years have the most complaints?

No Toyota Prius C model year drew more than twice the typical complaint rate among the 6 model years compared. The highest was 2013.

Is this a reliability rating?

No. These are counts of unverified owner complaints to NHTSA. They are not adjusted for how many cars were sold, so a popular year can collect more complaints. Use them to find patterns, then read the reports.

Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.