Problems · NHTSA complaints
2014 Toyota Prius Plug-in Hybrid problems
Owners filed 186 complaints about the 2014 Toyota Prius Plug-in Hybrid with NHTSA between Jan 2014 and Nov 2025. The most-cited component is service brakes (71).
Complaints
186
Filed with NHTSA
Crashes
27
Reported by owners
Fires
1
Reported by owners
Injuries
15
People reported injured
Deaths
0
Reported to NHTSA
Complaints by component
One complaint can cite several components
- Service brakes71
- Electrical system32
- Engine17
- Air bags14
- Vehicle speed control14
- Visibility/wiper9
- Service brakes, hydraulic8
- Steering8
- Structure8
- Electronic stability control (esc)8
- Exterior lighting7
- Fuel/propulsion system7
- Power train6
- Hybrid propulsion system5
Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.
Data from NHTSA Complaints API · synced Nov 6, 2026NHTSA vehicle page
When complaints were filed
Does it get worse with age? Complaints per calendar year filed
25
20
7
15
19
16
11
7
9
11
31
15
View as table
| Model year | Complaints filed per calendar year |
|---|---|
| 2014 | 25 |
| 2015 | 20 |
| 2016 | 7 |
| 2017 | 15 |
| 2018 | 19 |
| 2019 | 16 |
| 2020 | 11 |
| 2021 | 7 |
| 2022 | 9 |
| 2023 | 11 |
| 2024 | 31 |
| 2025 | 15 |
Mileage at failure isn’t a structured field in NHTSA complaint data, so we don’t chart it. Some owners mention it in their reports below.
Top problems in owners’ words
Verbatim from NHTSA complaints, newest first
Service brakes
71 reports17 crashes
“My 2014 Toyota Prius (VIN [XXX] , 77,000 miles) displayed Brake, ABS, and Slip warning lights. A mechanic confirmed failure of the Brake Booster and Pump Assembly (DTC C1391). Toyota previously acknowledged this as a safety-related defect under Customer Support Program ZJB, but my coverage expired because I never received Toyota’s notice dated May 21, 2019. My car has been undrivable for weeks and Toyota refuses goodwill repair. This is a serious brake safety issue that should be reviewed for recall or extended coverage since many Prius owners have experienced the same failure.”
Electrical system
32 reports2 crashes1 fire
“I was driving on the highway during rush hour when a loud beeping noice began. My 15 year old cousin was in the passenger seat and began to check for the source of the beeping. I was driving 55mph on a busy highway with no safe shoulder stop. As I was preparing for the exit, the brakes suddenly became dysfunctional. The pedal was extremely hard to press down and I found myself unable to slow down the car in enough time to avoid hitting upcoming traffic. I found myself in an urgent, life threatening situation and needed to pull over into the emergency lane located before the exit. I could not just consider my safety, but that of other drivers and my 15 year old passenger. She is traumatized. I was able to get the car to stop with my entire weight on the pedal. Once stopped, I scrambled to find the reason for the sudden brake problem, checking if anything rolled under my foot, if the floor mat was loose, if the gear shift was wrong, even checked if I accidentally hit the emergency brake. Nothing was out of place. No new dash lights. I looked in the manual. I had no information. I went to jiffy lube and they performed a diagnostic test and informed me they are…”
Engine
17 reports1 crash
“2014 Toyota Prius: While driving at high speed the engine stalled unexpectedly, steering and braking were not effected. Was able to safely coast to a stop in the breakdown lane and after a few minutes, restart the engine and proceed driving. Another event occurred on the entrance ramp onto an interstate highway. I was able to pull over safely and the car restarted after a short delay. This seems to be a very dangerous condition. Toyota dealer service said they could not determine the cause and they know of no recall. I found online a reference to NHTSA Recall # 20V369000 that referred to "unexpected hybrid power system shut down." That is what happened to me.”
Air bags
14 reports9 crashes
“Passenger airbag indicator on/off light was on despite having passenger over the airbag activation weight requirement being present with seatbelt buckled. Brought car to Toyota dealership and after running diagnostics for two hours they found that the airbag itself is faulty.”
Vehicle speed control
14 reports8 crashes
“THE PRIUS VEHICLES COVERED ONLY BY WARRANTY ENHANCEMENT ZJB ARE SUFFERING THE SAME DANGERS FROM BRAKE BOOSTER PUMP FAILURES AS THOSE TOYOTA COVERED SAFETY RECALLS D0H AND K0L. BY EXCLUDING PRIUS WITH DEFECTIVE BRAKES FROM D0H AND K0L, TOYOTA HAS LEFT THE OWNERS TO HELPLESSLY EXPERIENCE LIFE-THREATENING BRAKE FAILURES OR MALFUNCTIONS BEFORE TOYOTA WILL PROVIDE THE REPLACEMENT BRAKE COMPONENTS NEEDED TO MAKE THE CAR SAFE. THE LAW REQUIRES TOYOTA TO PREVENT THE LIFE-THREATENING DANGERS OF THIS DEFECT BEFORE BRAKE FAILURE OCCURS. TOYOTA'S COST-CUTTING STRATEGY IS CAUSING CRASHES. INJURIES AND CRASHES CAUSED BY THE BRAKE DEFECT EXPLAINED HEREIN HAVE BEEN REPORTED TO NHTSA. TOYOTA'S DECISION TO PROVIDE POST-FAILURE REPAIR REIMBURSEMENT - INSTEAD OF A PREVENTATIVE SAFETY RECALL REMEDY - EXPLAINS MANY OF THE CRASHES AND INJURIES REPORTED TO NHTSA. HERE IS A LIST OF RELEVANT COMPLAINTS FROM SAFERCAR.GOV: 10794873,10875685,10876015,10927047,11231660,11219354,11014878,11151142,10680404,10627821,11154835,10983408,10704553,10734278,11173353,11064519,10971881,11186947,10923921,10573591,11243249,10819439,10592400,10919990,…”
Visibility/wiper
9 reports
“PRIUS WINDSHIELD IS PRONE TO CRACK WHEN TRAVELING ON HIGHWAY. I WAS TRAVELING ON HIGHWAY WHEN A TINY ROCK HIT THE LOWER RIGHT SIDE OF MY WINDSHIELD. THEN I COULD SEE THE TINY CRACK GETTING LONGER UNTIL IT NEARLY REACHED THE MIDDLE IN A MATTER OF TWO MINUTES. PRIUS OWNER SHOULD NOT HAVE TO PUT UP WITH THIS EXPENSIVE AND DANGEROUS DEFECT.”
Data from NHTSA Complaints API (owner reports, unverified) · synced Nov 6, 2026
Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.