NHTSA recalls & complaints · 2011–2018

Toyota Prius V recalls, complaints and VIN decoding

NHTSA lists 5 recall campaigns and 477 owner complaints for the Toyota Prius V, covering model years 2011 to 2018. The 2012 model year drew the most complaints (217), and Service Brakes is the component owners name most often.

Source: NHTSA recall and complaint flat files, updated September 25, 2026.

Decode your Toyota Prius V VIN

See the model year, plant and build details of one vehicle, then the recalls for its exact year.

5 recall campaigns on file
477 owner complaints (unverified reports to NHTSA)
8 model years with data (2011–2018)

most complaints: 2012 (217 for that model year)
top component: Service Brakes (241 complaints)
latest recall 20V369000 (reported Jun 24, 2020)

45 complaints reporting a crash (9.4%)
8 complaints reporting a fire (1.7%)
20 complaints reporting an injury (4.2%)
2 complaints reporting a death (0.4%)

Toyota Prius V complaints by model year

8 model years · NHTSA complaints

The 2012 model year has the most complaints: 217 of 477, or 45.5%. Next come 2013 (124) and 2014 (82). The fewest are for 2018, with 1 complaint.

Owner complaints per model yearHighest yearOther years

Toyota Prius V complaints by model year, with complaints reporting a crash, fire, injury or death

Toyota Prius V complaints by model year, with complaints reporting a crash, fire, injury or death
Model year	Complaints	Reporting a crash	Reporting a fire	Reporting an injury	Reporting a death
2011	1	0	0	0	0
2012	217	19	2	9	2
2013	124	9	1	6	0
2014	82	5	4	1	0
2015	24	3	0	2	0
2016	16	6	0	2	0
2017	12	3	0	0	0
2018	1	0	1	0	0
All model years	477	45	8	20	2

Crash, fire, injury and death columns count complaints that report at least one of them, not people.

Most-reported Toyota Prius V components

top 15 · NHTSA categories

Service Brakes is the component named most often, in 241 complaints (50.5% of all 477), followed by Engine (68) and Electrical System (61).

Components named most often in Toyota Prius V complaints (top 15)

Components named most often in Toyota Prius V complaints (top 15)
Component	Complaints	Share of complaints
Service Brakes	241	50.5%
Engine	68	14.3%
Electrical System	61	12.8%
Unknown or Other	44	9.2%
Vehicle Speed Control	37	7.8%
Fuel/Propulsion System	29	6.1%
Power Train	22	4.6%
Air Bags	20	4.2%
Service Brakes, Hydraulic	16	3.4%
Exterior Lighting	15	3.1%
Structure	15	3.1%
Steering	14	2.9%
Electronic Stability Control (ESC)	13	2.7%
Forward Collision Avoidance	11	2.3%
Hybrid Propulsion System	7	1.5%

One complaint can name several components, so the shares add up to more than 100%. Component names are NHTSA’s top-level categories.

What NHTSA owner complaints mean

These figures count complaints that vehicle owners and other members of the public have submitted to NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation. NHTSA uses complaints, together with other data, to spot safety issues that may warrant an investigation and to check whether existing recalls go far enough.

They are reports, not findings. Each complaint is the submitter's own account. Its presence in the database does not mean NHTSA has confirmed a defect.
Counts are not defect rates. The data doesn't say how many vehicles were sold, so a raw count can't tell you what share of vehicles had a problem.
Popular models collect more complaints. A model sold in large numbers will usually gather more complaints than a rare one, simply because more people own it.
One complaint can name several components. Totals by component can therefore add up to more than the number of complaints.
Coverage starts in 1995. NHTSA's complaint file contains complaints received since January 1, 1995.

Use complaint patterns as a prompt for questions: whether a recall covers the issue, whether the vehicle you are considering has had the fix, and what a mechanic finds on inspection. For confirmed safety defects, see the recall list for this model.

Toyota Prius V recalls

5 campaigns · newest first

Every vehicle recall campaign NHTSA lists under the model name Prius V, newest first. The 5 campaigns cover model years 2012 to 2017. The 2014 model year appears in the most campaigns (4).

5 recall campaigns

Toyota Prius V recall campaigns covering each model year
2012: 3 campaigns	2013: 2 campaigns	2014: 4 campaigns	2015: 2 campaigns	2016: 1 campaign	2017: 1 campaign

Highlighted: the model year with the most campaigns.

NHTSA campaign 20V369000
Reported Jun 24, 2020
Hybrid Propulsion System › Inverter
Model years 2014–2017
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2013-2015 Prius and 2014-2017 Prius V vehicles not included in recall 18V-684. Excessive voltage in the Intelligent Power Module (IPM) within the inverter may cause the hybrid system to shut down, causing the vehicle to stall while being driven.
Consequence:
An unexpected hybrid power system shut down may increase the risk of a crash.
Remedy:
Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will perform a software update for the hybrid system. If the vehicle has experienced an inverter failure with certain hybrid system faults related to this condition, the inverter assembly will be repaired or replaced, prior to software update. All repairs will be performed free of charge. This recall began July 24, 2020. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-888-270-9371. Toyota's number for this recall is 20TB10 / 20TA10.
Filed by Toyota Motor Corporation
NHTSA campaign 18V684000
Reported Oct 4, 2018
Hybrid Propulsion System
Model years 2012–2014
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2010-2014 Toyota Prius and 2012-2014 Toyota Prius V vehicles. Excessive voltage in the Intelligent Power Module (IPM) within the inverter may cause the hybrid system to shut down, causing the vehicle to stall while being driven.
Consequence:
If the hybrid system shuts down unexpectedly, it can increase the risk of a crash.
Remedy:
Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will update the software for the motor/generator control electronic control unit (ECU) and the hybrid control ECU as necessary, free of charge. The recall began January 22, 2019. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-888-270-9371. Toyota's number for this recall is J0V. Note: The software updates in this recall are needed even if the vehicle had the software previously updated under recalls 14V-053 or 15V-449.
Filed by Toyota Motor Corporation
NHTSA campaign 15V449000
Reported Jul 15, 2015
Hybrid Propulsion System › Inverter
Model years 2012–2014
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain model year 2012-2014 Prius V vehicles manufactured August 22, 2011, to June 30, 2014. A component within the hybrid inverter assembly may overheat, causing the hybrid system to reduce output power allowing the vehicle to only drive a short distance. In some circumstances, the hybrid system may shut down causing the vehicle to stop while being driven.
Consequence:
The vehicle may enter a fail-safe/limp-home mode that limits the drivability of the vehicle. The hybrid system could also shut down completely resulting in a vehicle stall, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy:
Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will update the software for the motor/generator control electronic control unti (ECU) and the hybrid control ECU, free of charge. The recall began on July 30, 2015. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-888-270-9371.
Filed by Toyota Motor Corporation
NHTSA campaign 15V013000
Reported Jan 16, 2015
Air Bags
Model years 2014–2015
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain model year 2014-2015 Toyota Prius V vehicles manufactured November 7, 2013, to January 7, 2015. The occupant classification system (OCS) that activates or deactivates the passenger seat air bag system may be improperly calibrated. As a result, the passenger air bag may not deploy in a vehicle crash. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No. 208, "Occupant Crash Protection."
Consequence:
If the air bag does not deploy as intended, there is an increased risk of injury in the event of a crash.
Remedy:
Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will re-calibrate of the OCS system, free of charge. The recall began February 12, 2015. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331.
Filed by Toyota Motor Corporation
NHTSA campaign 13V014000
Reported Jan 16, 2013
Seats; Air Bags › Frontal › Sensor/Control Module-Inactive
Model year 2012
Southeast Toyota Distributors, LLC (SET) is recalling certain models interspersed through model years 2009 through 2013 as follows: model year 2009-2012 Tacoma, 4Runner, Camry, Camry Hybrid, Prius, and RAV4; model year 2009-2010 Avalon, FJ Cruiser, and Highlander Hybrid; model year 2010-2013 model year Corolla, Sienna and Tundra; model year 2009-2013 Highlander and Venza; model year 2012 Prius V; and model year 2010-2012 Sequoia. During modification by SET to include accessories such as leather seat covers, seat heaters or headrest DVD systems, these vehicles may not have had the passenger seat occupant sensing system calibration tested. Without passing the calibration test, the occupant sensing system may not operate as designed.
Consequence:
If the front passenger seat occupant sensing system is out of calibration, the front passenger airbags may not deploy or they may deploy inappropriately for the passenger's size and position. This could increase the risk of personal injury during the event of a vehicle crash necessitating airbag deployment.
Remedy:
Southeast Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will test the sensitivity of the occupant detection sensors, and recalibrate them as necessary. The recall began on March 21, 2013. Owners may contact Southeast Toyota at 1-800-301-6859.
Filed by Toyota Motor Corporation

Recall text is shown as NHTSA publishes it. NHTSA’s Vehicle Safety Hotline, 1-888-327-4236, also answers recall questions.

How to read this recall list

This list shows every safety recall campaign NHTSA has on file for this make, model and model year. It is not specific to one vehicle: a recall often covers only vehicles built in a certain date range or with a certain part, and many of the vehicles it covers will already have been repaired.

What each recall field means

What each recall field means
Field	What it tells you
Campaign number	NHTSA's unique ID for the recall, such as 20V771000. Quote it to a dealer or when searching NHTSA's site.
Component	The system or part involved, for example air bags, brakes or electrical software.
Summary	What the defect or non-compliance is and which vehicles are covered.
Consequence	The safety risk if the problem isn't fixed.
Remedy	What the manufacturer will do, such as a repair, replacement or software update, and whether it is free.

Some recalls carry an NHTSA consumer advisory, “Do Not Drive” or “Park Outside”. Follow it until the repair is done.
A single campaign often covers several models or model years, so the same campaign number can appear in more than one list.
Recalls are shown as NHTSA publishes them. Very recent campaigns may take time to appear.

Does your vehicle have an open recall? Only a VIN check can tell you. Enter the VIN at NHTSA's recall lookup (opens in a new tab) or on the manufacturer's website. Our VIN recall check guide explains what each option covers.

Toyota Prius V questions

5 questions

How many recalls does the Toyota Prius V have?

NHTSA lists 5 vehicle recall campaigns for the Toyota Prius V, covering model years 2011 to 2018. The most recent, 20V369000, was reported on June 24, 2020 and is filed under “Hybrid propulsion system”. The 2014 model year is covered by the most campaigns (4).

Which Toyota Prius V model year has the most complaints?

The 2012 model year, with 217 of the 477 complaints in NHTSA’s file (45.5%). The next are 2013 (124) and 2014 (82). Complaint counts also reflect how many vehicles of each year were sold and how long they have been on the road, so they are not a reliability ranking.

What is the most common Toyota Prius V complaint?

Service Brakes is the component named most often: 241 complaints, or 50.5% of all 477. Engine (68) and Electrical System (61) follow. Complaints are unverified reports from owners, not confirmed defects, and one complaint can name several components.

Does every recall on this page apply to my Toyota Prius V?

Not necessarily. Each campaign lists specific model years, and many cover only vehicles built in a certain period or fitted with a certain part; repairs already carried out aren’t shown. To see whether a recall is open on your vehicle, enter its VIN at NHTSA’s recall lookup (opens in a new tab) or ask a Toyota dealer.

How many Toyota Prius V complaints report a crash, fire, injury or death?

Of the 477 complaints, 45 report a crash, 8 a fire, 20 at least one injury and 2 at least one death. These figures count complaints, not people, and each complaint is the submitter’s own unverified account.

8 models · most complaints first

The Toyota models with the most NHTSA complaints, and the Toyota VIN decoder with every Toyota model page, WMI code and VIN note.

Toyota Camry 1995–2025 · 52 recalls · 16,486 complaints
Toyota Prius 2000–2026 · 35 recalls · 12,503 complaints
Toyota Corolla 1995–2026 · 49 recalls · 11,178 complaints
Toyota RAV4 1995–2025 · 50 recalls · 9,366 complaints
Toyota Sienna 1996–2022 · 52 recalls · 8,831 complaints
Toyota Tacoma 1995–2026 · 56 recalls · 8,427 complaints
Toyota Tundra 1999–2026 · 74 recalls · 6,897 complaints
Toyota Highlander 1997–2026 · 51 recalls · 5,696 complaints

All Toyota models and WMI codes Look up recalls by year

Data: NHTSA recalls and complaints flat files, updated September 25, 2026. Recall campaigns are vehicle (V) campaigns listed for this model name; complaints are counted once per NHTSA ODI number and model year.