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2013 Toyota Prius C

Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations

Limited comparison data

There is not enough comparable history to draw a useful model-year comparison.

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When problems were reported

Mileage at the reported incident

27 reports with mileage · 30 unknown

NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.

What to inspect

Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.

  • Electrical System. Review the 23 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Service Brakes. Review the 16 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Engine. Review the 7 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

8 crash reports0 fire reports2 injury reports

Unknown Or Other complaints

5 reports
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Mileage unknown · Oct 1, 2025
Electrical SystemUnknown Or Other

My 2013 Toyota Prius has a failed inverter/converter assembly, including the Intelligent Power Module (IPM). This component is critical for vehicle operation and designed to last the life of the car. Premature IPM shorting and inverter failure is a known defect acknowledged by Toyota through multiple recalls and service campaign…

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My 2013 Toyota Prius has a failed inverter/converter assembly, including the Intelligent Power Module (IPM). This component is critical for vehicle operation and designed to last the life of the car. Premature IPM shorting and inverter failure is a known defect acknowledged by Toyota through multiple recalls and service campaigns for other VINs with the same part number. My vehicle is giving codes P0A94 and P0A1A which are also listed in the recalls for other Prius models of similar age. My vehicle experiences the same failure, yet Toyota has denied goodwill coverage, claiming “insufficient service history.” Routine maintenance like oil changes and brake inspections does not affect this component, making the denial unreasonable. There is nothing to service on the inverter. This defect poses a serious safety risk, sudden inverter failure caused total loss of power while driving and loss of power steering, it was difficult to pull my car off the road. This poses a danger to drivers, passengers, and others on the road. Toyota’s exclusion of my VIN from coverage leaves me financially responsible for a known safety defect. I request NHTSA to investigate Toyota’s handling of inverter/IPM failures, the denial of goodwill assistance for affected VINs, and ensure that Toyota addresses this life-threatening defect consistently across all affected vehicles instead of narrowing the scope on who gets coverage when this is a dangerous electrical malfunction.

NHTSA ODI #11690862

Mileage unknown · Apr 3, 2025
Air BagsForward Collision AvoidanceUnknown Or OtherCrash

There was a driver side collision and the airbags did not deploy. Brakes do not slowly apply they slam down causing vehicle to slide/skid in emergency braking, ABS does not function properly. The dealership recently did an appraisal (4/2/25) on the vehicle that states “Lost communication with side airbag sensor LH, Side airbag s…

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There was a driver side collision and the airbags did not deploy. Brakes do not slowly apply they slam down causing vehicle to slide/skid in emergency braking, ABS does not function properly. The dealership recently did an appraisal (4/2/25) on the vehicle that states “Lost communication with side airbag sensor LH, Side airbag sensor LH initialization incomplete, front speed sensor RH & LH circuit, and D- Door Motor ECU communication stop”. Insurance company inspected vehicle after crash, and there was a police report filed. There were no warning indicators prior to incident or after.

NHTSA ODI #11652650

Mileage unknown · Apr 6, 2022
Unknown Or Other

Problem one: water in the passenger taillight. I got on YouTube to find a video to repair it, and guess what? The person in the video was replacing HIS taillight for the exact same problem! PS. I uploaded a picture, and it's sideways! But if you look closely, you can see the water line! Can I get a refund if I get the de…

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Problem one: water in the passenger taillight. I got on YouTube to find a video to repair it, and guess what? The person in the video was replacing HIS taillight for the exact same problem! PS. I uploaded a picture, and it's sideways! But if you look closely, you can see the water line! Can I get a refund if I get the dealer to replace this?

NHTSA ODI #11459900

Mileage unknown · May 18, 2021
Electrical SystemUnknown Or OtherCrash

While in line at a church food bank, with cars in front and in back of me, the Prius C suddenly lunged forward. While my foot was on the brake, I hit the car in front of me. The impact was strong enough to cause almost $1400 worth of damage to the car in front of me and more than that for my car. My car's fender is damaged as…

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While in line at a church food bank, with cars in front and in back of me, the Prius C suddenly lunged forward. While my foot was on the brake, I hit the car in front of me. The impact was strong enough to cause almost $1400 worth of damage to the car in front of me and more than that for my car. My car's fender is damaged as well as the lights and hood of the car. My sister was in the passenger seat and nephew in the back seat. My sister told me that all she could see when the sudden movement started was my foot on the brake. She said that from where she was sitting, she could not see if my foot was on the gas pedal but could clearly see when my foot was on the brake. So lucky that there were no injuries either to the husband and wife in the car in front of me nor to my passengers. There is no reason for me to have accelerated that fast when the car in front moved a fraction of feet at a time. I would release the brake and the car would move slowly until I applied the brake again. The Prius was inspected by Toyota at a dealer and we were told they could find no sign of anything wrong with the car. There were no warning lights or messages before the sudden acceleration happened. Due to the possibility of it happening again, we decided to park the car in case any litigation could be processed. We have been denied by many law firms due to the fact that there were no serious injuries and the age of the car. About a month after the incident, we bought a new Prius and if unable to litigate, will sell the car for parts. My fear is that it may happen again and could seriously injure or kill someone or the driver and/or passengers in our 2013 Prius. We will not allow it to be driven again and will either junk or sell for parts. Is there any recourse for us to pursue to be refunded for the damage that we paid to the couple whose car we hit, a rental until we bought the new car and refund for the 2013 Prius. Thank you very much for your attention.

NHTSA ODI #11417643

130,000 miles · Jul 2, 2020
Electrical SystemEngineUnknown Or Other

DRIVING ON A HIGHWAY ON MY WAY TO WORK SUDDENLY THE MY 2013 PRIUS C ENGINE COMPLETELY STOPS. THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT AND CHECK HYBRID SYSTEM LIGHT CAME ON. THE CAR COMPLETELY SHUTS DOWN AND NOW I'M A SITTING DUCK GOOD THING PEOPLE SLEW DOWN FOR ME AND EVEN HELP ME PUSH MY CAR TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD SAFELY. THIS IS A VERY DANGERO…

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DRIVING ON A HIGHWAY ON MY WAY TO WORK SUDDENLY THE MY 2013 PRIUS C ENGINE COMPLETELY STOPS. THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT AND CHECK HYBRID SYSTEM LIGHT CAME ON. THE CAR COMPLETELY SHUTS DOWN AND NOW I'M A SITTING DUCK GOOD THING PEOPLE SLEW DOWN FOR ME AND EVEN HELP ME PUSH MY CAR TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD SAFELY. THIS IS A VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION AND NEEDS ATTENTION. IVED TAKEN MY CAR TO ANTIOCH TOYOTA AND EMPHASIZE THAT I SAW 2 RECALLS ON THIS WEBSITE BUT THE DID NOT BELIEVE ME AND THEY ARE CHARGING ME OVER $4000 TO FIX IT. IT'S NOT RIGHT FOR THEM TO JUST CHECK THEIR SYSTEM AND NOT CHECK A NHTSA WEBSITE FOR RECALLS AND COMPLAINTS. IT'S VERY IRRESPONSIBLE FOR THEM NOT TO CHECK FOR RECALLS

NHTSA ODI #11337095

Official recalls

0

No recalls in this snapshot.

Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗

NHTSA investigations

1

DP22005 · Pedestrian Alert Sounds

Opened Jan 27, 2023 · Closed Aug 7, 2023

Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Electrical System:propulsion System

NHTSA received a petition on or about July 18, 2022, requesting that Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 141 be applied to all electric and hybrid vehicles operating in the United States. The petition can be reviewed at NHTSA.gov under ODI Number 11486072. FMVSS 141 establishes performance requirements for pedestrian alert sounds for motor vehicles. The standard applies to hybrid and electric vehicles that have a gross vehicle weight rating of 4,536 KG or less or are defined as low-speed vehicles. The standard became fully applicable to all such vehicles manufactured on or after March 1, 2021.On January 27, 2023, NHTSA opened Defect Petition (DP) 22-005 to evaluate the subject matter described in the petition. On June 24, 2023 and as supplemented on June 25, 2023, the petitioner notified NHTSA he was withdrawing his petition. The petitioner indicated that, based on his review of data, there is no justification for asserting potential benefits that could be derived from actions sought by my petition. Based on the petitioner's withdrawal, DP22-005 is closed. Closure of this DP does not represent a determination by NHTSA regarding the subject matter of the petition.