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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

What owners actually said

57 reports
Mileage unknown · Feb 25, 2023
Back Over PreventionStructure

A tree fell on my car during a storm. The tree remains on top of my car. Waiting for your party to remove it off of my car.

NHTSA ODI #11509104

Mileage unknown · Jan 9, 2023
Electrical SystemPower Train

According to Toyota Dealership, "WILL NEED TO REPLACE (MG1) HV TRANSAXLE UNIT AS 1ST STEP IN ORDER TO TO BE ABLE TO PROCEED WITH DIAGNOSE AND CHECKED FOR ANY OTHER SHORTED COMPONENTS". Vehicle is available for inspection. Vehicle was being driven on a city street towards a red light when the vehicle experienced a jolt and lost c…

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According to Toyota Dealership, "WILL NEED TO REPLACE (MG1) HV TRANSAXLE UNIT AS 1ST STEP IN ORDER TO TO BE ABLE TO PROCEED WITH DIAGNOSE AND CHECKED FOR ANY OTHER SHORTED COMPONENTS". Vehicle is available for inspection. Vehicle was being driven on a city street towards a red light when the vehicle experienced a jolt and lost complete acceleration power and a "Check Hybrid System" was displayed on the dashboard. Luckily all vehicles behind were already coming to a stop for the red light, otherwise, the safety of my family and myself may have been put in more serious harm. Vehicle able to crawl to a nearby gas station. Attempted to use remaining battery power to drive back to residence nearby, but lost all battery power/function and puled into a bus lane where vehicle was towed from. There were no warning lights or messages displayed prior to the incident. Toyota Dealership performed DTC verification 3 times and found to verify P0A94 detail code 172 is the persistent DTC when memory is cleared. They also inspected the vehicle for concern and were able to verify Check Engine Light is ON, vehicle is on "Limp Mode" and does not "Ready ON". The vehicle has not been inspected by anyone else other than the Toyota Dealership.

NHTSA ODI #11500797

Mileage unknown · Oct 23, 2022
Service Brakes

The break master cylinder is lighted up on the dashboard and the ABS system is not working which makes me sliding when I'm trying to use brakes. Too much noise coming when starting the engine for like a minute then it cool down The front chairs are not good for diver and passenger nick as it is one piece chairs with build in h…

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The break master cylinder is lighted up on the dashboard and the ABS system is not working which makes me sliding when I'm trying to use brakes. Too much noise coming when starting the engine for like a minute then it cool down The front chairs are not good for diver and passenger nick as it is one piece chairs with build in head stand and now I'm reviewing chiropractor for my nick frequently since I used this car

NHTSA ODI #11490471

66,000 miles · Jun 30, 2022
Electrical SystemHybrid Propulsion System

The contact owns a 2013 Toyota Prius C. The contact stated that while driving at slow speeds, the vehicle stalled as a system failure warning message appeared on the instrument panel. The vehicle inadvertently turned. The vehicle was restarted but shifted into limp mode with the message displayed. The contact was able to restart…

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The contact owns a 2013 Toyota Prius C. The contact stated that while driving at slow speeds, the vehicle stalled as a system failure warning message appeared on the instrument panel. The vehicle inadvertently turned. The vehicle was restarted but shifted into limp mode with the message displayed. The contact was able to restart the vehicle and then drove the vehicle to the residence. Upon investigation, the contact discovered NHTSA Campaign Number: 20V369000 (Hybrid Propulsion System) and 14V053000 (Hybrid Propulsion System, Electrical System) which she linked to the failure. Neither the dealer nor the manufacturer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 66,000.

NHTSA ODI #11471817

Mileage unknown · May 2, 2022
Service Brakes

I bought my car as used, 3 months after that i hear a weird noise when i use the break, then I replace the break pads but it doesn’t solve the problem after that I got alert C1391, I went to mechanic shop he told me it needs to replace the break booster pump part number 4707052020, I did that but doesn’t solve the problem and st…

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I bought my car as used, 3 months after that i hear a weird noise when i use the break, then I replace the break pads but it doesn’t solve the problem after that I got alert C1391, I went to mechanic shop he told me it needs to replace the break booster pump part number 4707052020, I did that but doesn’t solve the problem and still the alert come and go. I want to know if this is general safety issue for this model and should be fixed by the dealer or i should fix it on my own

NHTSA ODI #11463143

Mileage unknown · Apr 19, 2022
Service Brakes

Brake Master Cylinder assembly failure. Brakes starting to fail. Not covered under warranty past 150k miles.

NHTSA ODI #11461282

Mileage unknown · Apr 6, 2022
Fuel/propulsion System

So, long story short: for months now, the engine light goes on and off. Whenever it goes on, I go to Autozone or O'Reilly's to get the codes read. It's always the same code: P261B. So I got the coolant pump replaced. The same thing happens! I'd bet there is nothing wrong with the pump, so why am I getting that same code? I'…

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So, long story short: for months now, the engine light goes on and off. Whenever it goes on, I go to Autozone or O'Reilly's to get the codes read. It's always the same code: P261B. So I got the coolant pump replaced. The same thing happens! I'd bet there is nothing wrong with the pump, so why am I getting that same code? I'll be happy to send it to you if you want to test it....

NHTSA ODI #11459903

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 · Dec 17, 2021
Electrical SystemEngineFuel/propulsion System

Without warning my 2013 prius C stalled on the freeway with a hybrid battery warning. When the car was shut off it had intermittent problems with starting. After jumping the car battery , it ran normally again for some time before the stalling problem persisted. The hybrid battery stopped running and I received a warning light. …

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Without warning my 2013 prius C stalled on the freeway with a hybrid battery warning. When the car was shut off it had intermittent problems with starting. After jumping the car battery , it ran normally again for some time before the stalling problem persisted. The hybrid battery stopped running and I received a warning light. Diagnostics at my repair shop said it was an inverter issue.I see that toyota has recalled several models for similar issues with the inverter. When the car is jumped it seems to work for a short time before stalling out again. Has created a real safety issue for me and there is a real lack of information on behalf of toyota on whether or not it will be covered under existing models. It seems like every model toyota from this year was recalled for an inverter issue. The car does run normally on occasion, charges the battery, and will run on EV, but mostly remains in a stalled out low power mode after it has these stalling episodes.e Diagnostics have stated to me that the car batteries are healthy and I relplaced the 12V and several fuses etc throughout this process with similar results.

NHTSA ODI #11444160

80,000 miles · Sep 8, 2021
Electrical SystemEngine

The contact owns a 2013 Toyota Prius C. The contact stated while driving approximately 40 MPH, the vehicle shut-off without warning. The contact pulled over and was unable to restart the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to a local mechanic but was diagnosed nor repaired. The contact stated that several unknown warning lights were …

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The contact owns a 2013 Toyota Prius C. The contact stated while driving approximately 40 MPH, the vehicle shut-off without warning. The contact pulled over and was unable to restart the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to a local mechanic but was diagnosed nor repaired. The contact stated that several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The manufacturer was informed of the failure and the contact was informed that the VIN was not under recall. The failure mileage was approximately 80,000.

NHTSA ODI #11432155

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.