Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
Limited mileage data: 11 of 17 reports include usable mileage. There isn’t enough coverage to show a useful chart.
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 5 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
Engine. Review the 3 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
Service Brakes. Review the 3 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
2 crash reports0 fire reports1 injury reports
What owners actually said
17 reports
Mileage unknown · Jul 4, 2026
Electrical SystemEngine
While driving the hybrid battery light turned on. The car then began to reduce its speed and I had to pull over. I restarted the car and on one of the fuses to the computer to restart it. I began to drive the car back home and it did it again. I recently had a hybrid battery replaced in the vehicle. I was on the freeway both tim…
Read full complaint
While driving the hybrid battery light turned on. The car then began to reduce its speed and I had to pull over. I restarted the car and on one of the fuses to the computer to restart it. I began to drive the car back home and it did it again. I recently had a hybrid battery replaced in the vehicle. I was on the freeway both times and this caused me a lot of anxiety. There were two individuals in the vehicle, which both were at risk of being injured if there was a collision. We need it to pull over within less than 30 seconds. They appeared in the morning and a year prior. A year previously I replaced the battery. There was an odd buzzing sound in the back of the driver seat were the vent was.
NHTSA ODI #11748313
Mileage unknown · Jul 11, 2025
Electrical System
I purchased my 2015 Prius C in July of 2016. Since then I have consistently had issues with the lock actuator going out on various doors. As follows: 3/12/18 - Driverside 6/13/18 - Passenger Front 8/3/20 - Driverside 8/5/22 - Rear Driverside 12/16/22 - Passenger Front 3/14/23 - Driverside and now in July of 2025 the Driverside …
Read full complaint
I purchased my 2015 Prius C in July of 2016. Since then I have consistently had issues with the lock actuator going out on various doors. As follows: 3/12/18 - Driverside 6/13/18 - Passenger Front 8/3/20 - Driverside 8/5/22 - Rear Driverside 12/16/22 - Passenger Front 3/14/23 - Driverside and now in July of 2025 the Driverside actuator is failing, AGAIN. The previous times were covered by my warranty, but that ended in 2023. My car is also kept in a garage. The dealership attempted to blame this issue on the elements, but come on...if that was the case, this would be happening to all sorts of various cars, and it's not. This is an issue for a variety of reasons, one being I am unable to access getting into my vehicle with the door lock that is not working. I currently have to go to my passenger side and crawl over to unlock my driverside door. If I needed to get into my car quickly, I would be out of luck. This is RIDICULOUS as this is the SEVENTH time a lock has gone out - making it about every year and a half that a lock needs to be replaced - and the 4th time for my driverside. How is this not a recall issue???
NHTSA ODI #11672857
Mileage unknown · Apr 9, 2024
Service Brakes
Unknown brake issues
NHTSA ODI #11582026
Mileage unknown · Oct 22, 2022
Air BagsSeatsCrashInjury
Prius was rear-ended at highway speeds, forcing it into the vehicle ahead of it. Airbags did not deploy, & driver's seat failed to stay locked, moving forward then rearward during crash.
NHTSA ODI #11490410
84,000 miles · Jan 30, 2021
Air BagsCrash
OUR VEHICLE WAS STRUCK IN THE SIDE THIS WEEK, AND THE AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. WE WERE ON A RESIDENTIAL STREET TRAVELING AROUND 30MPH.
NHTSA ODI #11390763
Mileage unknown · Sep 17, 2019
Wheels
MY VEHICLES DID NOT INDICATE THAT THE TIRE PRESSURE WAS LOW AND IT SHOULD TELL ME SINCE IT IS CERTIFIED USED. THERE WAS NO LIGHT INDICATOR OR ANYTHING AND 2 OF MY TIRES WERE LOW. AS A NEW CAR OWNER I HAD NO IDEA AND IF IT HADN'T BEEN FOR MY PARTNER I WOULD HAVE NOT KNOWN. THIS POSES AS A SAFETY HAZARD AND IF THE DEALERSHIP KNOWI…
Read full complaint
MY VEHICLES DID NOT INDICATE THAT THE TIRE PRESSURE WAS LOW AND IT SHOULD TELL ME SINCE IT IS CERTIFIED USED. THERE WAS NO LIGHT INDICATOR OR ANYTHING AND 2 OF MY TIRES WERE LOW. AS A NEW CAR OWNER I HAD NO IDEA AND IF IT HADN'T BEEN FOR MY PARTNER I WOULD HAVE NOT KNOWN. THIS POSES AS A SAFETY HAZARD AND IF THE DEALERSHIP KNOWINGLY DID NOT CHECK FOR THIS PROBLEM THEN THAT IS NEGLIGENT KNOWING THIS WAS A PROBLEM FOR THIS YEAR MAKE AND MODEL. IT WAS STATIONARY HOWEVER I COMMUTE EVEY DAY.
NHTSA ODI #11256261
69,000 miles · Jul 18, 2019
Electrical SystemExterior Lighting
MY VEHICLE SHUT DOWN ON ME WHILE DRIVING. ALL LIGHTS CAME UP ON THE DASHBOARD. TOYOTA DEALERSHIP SAYS THE WIRE HARNESS NEEDS TO BE REPLACED FOR 4600 DOLLARS. COUPLE DAYS PRIOR TO VEHICLE SHUTTING DOWN, HEADLIGHTS BEGAN SHORTING.
NHTSA ODI #11233065
1,000 miles · Oct 23, 2018
Service BrakesUnknown Or Other
THIS HAS BEEN HAPPENING SINCE ABOUT A MONTH AFTER I BOUGHT THE CAR BUT THE BRAKES HAVE BEEN MAKING AN ODD NOISE. IT DOES NOT MATTER HOW FAST OR SLOW I AM GOING BUT IT MAKES THAT NOISE AND IT MAKES THE BRAKES SLIP AND NOT COME TO A FULL STOP FAST ENOUGH. I HAVE GONE TO TOYOTA 4-5 TIMES JUST FOR THIS REASON AND ALL THEY CAN SAY IS…
Read full complaint
THIS HAS BEEN HAPPENING SINCE ABOUT A MONTH AFTER I BOUGHT THE CAR BUT THE BRAKES HAVE BEEN MAKING AN ODD NOISE. IT DOES NOT MATTER HOW FAST OR SLOW I AM GOING BUT IT MAKES THAT NOISE AND IT MAKES THE BRAKES SLIP AND NOT COME TO A FULL STOP FAST ENOUGH. I HAVE GONE TO TOYOTA 4-5 TIMES JUST FOR THIS REASON AND ALL THEY CAN SAY IS THAT EVERYTHING IS FINE. IT CAN'T BE FINE IF THE CAR IS SLIPPING AND NOT STOPPING WHEN IT SHOULD! MIND YOU, I LIVE IN CALIFORNIA AND THERE IS ALMOST NEVER RAIN SO IT IS NOT DUE TO WET ROADS.
NHTSA ODI #11142142
98,000 miles · Sep 10, 2018
Unknown Or Other
I LEFT IT PARKED IN METER 201301 ZONE 115, AT 2:07 PM REPORTED IT STOLEN TO 911, OFFICER POLICE MR. SCOTT CAME OUT,
NHTSA ODI #11128452
96,000 miles · Sep 8, 2018
Unknown Or Other
I PARKED MY CAR AT METER 201301. WHEN I CAME OUT IT WAS GONE, NON EMERGENCY NUMBER WONT REPORT CARS, I CALLED 911, OMAHA CITY POLICE OFFICER CAME OUT, INVESTIGATED AT MY REQUEST, NO CLUE WHAT WAS SO HAZARDOUS , 2:09 911 CALL 9-7-2018
Southeast Toyota Distributors, LLC (SET) is recalling certain model year 2015 Toyota Prius C vehicles manufactured April 20, 2015, to June 30, 2015. In the affected vehicles, the Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS) may be improperly calibrated and, as a result, the TPMS may fail to warn the driver that the tire pressure is low. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No. 138, "Tire Pressure Monitoring Systems."
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: If the vehicle is driven on underinflated tires, the tires may fail. Sudden tire failure increases the risk of a crash.
Remedy: SET will notify owners, and dealers will re-calibrate the TPMS, free of charge. The recall began on September 15, 2015. Owners may contact SET customer service at 1-866-405-4226. SET's number for this recall is SET15E.
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.
2015 Toyota Prius C Problems, Complaints & Recalls | Skip That Year
Illustration