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2018 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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How this year compares

Owner complaints by model year

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Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.

What owners reported most

All reported categories

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: 4 of 6 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 1 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Engine. Review the 1 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Power Train. Review the 1 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

1 crash reports0 fire reports3 injury reports

Unknown Or Other complaints

3 reports
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24,578 miles · Sep 27, 2020
SteeringUnknown Or Other

IRECEIVED THE WARNING THAT "PRE-COLLISION SYSTEM MALFUNCTION" WHILE I WAS DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY THIS MORNING. THE WARNING MESSAGE ASKED ME TO STOP THE CAR AT A SAFE PLACE AND VISIT THE DEALER. AS SOON AS I GOT OFF THE HIGHWAY, THE CAR STOPPED ITSELF, AND THE STEERING WAS LOCKED. THE CAR WAS COMPLETELY DISABLED. AFTER TURN OFF T…

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IRECEIVED THE WARNING THAT "PRE-COLLISION SYSTEM MALFUNCTION" WHILE I WAS DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY THIS MORNING. THE WARNING MESSAGE ASKED ME TO STOP THE CAR AT A SAFE PLACE AND VISIT THE DEALER. AS SOON AS I GOT OFF THE HIGHWAY, THE CAR STOPPED ITSELF, AND THE STEERING WAS LOCKED. THE CAR WAS COMPLETELY DISABLED. AFTER TURN OFF THE CAR COMPLETELY FOR A FEW MINUTES, I CAN RESTART THE CAR WITH THE WARNING MESSAGE PERSISTS. WHILE I WAS LOOKING FOR A SAFE PLACE TO PARK THE CAR, THE CAR GRADUALLY STOPPED ITSELF AGAIN, AND THE WHEEL STEERING LOCKED ITSELF AGAIN. THE CAR FAILURE AND THE FACT THAT THE STEERING WHEEL GOT LOCKED ITSELF PUT ME AND MY PASSENGER AT GREAT DANGER.

NHTSA ODI #11361389

1,500 miles · Mar 19, 2019
Unknown Or Other

THE PRE-COLLISION HAS NEVER WORKED , TOOK IT IN TO TOYOTA AND THEY SAID IT WAS GOOD AND THAT THERE WAS NO WAY TO TEST IN REAL LIFE . BUT IT HAS NOT WORKED SINCE CAR WAS NEW . THERE HAVE BEEN MANY TIMES WHEN THERE WAS A CAR VERY CLOSE STOPPED OR MOVING SLOW IN FRONT OF CAR AND I AM APPARENTLY READY TO HIT ,BUT NO ALARM OR SIGNAL…

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THE PRE-COLLISION HAS NEVER WORKED , TOOK IT IN TO TOYOTA AND THEY SAID IT WAS GOOD AND THAT THERE WAS NO WAY TO TEST IN REAL LIFE . BUT IT HAS NOT WORKED SINCE CAR WAS NEW . THERE HAVE BEEN MANY TIMES WHEN THERE WAS A CAR VERY CLOSE STOPPED OR MOVING SLOW IN FRONT OF CAR AND I AM APPARENTLY READY TO HIT ,BUT NO ALARM OR SIGNAL.

NHTSA ODI #11190132

10,233 miles · Oct 4, 2018
Unknown Or OtherInjury

WHILE DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY WITH NO OTHER VEHICLES AROUND ME THE MOONROOF UNEXPECTEDLY EXPLODED SHOWERING THE INTERIOR WITH RAZOR SHARP SHARDS OF GLASS WHICH INFLICTED A SPLINTER. AFTER CONTACTING TOYOTA, I WAS INFORMED THAT MOONROOFS ARE NOT COVERED UNDER WARRANTY I HAVE PICTURES ON MY PHONE OF THESE SHARDS...

NHTSA ODI #11133378

Official recalls

2

19V491000 · Hybrid Propulsion System

Jun 26, 2019

Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2018-2019 Prius C vehicles. The DC-DC converter may fail resulting in the auxiliary battery no longer receiving power from the converter, which may cause a loss of drive.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: A loss of drive increases the risk of crash.

Remedy: Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will replace the DC-DC converter with a new one, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began August 23, 2019. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-888-270-9371. Toyota's number for this recall is K0K.

18V176000 · Equipment:other:labels

Mar 15, 2018

Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2018 Toyota Prius C vehicles sold in Puerto Rico. The front passenger air bag and recommended child occupant seating positions label may not have been attached during assembly. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 208, "Occupant Crash Protection."

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: If the label is missing, occupants may not follow the proper restraint usage guidelines, increasing the risk of injury in the event of a crash.

Remedy: Toyota will notify owners and will mail the removable labels to all known owners of the subject vehicles, free of charge. The recall began on April 11, 2018. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-888-270-9371. Toyota's number for this recall is J0L.

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.