IllustrationThe left low-beam headlight repeatedly fails, even with new bulbs. If it were just me, I'd assume a fluke, but there are lots of complaints about Prius V (and 3rd gen regular prius) lights, and they're all about the low beams.
2013 Toyota Prius V
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
More warning signs than most Prius V years
Owner complaints for the 2013 Toyota Prius V are substantially higher than the model-year median of 20.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Prius V years →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
120–25K
1225–50K
1250–75K
1175–100K
16100–150K
4150K+
67 reports with mileage · 57 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.
- Service Brakes. Review the 64 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Electrical System. Review the 15 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Engine. Review the 15 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
9 crash reports1 fire reports6 injury reports
Exterior Lighting complaints
7 reportsHeadlights lenses progressively cloudy. Tail light lenses are perfectly clear. Problem progressive over past 5 years.
Repeated failures of the low-beam headlight bulb. Bulbs failing 2-3 times per year. Happens at either passenger or driver side. It's a safety issue because it can mean that the car is driven without both headlights working. This has been a problem for the last couple of years. It just happened again yesterday. I talked w…
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Repeated failures of the low-beam headlight bulb. Bulbs failing 2-3 times per year. Happens at either passenger or driver side. It's a safety issue because it can mean that the car is driven without both headlights working. This has been a problem for the last couple of years. It just happened again yesterday. I talked with Toyota, and they said that they have no report of this being an issue, but I checked online, and found a number of reports of this issue with the 2013 year.
We bought this car new and since then we have replaced the right low beam headlight at least four times. At least twice it has failed while driving at night.
HEADLIGHT BULBS BURN OUT FREQUENTLY. WE HAVE REPLACED PROBABLY TEN (10) INDIVIDUAL BULBS OVER THE PAST SEVERAL YEARS. TOYOTA DEALER ACHKNOWLEDGED THERE IS A PROBLEM WITH PRIUS V HEADLIGHTS BUT WOULD DO NOTHING FOR US...WE WOULD HAVE TO PAY TO HAVE ANY WORK DONE ON WIRING HARNESS, ETC., TO HOPEFULLY CORRECT THE PROBLEM.
AFTER THE ORIGINAL LIGHT BULBS FOR THE HEADLIGHTS BURNED OUT WE BOUGHT HIGH-QUALITY REPLACEMENTS ONLY TO HAVE THEM BURN OUT RATHER QUICKLY. IT'S NOW BEEN A YEAR-AND-A-HALF AND THE LIGHT BULBS ARE BURNING OUT AN AVERAGE OF EVERY TWO MONTHS AT MOST. WE'VE SINCE DISCOVERED THAT THERE HAS BEEN A WIRING HARNESS RECALL FOR ALL SORTS O…
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AFTER THE ORIGINAL LIGHT BULBS FOR THE HEADLIGHTS BURNED OUT WE BOUGHT HIGH-QUALITY REPLACEMENTS ONLY TO HAVE THEM BURN OUT RATHER QUICKLY. IT'S NOW BEEN A YEAR-AND-A-HALF AND THE LIGHT BULBS ARE BURNING OUT AN AVERAGE OF EVERY TWO MONTHS AT MOST. WE'VE SINCE DISCOVERED THAT THERE HAS BEEN A WIRING HARNESS RECALL FOR ALL SORTS OF OTHER PRIUS MAKES AND YEARS BUT TOYOTA REFUSES TO ACKNOWLEDGE THIS PROBLEM WITH OUR CAR. A VERY CURSORY AND 15-MINUTE GOOGLE SEARCH SHOWS THAT THIS IS AN ISSUE WITH MY MODEL YEAR AND SEVERAL OTHERS THAT HAS GONE UNADDRESSED. THE LAST TIME THIS HAPPENED WE DISCOVERED THAT ARE HEADLIGHTS HAD BURNED OUT BECAUSE WE WERE DRIVING AT NIGHT, ON A LIT BUT DARKISH ROAD, WHEN SUDDENLY PEOPLE STARTED PULLING OUT IN FRONT OF US AT THE INTERSECTIONS WE WERE CROSSING. THIS PROBLEM NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED BEFORE SOMEONE DIES THROUGH NO FAULT OF THEIR OWN. THE PROBLEM STARTED AROUND 60,000 MILES ABOUT A YEAR-AND-A-HALF AGO.
HEADLIGHT TURNS ITSELF OFF. REPLACED BULB MULTIPLE TIMES. HEADLIGHT WORKS FOR A FEW HOURS THEN TURNS OFF AGAIN.
Official recalls
218V684000 · Hybrid Propulsion System
Oct 4, 2018
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 & remedy
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.
15V449000 · Hybrid Propulsion System: Inverter
Jul 15, 2015
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 & remedy
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.
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
0No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.