IllustrationAt low speeds when the windows are down and music is playing on the internal speakers, it can drown out the pedestrian warning sound making it impossible for pedestrians to hear it
2019 Toyota Prius
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Similar to other model years
Owner complaints for the 2019 Toyota Prius do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 164.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Prius 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
Limited mileage data: 11 of 30 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.
- Service Brakes. Review the 9 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Engine. Review the 6 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Air Bags. Review the 4 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
7 crash reports0 fire reports2 injury reports
What owners actually said
30 reportsThe contact owns a 2019 Toyota Prius. The contact stated that upon depression of the brake pedal, pulsation in the brake pedal could be felt without warning. Upon taking the vehicle to a dealer, he requested to have the rotors checked for any defects. He was given a service report that stated that the rotors needed to be replace…
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The contact owns a 2019 Toyota Prius. The contact stated that upon depression of the brake pedal, pulsation in the brake pedal could be felt without warning. Upon taking the vehicle to a dealer, he requested to have the rotors checked for any defects. He was given a service report that stated that the rotors needed to be replaced. Upon taking the vehicle home, the contact inspected the vehicle himself and discovered corrosion on all four of the brake rotors. The contact took the vehicle back to the dealer where they confirmed the failure and informed him that there were no recalls on the vehicle and that the brake rotors were not covered under warranty. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and he filed a complaint. The vehicle had yet to be repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 11,000.
VEHICLE INVOLVED IN A ACCIDENT. VEHICLE BRAKE SYSTEM DID NOT WORK. DRIVER HAD FOOT ON BRAKE PEDAL. ANTI COLLISION BREAK SYSTEM DID NOT WORK, VEHICLE SLID FOR 20FT INTO A STOPPED FOR. 2019 PRIUS WAS GOING 35 MPH BEFORE RISK OF COLLISION WAS REALIZED. SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE DONE ON PASSENGER SIDE BUMPER. NO AIR BAGS DEPLOYED.
I WAS TRAVELING AT ABOUT 55 MPH ON HIGHWAY 66 WHEN THE INSTRUMENT PANEL BEGAN FLASHING THE FOLLOWING WARNINGS: "BRAKING POWER LOW, PHSB MALFUNCTION, PARKING BRAKE LOW, PRE-COLLISION MALFUNCTION, ANTI-LOCK MALFUNCTION, LANE DEPARRURE MALFUNCTION, BRAKE OVERIDE" . THE ONLY OBVIOUS SYMPTOM WAS THAT THERE WAS NO BRAKE BOOST - THE B…
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I WAS TRAVELING AT ABOUT 55 MPH ON HIGHWAY 66 WHEN THE INSTRUMENT PANEL BEGAN FLASHING THE FOLLOWING WARNINGS: "BRAKING POWER LOW, PHSB MALFUNCTION, PARKING BRAKE LOW, PRE-COLLISION MALFUNCTION, ANTI-LOCK MALFUNCTION, LANE DEPARRURE MALFUNCTION, BRAKE OVERIDE" . THE ONLY OBVIOUS SYMPTOM WAS THAT THERE WAS NO BRAKE BOOST - THE BRAKES CONTINUED TO FUNCTION, BUT WITHOUT POWER ASSIST. I AM A FORMER AUTO MECHANIC, SO I WOULD HAVE NOTICED IF THERE WERE ANY OTHER SYMPTONS. THE DEALERSHIP HAD THE CAR FOR 3 WEEKS AND ULTIMATELY REPLACED BOTH THE BRAKE BOOSTER AND THE MASTER CYLINDER. THEY INITIALLY REPLACED THE BOOSTER AND DISCOVERED THAT THAT DID NOT FIX WHATEVER WAS CAUSING THE WARNINGS AND DTCS. TOYOTA INSTRUCTED THEM TO REPLACE THE MASTER CYLINDER AND THAT APPARENTLY FIXED THE PROBLEM. THEY COULD NOT EXPLAIN WHY A FAULT IN THE MASTER CYLIDER WOULD HAVE CAUSED THE ARRAY OF SYMOTOMS OBSERVED BY BOTH MYSELF AND THE MECHANICS. I WAS SURPRIZED THAT THE MASTER CYLINDER WAS THE CAUSE AS THE THE LOSS OF BOOST SEEMED TO BE A BRAKE BOOST PROBLEM. I WAS TOLD THAT TOYOTA IS AWARE OF THE PROBLEM AND THAT IT IS WIDESPREAD.
PRIUS STALLS IN THE RAIN DESPITE NOT BEING A RECALLED MODEL. PCS SENSOR IS AFTERMARKET, PEDESTRIAN WARNING ALERT NOISE IS OFFLINE, SUSPENSION IS CRACKED, ENGINE MAKES CREAKING NOISE AT LOW SPEED TURNING. I WORKED FOR TOYOTA AS A SALESPERSON AND THEY REALLY TOOK ADVANTAGE OF ME. *TR
I BOUGHT A BRAND NEW 2019 PRIUS FROM THE DEALERSHIP THAT I WORK AT. ONLY A MONTH LATER, THE PRE COLLISION SYSTEM STARTED BECOME UNAVAILABLE AND THE ENGINE STARTED MAKING A LOUD CRANKING NOISE. I TOOK IT TO TOYOTA AND THEY TOLD ME THAT THE PCS MILIMETRE WAVE SENSOR WAS MISSING FROM THE CAR. THEY ALSO DID NOT WANT TO FIX THE ENGIN…
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I BOUGHT A BRAND NEW 2019 PRIUS FROM THE DEALERSHIP THAT I WORK AT. ONLY A MONTH LATER, THE PRE COLLISION SYSTEM STARTED BECOME UNAVAILABLE AND THE ENGINE STARTED MAKING A LOUD CRANKING NOISE. I TOOK IT TO TOYOTA AND THEY TOLD ME THAT THE PCS MILIMETRE WAVE SENSOR WAS MISSING FROM THE CAR. THEY ALSO DID NOT WANT TO FIX THE ENGINE PROBLEM OR EVEN LOOK INTO IT DESPITE STILL HAVING WARRANTY LEFT.
I WAS TURNING TO EXIT A FREEWAY AND ALL OF A SUDDEN MY CAR CAME TO A STOP (ABOUT 55MPH TO 0) IN A MATTER OF SECONDS WITH NO WARNING. IT THEN TOOK A FEW SECONDS BEFORE I WAS ABLE TO GET THE GAS TO WORK AGAIN. NO CARS WERE AROUND ME LUCKILY.
OUR PRIUS WAS INVOLVED IN FRONT TO PASSENGER SIDE COLLISION, WHICH TOTALED THE PRIUS, YET NO AIRBAGS DEPLOYED DURING THE ACCIDENT. THE PRIUS SHOULD HAVE BEEN EQUIPPED WITH SIDE AIRBAG AND PASSENGER AIRBAG, WHICH BOTH FAILED EVEN THOUGH THOSE AREAS WERE IMPACTED.
BOUGHT A NEW 2019 PRIUS FROM GROSSINGER TOYOTA ON 9/13, WENT BACK TO THE DEALER ON 9/16 TO GET MY OLD CITY STICKER FROM MY OLD CAR (THIS NEW CAR ONLY HAD 61 MILES), THE NEW CAR BROKE WHILE I WAS THERE. THE ENTIRE DASHBOARD WENT OFF (BLINDERS CANNOT BE TURN ON. NO INDICATION OF SPEED, NO INDICATION OF VEHICLE LEVEL, ETC). ANYTHIN…
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BOUGHT A NEW 2019 PRIUS FROM GROSSINGER TOYOTA ON 9/13, WENT BACK TO THE DEALER ON 9/16 TO GET MY OLD CITY STICKER FROM MY OLD CAR (THIS NEW CAR ONLY HAD 61 MILES), THE NEW CAR BROKE WHILE I WAS THERE. THE ENTIRE DASHBOARD WENT OFF (BLINDERS CANNOT BE TURN ON. NO INDICATION OF SPEED, NO INDICATION OF VEHICLE LEVEL, ETC). ANYTHING THAT'S ON THE DASHBOARD WENT BLANK. I TURNED ON AND OFF THE NEW CARD A FEW TIME, BUT THE RESULT WAS THE SAME. TOYOTA TECHNICIAN COULDN'T FIGURE OUT WHAT WENT WRONG THEMSELVES. WHEN THAT HAPPENED, I WAS JUST ABOUT READY TO LEAVE THE DEALER, THEN I QUICKLY WENT BACK TO SHOW THE GROSSINGER DEALER.
TOYOTA PRIUS 2019 CAN ONLY CHANGE ITS MAP MODE FREEWAY EXIT INSET WHILE DRIVING AT 55 MPH. I MUST TAKE MY EYES OFF THE ROAD TO FIND AND PRESS THE CORRECT BUTTONS ON THE NAVIGATION SCREEN. SEEMS TO BE A PROBLEM WITH ALL GENERATION 4 PRIUS'S. YOU CANNOT CHANGE IT WHEN PARKED. THE PICTURE SHOWS THE OPTIONS WHEN PARKED.
Official recalls
319V876000 · Electrical System: Instrument Cluster/panel
Dec 11, 2019
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2019 Prius vehicles. An electrical short circuit in the combination meter could occur, causing the speedometer, the odometer, and the fuel gauge to go blank. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 101, "Controls and Displays."
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: A blank main display will not show important information like vehicle speed or fuel level. Driving with an inoperative display can increase the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the flash memory chip (ROM) production date, and if necessary, replace it along with the combination meter circuit board, free of charge. The recall began February 7, 2020. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-888-270-9371. Toyota's numbers for this recall are 19TA21 and 19TB21.
19V544000 · Electronic Stability Control (esc); Service Brakes
Jul 24, 2019
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2019 Lexus LS500, LC500, ES300h, UX250h, LS500h, Toyota Prius, RAV4 HV, 2019-2020 Toyota Prius Prime, and 2020 Corolla HV vehicles. The brake booster pump may fail causing a deactivation of the Vehicle Stability Control system and a loss of braking assist. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 126, "Electronic Stability Control Systems."
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: Deactivation of the vehicle stability control system or a loss of braking assist increases the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and, if necessary, replace the brake booster pump, free of charge. The recall began September 20, 2019. Toyota owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-888-270-9371 and Lexus owners may contact Lexus customer service at 1-800-255-3987. Toyota's numbers for this recall are K1L/K0L. Lexus' numbers for this recall are K2F/KLF.
Additional source detail variants (2)
Service Brakes
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2019 Lexus LS500, LC500, ES300h, UX250h, LS500h, Toyota Prius, RAV4 HV, 2019-2020 Toyota Prius Prime, and 2020 Corolla HV vehicles. The brake booster pump may fail causing a deactivation of the Vehicle Stability Control system and a loss of braking assist. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 126, "Electronic Stability Control Systems."
Consequence: Deactivation of the vehicle stability control system or a loss of braking assist increases the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and, if necessary, replace the brake booster pump, free of charge. The recall began September 20, 2019. Toyota owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-888-270-9371 and Lexus owners may contact Lexus customer service at 1-800-255-3987. Toyota's numbers for this recall are K1L/K0L. Lexus' numbers for this recall are K2F/KLF.
Electronic Stability Control (esc)
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2019 Lexus LS500, LC500, ES300h, UX250h, LS500h, Toyota Prius, RAV4 HV, 2019-2020 Toyota Prius Prime, and 2020 Corolla HV vehicles. The brake booster pump may fail causing a deactivation of the Vehicle Stability Control system and a loss of braking assist. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 126, "Electronic Stability Control Systems."
Consequence: Deactivation of the vehicle stability control system or a loss of braking assist increases the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and, if necessary, replace the brake booster pump, free of charge. The recall began September 20, 2019. Toyota owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-888-270-9371 and Lexus owners may contact Lexus customer service at 1-800-255-3987. Toyota's numbers for this recall are K1L/K0L. Lexus' numbers for this recall are K2F/KLF.
19V244000 · Equipment:other:labels
Mar 27, 2019
Gulf States Toyota (GST) is recalling certain 2019 C-HR, 4Runner, Avalon, Avalon Hybrid, Camry, Camry Hybrid, Highlander, Land Cruiser, Prius, RAV4, Sequoia, Tacoma, Sienna, Tundra and Yaris vehicles. The text on the load capacity label may become illegible. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 110, "Tire Selection and Rims."
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: If the driver cannot read the label, they may unknowingly overload the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: GST will notify owners, and dealers will provide corrected load carrying capacity modification labels, free of charge. The recall began May 24, 2019. Owners may contact GST customer service at 1-800-444-1074. GST's number for this recall is 19R1.
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
1DP22005 · 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.