2019 Toyota PRIUS: complaints, problems and recalls
Explore the records behind recurring owner reports.
Key facts
30 owner complaints analyzed
3 distinct recall campaigns
5,500 mi median reported failure mileage
Scope: 2019 model year. Data snapshot: . 11 complaints include usable failure mileage.
Most common problems
Service Brakes is the most frequently named component, appearing in 9 of 30 complaints (30.0%). A complaint can name multiple components.
| Topic | Matching reports | Share of complaints |
|---|---|---|
| Braking behavior | 8 | 26.7% |
| Engine operation | 2 | 6.7% |
| Transmission and shifting | 1 | 3.3% |
| Electrical and battery issues | 1 | 3.3% |
| Steering behavior | 1 | 3.3% |
Topic matches use published keyword rules. They describe mentions, including negations or comparisons, and do not confirm a diagnosis. Read the matching rules.
Component breakdown
Number of unique complaints naming each component. Top eight shown.
| Category | Count |
|---|---|
| Service Brakes | 9 |
| Unknown Or Other | 8 |
| Engine | 6 |
| Air Bags | 4 |
| Electrical System | 4 |
| Forward Collision Avoidance: Automatic Emergency Braking | 3 |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 3 |
| Power Train | 2 |
Service Brakes: 9; Unknown Or Other: 8; Engine: 6; Air Bags: 4; Electrical System: 4; Forward Collision Avoidance: Automatic Emergency Braking: 3; Vehicle Speed Control: 3; Power Train: 2
Reported problems by failure mileage
Complaint counts in mileage bands. These are not failure rates per vehicle or mile.
| Category | Count |
|---|---|
| Under 25,000 | 9 |
| 25,000 to 49,999 | 0 |
| 50,000 to 74,999 | 0 |
| 75,000 to 99,999 | 2 |
| 100,000 to 149,999 | 0 |
| 150,000 and above | 0 |
Under 25,000: 9; 25,000 to 49,999: 0; 50,000 to 74,999: 0; 75,000 to 99,999: 2; 100,000 to 149,999: 0; 150,000 and above: 0
Under 25,000 miles has the most reports with usable mileage (9). 19 complaints have missing, zero or invalid mileage.
Complaints over time
Year the complaint was filed, not the vehicle model year or incident year. The snapshot year is partial.
| Category | Count |
|---|---|
| 2019 | 4 |
| 2020 | 3 |
| 2021 | 2 |
| 2022 | 2 |
| 2023 | 7 |
| 2024 | 4 |
| 2025 | 5 |
| 2026 | 3 |
2019: 4; 2020: 3; 2021: 2; 2022: 2; 2023: 7; 2024: 4; 2025: 5; 2026: 3
Pattern summary
Service Brakes leads the component reports. Braking behavior appears in 8 complaint narratives. Engine operation appears in 2 complaint narratives. Transmission and shifting appears in 1 complaint narratives. Use these patterns to inspect individual reports and prepare questions for a mechanic.
Calculated from recorded counts. An AI narrative has not been published for this selection.
Examples from the source records
Examples provide context, not a representative sample or a verified diagnosis.
Owner report 11254774 · 2019-09-11 (September 11, 2019)
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.
Owner-reported narrative. 7,210 miles reported. Look up ODI 11254774 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 11257336 · 2019-09-23 (September 23, 2019)
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 REA…
Owner-reported narrative. 61 miles reported. Look up ODI 11257336 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 11266798 · 2019-10-07 (October 7, 2019)
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.
Owner-reported narrative. 975 miles reported. Look up ODI 11266798 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 11268309 · 2019-10-14 (October 14, 2019)
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.
Owner-reported narrative. 1,495 miles reported. Look up ODI 11268309 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 11315905 · 2020-03-03 (March 3, 2020)
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.
Owner-reported narrative. 4,500 miles reported. Look up ODI 11315905 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 11327502 · 2020-06-06 (June 6, 2020)
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
Owner-reported narrative. 52 miles reported. Look up ODI 11327502 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 11354420 · 2020-09-11 (September 11, 2020)
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 BRAK…
Owner-reported narrative. 5,500 miles reported. Look up ODI 11354420 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 11390410 · 2021-01-27 (January 27, 2021)
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.
Owner-reported narrative. 16,443 miles reported. Look up ODI 11390410 at NHTSA ↗
Recall history
3 distinct campaigns affect this selection. Announcement dates below are different from vehicle model years. A campaign may cover multiple years.
19V244000 · Equipment:Other:Labels
Reported: 2019-03-27 (March 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: 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.
NHTSA campaign record ↗19V544000 · Service Brakes | Electronic Stability Control (Esc)
Reported: 2019-07-24 (July 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: 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.
NHTSA campaign record ↗19V876000 · Electrical System: Instrument Cluster/Panel
Reported: 2019-12-11 (December 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: 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.
NHTSA campaign record ↗