2016 Toyota Prius Recalls, Complaints & Specs

5 safety recalls list the 2016 Toyota Prius, and owners have filed 155 complaints with NHTSA. Check your own VIN below.

safety recalls

155

owner complaints to NHTSA

8 / 0

complaints citing a crash / fire

52–56

MPG combined (EPA)

5 safety recalls for the 2016 Toyota Prius

Most recent first. Recall repairs are free at any authorised dealer. Click a recall for the full defect, consequence and remedy text.

Electrical system: wiring

NHTSA 18V579000 Reported September 5, 2018 192,347 vehicles potentially affected Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing

Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2016-2018 Toyota Prius vehicles. A portion of the engine wire harness connected to the hybrid Power Control Unit (PCU), could contact the cover at this connection and wear, causing an electrical short circuit.

Remedy: Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the engine wire harness assembly and replace it if damage is found. A protective sleeve or protective tape will be included to prevent any future damage. These…
Air bags: side/window and 2 other components

NHTSA 18V085000 Reported January 31, 2018 48,672 vehicles potentially affected Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing

Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2016 Toyota Prius and Lexus RX 350, RX 350 F Sport, RX 450h F Sport and RX 450h vehicles and 2015-2016 Lexus NX 200T, NX Turbo and NX 300h vehicles. The air bag pressure sensors and/or the acceleration sensors may fail causing the side/curtain shield air bags and/or…

Remedy: Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will replace the sensors as necessary based on their serial numbers, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin March 12, 2018. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at…
Inverter (hybrid propulsion system)

NHTSA 17V658000 Reported October 18, 2017 6 vehicles potentially affected Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing

Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2016 Prius vehicles. A capacitor within the hybrid system may not have been properly bolted to the inverter housing.

Remedy: Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will replace the inverter, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin by early December 2017. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's number…
Parking brake

NHTSA 16V741000 Reported October 14, 2016 91,585 vehicles potentially affected Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing

Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain model year 2016-2017 Prius vehicles manufactured August 6, 2015, to October 3, 2016. The affected vehicles are equipped with a foot-operated parking brake system that has a parking brake cable that may disengage.

Remedy: Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will install a clip at the parking brake cable end to prevent the cable from disengaging, free of charge. The recall began November 10, 2016. Owners may contact Toyota customer…
Inflator module (air bags)

NHTSA 16V672000 Reported September 16, 2016 7,817 vehicles potentially affected Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing

Toyota Motor Engineering and Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain model year 2016 Toyota Prius vehicles manufactured November 30, 2015, to June 14, 2016. An air bag inflator manufacturing error may result in the inadvertent partial inflation of the front passenger air bag.

Remedy: Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger air bag assembly, free of charge. The recall began November 10, 2016. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's…

155 owner complaints filed with NHTSA

Owners of the 2016 Toyota Prius have filed 155 complaints with NHTSA; 8 describe a crash. Reports cite 6 injuries and 0 deaths. The average mileage at failure in those reports is 27,097 miles. Complaints peaked in 2017 with 40 filed that year.

Most-reported components

Visibility/wiper40
Unknown or other30
Service brakes18
Electrical system17
Engine17
Power train15
Vehicle speed control13
Structure: body10

What owners are reporting

“I turned on my car in a flat parking lot, reversed out of my spot, and drove up to a traffic light to exit the parking lot. When the light turned green, I took my foot off the brake and tried to accel”
Owner complaint to NHTSA, October 6, 2026 · Vehicle speed control

“The contact owns a 2016 Toyota Prius. The contact stated that while the vehicle was on and running, the ABS and traction control warning lights illuminated, and the messages "Braking Power Low - Stop”
Owner complaint to NHTSA, June 29, 2026 · Traction control system

Fuel economy and specs

EPA ratings for the 2016 Toyota Prius (Prius Eco). Ranges cover every tested configuration.

Combined	52–56 mpg
City / Highway	54–58 / 50–53
Fuel	Regular
EPA class	Midsize Cars
Engine	4 cyl, 1.8 L
Transmission	Automatic (variable gear ratios)

Compare Toyota Prius model years

Recall and complaint counts for every Toyota Prius model year in NHTSA's database.

Model year	Recalls	Complaints
2000 Toyota Prius	0	4
2001 Toyota Prius	3	165
2002 Toyota Prius	2	167
2003 Toyota Prius	1	99
2004 Toyota Prius	6	610
2005 Toyota Prius	6	1,051
2006 Toyota Prius	6	1,439
2007 Toyota Prius	4	2,003
2008 Toyota Prius	4	1,497
2009 Toyota Prius	6	502
2010 Toyota Prius	10	2,823
2011 Toyota Prius	6	521
2012 Toyota Prius	6	424
2013 Toyota Prius	3	411
2014 Toyota Prius	3	208
2015 Toyota Prius	1	166
2016 Toyota Prius	5	155
2017 Toyota Prius	3	91
2018 Toyota Prius	1	37
2019 Toyota Prius	3	30
2020 Toyota Prius	0	14
2021 Toyota Prius	0	6
2022 Toyota Prius	1	24
2023 Toyota Prius	4	20
2024 Toyota Prius	4	27
2025 Toyota Prius	2	16
2026 Toyota Prius	1	6

Checking a specific 2016 Toyota Prius

How do I know if my 2016 Toyota Prius has an open recall?

Enter your 17-character VIN above. The VIN is on the driver's side dashboard (visible through the windshield), the driver's door jamb sticker, and your registration or insurance card. The check runs against NHTSA's live database and tells you which campaigns list your vehicle. 5 campaigns currently list the 2016 Toyota Prius; your car may already have been repaired under some of them.

Is the recall repair free?

Yes. Under federal law, manufacturers must fix safety recalls at no charge for vehicles up to 15 years old from the date of sale to the first owner. Contact any authorised Toyota dealer with your VIN and the NHTSA campaign number (for example 16V672000).

What is the difference between a recall and a complaint?

A recall is a safety campaign filed by the manufacturer or ordered by NHTSA, with a defined defect and remedy. A complaint is a report an owner sent to NHTSA; it is not verified, but patterns of complaints are what trigger NHTSA investigations and, eventually, recalls.

Other Toyota models

Camry18,189 complaints
Corolla11,739 complaints
RAV49,385 complaints
Sienna8,549 complaints
Tacoma8,440 complaints
Tundra6,922 complaints
Highlander5,745 complaints
4Runner4,860 complaints

Source: NHTSA recall and complaint databases and EPA fuel economy data, October 2026. Complaint counts are owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects. Recall counts are safety campaigns that list this model year; whether a particular car was already repaired depends on its VIN. How this data is compiled.