2018 Toyota Prius Prime

Closed defect petition · opened January 27, 2023 · closed August 7, 2023 · led to recall 22V063000

the electrical 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.

crash · towed

My 2018 Toyota Prius Supreme was parked too far away from the curb in front of a house where we were invited, in a residential area in Naperville IL. I entered the car to park it properly. I had my foot on the brakes and pressed the starting button for the engine to turn on. I then put the car on reverse and suddently the car accelerated uncontollably. Went on the grass, hit the neighbor's mailbox and stopped by crashing on a tree. I was in shock but luckily not injured. Other guests were present and witnessed the incident. Police was called in and issued a report. The car was declared by Progressive Insurance Co as a total loss.

NHTSA complaint 11553897. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

crash · 40,063 miles

The contact owns a 2018 Toyota Prius. The contact stated while driving approximately 5 MPH and in heavy traffic, the contact depressed the brake pedal for traffic but the brakes failed. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact crashed into the rear end of a truck. The damage was very light due to the low speed. The top of the hood at the front was scratched and the grill also sustained minor scratches. The contact continued on the road. The contact had taken the vehicle to a local dealer, who contacted a manufacturer representative to diagnose the vehicle. The contact was advised that there was no brake failure. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer had …

NHTSA complaint 11487667, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

On at least 4 occasions when the EV battery becomes depleted while driving at highway speeds and the car is switching to gas, the engine completely loses all power. This has lasted from 10-30 seconds. The dealership said a small battery needed to be replaced, and replaced that, but this recurred within a month of replacement.

NHTSA complaint 11723385. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

There has been at least 4 times that the vehicle was not responsive to acceleration (stalled for a few seconds) then picked back up. Problem has been intermittent. There is no dash indication of an issue. Because concern is intermittent I haven’t taken vehicle in. There is NO CHECK ENGINE light on. My wife experienced it once, I’ve experienced it 3 times. Once going up steep hill, once on a steady incline and the other 2 times at 50 mph on the highway. My layman’s take points to an Inverter issue in the IPM. Intelligent Power Module having a voltage issue that causes vehicle to stall.

NHTSA complaint 11722132. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

Hi, My Prius Prime recently just suffered the loss of heat in the middle of winter. Based on the diagnostic of my local Toyota dealer, it appears one of the metal heater coolant hose had rusted off. This is not just causing a safety issue of having no issue, it is also a risk as the engine can now overheat and suffer permanent damage. Despite being such a serious problem, Toyota doesn't stock the part nor does it know when the new part will come. I am currently owning an asset that can't be safely driven, I would like the NHTSA to review this. Toyota seems to be aware of this issue as they have a TSB out on a similar heater coolant hose. With that said, having no part is not an acceptable …

NHTSA complaint 11644964, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

As I was driving on a local highway going approximately 50 mph, the hood of the vehicle released and hit the windshield with full force. Luckily there was no traffic on the local highway at the time of the incident. I did not release the hood at all, and the dealer reports verbally to me that the hood latch is damaged. The incident could have resulted in my death if it happened on the highway.

NHTSA complaint 11617552. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.