CSR

Toyota · NHTSA safety record

2021 Toyota Prius Prime

Every safety complaint, recall and defect investigation the US government holds on this vehicle.

10

Complaints

4

Crashes

0

Fires

2

Injuries

0

Deaths

Owners of the 2021 Toyota Prius Prime have filed 10 safety complaints with NHTSA between May 2021 and March 2026. The most complained-about system is the electrical system, named in 4 of them (40%). The typical failure was reported at 34,000 miles, the median across the 5 complaints that gave an odometer reading.

No recall campaign was matched to this year, make and model. That is not the same as a clean vehicle: recalls are issued against production ranges, and the only reliable check is your own VIN.

Defect investigations (1)

An investigation means NHTSA has decided a pattern is worth examining. A preliminary evaluation is often closed with no action; an engineering analysis is the stage that usually precedes a recall.

Pedestrian alert sounds

DP22005

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.

What owners report

Complaints naming each system. One complaint can name several, so these add up to more than 10.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 4 40%
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 2 20%
POWER TRAIN 2 20%
SERVICE BRAKES 2 20%
AIR BAGS 1 10%
BACK OVER PREVENTION 1 10%
ENGINE 1 10%
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 1 10%
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC 1 10%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 1 10%
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 1 10%
VISIBILITY/WIPER 1 10%

When the complaints arrived

By the year NHTSA received them, which is not the year the failures happened. They peaked in 2025 at 3.

2021 2025 2026
2021 to 2026, the last of them a part year

In owners' own words

Quoted from NHTSA's complaint file. These are unverified accounts by the people who filed them, not findings of fault.

SERVICE BRAKES

2 injured · crash · towed

I was slowly entering a handicapped parking place right in front of a business. The distance from the front of the parking space to the building wall was about 15 feet, one car length. I approached the place to stop in the parking spot when in a split second the car violently surged forward and would have crashed into the cinderblock wall had there not been a supporting post on the building and a metal frame with equipment which stopped the forward movement. The surge was explosive, almost like the acceleration of an airplane taking off. The whole incident took a second or two. There was no opportunity for any driver response to the surge. Had we not been using seatbelts, the front seat

NHTSA complaint 11696251, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

SERVICE BRAKES

crash · towed

Brakes of my Toyota Pirius Prime did not work after I was hit on my right side. Brakes completlety was out. Also I was not able to run the car. The cars brakes should work even I got an accident to precent some further damage to other cars.

NHTSA complaint 11492523. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

crash

A sticky accelerator caused my 2021 Prius to lurch forward into a wall. I was pulling into a parking place when this happened. The front airbag deployed. This is the second time this has happened to me with a Prius. In my previous Prius it happened to me two years ago. Both times the vehicle suddenly lurched forward. It was terrifying.

NHTSA complaint 11459435. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL

crash

My vehicle is equipped with Toyota Safety Sense, which includes Full-Speed Range Dynamic Radar Cruise Control (DRCC) and a Pre-Collision System. Today, while driving with DRCC engaged, my vehicle followed a leading car and appropriately slowed down to 2 mph as we approached a signalized intersection. However, when the leading vehicle changed lanes, a gap was created between me and a new lead vehicle, which was fully stopped. Despite this, the DRCC system accelerated to 5mph and collided with the stopped vehicle.

NHTSA complaint 11620914. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:INSTRUMENT PANEL:SPEEDOMETER/ODOMETER

274,000 miles

Odometer Fraud. The contact purchased a 2021 Toyota Prius Prime. The contact discovered that there was a mileage discrepancy after the purchase. The vehicle was a private sale. At the time of the purchase, the vehicle mileage was 73,000. It was later discovered upon checking the vehicle history report with a Local dealer, the contact was informed that the mileage was 274,000.

NHTSA complaint 11723068. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

BACK OVER PREVENTION

27,696 miles

The contact owns a 2021 Toyota Prius Prime. The contact stated that while shifted into reverse(R), the rearview camera intermittently went black. No warning light was illuminated. In addition, the contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the rearview camera intermittently went black. The local dealer was contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. Upon further investigation, the contact related the failure to an unknown NHTSA Campaign; however, the VIN was not under recall. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 27,696.

NHTSA complaint 11688961. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Rodents accessed and damaged the car because there essentials components are not protected.

NHTSA complaint 11651621. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

34,000 miles

The contact owns a 2021 Toyota Prius Prime. The contact stated while driving 45–50 MPH and approaching a stop sign, the brake pedal was depressed but the vehicle failed to respond. The driver continued to pump the brake pedal, but the vehicle failed to respond and depressed to the floorboard. The vehicle accelerated, veered across the road, jumped the curb, and stopped. There were no warning lights illuminated. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, and an engineer determined that the brakes were working properly. The failure mileage was approximately 34,000.

NHTSA complaint 11604557. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

Compare

Other years of the Toyota Prius Prime

Model year Complaints Recalls Deaths
2024 11 4
2022 8 1
2020 16 1
2019 8 1
2018 15 0
2017 32 0

Other 2021 Toyota models

Every Toyota on this site — 272 vehicles, 370 recall campaigns and 3 open investigation s.

If this is your car and a dealer keeps failing to fix it, your state's lemon law may require the manufacturer to replace it or buy it back. What each state asks for , read from the statutes.

Where these numbers come from

A complaint is one owner's account and has not been verified by NHTSA or by us. A vehicle with more complaints is not necessarily worse: models that sold in larger numbers collect more of them. How this is counted.

Compiled and maintained by
Independent developer and analyst