Toyota is recalling certain model year 2004-2009 Prius vehicles manufactured August 6, 2003, through March 30, 2009 and FCHV-adv vehicles manufactured December 12, 2008, through September 13, 2011. During manufacturing, a scratch may have occurred inside of...
Engine & cooling
Toyota Prius Engine problems by year
827 complaints filed with NHTSA about the Toyota Prius's engine & cooling. Stalling, loss of power, oil consumption, overheating, head gaskets, timing chains and engine failure.
Engine complaints by model year
Engine recalls
On certain passenger vehicles, due to improper molding of the resin body of the crankshaft position senor installed on the engine block, engine oil may penetrate the seal and enter the sensor wiring connector. The wire harness connector may not be...
Latest Prius engine complaints
The front exhaust pipe assembly (heat exchanger) on my 2016 Toyota Prius leaked engine coolant internally into the exhaust system. Toyota has documented this condition in Technical Service Bulletin T-SB-0135-19 ("Low Coolant, MIL ON DTC P148F00, and/or Poor Heater Performance") for 2016-2019 Prius vehicles and released a redesigned replacement part (17410-37D40). In [October 2026], at about [97,000] miles, I found the engine coolant reservoir was emptying about every night (nearly a full reservoir) with no...
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external leak. A shop pressure test found no leak. Coolant collected inside the tailpipe after the car sat overnight, and white steam came intermittently from the exhaust while driving. The car stored code P148F00. On [redacted] a Toyota dealer ([DEALER NAME], [[redacted]]) confirmed coolant leaking from the front exhaust pipe heat exchanger, per T-SB-0135-19, repair order #[RO NUMBER], and quoted $1,870 to replace the front exhaust pipe with the updated part. My concern is that a vehicle losing coolant this fast can run low without warning and overheat while driving, which can cause engine damage or loss of power, and the white steam from the exhaust may reduce visibility for drivers behind. I also worry that coolant entering the exhaust damages the catalytic converter. The car has been serviced regularly, and the leak was not caused by an accident or impact. Toyota covered this repair under its emissions warranty for 8 years/80,000 miles, but my car is past that and Toyota has declined goodwill coverage (Toyota case #[redacted]). I'm reporting this so NHTSA can see that the failure is happening in vehicles outside that warranty period and can evaluate whether it is a safety defect. Vehicle: 2016 Toyota Prius, VIN [[redacted]] Component: Engine and engine cooling / exhaust system Crash: No. Fire: No. Injuries: No. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
I am writing to inform you about a very dangerous situation that occurred to me in June 2026 and that could pose a significant safety risk to other drivers who own 2016-17-18-19 Toyota Prius cars. The risk stems from a defective part (the catalytic converter) that Toyota Corporation knew about in 2019 but failed to notify owners of those models. Instead of issuing a recall and replacing the defective part, Toyota chose instead to issue a nationwide alert to their mechanics (Technical Service Bulletin...
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(TSB) - 0135-19, issued on 9/27/19). Through the TSB, Toyota extended the warranty to 8 years or 80,000 miles for the part. However, Toyota never notified the car owners of this potentially dangerous situation. In my case, the defective catalytic converter failed, causing overheating and destroying my engine, costing me $ 7,454.55 to replace it and other out-of-pocket expenses totaling approximately $ 8,000. I am seeking your help in getting Toyota Corporation to take responsibility for this matter and with the repair damage to my car. Toyota's defective part caused this damage, and it failed to notify me of the potential dangers. In addition, other Toyota Prius owners should be alerted to the serious safety risk to them if the defective catalytic converter fails and causes serious damage to their car. It can also cause an accident while driving. In my case, I was driving in the middle lane on 95N at 60 miles per hour when the car stalled, which could have caused a catastrophic accident. Fortunately, I was able to coast to the shoulder and then call for help.
Coolant leak into the engine, confirmed by the Toyota servicing center. This may be a common problem with the Toyota Prius, causing early engine failure from a design defect.
Coolant is leaking into the catalytic converter. This seems to be a common issue. Toyota issued a technical service bulletin on [redacted] covering this exactly. Some 2016-2019 Prius and 2017-2019 Prius Prime vehicles may exhibit low coolant level, MIL on with DTC P148F00, and/or poor heater performance due to coolant leakage at the front exhaust pipe heat exchanger. The front exhaust pipe with heat exchanger assembly has been updated. The repair is listed as a 1.5-hour remove-and-replace of the front exhaust...
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pipe assembly, and the diagnostic procedure involves unbolting the rear exhaust pipe from the front pipe at the mating flange when everything is cold and inspecting for coolant leakage into the exhaust from the heat exchanger. The full TSB is on NHTSA's site: [[redacted]] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
The contact owns a 2018 Toyota Prius. The contact stated that while having a routine oil change, the contact was made aware that there was no coolant in the coolant reservoir. No warning lights were illuminated. The contact was constantly adding coolant to the coolant reservoir; however, the following day the coolant reservoir was empty. The failure had occurred on several different occasions. The vehicle was taken back to the residence. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact researched and was made aware of TSB Number: 013519; however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 89,100.
Pulling out of a parking stall, when put vehicle in drive, the engine revved up and accelerated - vehicle crashed, the brakes did not work- there was skid marks. Floor mats are factory OEM were installed properly. I did not hit the accelerator and I am in good health and mind. I have driving for over 30 years, never had and accident nor a ticket! - A county officer was at the seen and left me with vehicle that had to be towed away. The Vehicle is a total loss. I have insurance but felt that this incident need to be reported, There is no safety recalls and the vehicle was always property maintained
Unknown. There were a multitude of codes that appeared on the diagnostics causing problems with engine. The temperature, brake, tire sensor lights are all on. The cruise control is not working. White smoke emitting from tail pipe and engine. Main engine coolant leaking. Car overheating rapidly.
The contact owns a 2018 Toyota Prius. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the engine constantly overheated. An unidentified warning light was flashing on the instrument panel. An independent mechanic inspected the vehicle and became aware that the coolant reservoir was empty. One month later, the same failure reoccurred. A second independent mechanic inspected the vehicle, and the coolant reservoir was empty. The vehicle was taken to a dealer. The dealer diagnosed the vehicle with a...
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coolant leak into the head gasket. The dealer advisor referenced a customer satisfaction program as the cause of the failure; however, the vehicle was over the mileage limit for the program. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 188,000.
The catalytic converter heat exchanger failed internally, causing coolant to leak into the exhaust system. Symptoms included white smoke from exhaust and coolant loss with no visible ground leak. This is a documented factory defect per Toyota Technical Service Bulletin T-SB-0135-19 affecting 2016-2019 Prius models. Toyota has denied warranty coverage despite the vehicle was originally bought & spent its entire prior operational life registered in New York, a state covered under Toyota's full 15-year/150,000-mile...
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emissions warranty. Defect was confirmed by an authorized Toyota dealership, in PA. Vehicle had approximately 83,104 miles at time of diagnosis. Manufacturer denied coverage and is forcing the customer (me) to pay a huge amount for this very well known & defective case. MOST IMPORTANTLY ITS dangerous and unsafe for all the cars our there too, since it is very well known that at a certain point this will happen, but despite TOYOTA never sent a RECALL. Due to this, engine light goes on & off, refrigerant is flammable and leaks in the exhaust pipe happens with this specific case, which ultimately could catch on fire, while the vehicle is moving or stalling. Lots of white smoke comes out of the car that directly impact the environmental aspects, and above all, people owning such vehicle, will be running into this issue, which will 100% put the safety of owner and anyone close in proximity to their vehicle at RISK. PLEASE ADD RECALL WITHOUT CAP for ALL SUCH TOYATA PRIUS due to flammable refrigerant leak inside the car engine components, and proven via strong white smoke coming out of exhaust that has the potentially to put the entire car on fire, specifically.
Water pump failed after replacement in 2013 with 30k miles, car had only 93k miles when failed again in 2016. The potentiometer part failed, there is corrosion in the part. Was in freeway when it failed. I have reported this to different representatives. I was charged more 1.5k for a replacement of a faulty part that should last more than 50k miles.
the cylinder head gasket blew because of the poor design of the intake manifold and the EGR system. There are updated parts to fix this issue, but there was no recall. This poor design led to the vehicle having "the Death Knock." It started doing this knock on my trip driving my daughter to college. The engine could have seized in traffic on the way to [[redacted]] from [[redacted]] . No warning lights came on telling me there was an issue. The vehicle is being taken apart now to see if my connecting rods were bent from the coolant entering the combustion chamber. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Head gasket failure. No check, engine, light or warning. My car was very well maintained regularly. After research, I found this to be a very common problem. Yes it is available for inspection. Upon request. The problem was confirmed by chemical test, ignition vapors going into engine coolant. Other symptoms were misfiring on cylinder two and cylinder four. Severe engine knocking.
Eingen faliur acording to dealership Toyota of Anthioc the veicle is on there lot for now but there diagnostic was engine faliure
Many things are happening to my truck that's why I am contacting you people to see if I got any callback thank you so much
I was driving my car at over 70 mph on a highway, no check engine, no issues, just had oil changed when check hybrid system alert came on with check engine light. I started to change lanes to get to shoulder when my car just died, completely. It died in the middle of the highway merging with another major road, so I was stuck between 2 lanes of 70mph traffic on either side. The time to react to the sudden warning to my car dying was less than 2 minutes. I quickly called 911 to ask for help and was told someone...
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had already reported my breakdown as well because my car had died in a horribly dangerous area. I was very lucky that a state trooper came quickly and blocked off my car until it could be towed for repair. I was told that I need a new Hybrid Battery. The fact that I had no signs of failure before complete shut down makes for a very dangerous driving situation and makes me second guess ever buying a Prius again.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) complaints and recalls, checked daily. Complaints are owners' own reports and are not verified. How we use the data