NHTSA lists 5 safety recalls and 156 owner complaints for the 2016 Toyota Prius.
Recalled components: electrical system, air bags, hybrid propulsion system, and parking brake. Most-described problem: a cracked or shattered windshield (35 complaints, 22%). Most-reported area: visibility/wiper (40 complaints, 26%; median mileage when it happened: 17,900).
One of the Prius years to avoid
The 2016 drew 93 owner complaints in its first three years, against about 44 for a typical Prius year (21 for a typical year since 2016): 2.1 times as many.
Years to avoid: 2010, 2012, and 2016. Based on owner complaints, not adjusted for sales.
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.
Risk: An electrical short can increase the risk of a fire.
The fix and full notice
Fix: 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 repairs will be performed free of charge. The recall began October 30, 2018. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-888-270-9371. Toyota's number for this recall is J0T.
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 the front air bags to not deploy in the event of a crash.
Risk: If the air bags fail to deploy in a crash, it can increase the risk of injury.
The fix and full notice
Fix: 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 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's numbers for this recall are JLA, J0F.
NHTSA listing: PRIUS. Components: Air bags: frontal; Air bags: frontal, sensor/control module-inactive; Air bags: side/window. Toyota campaign JLA, J0F.
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.
Risk: If the capacitor was not properly secured, vibrations from driving the vehicle may damage the capacitor, shutting down the hybrid system, causing a loss of motive power and increasing the risk of a crash.
The fix and full notice
Fix: 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 for this recall is H0U.
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.
Risk: If the parking brake cable disengages from the mechanism and the transmission is left in a gear other than 'Park' while the ignition is on and the driver leaves the vehicle, the vehicle may roll unexpectedly, increasing the risk of a crash.
The fix and full notice
Fix: 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 service at 1-888-270-9371. Toyota's number for this recall is G01.
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.
Risk: A front passenger air bag that unintentionally inflates can increase the risk of a crash or injury.
The fix and full notice
Fix: 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 number for this recall is G0W.
NHTSA listing: PRIUS. Toyota campaign G0W.
Questions about any of these recalls: call NHTSA's Vehicle Safety Hotline at 888-327-4236 (TTY 888-275-9171) or check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
NHTSA investigations
NHTSA's investigations file, dated Nov 12, 2026, lists no investigations for the 2016 Toyota Prius.
What owners report
Owners have filed 156 complaints with NHTSA about the 2016 Prius. Below, they are sorted by the problems owners describe and by the areas NHTSA files them under. NHTSA does not verify complaints.
Problems owners describe
Cracked or shattered windshield35 · 22%
Median 18,000 miles at failure, from 29 reports with mileage
Median 17,900 miles at failure, from 34 reports with mileage
Electrical system20 · 13%
Brakes19 · 12%
Engine18 · 12%
Powertrain15 · 10%
Speed control14 · 9%
Body structure11 · 7%
Most named: body (10)
Unknown or other30 · 19%
Median 9,500 miles at failure, from 17 reports with mileage
A complaint can name more than one area, so shares add up to more than 100%. Mileage is shown where at least 15 owners reported it.
Toyota Prius recalls and complaints by model year
The highlighted bars are the 2016 model year. Newer model years have had less time on the road, so their counts are lower. Counting complaints filed in each model year's first three years, the 2010 Prius drew the most (1,682) and the 2016 drew 93.
Owner complaints
2016: 156 complaintsTap or drag across the chart for other years.
Show as a table
Owner complaints by model year, Toyota Prius
Model year
Complaints
2010
2,829
2011
523
2012
450
2013
426
2014
224
2015
172
2016
156
2017
133
2018
53
2019
39
2020
30
2021
16
2022
32
2023
28
2024
43
2025
18
2026
10
Safety recalls
2016: 5 recallsTap or drag across the chart for other years.
Show as a table
Safety recalls by model year, Toyota Prius
Model year
Recalls
2010
10
2011
6
2012
7
2013
4
2014
4
2015
2
2016
5
2017
3
2018
1
2019
3
2020
1
2021
0
2022
1
2023
4
2024
4
2025
2
2026
1
Crash test ratings
NHTSA's 5-Star Safety Ratings for each version it tested. Rollover risk is NHTSA's estimate of the chance of rolling over in a single-vehicle crash.
In the 156 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2016 Toyota Prius, the problems described most are a cracked or shattered windshield (35), jerking, lurching or harsh shifting (8), and overheating or coolant loss (6). NHTSA does not verify complaints, and one complaint can describe several problems.
Is the 2016 Toyota Prius safe?
In NHTSA crash tests every tested version of the 2016 Toyota Prius earns 5 stars overall. The table above lists each tested version.
Is NHTSA investigating the 2016 Toyota Prius?
No. NHTSA's investigations file, dated Nov 12, 2026, lists no investigations for the 2016 Toyota Prius.
How do I check if my Prius has an open recall?
Enter the 17-character VIN from your dashboard, door jamb or registration at nhtsa.gov/recalls. The lookup lists unrepaired recalls for that exact vehicle. Safety recall repairs are free at Toyota dealers.
Sources and method
NHTSA recalls file (NHTSA datasets), dated Nov 12, 2026; every campaign checked against NHTSA's recalls API.
NHTSA owner complaints file, dated Nov 11, 2026. Counted by complaint number, so a complaint naming three components counts once in the total.
NHTSA investigations file, dated Nov 12, 2026. Defect petitions, which ask NHTSA to open an investigation, are listed apart and only while open. Audit queries, which check whether a company met its recall and reporting duties rather than whether a vehicle has a problem, are not listed.
NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings (NCAP).
NHTSA model names covered: PRIUS.
Complaint counts are unverified owner reports. They rise with sales volume and time on the road, so compare model years with care. How we build these pages. Spotted an error? Tell us.