Model year record
2018 Toyota Prius Prime recalls & problems
The 2018 Toyota Prius Prime has no safety recalls on file with NHTSA, and 16 owner complaints. The most-reported problem area is unknown or other (3 complaints).
Safety recalls
No safety recalls have been filed for the 2018 Toyota Prius Prime.
Recall repairs are free at any authorised dealer. A recall listed here may already have been fixed on a particular car: enter its 17-character VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see open recalls.
Crash test ratings
2018 Toyota Prius PRIME 5 HB FWD
| Frontal crash | Not Rated |
|---|---|
| Side crash | Not Rated |
| Rollover | Not Rated |
Forward collision warning: Standard · Lane departure warning: Standard
NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings (New Car Assessment Program). Ratings are comparable only between vehicles of similar size and weight, and ratings from 2011 on use tougher tests than earlier years. Photos: NHTSA.
Fuel economy
Prius Prime Plug-in Hybrid
| City / highway | 55 / 53 mpg |
|---|---|
| Electric range | 25 mi |
| On electricity | 133 MPGe · 25 kWh/100 mi |
| Fuel | Regular Gasoline |
1.8 L · 4 cyl · Automatic (variable gear ratios) · Front-Wheel Drive · about $1,250/year to fuel
EPA estimates from fueleconomy.gov for each engine and transmission sold. Annual cost is the EPA's estimate for 15,000 miles a year at its current fuel and electricity price assumptions. Your results will vary.
What owners report
| Problem area | Complaints | Typical mileage* |
|---|---|---|
| Unknown or other | 3 | — |
| Fuel/propulsion system | 2 | — |
| Back over preventionRearview system braking; Warnings | 2 | — |
| Air bags | 2 | — |
| Power train | 2 | — |
| Visibility/wiper | 1 | — |
| Electrical system | 1 | — |
| Engine | 1 | — |
| Exterior lighting | 1 | — |
| Forward collision avoidanceWarnings | 1 | — |
| Service brakes | 1 | — |
| StructureBody | 1 | — |
*Median odometer reading when the problem happened, where owners gave one. One complaint can name several problem areas.
Recent owner complaints
- Power train
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.
- Unknown or other
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 havenât taken vehicle in. There is NO CHECK ENGINE light on. My wife experienced it once, Iâve 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 laymanâs take points to an Inverter issue in the IPM. Intelligent Power Module having a voltage issue that causes vehicle to stall.
- Visibility › Defroster/defogger/hvac system
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…
- Latches/locks/linkages › Hood › Latch
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.
- Structure › BodyCrash
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.
- Air bagsCrash2 injuries
Airbags deployed prematurely as I was parking my car in a doctor's office parking lot. The car was going less than 5 mph and I did not hit anything. The premature deployment of the airbag startled me and caused me to hit the accelerator instead of the brake and I ended up crashing my car into a nearby pole and another .automobile. The accident resulted in a soft tissue injury for my daughter and I'm experiencing lower back pains. The air bag caused burns on my nose and arms. My daughter has bruising on the arms from the air bag deployment
- Power train
Take foot of break, car accelerates under power. Sooner or later, this is going to result in killing a pedestrian. The question has been for the last year, is this a behavior that can be gotten used to. The answer is definitely NO! This resulted in a near collision with a pedestrian today. Toyota believes the behavior is intentional and will not confirm the safety issue. Farmers Insurance is willing to believe the issue exists without inspection but has no idea what to do. You have a problem on your hands. Biden is trying to transition almost everybody away from gasoline vehicles; thus those that drive manual transmissions will be driving electric vehicles, and their brain patterns have not…
- Air bagsCrash1 injury
Air bag did not deploy during a head on collision at 25-30 mph. No warning lamps. Car is totaled according to tow truck driver. Currently at the body shop, waiting for adjusters approval for body shop to take car apart to assess the damage.
Owner complaints are submitted to NHTSA by the public and are not verified. Shown as filed (NHTSA removes personal details); long reports are shortened.
NHTSA defect investigations
- Pedestrian alert soundsClosedLed to recall 22V063000
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…