Model year record
2021 Toyota Prius recalls & problems
The 2021 Toyota Prius has no safety recalls on file with NHTSA, and 6 owner complaints. The most-reported problem area is engine (2 complaints).
Safety recalls
No safety recalls have been filed for the 2021 Toyota Prius.
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
2021 Toyota PRIUS 5 HB AWD
| Frontal crash | ★★★★★ |
|---|---|
| Side crash | ★★★★★ |
| Rollover | ★★★★★ |
| Rollover risk | 10.7% |
Forward collision warning: Standard · Lane departure warning: Standard
2021 Toyota PRIUS 5 HB FWD
| Frontal crash | ★★★★★ |
|---|---|
| Side crash | ★★★★★ |
| Rollover | ★★★★★ |
| Rollover risk | 10.7% |
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 Eco Hybrid
| City / highway | 58 / 53 mpg |
|---|---|
| Fuel | Regular Gasoline |
1.8 L · 4 cyl · Automatic (variable gear ratios) · Front-Wheel Drive · about $1,200/year to fuel
Prius Hybrid
| City / highway | 54 / 50 mpg |
|---|---|
| Fuel | Regular Gasoline |
1.8 L · 4 cyl · Automatic (variable gear ratios) · Front-Wheel Drive · about $1,300/year to fuel
Prius AWD Hybrid
| City / highway | 51 / 47 mpg |
|---|---|
| Fuel | Regular Gasoline |
1.8 L · 4 cyl · Automatic (variable gear ratios) · Part-time 4-Wheel Drive · about $1,350/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* |
|---|---|---|
| Engine | 2 | — |
| Fuel/propulsion system | 2 | — |
| Wheels | 1 | — |
| Unknown or other | 1 | — |
| Service brakes | 1 | — |
| Electrical system | 1 | — |
| Forward collision avoidanceAdaptive cruise control | 1 | — |
| Lane departureAssist | 1 | — |
| Vehicle speed control | 1 | — |
*Median odometer reading when the problem happened, where owners gave one. One complaint can name several problem areas.
Recent owner complaints
- Fuel/propulsion system
When i am going down it's charging when the charge reaches 6 from 8 the engine starts working and stop changing at that point and the power continues comes from engine only without the hybrid battery and there are no codes
- Vehicle speed control
The contact owns a 2021 Toyota Prius. The contact stated while driving approximately 35 - 45 MPH, the vehicle independently accelerated. The brake pedal was depressed but failed to stop the vehicle immediately. The contact swerved around the vehicle in front and ended up on the opposite side of the roadway. The contact attempted to avoid oncoming traffic and swerving around all the other vehicles and ended up in a ravine. The contact's husband depressed the START/STOP button from the passengerâs side to turn off the vehicle, enabling the vehicle to come to a stop. The contact restarted the vehicle and continued to drive the vehicle to the dealer at slow speeds. The dealer was unable to…
- Forward collision avoidance › Adaptive cruise control
The Lane keeping assist used in radar cruise control mode during some drive cycles will attempt to maintain the vehicle position to the far extreme of the lane and in some cases actively veer out of the lane. My safety ant others can be put at risk when the vehicle behaves outside of its design parameters like this. To solve the issue the vehicle must be pulled over, turned off, then restarted. After the restart it will resume functioning normally, maintaining lane positioning as intended within the limits of the system. The trigger for this is unknown but could be speculated that it is drive cycle dependent and may start during initialization. The problem has not been reproduced by a…
- Service brakesCrash
The car accelerated without my foot on the accelerator, brake did not respond, and I had to drive through grass and a rock-filled ditch until after about 10 seconds the car returned to my control.
- Engine
CARBON MONOXIDE SEEPS INTO THE PASSENGER CAR BUT DILLER CANNOT FIND IT AND DID NOT HAVE TOOLS TO DETECT CO LEVEL IN THE CAR. I CAN'T USE THIS CAR BECAUSE WAS POISONED MANY TIMES AND AFTER A SECOND CHECK-UP, THE LEVEL OF CO BECOMES HIGHER SO I CAN'T DRIVE THE CAR WITHOUT POISONING. PLEASE HELP ME. I AM WORRYING TO SELL MY CAR BECAUSE OTHER DRIVER WILL GET INJURY. THIS IS THE NEW CAR ONLY 7000 MILES.
- Wheels
WHILE DRIVING ON THE I 4 WE HAD A BLOWOUT ON THE REAR PASSENGER TIRE. THE CAR HAD LESS THAN 200 MILES ON IT SO IT WAS BRAND NEW. THE DEALERSHIP FOUND OBJECT IN THE TIRE THAT COULD HAVE CAUSE THE PROBLEM THE ONLY CONCLUSION I COULD COME TO IS THAT THIS TIRE WAS DEFECTIVE. THE DEALERSHIP SAID I COULD HAVE RUN OVER A LARGE OBJECT OR A LARGE POTHOLE, WHICH I DOUBT.
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…