2016 TOYOTA PRIUS — Problems, Recalls & Safety Data
5/5
Safety Rating
211
Owner Complaints
5
Recalls
58
Service Bulletins
0
Investigations
Overview of the 2016 TOYOTA PRIUS
The 2016 TOYOTA PRIUS has received a total of 211 safety complaints filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). It earned an overall safety rating of 5 out of 5 stars in NHTSA's New Car Assessment Program crash tests. There have been 7 recall campaigns affecting this vehicle, covering issues with ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING, AIR BAGS:SIDE/WINDOW, AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:SENSOR/CONTROL MODULE-INACTIVE. 58 technical service bulletins have been issued by Toyota Motor Corporation for this model year. The most commonly reported problems involve the Visibilitywiper (40 complaints), Unknown Or Other (30 complaints), and Electrical System (17 complaints).
Recalls for the 2016 TOYOTA PRIUS
NHTSA has recorded 7 recalls for the 2016 TOYOTA PRIUS, potentially affecting up to 437,771 vehicles.
Recall 18V579000 — ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING
| 192,347 vehicles affected
Defect: 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.
Consequence: An electrical short can increase the risk of a fire.
Remedy: 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...
View full details →Recall 18V085000 — AIR BAGS:SIDE/WINDOW
| 48,672 vehicles affected
Defect: 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...
Consequence: If the air bags fail to deploy in a crash, it can increase the risk of injury.
Remedy: 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...
View full details →Recall 18V085000 — AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:SENSOR/CONTROL MODULE-INACTIVE
| 48,672 vehicles affected
Defect: 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...
Consequence: If the air bags fail to deploy in a crash, it can increase the risk of injury.
Remedy: 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...
View full details →Recall 18V085000 — AIR BAGS:FRONTAL
| 48,672 vehicles affected
Defect: 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...
Consequence: If the air bags fail to deploy in a crash, it can increase the risk of injury.
Remedy: 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...
View full details →Recall 17V658000 — HYBRID PROPULSION SYSTEM: INVERTER
| 6 vehicles affected
Defect: 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.
Consequence: 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.
Remedy: 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.
View full details →Recall 16V741000 — PARKING BRAKE
| 91,585 vehicles affected
Defect: 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.
Consequence: 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.
Remedy: 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...
View full details →Recall 16V672000 — AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:PASSENGER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE
| 7,817 vehicles affected
Defect: 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.
Consequence: A front passenger air bag that unintentionally inflates can increase the risk of a crash or injury.
Remedy: 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.
View full details →Owner Complaints for the 2016 TOYOTA PRIUS
211 complaints have been filed with NHTSA for the 2016 TOYOTA PRIUS. Below is a breakdown by vehicle component.
Most Recent Complaints
Found coolant leak from heat exchanger into exhaust pipe. Looks like, T-SB-0135-19.
Found coolant leak from heat exchanger into exhaust pipe. Looks like, T-SB-0135-19.
The headlights are either too bright or aimed poorly that it blinds oncoming traffic, who frequently flash their high beams at me. This occurs without any load in back and without me using the high beams. Can Toyota either adjust the bulbs or place a film on the headlights to prevent blinding oncoming traffic? Thank you!
Water pump failed without warning and caused irreparable damage to the engine ("blown" engine requiring replacement). Vehicle began to stall and not respond to attempted acceleration while traveling on 4 lane divided highway, 55 mph speed limit. One "Maintenance Required" message was received the previous week, but disappeared. This is the same message that appears for routine oil changes. No other warning messages were noted at the time of the incident, no unusual noises, and no smoke or other sign of overheating. Driver was able to steer vehicle to safety, but this failure could result in stranding on a busy, dangerous interstate highway. For such a critical piece of the vehicle (i.e., the water pump), there should be obvious warning message(s) and dedicated monitoring of the equipment.
Refer to TSB 0135-19 dealer denied repairing under the California emissions defect and performance warranty.
Safety Rating for the 2016 TOYOTA PRIUS
The 2016 TOYOTA PRIUS received an overall safety rating of 5 out of 5 stars from NHTSA's New Car Assessment Program (NCAP).
| Test Category | Rating |
|---|---|
| Overall Rating | ★★★★★ (5/5) |
| Frontal Crash | ★★★★☆ (4/5) |
| Side Crash | ★★★★★ (5/5) |
| Rollover | ★★★★☆ (4/5) |
Safety ratings are based on controlled crash tests conducted by NHTSA. A 5-star rating indicates the highest level of occupant protection.
Technical Service Bulletins for the 2016 TOYOTA PRIUS
Toyota Motor Corporation has issued 58 technical service bulletins (TSBs) for the 2016 TOYOTA PRIUS. TSBs are notices sent by manufacturers to their dealers describing a known issue and the recommended repair procedure.
G0W-Job Aid-Reme — AIR BAGS
Job Aid: G0W Prius Front Passenger Air Bag Return Shipping Instructions
G0W-Job Aid-Reme — STRUCTURE
Job Aid: G0W Prius Front Passenger Air Bag Return Shipping Instructions
T-TT-0600-20 Rev — EQUIPMENT:ELECTRICAL:INFOTAINMENT:BLUETOOTH/WIFI
TT: Some customers may experience echoing on the line calling the vehicle when using Bluetooth Hands Free. This is caused by the phone Hands Free volume being too low. These settings may need to be reapplied any time the phone is paired to a new head unit, a phone update...
T-SB-0074-20 — EQUIPMENT
TSB: Some 2003 ? 2020 model year Prius, Prius C, Prius V; 2006 ? 2019 model year Highlander Hybrid Vehicle; 2007 ? 2020 Camry Hybrid Vehicle; 2013 ? 2020 model year Avalon Hybrid Vehicle; 2016 ? 2020 model year Mirai and RAV4 Hybrid Vehicle; and 2020 model year Corolla Hybrid...
T-TT-0577-19 — EQUIPMENT:APPLIANCE:AIR CONDITIONER
TT: On 2016-2020 model year Prius and 2017-2020 model year Prius Prime vehicles follow the recommendations when performing the HVAC odor maintenance service using A/C Power Foam Evaporator Cleaner & Refresher.
T-SB-0135-19 — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:COOLING SYSTEM
TSB: Some 2016 ? 2019 model year Prius and 2017 ? 2019 model year Prius Prime vehicles may exhibit one or more of the following conditions due to a coolant leakage at the front exhaust pipe heat exchanger: ? Low coolant level ? MIL ON accompanied by Diagnostic Trouble Code...
T-SB-0135-19 — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
TSB: Some 2016 ? 2019 model year Prius and 2017 ? 2019 model year Prius Prime vehicles may exhibit one or more of the following conditions due to a coolant leakage at the front exhaust pipe heat exchanger: ? Low coolant level ? MIL ON accompanied by Diagnostic Trouble Code...
D0T_Dealer Packa — BACK OVER PREVENTION
Dealer Package: June 4, 2019 A watermark has been added to the Dealer Letter to indicate that G0N expired on May 31, 2019. In the involved vehicles, the S-APGS (Simple Advanced Parking Guidance System) buzzer may not sound as designed to alert the driver to stop the vehicle during back-in...
G0T_TI_060419 — BACK OVER PREVENTION
Technical Instructions: TECHNICAL INSTRUCTIONS FOR LIMITED SERVICE CAMPAIGN G0T SOFTWARE UPDATE FOR COMBINATION METER CERTAIN 2016 MODEL YEAR PRIUS.
J0R_Region Lette — ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:SOFTWARE
Region Letter: 04/16/2019 ? UIO quantities and production ranges have been updated to reflect added vehicles. ? Op codes to cover specific instances of ICS ECU failure during reprogramming have been included. The involved vehicles are equipped with Intelligent Clearance Sonar (ICS). Due to improper software programming in the ICS...
Showing 10 of 58 technical service bulletins.
NHTSA Investigations for the 2016 TOYOTA PRIUS
There are no NHTSA defect investigations on record for this vehicle.
Other Model Years of the TOYOTA PRIUS
- 2011 TOYOTA PRIUS — 651 complaints
- 2012 TOYOTA PRIUS — 531 complaints
- 2013 TOYOTA PRIUS — 514 complaints
- 2014 TOYOTA PRIUS — 261 complaints
- 2015 TOYOTA PRIUS — 190 complaints
- 2016 TOYOTA PRIUS (current)
- 2017 TOYOTA PRIUS — 125 complaints
- 2018 TOYOTA PRIUS — 43 complaints
- 2019 TOYOTA PRIUS — 51 complaints
- 2020 TOYOTA PRIUS — 23 complaints
- 2021 TOYOTA PRIUS — 10 complaints
Other TOYOTA Models
- TOYOTA CAMRY — 23,209 total complaints
- TOYOTA COROLLA — 14,342 total complaints
- TOYOTA RAV4 — 11,737 total complaints
- TOYOTA SIENNA — 10,769 total complaints
- TOYOTA TACOMA — 10,512 total complaints
- TOYOTA TUNDRA — 8,997 total complaints
- TOYOTA HIGHLANDER — 6,663 total complaints
- TOYOTA 4RUNNER — 6,405 total complaints