2016 Toyota Prius c
The Verdict
The 2016 Toyota Prius c has 162 owner complaints filed with NHTSA. The most reported issues are body (96 complaints) and electrical (22 complaints). With a Klunk Score of 62/100, it earns a "Solid Pick" rating. If you're shopping for a Toyota Prius c, consider the 2018 model year which has 96% fewer complaints.
Safe Bet
The 2018 has 96% fewer complaints
View the 2018 Toyota Prius c dashboard →
Klunk Score: Solid Pick
Fewer complaints than most vehicles. Generally dependable, but check the top problems below.
How is this calculated?
The Klunk Score ranks this vehicle year against all others in our database based on total owner complaints filed with NHTSA. 100 = fewest complaints (top tier), 0 = most complained-about. Scores above 60 are better than average; below 40 means more problems than most.
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Under the Hood
Each number is a complaint. Darker = bigger problem.
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Worst Problems
Complaints
My name is [XXX] currently active duty military stationed in San Diego. Can you please check if my car VIN number [XXX] 2016 Toyota Prius C 103k miles still covered for brake booster malfunction code 1391. I have told they are extended warranty up to 10 yrs less 150k. Toyota dealer here seems not seeing any warranty coverage issues. Please help me look into this issues thank you. My contact number is [XXX] . INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
P 175/65r15 I was driving on a slight curve on the I-10 in El Paso, TX when the rear bumper exploded. The car started swaying and swerving then I pulled over. I then realized that the tread on the tire was gone floating across the highway. The trie was bare with no tread with the bumper around the tire was gone. The explosion also caused the tail light to break.
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.
My car suddenly stopped in the middle of the road with message "Hybrid system stopped steering power low". Safety concern to this happen on the middle of road during rain or cold.
See attached document for complaint
Prinx HiCITY HH2 175/65R15 84H Bought this tire in November 2022. About 15000 miles into it, on Aug 6, 2024, the passenger front tire just busted. After swapping with the spare tire, and upon inspection, there was no nail nor it hit the curb, but the side wall is busted. This is a manufacturing quality issue.
During summer months when temperatures are above 100 degrees when accelerating from a complete stop I can hear the engine rev and the RPMs increase but the vehicle will move at 1-2 mph. Even if the accelerator is to the floor. After 3-4 seconds the tires will squeal and the vehicle will be jolted forward then it will slowly accelerate. This happens occasionally and I have taken it to a Toyota dealership and a chain mechanic shop, neither have been able to recreate the problem. There are no warnings and no error codes. I have been stuck in the middle of intersections trying to turn left, I have not been hit, but I fear it will happen. There is a recall out for this issue on other Priuses and I believe the issue needs to be investigated further as there is another complaint on this site for the same issue and I have found it on other sites. I bought the car in fall of 2019 and this problem has been occurring since summer of 2020.
We were driving in San Diego and had driven oven a bit pothole. About 50 miles after driving over the pothole, the brakes stopped working. We were pressing down hard on the brake, but the brake was soft and did not do its job. We almost rear ended the car in front of us. We brought the car right away to a close by auto shop and they said there were no leaks as the brake fluid was still close to the max and they did not find any indication of a brake fluid leak and sent us on our way. We are still unsure as to why the brake from this vehicle stopped.
Paint is starting to peel around trunk, clear coat has peeled off of black triangle areas by rear passenger windows on both sides of vehicle. Other 2016 Prius have had a paint recall. My vehicle needs to be included in the recall.
Starting in about 2019, the exterior black panel behind the rear right mirror began peeling. Soon, the blue exterior paint on the car began to show damaged spots, lining up with the parts of the car most exposed to the sun: the roof most of all, but the top panel behind the rear window and the top of the trunk showing signs of damage as well. The beginnings of this damage are also appearing on a couple of parts of the side doors, making it clear that the underlying problem applies to all of the blue exterior paint. It seems as if the exterior layer - some sort of sealant or finish - is not holding up properly in the sun. By contrast, our red-painted 2014 Prius, which has been exposed to the same conditions but for a longer period of time - shows none of this damage. The damage is quite extensive and visible, and it's unclear to what extent the protective qualities of the paint are now compromised. The service department at the dealership has inspected the paint, as has a third-party shop, and all agree that there is a serious paint problem. The issue is available for further inspection. The safety issue here is the potential for corrosion of the body due to the compromised paint integrity.
While driving vehicle on the freeway it stated braking power low, stop in a safe place, antilock brake system malfunction, pre-collision system malfunction, lane departure alert malfunction. I was almost in a major scary accident.
The contact owns a 2016 Toyota Prius. The contact stated while driving at approximately 70 MPH, the steering wheel stopped operating and the vehicle began to shut down. The contact stated that a yellow blinking light and a hybrid system malfunction warning light illuminated the instrument panel. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the hybrid battery was low and there was a failure of the engine wiring harness. The hybrid battery was able to recharge but the dealer stated that the electric wiring harness needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. A dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 159,141.
Coolant is leaking. There were no indicator that coolant is low. Suddenly while trying to get on the freeway the car would not get up to speed regardless how much pressure was put on the pedals. On the way back home, all of a sudden the engine temperature light flashed on then off twice. The car operated like normal but it was still concerning and we had it checked out. Coolant was leaking but no where to be found? It seems Toyota had previous recalls where coolant was leaking into the engine. I think my model is also affected.
I reported issues with this car in 2018. Clicking sounds under the car which is still happening, peeling paint on exterior and inside door areas, substandard windshield that spread in a very unusual pattern when hit by a small rock. The NHTSA ID Number that was assigned to these complaints is [XXX] . None of these problems have been addressed. There are other owners that have experienced the same problems, apparently their issues have not been addressed. These problems should have been sent by you to the Toyota Corporation, but apparently was not. I have owned many Toyota vehicles and have not experienced these problems. I also own a 2012 Toyota Prius which I drive when I when I am traveling on the interstate, because I feel that the clicking noises on the 2016 Toyota Prius is a safety issue that seems to be coming from the steering section underneath the car. When traveling the speed limit on the on Interstate highways, what would be the outcome if the steering mechanisms underneath the car did not work properly. It is a shame that this safety issue has not been addressed by you, and it is also a shame that I have to drive my older toyota at these times to feel safer when driving. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
We were driving kids to camp and the thermometer light went on. It was blinking for a while, then turned off and then turned steadily on. We weren't sure what to do, so we called our trusty mechanic who said "bring it in right now." We did and it turned out that this was a broken head gasket. Our car is regularly maintained by a trusted Prius mechanic and has less than 78K miles, despite its age. From our mechanic: We found the engine coolant was low in the radiator. We filled the system and pressure-tested, found no external leaks. The thermostat and fans operate normally. We found 54 ppm HCs in the radiator initially, and after a test-drive we re-checked and found 110 ppm HC in the radiator. Combustion chamber gas is getting into the cooling system, typically a symptom of headgasket failure. The cylinder head needs to be removed to evaluate. FYI this is the first headgasket failure we have seen on the 4th gen Prius, but it is the same engine designation as the 3rd gen Prius, which has a pattern problem of headgasket failure. The expectation is that the failure is the same, but we need to open the engine to evaluate. Given the low mileage, it might be worth pushing Toyota for a goodwill warranty even though it is out of the official powertrain warranty period. I called Toyota and they refused to pass along a goodwill warranty.
The contact owns a 2016 Toyota Prius equipped with Cooper Tires, Tire Line: Mastercraft, Tire Size: 195/65/15, DOT Number: (Not Available). The contacted stated that while driving approximately 65 MPH, the vehicle began to violently shake and vibrated. After stopping to inspect the vehicle, it was discovered that the passenger’s side rear tire had experienced sidewall steel belt separation. The cause of the failure was not determined. The local dealer and manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 20,000.
On September 2022 (at 46K) Dealer did TSB related fix on my 2016 Prius. PFA for service record. They replaced Exhaust Front Pipe, which is suggested work from Toyota PFA for Toyota Technical Bulletin. T-SB-0135-19 At 51,747 on March 1st 2023 around 8 40 am, while we are driving on highway at 70 mph suddenly Check Engine Light, Coolant light, Hybrid related lights were on Vehicle lost the control, speed was dropping luckily we could safely stop the vehicle on the shoulder no Vehicle hit us from behind. Sudden stop of engine while driving on highway at 51K miles is safety issue. Toyota dealer could not provide additional details except Engine is over heating.
The original windshield has a “rippling distortion” where the windshield has ripple/bubble from defective glass or installation mistakes, making seeing traffic signs or streets very hard. I just bought this vehicle and noticed the problem. It created poor road vision, especially at night. Toyota needs to recall and replace all these windshields before it causes more accidents due to poor visibility looking through the glass.
162 total