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KLUNK
KLUNK

2016 Toyota Prius

The Verdict

58 Proceed with Caution

The 2016 Toyota Prius has 179 owner complaints filed with NHTSA. The most reported issues are body (100 complaints) and electrical (27 complaints). With a Klunk Score of 58/100, it earns a "Proceed with Caution" rating. If you're shopping for a Toyota Prius, consider the 2021 model year which has 96% fewer complaints.

Safe Bet

The 2021 has 96% fewer complaints

View the 2021 Toyota Prius dashboard →

58

Klunk Score: Proceed with Caution

About average for complaint volume. Research the specific issues before buying.

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.

Recalls 4

Active safety recalls from NHTSA for this vehicle year.

16V741000 PARKING BRAKE

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 ...

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 un...

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 con...

Reported Apr 11, 2026

16V672000 AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:PASSENGER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE

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 e...

Risk

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 1-800-3...

Reported Apr 11, 2026

17V658000 HYBRID PROPULSION SYSTEM: INVERTER

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...

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 1-800-331-4...

Reported Apr 11, 2026

18V579000 ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING

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...

Risk

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 futur...

Reported May 9, 2018

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Under the Hood

Each number is a complaint. Darker = bigger problem.

YearBodyBrakesElectricalEngineTransmission
2001941426325
200211826201712
200364167177
2004657233110933
200516627347310433
200613520310196318
200736231912077934
200824737770911250
2009901931534917
2010351189927822661
2011682561215813
20121283201238625
201369224474612
2014559844287
20153083231310
20161002127247
2017521212214
20181541051
2019109360
202064211
202130030
202275831
2023111501
2024142501
202562511

By Category

Body
100
Electrical
27
Engine
24
Brakes
21
Transmission
7

By Severity

1
88
2
77
3
1
4
13

Worst Problems

Complaints

Brakes 1

The contact owns a 2016 Toyota Prius. The contact stated that while the vehicle was on and running, the ABS and traction control warning lights illuminated, and the messages "Braking Power Low - Stop in a Safe Place”, “See Owner's Manual", "Braking Power Low - Visit the Dealer", and "ABS Malfunction - See Dealer" were displayed. The contact stated that while driving approximately 35 MPH and depressing the brake pedal, the brake pedal was firm. The vehicle was taken to a dealer, and DTC: C14B6 was retrieved, indicating that the brake booster needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired; however, the code was cleared. The vehicle was then taken to an independent mechanic, where the information from the dealer was relayed that the brake booster needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 100,028.

19d ago
Brakes 1

Second time !!!! during ownership of car that brakes fail. Same problem as before Brake Actuator/Booster Failures: Multiple reports indicate issues with the ABS actuator or brake booster pump, leading to warning lights ("Braking power low", "ABS system malfunction").

2mo ago
Engine 1

The car has a very strong gas smell, especially when full.

2mo ago
Engine 1

Found coolant leak from heat exchanger into exhaust pipe. Looks like, T-SB-0135-19.

11mo ago
Brakes 2

Car was driving fine one day and then while driving down the interstate I had the Pre collision system malfunction error, Brake light came on, Cruise will not operate, ABS light is on. After much research it seems Prius V has a common issue with brake booster faulting.

14mo ago
Electrical 2

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!

15mo ago
Engine 2

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.

16mo ago
Engine 1

Refer to TSB 0135-19 dealer denied repairing under the California emissions defect and performance warranty.

17mo ago
Engine 1

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.

18mo ago
Engine 1

Driving on the freeway the car stalled and was unable to accelerate. The issue seems identical to the 2020 recall. 2020-06-23 Recall no. 20V369000 Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2013-2015 Prius and 2014-2017 Prius V vehicles not included in recall 18V-684. Excessive voltage in the Intelligent Power Module (IPM) within the inverter may cause the hybrid system to shut down, causing the vehicle to stall while being driven. I was told by the service center that my car is not on the recall list so they are unable to work it as a recall.

21mo ago
Body 2

See attached document for complaint

23mo ago
Body 2

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.

23mo ago
Engine 1

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.

24mo ago
Body 2

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.

25mo ago
Brakes 1

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.

25mo ago
Body 1

While traveling on NHS CA 99 about 80 miles before taking exit 97, there were pieces of tire debri on the center lane. It couldn’t be spotted and my vehicle drove over it making a big thud sound. It shaked my vehicle and left my family scared. It could have been really dangerous if there was a vehicle right ahead or behind my car. This incident broke the front bumper and caused big dent on my right door. This is a big monetary hole in my pocket. This is big concern and should be immediately addressed to avoid incidents further. Kindly let me know if there is a way to file a claim with NHST

26mo ago
Body 1

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.

26mo ago
Brakes 1

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.

27mo ago
Electrical 1

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.

27mo ago
Body 1

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.

29mo ago

179 total

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