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The Toyota Prius Alarmingly Earned a Spot on This List

The Toyota Prius is one of those cars you think of as a safe and conservative choice. You don’t necessarily hear much about Toyota Prius problems. It’s a model that is extremely popular and sought after for reliability and impeccable fuel economy. From the 2020 Toyota Prius model to the 2010 Prius, Consumer Reports shows …

The Toyota Prius is one of those cars you think of as a safe and conservative choice. You don’t necessarily hear much about Toyota Prius problems. It’s a model that is extremely popular and sought after for reliability and impeccable fuel economy. From the 2020 Toyota Prius model to the 2010 Prius, Consumer Reports shows a high ranking for both satisfaction and predicted reliability. J.D. Power consistently ranks the Prius high, as well. However, despite its assumed righteousness, the Toyota Prius alarmingly earned a spot on this list.

The iSeeCars ‘Top 10 Most Complained About’ list

On the iSeeCars list of the Top 10 Most Complained About Cars, there is only one Toyota model. The Toyota Prius between the years 2006 and 2016 account for the fifth spot on the list. Of every 10,000 units sold the NHTSA recorded 51.4 safety complaints. Yes, safety complaints. This comes as quite a surprise since the Toyota Prius is a model with a bit of an established dogma in terms of safety.

According to iSeeCars, “The Toyota Prius has the fifth highest complaint rate.” The complaints don’t seem to be petty, either. Apparently, Prius owners filed complaints about brake problems, issues with acceleration, and exterior lighting. The 2006 Toyota Prius and the 2010 model year were the most complained about cars in these areas.

Additionally, it’s worth noting that a whopping 48% of the complaints on file for the Toyota Prius concern these problems. In fact, you may remember some of the recalls Toyota has endured over the years. The Prius did not come through the ordeal unscathed. Owner reports give accounts of sudden and uncontrollable acceleration. There were also brake failures which were a high recall priority.

Toyota Prius
Toyota Prius | Joe Raedle/Getty Images

Toyota Prius complaints

On CarComplaints, the Toyota Prius is one of the most complained about Toyota models. There are 1,377 complaints posted on CarComplaints for this popular passenger car. However, it’s likely that one reason for the volume of complaints is that these the most popular Toyotas. Taking that into account, there are far more owners of these models to complain, since they are the most bought Toyota vehicles.

For the Toyota Prius, there are three primary areas that owners have complained about in depth. CarComplaints shows us that the most complained about Prius problem is with the lights. Other common Prius problems are excessive oil consumption (2010 and 2011 model years) and an easily cracking windshield.

2020 Toyota Prius Prime, predecessor of the 2021 Prius, is on display at the 112th Annual Chicago Auto Show
The 2020 Toyota Prius | Raymond Boyd/Getty Images

The 2020 Prius

The 2020 Toyota Prius was ranked number one by Consumer Reports. The current pricing on the 2020 Prius ranges between $24,325 – $32,500, according to CR. The 2020 Prius received a full redesign and maintains its impressive fuel economy. Overall, it will get 52 mpg. So that means 43 mpg in the city and 59 mpg on the highway.

Unexpectedly accumulated complaints

The Prius has nearly flawless reliability history posted by Consumer Reports. So it is, in fact, surprising that the beloved and ultra-conservative Toyota Prius is one of the most complained about vehicles. The NHTSA collected data that was compiled for the iSeeCars list of Most Complained About Cars. The Toyota Prius is still a good car, but keep in mind that it made this list and be sure to do proper research before committing to buy one.