Reliable Auto DB

2016 Toyota Prius reliability

Is it reliable?

Owners have filed 179 complaints with NHTSA about the 2016 Toyota Prius over 11 years — 34 per year. That is more complaints per year than most Prius years here — over the median of the other years, which is 7. NHTSA has 5 recalls on file, including Wiring, Side and window, and Inverter.

2016 Toyota Prius
Photo by Kārlis Dambrāns from Latvia, resized from the original. Wikimedia Commons CC BY 2.0
Complaints

179

Per year

34

Recalls

5

Years on the road

11

What owners report

The complaints owners file most often name Visibility and wipers (42 of 179), then Electrical system (26) and Service brakes (22). Those filings include 13 that report a crash and 6 that report an injury.

Next to 2015 and 2017

The 2015 Prius has 165 complaints, 11 per year, and the 2017 has 91 complaints, 21 per year. The 2016 has more complaints per year than the 2015. The 2016 has more complaints per year than the 2017.

The complaint rate is complaints filed in this year’s first 3 years on the road, divided by however many of those years have passed. Recalls are a separate count. The numbers are for the US-market 2016 Toyota Prius. How we count. Data as of .

Recalls (5)

Recall electrical system, wiring 2018-09-05 · NHTSA campaign 18V579000
Summary 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.
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 of charge. The recall began October 30, 2018. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-888-270-9371. Toyota's number for this recall is J0T.
Recall air bags, side and window 2018-01-31 · NHTSA campaign 18V085000
Summary 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 bags to not deploy in the event of a crash.
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 this recall are JLA, J0F.
Recall hybrid propulsion, inverter 2017-10-18 · NHTSA campaign 17V658000
Summary 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.
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.
Recall Parking brake 2016-10-14 · NHTSA campaign 16V741000
Summary 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.
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 number for this recall is G01.
Recall air bags, frontal, passenger side, inflator 2016-09-16 · NHTSA campaign 16V672000
Summary 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.
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.

Complaints by component (179 total)

Visibility and wipers
42
Electrical system
26
Service brakes
22
Engine
19
Speed control
17
Powertrain
15
Structure
12
Air bags
11
Tires
9
Fuel and propulsion system
6
Suspension
5
Exterior lighting
4
Wheels
4
Seats
3
Electronic stability control (ESC)
2
Forward collision avoidance
2
Hybrid propulsion
2
Seat belts
2
Steering
2
Visibility
2
Back-over prevention
1
Engine and engine cooling
1
Equipment
1
Hydraulic brakes
1
Parking brake
1
Traction control
1
Show 18 more Show less
Crash-flagged

13

Fire-flagged

0

Injury reports

6

Death reports

0

Complaints filed per year

27201645201731201812201919202011202192022520231120246202532026
Excerpts from recent NHTSA complaint filings
  • "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”,…"
    Hydraulic brakes, traction control · filed 2026-06-29
  • "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…"
    Service brakes · filed 2026-05-12
  • "The car has a very strong gas smell, especially when full."
    Fuel and propulsion system · filed 2026-04-21
  • "Found coolant leak from heat exchanger into exhaust pipe. Looks like, T-SB-0135-19."
    Unknown or other, Fuel and propulsion system · filed 2025-08-04
  • "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…"
    Electrical system, Speed control, Service brakes · filed 2025-04-29

NHTSA crash ratings

Version Overall Front Side Rollover
2016 Toyota Prius 5 HB FWD 5 stars 4 stars 5 stars 4 stars

Stars are how this vehicle did in NHTSA crash tests. They are a safety result, separate from the complaint record. Not rated means that test was not run for this version.

Fuel economy

Trim Engine Transmission Drive City Hwy Combined Annual fuel cost
Prius 1.8L, 4-cyl Automatic (variable gear ratios) Front-wheel drive 54 50 52 MPG $1250
Prius Eco 1.8L, 4-cyl Automatic (variable gear ratios) Front-wheel drive 58 53 56 MPG $1150

Specs and fitment

4th generation, 2016–2022
Body styles Liftback
Oil SAE 0W-16 (SAE 0W-20 may be used temporarily if 0W-16 is unavailable; replace with 0W-16 at the next oil change) , 4.4 qt capacity
Tire size 195/65R15, P215/45R17

Known issues for this generation

Recall 18V-579 covers 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. An electrical short can increase the risk of a fire. Dealers inspect the engine wire harness assembly and replace it if damage is found, and install a protective sleeve or protective tape to prevent future damage.

Compare

Previous year 2015 Toyota Prius Next year 2017 Toyota Prius See every Toyota Prius model year →

Frequently asked questions

Is the 2016 Toyota Prius reliable?

Owners have filed 179 complaints with NHTSA about the 2016 Toyota Prius over 11 years — 34 per year. That is more complaints per year than most Prius years here — over the median of the other years, which is 7. NHTSA has 5 recalls on file, including Wiring, Side and window, and Inverter.

What are common problems with a 2016 Toyota Prius?

The complaints owners file most often name Visibility and wipers (42 of 179), then Electrical system (26) and Service brakes (22). Those filings include 13 that report a crash and 6 that report an injury.

Is the 2016 Toyota Prius more reliable than the years next to it?

The 2015 Prius has 165 complaints, 11 per year, and the 2017 has 91 complaints, 21 per year. The 2016 has more complaints per year than the 2015. The 2016 has more complaints per year than the 2017.

Has the 2016 Toyota Prius been recalled?

The 2016 Toyota Prius has 5 recalls on file with NHTSA. See the recalls table on this page for dates, components, and remedies.

How many complaints have owners filed about the 2016 Toyota Prius?

Owners have filed 179 complaints about the 2016 Toyota Prius with NHTSA.

What mpg does a 2016 Toyota Prius get?

EPA-rated combined fuel economy for the 2016 Toyota Prius is 54 MPG. See the fuel economy table on this page for city and highway figures by engine and transmission.

What generation is a 2018 Toyota Prius?

4th generation (US model years 2016-2022).

What oil does a Toyota Prius hybrid take?

US manuals for recent Prius liftbacks specify about 4.4 qt with filter; viscosity is SAE 0W-20 on 2012-2015 models and SAE 0W-16 (with 0W-20 as a temporary substitute) on 2016+ models.

When did the fifth-generation Prius start in the US?

Fifth generation (XW60) US model years begin with 2023.