2019 Toyota Prius reliability

Is it reliable?

Owners have filed 30 complaints with NHTSA about the 2019 Toyota Prius over 8 years — 3 per year. That is fewer complaints per year than most Prius years here — under the median of the other years, which is 10. NHTSA has 3 recalls on file, including Instrument cluster, Electronic stability control (ESC), and Labels.

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

Complaints

Per year

Recalls

Years on the road

What owners report

The complaints owners file most often name Service brakes (9 of 30), then Engine (6) and Air bags (4). Those filings include 7 that report a crash and 2 that report an injury.

Next to 2018 and 2020

The 2018 Prius has 36 complaints, 7 per year, and the 2020 has 14 complaints, 3 per year. The 2019 has fewer complaints per year than the 2018. The 2019 has about the same number of complaints per year as the 2020.

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 2019 Toyota Prius. How we count. Data as of 2026-10-16.

Recalls (3)

Recall electrical system, instrument cluster 2019-12-11 · NHTSA campaign 19V876000

Summary Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2019 Prius vehicles. An electrical short circuit in the combination meter could occur, causing the speedometer, the odometer, and the fuel gauge to go blank. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 101, "Controls and Displays."

Remedy Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the flash memory chip (ROM) production date, and if necessary, replace it along with the combination meter circuit board, free of charge. The recall began February 7, 2020. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-888-270-9371. Toyota's numbers for this recall are 19TA21 and 19TB21.

Recall Electronic stability control (ESC) 2019-07-24 · NHTSA campaign 19V544000

Summary Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2019 Lexus LS500, LC500, ES300h, UX250h, LS500h, Toyota Prius, RAV4 HV, 2019-2020 Toyota Prius Prime, and 2020 Corolla HV vehicles. The brake booster pump may fail causing a deactivation of the Vehicle Stability Control system and a loss of braking assist. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 126, "Electronic Stability Control Systems."

Remedy Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and, if necessary, replace the brake booster pump, free of charge. The recall began September 20, 2019. Toyota owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-888-270-9371 and Lexus owners may contact Lexus customer service at 1-800-255-3987. Toyota's numbers for this recall are K1L/K0L. Lexus' numbers for this recall are K2F/KLF.

Recall Labels 2019-03-27 · NHTSA campaign 19V244000

Summary Gulf States Toyota (GST) is recalling certain 2019 C-HR, 4Runner, Avalon, Avalon Hybrid, Camry, Camry Hybrid, Highlander, Land Cruiser, Prius, RAV4, Sequoia, Tacoma, Sienna, Tundra and Yaris vehicles. The text on the load capacity label may become illegible. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 110, "Tire Selection and Rims."

Remedy GST will notify owners, and dealers will provide corrected load carrying capacity modification labels, free of charge. The recall began May 24, 2019. Owners may contact GST customer service at 1-800-444-1074. GST's number for this recall is 19R1.

Complaints by component (30 total)

Service brakes

Engine

Air bags

Electrical system

Forward collision avoidance

Speed control

Powertrain

Tires

Air brakes

Back-over prevention

Electronic stability control (ESC)

Engine and engine cooling

Fuel and propulsion system

Hydraulic brakes

Lane departure

Seat belts

Visibility and wipers

Wheels

Show 10 more Show less

Crash-flagged

Fire-flagged

Injury reports

Death reports

Complaints filed per year

Excerpts from recent NHTSA complaint filings

"Coolant is leaking into the catalytic converter. This seems to be a common issue. Toyota issued a technical service bulletin on XXX covering this exactly. Some 2016–2019 Prius and 2017–2019 Prius Prime vehicles may…"
Engine · filed 2026-08-26
"Frequency when I start car makes a very loud , painful high pitch noise for anywhere from 5-15 seconds"
Electrical system, Unknown or other · filed 2026-07-13
"Body of car has rust perforation starting from the inside working out. This is on the roof, so water incursion will effect airbags and electrical system. FIrst noticed rust bubbles a few years ago, but did not think…"
Unknown or other · filed 2026-01-06
"Since October 2023, my 2019 Toyota Prius has developed severe and unpredictable driving behavior after a regular brake service, which may have triggered or coincided with a software or ECU update. The car, which had…"
Service brakes, Lane departure, Forward collision avoidance · filed 2025-10-11

NHTSA crash ratings

Version	Overall	Front	Side	Rollover
2019 Toyota Prius 5 HB AWD	5 stars	4 stars	5 stars	4 stars
2019 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 all-wheel drive	1.8L, 4-cyl	Automatic (variable gear ratios)	Part-time four-wheel drive	52	48	50 MPG	$1300
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 2018 Toyota Prius Next year 2020 Toyota Prius See every Toyota Prius model year →

Frequently asked questions

Is the 2019 Toyota Prius reliable?

What are common problems with a 2019 Toyota Prius?

The complaints owners file most often name Service brakes (9 of 30), then Engine (6) and Air bags (4). Those filings include 7 that report a crash and 2 that report an injury.

Is the 2019 Toyota Prius more reliable than the years next to it?

Has the 2019 Toyota Prius been recalled?

The 2019 Toyota Prius has 3 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 2019 Toyota Prius?

Owners have filed 30 complaints about the 2019 Toyota Prius with NHTSA.

What mpg does a 2019 Toyota Prius get?

EPA-rated combined fuel economy for the 2019 Toyota Prius is 52.7 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.