Is the 2016 Toyota Prius a bad year?
156 owner complaints to NHTSA. Engine and transmission complaints are in line with other Prius years.
Keep it. You picked a good year.
Engine and transmission complaints for the 2016 Toyota Prius are in line with other Prius years. Visibility and wipers stands out for this year: see below.
5th quietest of 19 Prius years by owner complaints (years with 7+ years on the road).
The verdict moves with mileage: the same car reads differently at 30,000 and at 150,000 miles.
What 2016 Prius owners report, by mileage
Each system owners named in five or more complaints, with the mileage range where the middle half of those complaints were filed. Read at 18,000 miles.
| SYSTEM | COMPLAINTS | MIDDLE HALF FILED AT | TYPICAL US REPAIR BILLS |
|---|---|---|---|
| Visibility and wipersSTANDS OUT | 41 (26%) | 11k–27k miles · around this mileage | — |
| Electrical system | 20 (13%) | 2k–38k miles · around this mileage | 12-volt battery replacement $100–$400 · Starter motor replacement $350–$1,200 |
| Brakes | 19 (12%) | 9k–52k miles · around this mileage | Brake pad replacement (one axle) $115–$390 · Brake pads and rotors replacement (one axle) $200–$1,084 |
| Transmission and drivetrain | 15 (10%) | 15k–41k miles · around this mileage | CV axle / CV joint replacement (one side) $300–$1,500 · Automatic transmission replacement $2,500–$7,000 |
| Speed control | 14 (9%) | 3k–18k miles · around this mileage | — |
| Engine | 18 (12%) | too few with a mileage | — |
| Body structure | 11 (7%) | too few with a mileage | — |
| Air bags | 7 (4%) | too few with a mileage | — |
| Tires | 7 (4%) | too few with a mileage | — |
| Fuel system | 6 (4%) | too few with a mileage | — |
| Suspension | 5 (3%) | too few with a mileage | — |
Bills are typical US ranges from the sources named in the tool (J.D. Power, Kelley Blue Book, CarParts.com and others), printed only for systems that stand out or sit at or ahead of 18,000 miles. Not a quote.
What owners reported alongside their complaints
Of 156 complaints: 8 mention a crash · 4 report an injury · 10 say the car was towed.
5 complaints were filed in the last 12 months, the newest in Oct 2026.
Counts of what owners wrote in their complaints, not verified by anyone.
Recalls for the 2016 Toyota Prius: 5
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.
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. If the air bags fail to deploy in a crash, it can increase the risk of injury.
A capacitor within the hybrid system may not have been properly bolted to the inverter housing. 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 crash.
The affected vehicles are equipped with a foot-operated parking brake system that has a parking brake cable that may disengage. 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 unexpectedly, increasing the risk of a crash.
An air bag inflator manufacturing error may result in the inadvertent partial inflation of the front passenger air bag. A front passenger air bag that unintentionally inflates can increase the risk of a crash or injury.
A recall may cover only some cars of a model year; the campaign size counts every model and year it lists. Enter your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls: dealers fix open recalls free.
Service bulletins from Toyota: 161
Repair instructions Toyota sent its dealers for symptoms seen in the shop on the 2016 Toyota Prius. Ask a dealer or mechanic for a bulletin by its number.
Some vehicles may exhibit a MIL ON condition with Diagnostic Trouble Code (DTC) P210015 (Throttle Actuator "A" Control Motor Circuit Short to Battery or Open)…
Some vehicles may exhibit one or more of the following conditions due to a coolant leakage at the front exhaust pipe heat exchanger
Vehicles may occasionally be subjected to contamination by airborne iron particles shed from railroad tracks, train wheels…
Some vehicles may exhibit a hybrid system warning lamp occurring in below-freezing temperatures (below 32 degF or 0 degC)
NHTSA defect investigations: 1
Pedestrian alert sounds
Neighbouring years
2015 Prius: 166 complaints, keep it · 2017 Prius: 90 complaints, keep it.
Every Toyota Prius year
2000 · 2001 · 2002 · 2003 · 2004 · 2005 · 2006 · 2007 · 2008 · 2009 · 2010 · 2011 · 2012 · 2013 · 2014 · 2015 · 2016 · 2017 · 2018 · 2019 · 2020 · 2021 · 2022 · 2023 · 2024 · 2025 · 2026 · All Prius years side by side
Other Toyota models: Toyota 4Runner · Toyota Avalon · Toyota C-HR · Toyota Camry · Toyota Camry Hybrid · Toyota Camry Solara · Toyota Celica · Toyota Corolla · Toyota Corolla Cross · Toyota Corolla Matrix · Toyota Echo · Toyota FJ Cruiser · Toyota Grand Highlander · Toyota Highlander · Toyota Highlander Hybrid · Toyota Matrix · Toyota Prius c · Toyota Prius v · Toyota RAV4 · Toyota RAV4 Hybrid · Toyota RAV4 Prime · Toyota Sequoia · Toyota Sienna · Toyota Sienna Hybrid · Toyota Tacoma · Toyota Tundra · Toyota Venza · Toyota Venza Hybrid · Toyota Yaris. All makes and models.
Questions
Is the 2016 Toyota Prius a bad year?
156 owner complaints to NHTSA. Engine and transmission complaints are in line with other Prius years. At 18,000 miles the tool says: Keep it.
What are the most common problems with the 2016 Toyota Prius?
By owner complaints to NHTSA: visibility and wipers (41), electrical system (20), brakes (19), transmission and drivetrain (15), speed control (14).
How many recalls does the 2016 Toyota Prius have?
5 recall campaigns list this model year: Electrical system (NHTSA 18V-579), Air bags (NHTSA 18V-085), Hybrid system (NHTSA 17V-658), Parking brake (NHTSA 16V-741) and more. A recall may cover only some cars; check by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
Method: counts of unverified owner complaints filed with NHTSA, compared only with other years of the same model (sales volumes are unknown, so no failure rate is computed). A system stands out at 40+ complaints and at least twice the model's quiet (lower-quartile) year, or twice the share across every vehicle of that model year. The mileage range is the 25th to 75th percentile of the mileages owners reported. Data received by NHTSA through November 5, 2026. Repair prices are typical US ranges from named sources, not quotes. Not a diagnosis and not financial advice. PulsCar is not affiliated with NHTSA. Check this car at your own mileage.