2026 Toyota Prius

Routine

Owners filed 5 complaints about this vehicle with federal regulators, most often about the exterior lighting. It has been recalled 1 time.

What fails
ComponentReportsCrashesFiresInjuries
Exterior Lighting2
100
Electrical System2
000
Visibility/Wiper1
000

1 safety recall

Part 573 reports
Electrical System › Wiring › Switches/Knobs/Buttons26V049000
Filed Jan 28, 2026141,286 vehiclesToyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing

Defect. Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2023-2024 Prius Prime, 2023-2026 Prius, and 2025-2026 Prius Plug-in Hybrid vehicles. Water may enter the rear door switch and cause a short circuit, allowing an unlocked rear door to open unexpectedly.

Risk. A door that unexpectedly opens while the vehicle is moving increases the risk of injury.

Remedy. Dealers will modify the rear door switch circuits, free of charge. Owner letters were mailed July 13, 2026. Owners may contact Toyota's customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's numbers for this recall are 26TB03 and 26TA03. This recall expands and replaces NHTSA recall number 24V274. Vehicles repaired under the previous recall will need to have the new remedy performed.

What owners reported

Newest filings
Visibility/Wiper
Filed Jun 7, 2026CA

- Windshield washer fluid reservoir level going low. It is available for inspection. - Safety concern: No liquid to wipe off windshield particles, dirt that may hinder driver visibility. - The issue was brought up to Jaymee of South Coast Toyota, Costa Mesa CA when Prius was taken for delivery May 16,2026. Request to top off made but not performed by dealer on same date. Per Jaymee, dealer top off liquid. - Personally filled reservoir 3 times only to see fluid level to go down. No liquid noticed underneath the Prius. - Further communicated issue with Jaymee and decided to make appointment with Tustin Toyota, Tustin CA., since Prius is under warranty. - May 30, 2026 Tustin Toyota: Prius brought in to dealership to check issue. Per report none found and did stress test. Had discussion with Bobby Ramirez-service manager. Per Bobby, they could not find anything wrong ??? - Toyota headquarters in Texas has been notified and spoke to Austin. He said a case has been opened and will get back to me this week of June 8th.

Exterior LightingCrash
Filed Apr 20, 2026MN

The 2026 Toyota Prius illuminates a road distance on an unlight, rural road of 110 feet on low beam. Parked at the beginning of one white dashed center line, the low beams illuminate two additional white dashed lines. Road lines are a standard 12 ft painted line with a 37 ft interval between lines for a total of 110ft of illuminated road. The average stopping distance of the Toyota Prius traveling at 55mph is ~260 feet. I am able to see less than half the stopping distance of the vehicle. I have hit a deer twice because of the lack of road illumination. Each deer strike was with with two separate 2026 Toyota Prius vehicles. Both vehicles had the same illumination pattern. Fortunately, it was a deer strike, however, imagine for a moment if it were a human walking along the the road or a disabled vehicle. This is a safety concern and does not meet the NHTSA regulation FMVSS N. 108, summarized below. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) regulations under FMVSS No. 108 mandate that low-beam headlights provide sufficient, controlled illumination for night driving while preventing excessive glare, generally aiming to illuminate approximately 200–300 feet ahead. I did complain to Maplewood Toyota about the issue and the Service Team stated they can only adjust the headlight within the Manufacturer's suggested range. This vehicle was purchased as a new, I made an assumption that everything would be properly adjusted coming off the manufacturing floor. Maplewood Toyo

Electrical System
Filed Feb 19, 2026OR

A 2026 Toyota Prius was delivered to me on or about February 5, 2026 while subject to an active federal safety recall involving a rear door electrical switch defect. The recall indicates that water intrusion into the rear door switch can cause an electrical short circuit which may allow a rear door to open while the vehicle is in motion. At the time of delivery, there was no remedy available for this recall. The recall had been announced on January 28, 2026 and was active in both the manufacturer’s system and NHTSA recall lookup at the time the vehicle was leased. Despite the active recall and lack of remedy, the vehicle was delivered for use. The safety risk is that a rear door could open unexpectedly while driving, potentially creating risk of passenger ejection or injury to other motorists. No failure has yet occurred, but the vehicle was delivered under active recall without repair. This complaint concerns delivery of a new vehicle while subject to an unrepaired federal safety recall.

Electrical System
Filed Nov 24, 2025VA

The two outside rear view mirrors on the 2026 Prius have an adjustment problem. When attempting to adjust them they will freeze (won't move), move intermittently, and jerk. The Toyota dealer told me that it is a known problem and all 2026 Priuses have the same problem. He further informed me that Toyota is aware of the problem. He went to another new Prius on the dealership lot and found that its outside rear view mirrors do the very same thing. This is a serious safety issue and the manufacturer should address and remedy it. Toyota nor the dealership have a fix for this problem.

Exterior Lighting
Filed Oct 8, 20251,100 milesMI

The contact owns a 2026 Toyota Prius. The contact stated that while driving at night, the headlights were activated, and the contact became aware of a blind spot on the roadway. The contact stated that there were dark spots coming from the driver’s side headlight. The contact stated that it was difficult to see the roadway while driving at night. There were no warning lights illuminated. The local dealer was contacted, but was unable to fix the vehicle. The dealer informed the contact that it was a new technology failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, filed a complaint, but no additional assistance was provided. The contact requested a vehicle buyback. The approximate failure mileage was 1,100.

5 of 5 complaints, reproduced as filed.

Across model years

Worst on record: 2010
YearComplaintsRecallsFiresDeathsAssessment
2026 — this page5100Routine
202516200Routine
202424400Routine
202319401Fatalities reported
202224100Routine
20216000Routine
202014000Routine
201930300Routine
201836100Routine
201791320Routine
2016154500Routine
2015165113Fatalities reported
2014207310Above average
2013409330Above average
2012422620Above average
2011518670Above average
20102,82210132Fatalities reported
2009502642Fatalities reported
20081,497467Fatalities reported
20072,003491Fatalities reported
20061,439651Fatalities reported
20051,051641Fatalities reported
2004610620Above average
200399100Routine
2002167245Fatalities reported
2001165330Routine
20004000Routine

Compare every Prius year →

Reading this record

No unusual pattern of severe incidents in the complaint record.

Complaint counts track how many cars were sold and how long they have been on the road as much as they track quality. A common model from 2013 has had a decade to accumulate reports; a rare one from last year has not. The signal worth weighing is in the severity columns, in whether the same component keeps appearing, and in whether the manufacturer eventually opened a recall for it.

Recall repairs are free for as long as the recall stands. Check whether a specific car still has open work at NHTSA's VIN lookup.

Most recent recall on file: Jan 28, 2026. Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation.