2021 Toyota Prius Owner Complaints
Complaint Summary
The 2021 Toyota Prius has 10 reported complaints.
- Top issues involve engine and wheels.
Reliability Score
Reliability Score
Based on 10 complaints
Most Frequent Issues
ENGINE
2 20%
WHEELS
1 10%
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
1 10%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
1 10%
SERVICE BRAKES
1 10%
Quick Insights
The top category is ENGINE, accounting for 20% of all complaints.
Owners have reported issues across 9 distinct vehicle systems.
Note: Complaint data reflects owner reports and may not always indicate a verified defect. Compare with Recalls and TSBs for a complete picture.
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What owners keep reporting on the 2021 Toyota Prius
The 2021 Toyota Prius has 10 owner complaints in this dataset. ENGINE is the most common complaint category, representing about 20% of the reports shown here.
Most common complaint categories
The top complaint groups for the 2021 Toyota Prius are ENGINE (2), WHEELS (1), FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM (1).
Are these complaints a serious red flag?
Potentially. 5 complaint reports involve higher-attention systems like brakes, steering, engine, powertrain, fuel, suspension, airbags, or electrical components, which is enough to justify a focused inspection.
What should buyers inspect on a used 2021 Toyota Prius?
Start with the top complaint systems, compare them against the recall report, then inspect service records for evidence that those same areas were already repaired or monitored.
Detailed Complaint Log
Showing 9 of 9 systems
ENGINE
2 Reports20% of totalPreviewing the first 2 complaint summaries.
CARBON MONOXIDE SEEPS INTO THE PASSENGER CAR BUT DILLER CANNOT FIND IT AND DID NOT HAVE TOOLS TO DETECT CO LEVEL IN THE CAR. I CAN'T USE THIS CAR BECAUSE WAS POISONED MANY TIMES AND AFTER A SECOND CHECK-UP, THE LEVEL OF CO BECOMES HIGHER SO I CAN'T DRIVE THE CAR WITHOUT POISONING. PLEASE HELP ME. I AM WORRYING TO SELL MY CAR BECAUSE OTHER DRIVER WILL GET INJURY. THIS IS THE NEW CAR ONLY 7000 MILES.
5/11/2021
The car accelerated without my foot on the accelerator, brake did not respond, and I had to drive through grass and a rock-filled ditch until after about 10 seconds the car returned to my control.
6/13/2023
WHEELS
1 Report10% of totalPreviewing the first 1 complaint summaries.
WHILE DRIVING ON THE I 4 WE HAD A BLOWOUT ON THE REAR PASSENGER TIRE. THE CAR HAD LESS THAN 200 MILES ON IT SO IT WAS BRAND NEW. THE DEALERSHIP FOUND OBJECT IN THE TIRE THAT COULD HAVE CAUSE THE PROBLEM THE ONLY CONCLUSION I COULD COME TO IS THAT THIS TIRE WAS DEFECTIVE. THE DEALERSHIP SAID I COULD HAVE RUN OVER A LARGE OBJECT OR A LARGE POTHOLE, WHICH I DOUBT.
3/25/2021
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
1 Report10% of totalPreviewing the first 1 complaint summaries.
CARBON MONOXIDE SEEPS INTO THE PASSENGER CAR BUT DILLER CANNOT FIND IT AND DID NOT HAVE TOOLS TO DETECT CO LEVEL IN THE CAR. I CAN'T USE THIS CAR BECAUSE WAS POISONED MANY TIMES AND AFTER A SECOND CHECK-UP, THE LEVEL OF CO BECOMES HIGHER SO I CAN'T DRIVE THE CAR WITHOUT POISONING. PLEASE HELP ME. I AM WORRYING TO SELL MY CAR BECAUSE OTHER DRIVER WILL GET INJURY. THIS IS THE NEW CAR ONLY 7000 MILES.
5/11/2021
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
1 Report10% of totalPreviewing the first 1 complaint summaries.
CARBON MONOXIDE SEEPS INTO THE PASSENGER CAR BUT DILLER CANNOT FIND IT AND DID NOT HAVE TOOLS TO DETECT CO LEVEL IN THE CAR. I CAN'T USE THIS CAR BECAUSE WAS POISONED MANY TIMES AND AFTER A SECOND CHECK-UP, THE LEVEL OF CO BECOMES HIGHER SO I CAN'T DRIVE THE CAR WITHOUT POISONING. PLEASE HELP ME. I AM WORRYING TO SELL MY CAR BECAUSE OTHER DRIVER WILL GET INJURY. THIS IS THE NEW CAR ONLY 7000 MILES.
5/11/2021
SERVICE BRAKES
1 Report10% of totalPreviewing the first 1 complaint summaries.
The car accelerated without my foot on the accelerator, brake did not respond, and I had to drive through grass and a rock-filled ditch until after about 10 seconds the car returned to my control.
6/13/2023
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
1 Report10% of totalPreviewing the first 1 complaint summaries.
The car accelerated without my foot on the accelerator, brake did not respond, and I had to drive through grass and a rock-filled ditch until after about 10 seconds the car returned to my control.
6/13/2023
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL
1 Report10% of totalPreviewing the first 1 complaint summaries.
The Lane keeping assist used in radar cruise control mode during some drive cycles will attempt to maintain the vehicle position to the far extreme of the lane and in some cases actively veer out of the lane. My safety ant others can be put at risk when the vehicle behaves outside of its design parameters like this. To solve the issue the vehicle must be pulled over, turned off, then restarted. After the restart it will resume functioning normally, maintaining lane positioning as intended within the limits of the system. The trigger for this is unknown but could be speculated that it is drive cycle dependent and may start during initialization. The problem has not been reproduced by a dealer or service center due to its intermittent nature. There are no warning indicators or lamps on when this occurs.
7/14/2023
LANE DEPARTURE: ASSIST
1 Report10% of totalPreviewing the first 1 complaint summaries.
The Lane keeping assist used in radar cruise control mode during some drive cycles will attempt to maintain the vehicle position to the far extreme of the lane and in some cases actively veer out of the lane. My safety ant others can be put at risk when the vehicle behaves outside of its design parameters like this. To solve the issue the vehicle must be pulled over, turned off, then restarted. After the restart it will resume functioning normally, maintaining lane positioning as intended within the limits of the system. The trigger for this is unknown but could be speculated that it is drive cycle dependent and may start during initialization. The problem has not been reproduced by a dealer or service center due to its intermittent nature. There are no warning indicators or lamps on when this occurs.
7/14/2023
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
1 Report10% of totalPreviewing the first 1 complaint summaries.
The contact owns a 2021 Toyota Prius. The contact stated while driving approximately 35 - 45 MPH, the vehicle independently accelerated. The brake pedal was depressed but failed to stop the vehicle immediately. The contact swerved around the vehicle in front and ended up on the opposite side of the roadway. The contact attempted to avoid oncoming traffic and swerving around all the other vehicles and ended up in a ravine. The contact's husband depressed the START/STOP button from the passengerâs side to turn off the vehicle, enabling the vehicle to come to a stop. The contact restarted the vehicle and continued to drive the vehicle to the dealer at slow speeds. The dealer was unable to determine the cause of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure by the dealer. The failure mileage was 56,000.
9/18/2024
Data and Methodology
Scores are derived from NHTSA recalls and owner complaints, normalized by vehicle segment averages.
What are the most common owner complaints for the 2021 Toyota Prius?
Are complaints about the 2021 Toyota Prius a serious warning sign?
How should buyers use complaint data for the 2021 Toyota Prius?
Are complaints about the 2021 Toyota Prius severe?
Complaint list entries are sourced from owner-submitted NHTSA ODI records.
Toyota Prius: How should complaint data influence buying decisions?
Carfocal links complaint data directly to recall and maintenance routes for the same model year.
- Complaint entries
- 10
- Top-topic view
- 5 grouped topics shown
- Primary source
- NHTSA ODI owner complaint records
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