2020 Toyota Prius Prime: problems, recalls and reliability
1 recall and 16 owner complaints on record; most reports concern visibility/wiper.
Data updated weekly · latest recall Jul 2019
All counts are reports filed with NHTSA in the United States - US market only, not worldwide totals.
Common problems
Computed from 16 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for this exact model year.
“The contact owns a 2020 Toyota Prius Prime. The contact stated that while pulling into a parking lot, traveling down the aisle, and driving around the end cap to the second aisle, pulling into the parking spot at 5 MPH, the vehicle suddenly accelerated. The wheels squealed. The vehicle traveled through the spot and sideswiped another vehicle, and stopped. There were no reported injuries or fire. A police report was filed. The vehicle was serviced a week prior. The local dealer was contacted, who referred to the manufacturer. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 54,300.”Owner report · Vehicle Speed Control · Sep 2025
“The contact owns a 2020 Toyota Prius Prime. The contact stated while driving at approximately 40 MPH, the brake pedal was depressed while making a left turn onto another road, but the vehicle failed to slow down. The contact stated that the brake pedal was vibrating, and the vehicle felt like it was skidding on ice. The contact stated the vehicle maintained the position in lane but was not slowing down as intended. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact had not taken the vehicle to a local dealer or independent mechanic. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 67,000.”Owner report · Service Brakes, Hydraulic · Feb 2025
“The car had about 8000 miles on it. It was parked in Garage the night before. In the morning the outside temperature was 39F. During my 30 minutes driving, the front defrost was turned on. Afterwards it was parked on driveway and at that time the windshield was fine. 6 hours later, I noticed a spiderweb like crack under the camera section on the front windshield. The crack was about 11 inch long. It looks like the glass could not handle the temperature change.”Owner report · Visibility/Wiper · Jan 2024
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“The right side outside mirror glass detached and fell off while driving down the road. There was no noticeable defect on the vehicle prior to this and no known reason for this to happen. The vehicle was operating normally and was not involved in any sort of unusual maneuvering or crash. Upon taking it to the Toyota dealership it was found that glass did in fact detach on its own and needed to replace the entire mirror mechanism. This is obviously a safety concern for the driver due to a required mirror missing and also a safety hazard that could impact another motorist by this glass flying and hitting another car.”Owner report · Visibility · Aug 2023
“I was driving yesterday on Freeway in the 2nd lane ,all of a sudden car went from drive to neutral,I didn't touch transmission gear lever and I put gas And it says it is on neutral N,I was in dangerous situation, the other cars were flying by,I put on hazard lights Slowly changed lanes because it was not on D drive mode,pulled it over to Shoulder applied brakes and shift to D Then proceeded back to freeway, I was very scare in this whole ordeal”Owner report · Power Train · Aug 2022
“The outer side of my r front passenger tire blew out in two places,(not near the tread area) while driving on a good highway road surface approx 50 mph. 3400 miles total on the odometer. No bump when I heard the tire pop.”Owner report · Tires · Feb 2021
“The display on the media-control unit would sometimes go blank, in part or entirely. The touchscreen issues interfered with drivers' ability to use heat, air conditioning, defrost and defogging systems. This has happened at least 30 times during the past year. The last incident occurred on 01/13/2021. This happens while in motion. It also happened on my 2017 prius prime many times. This problem has been reported to toyota by many owners. No solution has been forthcoming. This is the same issue that prompted the current tesla recall. The prius chat online site mentions this type of issue mant times.”Owner report · Electrical System · Jan 2021
“I was going to park my car in parking lot of my apartment. I pushed the baker, the car didn't decrease the speed or stop, but accelerated. It was just out of control and crashed to the wall. The sensor system didn't do any job, not even a warning.”Owner report · Service Brakes · Nov 2020
“Mice chewed through wires and air filter, causing damage to the hybrid system. The check hybrid system warning sign came on and the car running rough. Toyota dealer charged $13066.81 for the damage.”Owner report · Power Train · Nov 2020
“On multiple occasions, frost developing on the inside of the windshield while vehicle parked in the parking lot at work 2 times(jan 17th and the 30th at home and at work in the morning and after work) and another time while vehicle parked at home in the driveway. It takes 20 or more minutes to defrost the windshield.the wipers cause visibility problems due to the water and snow turning to ice.”Owner report · Visibility/Wiper · Jan 2020
When filing, owners marked a crash in 5 of these complaints and injuries in 0 - self-reported to NHTSA, not verified accident statistics.
Recalls - 1 campaign
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.
Check your exact Prius Prime by VIN
Recalls and equipment differ between individual vehicles. Decode your VIN to see what applies to yours.
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Is the 2020 Toyota Prius Prime reliable?
NHTSA has 16 owner complaints and 1 recall campaign on record for the 2020 Toyota Prius Prime. The most complained-about area is visibility/wiper.
Does the 2020 Toyota Prius Prime have open recalls?
1 recall campaign has been issued, the latest concerning electronic stability control (esc). Check your specific vehicle by VIN - recall repairs are free at franchised dealers.
Source: NHTSA recall campaigns and owner complaints (public domain). Counts reflect reports on file and are not a defect rate.