2017 Toyota Prius Plug-In Hybrid Problems
Owner-reported complaints filed with NHTSA, grouped by component
Data refreshed
What this page shows
Everything below is an owner-reported complaint submitted to NHTSA about the 2017 Toyota Prius Plug-In Hybrid, grouped by the component NHTSA recorded on the report. These are not confirmed defects, and they are not recalls. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a category with more reports in it is not evidence that a part is defective.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
Reports by component
Ranked by how many owner reports name each component category
- Visibility330.0%
- Body & structure220.0%
- Interior & seats220.0%
- Exterior lighting110.0%
- Other / unspecified110.0%
- Suspension110.0%
Percentages are of component mentions. A single complaint can name more than one component, so these do not sum to the total complaint count.
Each component in detail
What the reports in each category say, in the owners' own words
Visibility
Reports naming windshields, glass, wipers, defrosters and mirrors.
From owner reports, verbatim
SUMMARY: HAVE OWNED MY PRIUS PRIME FOR EIGHT MONTHS AND HAVE NEEDED TO REPAIR ONE WINDSHIELD CHIP, REPLACE MY WINDSHIELD ONCE, AND CURRENTLY HAVE ANOTHER CRACK THAT CANNOT BE REPAIRED. DETAILS: PURCHASED MY PRIUS PRIME DEC 10, 2017. ON DEC 20, 2017, GOT A CHIP IN MY WINDSHIELD WHILE DRIVING TO WORK ALONG THE LOCAL HIGHWAY AND WAS ABLE TO GET IT REPAIRED SAME-DAY. IN JUNE 2018, GOT ANOTHER CHIP IN MY WINDSHIELD AND THE CRACK SPREAD BEYOND REPAIR ALMOST IMMEDIATELY. STARTED THE PROCESS TO HAVE IT REPLACED AND IT TOOK APPROXIMATELY SIX WEEKS AND THREE APPOINTMENTS WITH SAFELITE BEFORE THEY HAD THE CORRECT WINDSHIELD WITH THE CORRECT PARTS. ACCORDING TO SAFELITE, TOYOTA HAD CHANGED THE DESIGN OF THE WINDSHIELD AND THE NEW DESIGN WAS ON BACKORDER. PAID MY $500 DEDUCTIBLE FOR THIS REPLACEMENT. ON AUGUST 8, 2018, JUST A FEW WEEKS AFTER REPLACING THE WINDSHIELD, I GOT ANOTHER CHIP THAT ALSO SPREAD BEYOND REPAIR IMMEDIATELY. AS OF THIS WRITING, I HAVE NOT YET REPLACED THE WINDSHIELD FOR THE SECOND TIME. AFTER DOING RESEARCH, I FOUND THERE IS A CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT, FILED IN MARCH 2018, RELATED TO THESE DEFECTIVE WINDSHIELDS. ATTACHED ARE RECEIPTS FROM SAFELITE SHOWING THE CHIP REPAIR, PAYMENT OF MY DEDUCTIBLE, AND PICTURES OF THE CURRENT CRACK.
TRAVELING AT APPROXIMATELY 35 MPH, A SMALL ROCK THROWN UP BY ONCOMING TRAFFIC HIT THE LOWER LEFT EDGE OF THE WINDSHIELD, A LARGE CRACK EXTENDING MORE THAN HALFWAY ACROSS THE DRIVERS SIDE WINDSHIELD APPEARED. THIS APPEARS TO BE A COMMON ISSUE WITH NEWER TOYOTA HYBRIDS. TOYOTA DEALERSHIP HAS QUOTED $1500 TO REPLACE WINDSHIELD AND RE-CALIBRATE SAFETY EQUIPMENT.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Body & structure
Reports naming the vehicle structure, frame, body panels, doors, hood and trim.
From owner reports, verbatim
CAR HAS LOUD CONTINUOUS CREAKING/SQUEAKING NOISE FROM LEFT REAR OF THE CAR. SOUNDS LIKE IT IS COMING FROM THE SUSPENSION OR BODY FLEXING WHEN DRIVING. IT OCCURS WHEN TURNING AND REVERSING OUT OF PARKING SPACES. ALSO HAPPENS WHEN CAR IS GOING UPHILL AND DOWNHILL AND ON WINDING ROADS. DRIVER SEAT ALSO SQUEAKS WHEN IN A CERTAIN POSITION. SQUEAKING/CREAKING FROM REAR LEFT SIDE OF THE CAR CAN BE DANGEROUS IF COMING FROM THE WHEEL AREA OR SUSPENSION.
THE WINDSHIELD OF OUR 2017 PRIUS PRIME SUSTAINED DAMAGE WHILE TRAVELING ON A HIGHWAY. THE STONE WAS PEA SIZED AND SHOULD NOT HAVE CRACKED THE WINDSHIELD AT THE SPEED OF 50MPH.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Interior & seats
Reports naming seats, latches, locks, linkages and interior fittings.
From owner reports, verbatim
HEAD RESTRAINT (HEAD REST). PUSHES HEAD FORWARD. CAUSES NECK/BACK DISCOMFORT. HEAD STRIKING HEAD RESTRAINT ON ROUGH ROAD FEELS LIKE A CONCUSSION! LONG DRIVES ARE MISERABLE. SEAT ADJUSTMENTS FAIL TO OVERCOME THE ISSUE. 5'3" WOMAN. I HAD A PRIUS 2006 AND IT WAS JUST FINE. THIS PRIUS SEAT IS SO UNCOMFORTABLE I MIGHT SELL IT.
CAR HAS LOUD CONTINUOUS CREAKING/SQUEAKING NOISE FROM LEFT REAR OF THE CAR. SOUNDS LIKE IT IS COMING FROM THE SUSPENSION OR BODY FLEXING WHEN DRIVING. IT OCCURS WHEN TURNING AND REVERSING OUT OF PARKING SPACES. ALSO HAPPENS WHEN CAR IS GOING UPHILL AND DOWNHILL AND ON WINDING ROADS. DRIVER SEAT ALSO SQUEAKS WHEN IN A CERTAIN POSITION. SQUEAKING/CREAKING FROM REAR LEFT SIDE OF THE CAR CAN BE DANGEROUS IF COMING FROM THE WHEEL AREA OR SUSPENSION.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Exterior lighting
Reports naming headlights, tail lights, turn signals and other exterior lighting.
From owner reports, verbatim
BRIGHT LED HEADLIGHTS ISN'T THE ISSUE JUST WITH MY PRIUS PRIME BUT WITH ALMOST ALL NEW VEHICLES ON THE ROAD THAT I PRESUME HAVE LED LIGHTS. THE LIGHTS ARE SO BRIGHT THAT IT BOTHERS THE DRIVER OF THE ONCOMING VEHICLE OR TRAFFIC. I FACE THAT ISSUE WHILE DRIVING AND CAN IMAGINE THE SAME WITH THE DRIVER OF THE ONCOMING VEHICLE. THERE ARE INSTANCES WHEN DRIVERS FLASH THEIR HEADLIGHTS ASKING TO USE LOW-BEAM WHILE I AM ALREADY USING THE LOW-BEAM LIGHT SETTING. LAST NIGHT 3/6/2018, AN IRRITATED DRIVERS JUST BRUSHED OFF MY CAR ON A COUNTY ROAD THINKING THAT I AM NOT RESPONDING TO HIS FLASHING LIGHT SIGNAL OR ASK TO USE LOW-BEAM ON MY CAR. I SEE EXCESSIVE BRIGHT LIGHTS ON NEWER CARS AS A SAFETY ISSUE WHILE DRIVING.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Other / unspecified
Reports whose component NHTSA recorded as unknown, or that do not map to one of the categories above.
From owner reports, verbatim
I HAVE 9150 MILES ON MY CAR. GOING 80MPH ON THE HIGHWAY MY RIGHT REAR TIRE BLEW OUT. THE TIRES ARE TOYO NANOENERGY A29. THE TIRE BLEW OUT ON THE SIDE OF THE TIRE FACING THE CAR. I DID NOT HIT ANYTHING. TOYOTA REFUSED TO PAY FOR THE TIRE EVEN THOUGH THEY ARE STILL UNDER WARRANTY. THEY EVEN CHARGED ME FOR LABOR.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Suspension
Reports naming suspension components — springs, struts, shocks, control arms and related hardware.
From owner reports, verbatim
CAR HAS LOUD CONTINUOUS CREAKING/SQUEAKING NOISE FROM LEFT REAR OF THE CAR. SOUNDS LIKE IT IS COMING FROM THE SUSPENSION OR BODY FLEXING WHEN DRIVING. IT OCCURS WHEN TURNING AND REVERSING OUT OF PARKING SPACES. ALSO HAPPENS WHEN CAR IS GOING UPHILL AND DOWNHILL AND ON WINDING ROADS. DRIVER SEAT ALSO SQUEAKS WHEN IN A CERTAIN POSITION. SQUEAKING/CREAKING FROM REAR LEFT SIDE OF THE CAR CAN BE DANGEROUS IF COMING FROM THE WHEEL AREA OR SUSPENSION.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers.
Elsewhere on this vehicle
Data sources
- NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation — owner-reported complaints and the components recorded on them
Data on this page last refreshed .