Owner-reported complaints naming the powertrain system, filed with NHTSA
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Powertrain reports that are not specifically the engine or transmission — driveshafts, axles, transfer cases and differentials. Every record below is an owner-reported complaint about the 2016 Toyota Prius submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 14 reports on file name it.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
Shown in the owner’s own words, exactly as filed
My car suddenly stopped in the middle of the road with message "Hybrid system stopped steering power low". Safety concern to this happen on the middle of road during rain or cold.
During summer months when temperatures are above 100 degrees when accelerating from a complete stop I can hear the engine rev and the RPMs increase but the vehicle will move at 1-2 mph. Even if the accelerator is to the floor. After 3-4 seconds the tires will squeal and the vehicle will be jolted forward then it will slowly accelerate. This happens occasionally and I have taken it to a Toyota dealership and a chain mechanic shop, neither have been able to recreate the problem. There are no warnings and no error codes. I have been stuck in the middle of intersections trying to turn left, I have not been hit, but I fear it will happen. There is a recall out for this issue on other Priuses and I believe the issue needs to be investigated further as there is another complaint on this site for the same issue and I have found it on other sites. I bought the car in fall of 2019 and this problem has been occurring since summer of 2020.
When the battery cooling fan is running, the car is slow to accelerate or will not accelerate at all. The incident has happened multiple times over the past year when the temperatures are above 90. If at a complete stop, the car will not accelerate, it will only jerk forward. The car has to be turned off and restarted to be able to accelerate. If braking or reducing speed, the car will be sluggish, and I have not been able to get the speed over 40 mph. I have taken it to the dealership, but they said they could not recreate the issue, though I do not believe that they followed the directions I gave them to recreate the problem. No warning lights appear when the issue occurs, so they did not have an answer. The first time the incident occurred, I had just had the scheduled maintenance completed two days earlier and they did not find anything in the inspection that needed to be repaired. The first time the incident occurred, I was at a stop light trying to make a right turn. The incident has occurred twice when trying to pull on to the highway and accelerate up to speed.
Overheating light began flashing while driving 5/21/22. Drove to Napa Auto Parts and saw coolant reservoir was empty. Bought anti-freeze and filled reservoir. Upon arrival at destination, reservoir was empty again. Filled it again. Upon the next morning, reservoir was empty again. Took it to an auto-shop which found that the exhaust heat exchanger in my car has failed and is leaking coolant. Please see Applicable technical service bulletin, T-SB 0135-19. While the car is less than 96 months old, it is above 80k miles. I see this issue has been escalated in California, where the warranty is for 96 months and 150k miles. Want to report that the change in miles between states is disappointing. This issue is common and should be handled as a known recall, not just a known issue.
Over the course of the last year, I have noticed an increasingly louder clicking noise coming from the front left (driver side) wheel area upon breaking. The noise goes away if I shift into neutral, so I'm nearly positive that this is related to the axle/CV joint. I've also conducted extensive research on this issue and it is a common problem encountered by other Gen4 Prius owners. Toyota even issued a TSB for this issue in December of 2018 (T-SB-0157-18), NHTSA No. 10153229. My car had its powertrain warranty lapse earlier this year, but I know for a fact that this has been covered out of warranty because I've corresponded with other Prius owners who had Toyota cover the repair of this defect/glitch. I am trying to avoid a catastrophic breakdown of my CV joint if I'm driving on the highway and I'd appreciate it if NHTSA would be able to compel Toyota to help with the repair of this issue. I've had no luck dealing with either the dealership, or the corporate office at Toyota. They do not seem to be taking any ownership of this issue nor taking demonstrating any accountability.
Vehicle stalls for 5-10 seconds when stopped at a red light. Seems to happen sporadically and is difficult to reproduce. There have been other reports of it online here: https://priuschat.com/threads/tsb-nimh-only-reduced-power-when-accelerating-from-a-stop.187455/ https://priuschat.com/threads/2017-prius-2-no-acceleration-movement-from-full-stop.209317/ https://priuschat.com/threads/2016-prius-2-stalling.200606/
CAR DOES NOT ACCELERATE FROM A STOP WHEN PRESSING THE GAS PETAL WHILE CAR IS IN DRIVE. THIS SEEMS TO HAPPEN ONLY IN THE SUMMER MONTHS. WHILE PULLING UP TO A RED LIGHT I SLOWED THE CAR TO A STOP. WHEN THE LIGHT TURNED GREEN I LET MY FOOT OFF THE BRAKE, CAR MOTIONED FORWARD A BIT BUT WHEN I PRESSED MY FOOT ON THE GAS PETAL THE ENGINE WOULD REV BUT WOULD NOT ACCELERATE IN ANY WAY. I PUT THE CAR IN REVERSE TO TRY AND GET OUT OF MAIN ROAD TRAFFIC BUT CAR CONTINUED TO HAVE NO POWER. I THEN PUT THE CAR INTO DRIVE, PUT MY FOOT ON THE GAS PETAL AND AGAIN, ENGINE WOULD REV BUT CAR WOULD NOT ACCELERATE. THIS IS VERY DANGEROUS AS THE CAR WILL ROLL FORWARD WHEN TAKING YOUR FOOT OFF THE BRAKE, SO YOU CAN ROLL INTO THE MIDDLE OF A HIGHWAY BEFORE YOU REALIZE THERE IS NO ACCELERATION PUTTING DRIVERS AT GREAT RISK OF BEING T-BONED WHILE ATTEMPTING TO TURN (ESPECIALLY LEFT TURNS). I HAVE TAKEN THE CAR TO TOYOTA TWICE AND SERVICE CAN NOT FIND ANY ISSUES AS NO CODES HAVE SHOWN UP. THE SOFTWARE WAS UPDATED AND ISSUE OCCURRED AGAIN AFTER UPDATE.
2016 TOYOTA PRIUS HAS ISSUES ACCELERATING WHEN PUT IN DRIVE AND FOOT IS ON THE GAS PETAL. CAR ENGINE WILL REV BUT DOES NOT ACCELERATE. I REVERSED, PUT THE CAR IN DRIVE AND WENT ABOUT A TENTH OF A MILE AND STOPPED TO WAIT FOR THE GATE TO OPEN. UPON GATE OPENING I PRESSED THE GAS PETAL AND CAR DID NOT MOVE BUT THE ENGINE REVVED. NO WARNING LIGHTS WERE ON AND CAR WAS IN FACT IN THE DRIVE POSITION. SECOND OCCURRENCE HAPPENED AT A MAJOR INTERSECTION, I WAS WAITING AT A RED LIGHT, LIGHT TURNED GREEN I PRESSED THE GAS AND ENGINE REVVED BUT CAR DID NOT MOVE. TOYOTA HAS BEEN UNABLE TO DIAGNOSE THE ISSUE BECAUSE THE CAR DOESN'T GIVE ANY CODES OR WARNING LIGHTS. THEY HAVE BEEN UNABLE TO REPLICATE THE PROBLEM.
LEFT CV AXLE JOINT DISCONNECTED.THIS HAPPEN IN CITY WHEN IN MOTION.
WHEN THE CAR IS IN DRIVE AND STATIONARY ON A HILL FACING UP WARDS (LIKE IN A DRIVEWAY) THE CAR STILL SENDS ELECTRICAL POWER TO THE ELECTRIC MOTOR AND TO THE WHEELS EVEN WHEN THE BRAKES ARE APPLIED. THIS ONLY HAPPENS WHEN FACING UP A HILL. ALL ELECTRICAL POWER IS SUPPOSE TO TURN OFF WHEN THE BRAKE IS PRESSED. THIS STARTED HAPPENING TWO WEEKS AGO AND THE DEALERSHIP SAID THAT THIS IS NORMAL BUT IT IS NOT NORMAL AS IT NEVER DID THIS BEFORE. IT DOES NOT HAPPEN WHEN ON FLAT GROUND OR WHEN FACING DOWN HILL. DEALERSHIP CLAIMED THAT THIS IS THE HILL ASSIST FEATURE HOLDING THE CAR BUT THAT'S A LIE AS THE HILL ASSIST UTILIZES THE BRAKES AND NOT THE MOTOR. DEALERSHIP COULD NOT FIND ANY ERROR CODES AND REFUSED TO DIG FURTHER INTO THE ISSUE AND MADE UP LIES ABOUT IT.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2016 TOYOTA PRIUS. WHILE ACCELERATING FROM A STOP, THE VEHICLE JERKED AND WOULD NOT MOVE. THE VEHICLE WAS ABLE TO BE DRIVEN TO HAMER TOYOTA (11041 SEPULVEDA BLVD, MISSION HILLS, CA 91345), BUT THEY COULD NOT DETECT ANY FAILURES. THREE MONTHS LATER, THE SAME FAILURE OCCURRED AND THE VEHICLE HAD TO BE TOWED FROM THE LOCATION. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 22,000. THE VIN WAS UNAVAILABLE.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2016 TOYOTA PRIUS. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 16V741000 (PARKING BRAKE); HOWEVER, THE TECHNICIAN DID NOT COMPLETE THE RECALL REPAIR. THE CONTACT DID NOT DISCLOSE THE REASONING FOR THE DEALER NOT PERFORMING THE REPAIR. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME FOR THE RECALL REPAIR. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE ISSUE. PARTS DISTRIBUTION DISCONNECT.
VEHICLE FEELS LIKE IT WANTS TO GO FORWARD AS SOON AS THE GAS ENGINE TURNS ON TO CHARGE THE HYBRID BATTERY WHEN IT IS STATIONARY, IS IN PARK GEAR WITH THE FOOT PARKING BRAKE FULLY ON AND ON A FLAT SURFACE. WHEN THE CAR IS RUNNING OFF OF BATTERY MODE AND THE BATTERY BECOMES DEPLETED THE GAS ENGINE TURNS ON TO CHARGE THE HYBRID BATTERY, YOU CAN FEEL THE CAR SENDING POWER TO THE WHEELS FOR A SLIGHT TWO SECONDS AND CAN ALSO HEAR THE BRAKES CREAKING AS A RESULT OF THE ENGINE FEELING ENGAGED TO THE WHEELS EVEN WHEN THE PARK GEAR (/BUTTON) IS SELECTED. IT HAPPENS ALL THE TIME AND NOT SURE WHY IT WOULD DO THAT WHILE IN PARK. IF A PARKING BRAKE FAILURE WAS TO HAPPEN WHAT WOULD HAPPEN WHEN THE ENGINE TURNS ON TO CHARGE THE BATTERY AGAIN? WILL IT CREEP FORWARD OR WHAT? JUST THOUGHT THIS WAS A CONCERN SINCE I HAVE NOT EXPERIENCED THIS WITH NON HYBRID CARS.
AS I LEFT WORK MY INDICATOR SHOWED A FULL BATTERY ALL BARS IN BLUE. AS I WAS DRIVING DOWN THE COAST I NOTICED THE BATTERY STARTED TO QUICKLY DEPLETE, IN APPROX 8.6 MILES MY INDICATOR SHOWED 1 BLUE BAR. AT THAT TIME I WAS MAKING A LEFT ONTO THE CANYON ROAD. I THOUGHT THIS WAS ODD. AS I TURNED LEFT NOTICED A DECREASE IN ACCELERATION POWER. DIDN'T THINK MUCH OF IT BUT ABOUT UNTIL ABOUT 2 MILES IN I NOTICED THE PRIUS STARTED LOSING ACCELERATION POWER THE MOTOR WAS RUNNING AND THE INDICATOR DID NOT SHOW THAT IT WAS IN EV MODE EVEN COASTING THROUGH THE CANYON AND BRAKING. I HAD TO ACCELERATE TO COME UP A SLOPE THROUGH A TUNNEL I HAD ALMOST NO ACCELERATION POWER. THE CAR FELT LIKE IT WAS HESITATING I THINK BY THE DOWN HILL COAST AND A FEW SPURTS OF POWER SURGES I WAS ABLE TO MAKE IT THROUGH THE TUNNEL BY THE 5TH MILE I HAD NO POWER TO ACCELERATE LUCKILY THERE WAS A ROAD WHERE I COULD MAKE A RIGHT. AS I COASTED TO THE INTERSECTION I TURNED RIGHT THEN ATTEMPTED TO PULL A UTURN ON A PATCH OF DIRT AS I WAS 3/4 OF THE THROUGH THE TURN THERE WAS ZERO POWER THE VEHICLE WAS ON BUT NO POWER ENGINE CUT OUT. NO CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WHATSOEVER I GOT SUCK IN THE MIDDLE OF THE 2 LANE HIGHWAY BLOCKING BOTH DIRECTIONS! I PUT ON MY HAZARDS AND ATTEMPTED TO PUT THE CAR IN NEUTRAL IT INDICATED IT WAS IN NEUTRAL, THEN I SHIFTED TO DRIVE BUT AGAIN NO POWER THE CAR WAS JUST MAKING A NOISE AND LIKE A VERY FAINT GRINDING NOISE. AT THIS POINT CARS WERE ON BOTH LANES TRYING TO HEAD EACH DIRECTION I HAD TO GET OUT AND PUSH THE CAR BACKWARDS TO GET 1 TIRE OFF THE SIDE GRADE THEN I WAS STILL SIDEWAYS IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD. I CYCLE THE CAR 3 TIMES BY PUTTING IT IN PARK WITH PARKING BRAKE WITH NO LUCK, OR POWER. IT WASN'T UNTIL 4TH TRY IT GOT SOME POWER THE ENGINE KICKED ON AND I WAS ABLE TO PULL BACK IN THE RIGHT LANE AND I WAS STUCK AT THE CORNER WITH MY HAZARDS ON. *TR
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.
Categories with enough reports to have a page of their own
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