10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
3 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
50,607 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2013 Toyota Prius c electrical problems

electrical problem

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2013 Toyota Prius c Owner Comments

problem #16

Sep 162022

Prius c

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

According to Toyota Dealership, "WILL NEED TO REPLACE (MG1) HV TRANSAXLE UNIT AS 1ST STEP IN ORDER TO TO BE ABLE TO PROCEED WITH DIAGNOSE AND CHECKED FOR ANY OTHER SHORTED COMPONENTS". Vehicle is available for inspection. Vehicle was being driven on a city street towards a red light when the vehicle experienced a jolt and lost complete acceleration power and a "Check Hybrid System" was displayed on the dashboard. Luckily all vehicles behind were already coming to a stop for the red light, otherwise, the safety of my family and myself may have been put in more serious harm. Vehicle able to crawl to a nearby gas station. Attempted to use remaining battery power to drive back to residence nearby, but lost all battery power/function and puled into a bus lane where vehicle was towed from. There were no warning lights or messages displayed prior to the incident. Toyota Dealership performed DTC verification 3 times and found to verify P0A94 detail code 172 is the persistent DTC when memory is cleared. They also inspected the vehicle for concern and were able to verify Check Engine Light is ON, vehicle is on "Limp Mode" and does not "Ready ON". The vehicle has not been inspected by anyone else other than the Toyota Dealership.

- Simi Valley, CA, USA

problem #15

Apr 012020

Prius c

  • 66,000 miles
The contact owns a 2013 Toyota Prius C. The contact stated that while driving at slow speeds, the vehicle stalled as a system failure warning message appeared on the instrument panel. The vehicle inadvertently turned. The vehicle was restarted but shifted into limp mode with the message displayed. The contact was able to restart the vehicle and then drove the vehicle to the residence. Upon investigation, the contact discovered NHTSA Campaign Number: 20V369000 (Hybrid Propulsion System) and 14V053000 (Hybrid Propulsion System, Electrical System) which she linked to the failure. Neither the dealer nor the manufacturer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 66,000.

- Fort Worth, TX, USA

problem #14

May 012021

Prius c

  • miles
Without warning my 2013 prius C stalled on the freeway with a hybrid battery warning. When the car was shut off it had intermittent problems with starting. After jumping the car battery, it ran normally again for some time before the stalling problem persisted. The hybrid battery stopped running and I received a warning light. Diagnostics at my repair shop said it was an inverter issue.I see that toyota has recalled several models for similar issues with the inverter. When the car is jumped it seems to work for a short time before stalling out again. Has created a real safety issue for me and there is a real lack of information on behalf of toyota on whether or not it will be covered under existing models. It seems like every model toyota from this year was recalled for an inverter issue. The car does run normally on occasion, charges the battery, and will run on EV, but mostly remains in a stalled out low power mode after it has these stalling episodes.e Diagnostics have stated to me that the car batteries are healthy and I relplaced the 12V and several fuses etc throughout this process with similar results.

- Los Angeles, CA, USA

problem #13

Sep 032021

Prius c

  • 80,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The contact owns a 2013 Toyota Prius C. The contact stated while driving approximately 40 MPH, the vehicle shut-off without warning. The contact pulled over and was unable to restart the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to a local mechanic but was diagnosed nor repaired. The contact stated that several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The manufacturer was informed of the failure and the contact was informed that the VIN was not under recall. The failure mileage was approximately 80,000.

- Los Angles, CA, USA

problem #12

Feb 252021

Prius c

  • miles
While in line at a church food bank, with cars in front and in back of me, the Prius C suddenly lunged forward. While my foot was on the brake, I hit the car in front of me. The impact was strong enough to cause almost $1400 worth of damage to the car in front of me and more than that for my car. My car's fender is damaged as well as the lights and hood of the car. My sister was in the passenger seat and nephew in the back seat. My sister told me that all she could see when the sudden movement started was my foot on the brake. She said that from where she was sitting, she could not see if my foot was on the gas pedal but could clearly see when my foot was on the brake. So lucky that there were no injuries either to the husband and wife in the car in front of me nor to my passengers. There is no reason for me to have accelerated that fast when the car in front moved a fraction of feet at a time. I would release the brake and the car would move slowly until I applied the brake again. The Prius was inspected by Toyota at a dealer and we were told they could find no sign of anything wrong with the car. There were no warning lights or messages before the sudden acceleration happened. Due to the possibility of it happening again, we decided to park the car in case any litigation could be processed. We have been denied by many law firms due to the fact that there were no serious injuries and the age of the car. About a month after the incident, we bought a new Prius and if unable to litigate, will sell the car for parts. My fear is that it may happen again and could seriously injure or kill someone or the driver and/or passengers in our 2013 Prius. We will not allow it to be driven again and will either junk or sell for parts. Is there any recourse for us to pursue to be refunded for the damage that we paid to the couple whose car we hit, a rental until we bought the new car and refund for the 2013 Prius. Thank you very much for your attention.

- Ontario, CA, USA

problem #11

Jan 102021

Prius c

  • 76,000 miles
Hybrid warning light comes on out of nowhere. Code 3107: Lost communication between SRS ECU and power management ECU. All wires are otherwise good and no corrosion is apparent. This miscommunication means that the airbags are not working properly. Battery is healthy according to Toyota dealership. Hybrid warning light comes on intermitently to show when miscommunication is happening.

- Raleigh, NC, USA

problem #10

Dec 272020

Prius c

  • 200,717 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Toyota is trying to cover up the true number of vehicles subject to the hybrid system recall.. Toyota claims this vehicle is not the subject of recall, yet the vehicle displays all the symptoms described in the recall.. 1.) the vehicle was in motion at freeway speed on westbound hwy 92 on 12/27/2020 at approximately 6:30pm 2.) the vehicle lost all power.. dashboard lights came on.. error message said "hybrid system failure" 3.) power to braking and steering remained 4.) vehicle went off the freeway, with no power, down an exit ramp, and came to a stop, luckily, in a legal parking place, at the curb on de anza blvd.. this is what Toyota said publicly: 'the involved vehicles were designed to enter a failsafe driving mode in response to certain hybrid system faults', the automaker explained. 'Toyota has found that in rare situations, the vehicle may not enter a failsafe driving mode as intended. If this occurs, the vehicle could lose power and stall. While power steering and braking would remain operational, a vehicle stall while driving at higher speeds could increase the risk of a crash.'

- Hayward, CA, USA

problem #9

Oct 272020

Prius c

  • miles
Car died last night (10/27) aaa not able to jump battery. Bad fuse. Towed to sf Toyota on geary bl. Taken car to shop three times since purchase 7/22/20 for problems. Also told nothing is wrong. This appears to be a safety issue. Also I was told car was damaged, not in major accident. Has signs of heavy damage from 3 accidents. It only has 54, xxx miles on a 2013 Prius C.

- San Francisco, CA, USA

problem #8

May 262020

Prius c 4-cyl

  • 70,000 miles
While in motion, the vehicle switched out of ready mode. The vehicle did not switch back into ready mode. Body damage incurred during emergency stop, due to vehicle going at about 35mph when the malfunction occurred on a surface street.

- Lilburn, GA, USA

problem #7

Jun 192020

Prius c 4-cyl

  • 130,000 miles
Driving on a highway on my way to work suddenly the my 2013 Prius C engine completely stops. The check engine light and check hybrid system light came on. The car completely shuts down and now I'm a sitting duck good thing people slew down for me and even help me push my car to the side of the road safely. This is a very dangerous situation and needs attention. Ived taken my car to antioch Toyota and emphasize that I saw 2 recalls on this website but the did not believe me and they are charging me over $4000 to fix it. It's not right for them to just check their system and not check a NHTSA website for recalls and complaints. It's very irresponsible for them not to check for recalls

- Oakley, CA, USA

problem #6

Oct 022017

Prius c

  • 90,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

There is a defect in the rear lens and body assembly, part number 81551-52A94 (right side) and corresponding part on the left side. A seam cracks and allows water into the lens assembly. Eventually, enough water accumulates to cover the brake light causing it to short. The Toyota dealer stated that there was nothing that I could do but replace both assemblies. I have the old parts and have taken pictures. The seam on both assemblies facing is cracked at exactly the same point... about mid-way closest to the rear hatch. My guess is that ice accumulated in the space and caused the assemblies to crack.

- Cato, NY, USA

problem #5

Mar 312017

Prius c

  • 44,700 miles
While driving on the highway, with less than 45,000 miles and regular maintenance meticulously performed on the car, the brake system warning, ABS warning, and slip indicator warning lights all illuminated - indicating, "have the vehicle inspected by your Toyota dealer immediately." Took car to Toyota dealer and service technician discovered engine electrical wire harness was completely chewed through by rodents, which he said has become increasingly common now that Toyota is using soy-based wire coverings, and that the car was unsafe to drive until the wire harness is completely replaced. The estimated cost of repair is $3,843.83. Toyota will not cover the cost of their design defect, which not only causes a major financial setback, but also a serious safety hazard for anyone driving a Toyota.

- Baltimore, MD, USA

problem #4

Mar 232016

Prius c

  • 8,300 miles
The contact owns a 2013 Toyota Prius C. while driving approximately 5 mph, the vehicle stalled without warning. After restarting, the vehicle operated normally. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, but the failure was unable to be duplicated. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 8,300.

- Encino, CA, USA

problem #3

Jul 012014

Prius c 4-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 9,000 miles
The contact owns a 2013 Toyota Prius C. while driving approximately 10 mph, the vehicle stalled, the steering wheel seized, and the brakes hesitated to stop the vehicle. The contact also stated that the warning indicators illuminated on the instrument panel. The vehicle was towed to a dealer for diagnostic testing. The mechanic diagnosed that the computer needed to be reset. The contact stated that the vehicle experienced the failure in NHTSA campaign number: 14V053000 (electrical system, hybrid propulsion system); however, the year, make, and model was not included. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 9,000. Updated 1/15/16 updated 11/30/2017

- New Smyrna Beach, FL, USA

problem #2

Feb 262015

Prius c

  • 35,000 miles
I have had my Toyota Prius C for 1.5 years. I was assured it was a safe car. However this car is dangerous. The car has an auto traction control that will turn on during flurries or if there are wet leaves or rain. When the traction control (a safety feature) turns on my wheels stop, my brakes stop, I cannot control my steering and I am basically at the mercy of the car. I have been in several near accidents on major highways 55-65 mph, and on back roads 25mph+ and on turns where I am going 2-4 mph at a glide, or on hills, because the car will turn on the auto traction and I lose complete control. There are hundreds of complaints based on this feature of the car (which other cars have a feature to turn off the traction) yet Toyota has done nothing. People have found a way to shut off the traction themselves in newer models through a set of steps that could blow the engine, yet they say the risk is the safer option. A google search will show thousands of people who feel like their life is in danger because of how bad this feature is in bad weather. This car cannot handle any type of bad weather. I tried to go to a Toyota mechanic (jones junction in bel air Maryland) and was told I was out of luck and I would just have to crash my car in a potentially fatal accident because they didn't want to be liable. I feel like my life and those around me are in danger because the car so easily goes out of control. I can't even get in my own driveway or move if there is 1 inch of snow because everything shuts off and I get stuck in the street. I'm scared in this car but I cannot return it because I would lose so much money. This "safety feature" puts lives in danger and there is no option to turn it off unlike other better car models. Toyota needs to recall their prius and Prius C and prius V cars so owners can have the option of turning on or off the traction.

- Abingdon, MD, USA

problem #1

Jul 112013

Prius c 4-cyl

  • miles
When I pulled up outside of my house and went to open the back hatch, I accidentally hit the lock button. The car then locked - but with my smart key fob and my 10-month-old daughter inside of the car. It is supposed to be impossible to lock the car with the key fob inside. I had no way of getting into the car to get my daughter out - I had to call the police and have them break into the car for me. As the car started and drove twice - from work to my sitter's, from my sitter's to my house - the key was detectable from its location in my car. There is no way it should have locked with the key fob still inside. And I can't emphasize how much of a safety hazard this is - my 10-month-old daughter was in the car. What if it had been a really hot day" what if I had been somewhere where it took the police time to get to me? what if my phone had been locked in the car" while it all turned out fine, it could have been disastrous. And that is unacceptable. The smart key system on my car should never allow the key to be locked inside.

- Milford, OH, USA

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