Body problems of the 2013 Toyota Prius

17 problems related to body have been reported for the 2013 Toyota Prius. The most recently reported issues are listed below. Please also check out the statistics and reliability analysis of the 2013 Toyota Prius based on all problems reported for the 2013 Prius.

1 Body problem

Failure Date: 12/19/2023

The rear right wheel broke off when going in reverse, leaving driveway (low speed). Towed to a garage. Was told that the rear frame member had rusted through. Had no warning of this -- car is used regularly and had been inspected several months ago. Exact same thing happened to another couple we know who also own a 2013 Prius -- rear wheel came off because the frame member rusted through. Happened about a month before ours. They too were going in reverse, slowly, coming out of a parking spot, after driving 40+ miles to boston. Car needed to be towed and rear frame member replaced. Repair for us cost $1300.

2 Body problem

Failure Date: 02/25/2023

A tree fell on my car during a storm. The tree remains on top of my car. Waiting for your party to remove it off of my car.

3 Body problem

Failure Date: 09/10/2021

Another vehicle jumped the light, cutting me off, and I hit him. My car sustained massive front end damage, and the radiator was leaking. I sustained a broken rib. The airbag failed to deploy. I was taken by ambulance to a hospital. My car was not inspected or impounded - the police had it towed to a body shop. My insurance company will inspect it.

4 Body problem

Failure Date: 10/27/2020

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.

5 Body problem

Failure Date: 08/24/2020

My Toyota Prius was involved in a hit run accident. Yark collision completed work on vehicle. When picking up car from yark my car would not start spoke with one of the mechanic he said my battery died and I explained to them I had no issues ,prior to bringing my car to yark I had just had diagnostic test done at Toyota. Vehicle sat at my residence over night and vehicle had died again. I contacted yark told them I was bringing battery in for them to charge because I was not sure as to what was going on since we had already replaced battery. Vehicle also had my skid plate in trunk prior to drop off and now I am having electrical issues my horn now does not work and I have children . I did not receive my car until 1 month and half due to insurance not getting back to us . Vehicle has been non drivable since pick up.

6 Body problem

Failure Date: 05/26/2020

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.

7 Body problem

Failure Date: 11/08/2018

I was driving down a city road at 25-30 mph at dusk (5:15pm), and with my headlights on. The first indication of a problem was the smell of burning rubber when I turned on the heater. Assuming the problem was with another vehicle ahead of me, I turned off the heater and kept driving. A mile later, as I was nearing my destination, I noticed several warning lights turn on (skid light and exclamation mark light) and the steering became less responsive. I then saw smoke emitting from under my hood. A few seconds later, the front passenger-side corner of the car burst into flames. I managed to pull over, woke up my two young children from their car seats, and got everyone out. Within a minute, the entire hood was ablaze. Given where the fire started, I suspect the headlight. I replaced it the day before. The light seemed to work fine for 1 day, but it is suspicious that is also the area where the fire started.

8 Body problem

Failure Date: 11/03/2018

Sun roof exploded / shattered while driving on the fwy. At 70 mph. No traffic around, clear day about 70 deg f. After hearing the explosion, I pulled over and found the glass had shattered and it appeared that it was caused by pressure from inside as the shape of the shattered glass was bowed outwardly. No apparent impact from any foreign object.

9 Body problem

Failure Date: 05/05/2018

Car was parked and noticed that rear bumper on right corner was hanging off slightly, with clips visible underneath. When pushing it in to try and rehinge onto the clips, it moved another part of the bumper. Bumper view from the rear is not showing one side is sagging.

10 Body problem

Failure Date: 03/26/2015

This is a safety issue that has happened twice now. In my 2013 Prius and making a left turn, stopped at a traffic light have driven over the cement median barrier. The windshield pillar on the drivers side in an obstruction ( blind spot) when making a left turn. I always seem to be leaning towards the center seat column when making a left turn and even going around a bend to the left. I believe this is a very serious problem. The little window they have in front doesn't help with this. In speaking with a friend who has the same car, he stated he nearly hit a man crossing the street because of this same problem.

11 Body problem

Failure Date: 07/01/2014

Driver pulled into parking stall. Foot on brake at curb. Pushed the "p" button for park function on dash board. The car reved and lurched over the curb toward the building. Driver continued to press brake pedal and swerved to avoid the building, yet scraped the side with side panel and running over tw0 recently planted trees. The car continued lurching for approximately 30-40 feet, back off of the curb, past to two parked cars (which sustained no damage). The car finally came to a rest on its own. The engine was still running until the "start/off" button was depressed.

12 Body problem

Failure Date: 06/02/2014

The contact owns a 2013 Toyota Prius. While driving at an unknown speed, the contact noticed a rat inside the vehicle that was eating the wires. The wires were coated with oil, which attracted the rat. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer or mechanic. The manufacturer was not notified. The failure mileage was unknown.

13 Body problem

Failure Date: 04/23/2014

The skid "plate" - an extremely thin piece of molded plastic attached by a couple of lag screws - came loose on the freeway, rolled up under the car and out into the adjacent lane. The front (molded plastic of course) bumper of car was shattered. Other drivers in the fast lane had to avoid the skid plate which came flying out from under my car. The clearance of this car's skid plate (with an "l" shaped extension down towards the ground) is probably no more than 6 inches, meaning that it will not clear the common parking lot curb. This likely contributed to the skid plate coming loose in the first place. This is a serious design problem that is going to result in someone getting hurt, either through loss of control of the vehicle (it missed my front tires and therefore didn't affect my steering but it could have caused problems for other drivers as well). I did not own this car, but now it is apparently going to cost me $1200 to fix the damage caused by the this design flaw. Toyota needs to be taken to task for putting something this unsafe into the market.

14 Body problem

Failure Date: 03/06/2014

While the car was going down the ramp to the parking basement, the brake in our Prius didn't function even though the driver slammed on it and the car continued to picked up acceleration. None of the airbags deployed either, amazingly. The driver was able to make a right turn and missed the wall/concrete pillar, but the driver hit a parked car and that's what stopped the Prius from moving further.

15 Body problem

Failure Date: 02/28/2014

When I turn on the low beam of the headlights there is a significant shadow on the upper half of the windshield. It greatly diminishes visibility. When I took the car in for its 6 months service a few weeks ago they acknowledged the problem but said there is nothing that can be done to fix it.

16 Body problem

Failure Date: 01/01/2014

The contact owns a 2013 Toyota pruis v hybrid. The contact stated that a large rodent entered the vehicle and chewed through the harness strap of a child seat that was in the vehicle. The contact inspected the vehicle and did not find any holes in which the rodent may have entered. The contact was concerned that if a rodent entered the vehicle, it could cause a crash while driving. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where the failure was unable to be detected. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure and current mileage was 12,000.

17 Body problem

Failure Date: 09/02/2013

The contact owns a 2013 Toyota Prius v. The contact stated that the vehicle had mold growing inside the instrument panel section of the dashboard. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, but the cause of the failure could not be determined. The vehicle was replaced by the dealer. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 100. The VIN was not available.


Other Structure related problems of the 2013 Toyota Prius

Body problems
17
Structure problems
1

Safety Ratings of Prius Cars
Fuel Economy of Prius Vehicles
Prius Service Bulletins
Prius Safety Recalls
Prius Defect Investigations