general problems of the 2016 Toyota Prius

On [xxx] at [xxx] I was backing out of a driveway when my 2016 Prius v5 accelerated on its own. When I applied the brakes, nothing happened. I hit a curb, which flattened the front passenger tire. In order to get the car to stop, I took it out of gear and put it in neutral. The car finally came to a stop. My speed while backing out of the driveway was less than 5 mph. It accelerated to about 15 mph. I was told that because the tire flattened due to the force of impact with the curb, Toyota considered it an accident. Toyota had me complete an "unintended acceleration" form so they could investigate the situation. A case number ([xxx]) was assigned. I was also told that I needed to contact Toyota's brand engagement center at (800) 331-4331. Toyota assigned engineering analysis associates (eaa) to perform a thorough inspection and read out the event data recorder (edr) of my vehicle at findlay Toyota. Anne chapman with eaa did the inspection and sent a copy of the report to me on 09/15/25, the day of the inspection. She suggested that I keep the copy because I may need it if I needed to contact an attorney. My insurance company, usaa, sent an adjuster to examine the extent of the damage. Findlay collision center completed the repairs on 09/26/25, which cost $3,433. 92. The accelerator nor the brakes were addressed. On 10/09/25, Toyota provided a response to the incident: they were not at fault. They claimed operator error. Unintended acceleration and unresponsive brakes have been an issue with Toyota's in the past. At that time, instead of fixing the problem, they told dealerships to educate their buyers on how to take the car out of gear. Approximately one week after picking up my car from the repair shop, the vehicle accelerated on its own again. Fortunately, the brakes worked this time. Because I felt very unsafe, I got rid of the car shortly after that incident. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

Car was driving fine one day and then while driving down the interstate I had the pre collision system malfunction error, brake light came on, cruise will not operate, abs light is on. After much research it seems Prius v has a common issue with brake booster faulting.

On September 2022 (at 46k) dealer did TSB related fix on my 2016 Prius. Pfa for service record. They replaced exhaust front pipe, which is suggested work from Toyota pfa for Toyota technical bulletin. T-sb-0135-19 at 51,747 on March 1st 2023 around 8 40 am, while we are driving on highway at 70 mph suddenly check engine light, coolant light, hybrid related lights were on vehicle lost the control, speed was dropping luckily we could safely stop the vehicle on the shoulder no vehicle hit us from behind. Sudden stop of engine while driving on highway at 51k miles is safety issue. Toyota dealer could not provide additional details except engine is over heating.

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.

My steering wheel controls, including odometer, cruise control, horn, and airbag light is on. I took it to the dealership and they said it is the spring (clocking) cable in the steering wheel. Looking up a recall there are quite a few years and models where this exact issue has been recalled on Toyotas, but the dealership says my 2016 Toyota Prius is not cover (same exact issue). I submitted a ticket through Toyota customer service but they have done nothing about this safety issue for the 2016 Toyota Prius. I see lots of blogs and complaints because the airbag default warning light stays lit, so I assume airbag is not functional. I found a site that says to put the complaint through here.

I've noticed a few times while driving that my Prius started accelerating when my foot was off the pedal. It hasn't caused an accident or anything too scary yet but it is disconcerting. I noticed others had complained about this and wanted to add that I seem to be experiencing the issue too. It's possible it's just my vehicle specifically; I've not had time to take it to a mechanic yet.

Car accelerating with not being able to stop when applying brake, car was put in reverse and took off with engine racing in home driveway.

When I am in the process of braking and hit a rough spot in the road such as a pothole, I essentially lose control of the car for a split second. It feels jerky like it lurches forward or shakes side to side. Its not very pronounced but enough to make me feel unsafe. This happens every time I am braking and run over potholes, so its not an isolated incident that only happened on one day, and it doesn't matter how hard I'm braking or how fast I'm going unless I'm barely moving (then it doesn't jerk).

The vehicle does not report speed in kph, only in mph. This means that every time I cross into canada with this vehicle, I have difficulty discerning whether I am following all vehicle safety and traffic laws or maintaining a safe speed. To repeat, while every other vehicle I have ever owned has a speedometer that reads in both english and metric units, this vehicle does not. It reports speed in mph *only*. This is fine in the united states, but every time I cross into canada I'm left guessing.

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.

The contact owns a 2016 Toyota Prius. The contact stated that the speedometer gauge did not allow the ability to switch from miles per hour to kilometers. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, but was unable to be diagnosed or repaired due to n manufacturer default. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 1,500.

The 2016 Prius 4 doesn't come with the ability to change miles to kilometers unless you are aware that it is an option you have to buy which neither salesmen or Toyota technical assistance is aware of. I have not been able to find anyone who can tell me whether this option can be added but so far it appears that it is.

I purchased a new 2016 Prius four on February 16, 2016. The literature on the Toyota factory website says my Prius is equipped to switch from english to metric units. Unfortunately, Toyota failed to disclose that any Prius manufactured in January and February and delivered to the united states did not have this feature working correctly. Without the ability to switch to metric units, by government mandate, my Prius does not meet canadian motor vehicle safety regulations. Apparently some 2016 Prius vehicles sold in canada also cannot switch to english units when driving in the united states presenting a potential safety hazard. Toyota has apparently failed to reveal a material fact that the Prius sold to me does not meet the canadian motor vehicle safety regulations. There was no disclosure on the vehicle monroney sticker that this Prius has a disabled or deleted english to metric unit speedometer display. After 10 months from my date of purchase, the only remedy Toyota offers is for me to purchase a new Prius to replace my new Prius at my expense. When I purchased my new 2016 Toyota Prius, I did not know I was purchasing a vehicle with vaporware software. There was not a clear and conspicuous disclosure that Toyota deleted the option to select between english and metric units which affects multiple vehicle systems such as navigation, heater/ac, speedometer, and odometer. For my first six months of ownership, the navigation system would constantly reboot until Toyota fixed their software. This system rebooting was a significant driver distraction. Toyota advertises, "let's go places. " for truth in advertising, Toyota should really say, "let's go places, except to canada, mexico and the rest of the planet because some Toyota speedometers can't display metric units. ".