AutoUtility currently tracks 6 official NHTSA owner defect complaints for the 2021 Toyota Prius. Fuel & Propulsion System issues are the most frequently reported category, appearing in 2 complaints (33.3% of submitted records). Among these NHTSA complaint records, 1 filing cites a crash.
Factual proportion of owner complaints categorized by automotive subsystem in NHTSA records
2 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI for this subsystem.
2 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI for this subsystem.
1 owner complaint submitted to NHTSA ODI for this subsystem.
1 owner complaint submitted to NHTSA ODI for this subsystem.
Formal engineering analyses and preliminary evaluations opened by the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation
Representative defect filings submitted by owners to the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation
"When i am going down it's charging when the charge reaches 6 from 8 the engine starts working and stop changing at that point and the power continues comes from engine only without the hybrid battery and there are no codes"
"The contact owns a 2021 Toyota Prius. The contact stated while driving approximately 35 - 45 MPH, the vehicle independently accelerated. The brake pedal was depressed but failed to stop the vehicle immediately. The contact swerved around the vehicle in front and ended up on the opposite side of the..."
"The Lane keeping assist used in radar cruise control mode during some drive cycles will attempt to maintain the vehicle position to the far extreme of the lane and in some cases actively veer out of the lane. My safety ant others can be put at risk when the vehicle behaves outside of its design..."
"The car accelerated without my foot on the accelerator, brake did not respond, and I had to drive through grass and a rock-filled ditch until after about 10 seconds the car returned to my control."
"CARBON MONOXIDE SEEPS INTO THE PASSENGER CAR BUT DILLER CANNOT FIND IT AND DID NOT HAVE TOOLS TO DETECT CO LEVEL IN THE CAR. I CAN'T USE THIS CAR BECAUSE WAS POISONED MANY TIMES AND AFTER A SECOND CHECK-UP, THE LEVEL OF CO BECOMES HIGHER SO I CAN'T DRIVE THE CAR WITHOUT POISONING. PLEASE HELP ME. I..."
Reported defect complaint volume across sibling model years (2015–2026)
| Model Year | NHTSA Complaints | Crash Reports | Safety Recalls | Detailed Report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 Toyota Prius | 180 | 31 | 2 | View 2015 Problems → |
| 2016 Toyota Prius | 181 | 13 | 5 | View 2016 Problems → |
| 2017 Toyota Prius | 93 | 14 | 3 | View 2017 Problems → |
| 2018 Toyota Prius | 42 | 6 | 3 | View 2018 Problems → |
| 2019 Toyota Prius | 30 | 7 | 4 | View 2019 Problems → |
| 2020 Toyota Prius | 14 | 6 | 0 | View 2020 Problems → |
| 2021 Toyota Prius Current Page | 6 | 1 | 0 | Current |
| 2022 Toyota Prius | 24 | 4 | 1 | View 2022 Problems → |
| 2023 Toyota Prius | 19 | 1 | 4 | View 2023 Problems → |
| 2024 Toyota Prius | 23 | 4 | 4 | View 2024 Problems → |
| 2025 Toyota Prius | 17 | 1 | 2 | View 2025 Problems → |
| 2026 Toyota Prius | 0 | 0 | 1 | View 2026 Problems → |
Complete distribution of consumer defect reports across all 6 granular NHTSA system and subsystem classifications
| Vehicle Component / System | Total Complaints | Crash Reports | Fire Reports | Injury Entries | Fatality Entries |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,SERVICE BRAKES,ENGINE | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE,LANE DEPARTURE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Fuel & Propulsion System NHTSA category: FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Vehicle Speed Control NHTSA category: VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Wheels & Hubs NHTSA category: WHEELS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Cross-reference safety recalls, crash test safety ratings, and EPA fuel economy for this model year
Key performance indicators, EPA fuel economy specs, powertrain variants, and summary ratings.
Official recall campaigns, safety defect descriptions, and manufacturer free remedy instructions.
NHTSA 5-Star NCAP crash test results, driver assistance systems, and rollover resistance ratings.
EPA fuel economy ratings, electric range, and annual energy cost benchmarks.
Direct, deterministic answers synthesized from verified United States government databases for the 2021 Toyota Prius
In official NHTSA consumer records, the most frequently cited issue area for the 2021 Toyota Prius is Fuel & Propulsion System, appearing in 2 records (33.3% of submitted filings).
Secondary reported categories include Driver Assistance & Safety Tech (2) and Brakes & Traction Control (1).
AutoUtility does not issue subjective reliability scores or commercial ratings. In official United States government records, NHTSA tracks 6 consumer defect complaints and 0 safety recall campaigns for the 2021 Toyota Prius.
Reviewing documented component complaint distributions, recall remedy notices, and active federal investigations provides an objective, evidence-based view of the vehicle's historical safety and defect record.
Among consumer complaint records on file with NHTSA for the 2021 Toyota Prius, 1 filing cites a crash, 0 cite smoke or fire, and 0 report one or more injuries.
Incident entries represent consumer descriptions at the time of submission to federal authorities and do not establish mechanical causation or legal liability.
NHTSA ODI records list 1 formal defect investigation involving the 2021 Toyota Prius (all closed).
Federal defect investigations are formal engineering evaluations opened when safety defect trends emerge, and do not by themselves establish a confirmed defect or mandatory recall.
The complaint records on this page are retrieved directly from the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) public database under 49 CFR Part 576.
Local Production Store Compiled: August 2026 • Deterministic Audited Dataset • Zero Dynamic External API Runtime Latency.