"How reliable is the 2013 Toyota Prius?"

"Based on 516 NHTSA complaints, the 2013 Toyota Prius has a median complaint mileage of 44000 miles. The most common issue is SERVICE BRAKES."

"What are common problems with the 2013 Toyota Prius?"

"The most frequently reported component in NHTSA complaints for the 2013 Toyota Prius is SERVICE BRAKES, accounting for a significant portion of the 516 total complaints filed."

2013 Toyota Prius: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 516 complaints

516

Total Complaints

44,000mi

Median Mileage

SERVICE BRAKES

Top Issue

Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

Distribution of NHTSA complaints by vehicle mileage at time of report.

5,721 25th Percentile

44,000 Median Mileage

99,700 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

SERVICE BRAKES

208

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

ENGINE

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

AIR BAGS

FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM

POWER TRAIN

EXTERIOR LIGHTING

FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING

Severity Assessment

Crashes

Fires

Injuries

Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"I WOULD LIKE TO REGISTER A MAJOR COMPLAINT ABOUT THE DESIGN OF THE HEADREST. IT PUSHES MY HEAD FORWARD AT SUCH AN ANGLE THAT IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO SIT COMFORTABLY IN THE SEAT. IN ORDER TO HOLD MY HEAD UP STRAIGHT I MUST TILT THE SEAT BACK BEYOND WHAT IS SAFE OR DESIRABLE FOR DRIVING AND EVEN THAT IS..."

"TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 TOYOTA PRIUS. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE ATTEMPTING TO PARK, THE VEHICLE ACCELERATED INDEPENDENTLY AND CRASHED INTO A WOODEN STAIRCASE. THE CONTACT THEN SHIFTED INTO REVERSE AND THE VEHICLE ACCELERATED INDEPENDENTLY IN REVERSE, COMING TO A STOP IN THE STREET. THE VEHIC..."

"THIS PRIUS HAS FOGGINESS IN THE WINDSHIELD WHICH APPEARS TO BE A DEFECT CAUSED DURING THE TEMPERING PROCESS OF THE GLASS. *TR"

Source: NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Names and identifying details omitted.

When Were Complaints Filed?

Number of complaints by the year the issue occurred.

When Does Each Component Fail?

Median mileage at complaint for top components.

SERVICE BRAKES 208 complaints

25th: 21,892 mi Median: 83,500 mi 75th: 115,250 mi

UNKNOWN OR OTHER 47 complaints

25th: 21,000 mi Median: 54,425 mi 75th: 80,000 mi

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 46 complaints

25th: 4,594 mi Median: 58,150 mi 75th: 114,000 mi

ENGINE 37 complaints

25th: 24,966 mi Median: 76,000 mi 75th: 118,000 mi

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 21 complaints

25th: 774 mi Median: 7,500 mi 75th: 30,000 mi

Where Are Complaints Coming From?

Top states by complaint count.

CA: 159 FL: 61 TX: 37 IL: 23 MA: 22 TN: 21 GA: 21 NC: 13 NY: 13 OH: 12

Who Files Complaints?

1.6%

Original Owners

98.4%

Second+ Owners

Toyota Prius — Other Years

See how this model compares across different model years.

Year	Complaints	Median Mileage	Top Issue	Crashes
2001	215	60,824	STEERING	23
2002	201	65,395	STEERING	16
2003	123	75,000	STEERING	5
2004	737	72,436	EXTERIOR LIGHTING	50
2005	1297	78,000	EXTERIOR LIGHTING	133
2006	1687	50,000	EXTERIOR LIGHTING	109
2007	2448	52,000	EXTERIOR LIGHTING	191
2008	1892	55,000	EXTERIOR LIGHTING	214
2009	635	31,500	EXTERIOR LIGHTING	90
2010	3476	7,195	SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC	255
2011	651	75,000	SERVICE BRAKES	56
2012	531	40,063	SERVICE BRAKES	75
2014	265	27,000	SERVICE BRAKES	45
2015	195	24,500	SERVICE BRAKES	50
2016	211	17,658	VISIBILITY/WIPER	10
2017	125	14,000	VISIBILITY/WIPER	20
2018	44	8,600	UNKNOWN OR OTHER	8
2019	51	4,500	SERVICE BRAKES	16
2020	23	14,260	UNKNOWN OR OTHER	13
2022	27	29,800	UNKNOWN OR OTHER	5
2023	20	-	ELECTRICAL SYSTEM	2
2024	29	3,000	UNKNOWN OR OTHER	10
2025	22	-	UNKNOWN OR OTHER	3

Data source: View this vehicle on NHTSA.gov | NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Public domain.

Methodology: Complaint counts and mileage distributions are computed directly from consumer-reported NHTSA complaints. This data represents reported issues, not failure rates — vehicles without complaints are not represented. Full methodology.

Data through: 2026-03-28