Home · 2015 Toyota Prius Phev · Complaints

What 160 owners told NHTSA about the 2015 Toyota Prius Phev

These are the actual owner complaints behind this car’s reliability verdict, filed with the federal government, unedited. They’re unverified reports, not confirmed defects: read them as leads for your pre-purchase inspection, not a diagnosis.

All (160)Crash / fire / injury (29)Brakes (88)Electrical system (27)Transmission & drivetrain (13)Engine (8)Lights (7)Speed control (7)Airbags (6)Body & structure (6)Fuel system (6)Driver assistance (5)

8 of 160 complaints match · Engine · clear filters

Jul 15, 2026Electrical systemEngineCrash

Pulling out of a parking stall, when put vehicle in drive, the engine revved up and accelerated - vehicle crashed, the brakes did not work- there was skid marks. Floor mats are factory OEM were installed properly. I did not hit the accelerator and I am in good health and mind. I have driving for over 30 years, never had and accident nor a ticket! - A county officer was at the seen and left me with vehicle that had to be towed away. The Vehicle is a total loss. I have insurance but felt that this incident need to be reported, There is no safety recalls and the vehicle was always property maintained

NHTSA ODI 11750516

Oct 25, 2025Electrical systemEngine

I was driving from Las Vegas to my home in Los Angeles. An alarming message began flashing on the dashboard telling me to pull over. The vehicle became hard to control. I somehow managed to get it off an exit. I was "lucky" enough to get it towed to a nearby Toyota dealership where I was told the inverter had failed and that that inverter and associated parts had to be replaced. On my 2015 Prius with only 50,000 miles on it. I SPECIFICALLY asked if there had been a recall on the electrical system of any 2015 Priuses, and they flatly said no. I also CALLED TOYOTA, and they also said there were no recalls involving the electrical system or inverters. The Barstow Toyota dealership said it would cost over $5,000 to repair AND that they wouldn't have the parts they needed for a WEEK. As it was, I had been stranded in the desert at a hotel for two days. I then had to pay $1,100 to be towed back to LA and took it to a hybrid mechanic I trust and paid them to do the work. But this cost me THOUSANDS UPON THOUSANDS. In a month where a friend of mine died (which was the reason I was driving from city to city). To have to replace this on a car with only 50,000 miles is preposterous. To NOW find out there actually IS a recall on the 2015 Prius FOR the electrical system involving the inverter is so far beyond frustrating, I don't have the correct word for it.

NHTSA ODI 11695550

Oct 14, 2024EngineBackup camera & sensorsCrash

I want to sale

NHTSA ODI 11619659

Aug 28, 2023AirbagsBrakesEngineCrash1 injury

Driving making slight turn car locked up steering wheel, brakes and gas all locked up ran in to a wall. The vehicle just failed with no prior warning.

NHTSA ODI 11541248

Aug 12, 2021BrakesEngine

While attempting to accelerate from a stop light, the Prius stalled. It would not accelerate although the engine revved. I restarted the car by powering completely off and back on. I tried to accelerate again multiple times until it slowly came up to speed the third attempt. The car was in drive and has never happened before. This is a safety concern for multiple reasons but the main being it can cause harm to those in the vehicle as well as other drivers on the road when the car stalls unexpectedly. There were no warning signals on the dash. Toyota dealer looked at it right away, ran diagnostics, and could not find an issue. Nothing was “fixed” or updated.

NHTSA ODI 11428898

Aug 28, 2020Electrical systemSpeed controlEngine

ANYTIME I CHANGE ELEVATIONS THE ENGINE SEEMS TO REV WHEN IT IS IDLING ON CRUISE CONTROL. ON THE DOWNHILL, THE CAR WILL ACCELLERATE TO IGNORE THE SPEED ON CRUISECONTROL TO DANGEROUS HIGH VELOCITY. I REPORTED THIS TO TOYOTA OF NORTH HOLLYWOOD THREE TIMES... IT WAS NEVER ADDRESSED.

NHTSA ODI 11351905

Mar 14, 2017Engine

STALLS AT STOP ON CITY STREETS

NHTSA ODI 10965814

Apr 28, 2016Engine

WHILE ACCELERATING FROM A STOP, AND TURNING ONTO A HIGHWAY TO MERGE INTO MOVING TRAFFIC, THE ENGINE BRIEFLY STALLED FOR A FEW SECONDS AFTER I HAD ALREADY ENTERED THE TRAFFIC LANE AND WAS ATTEMPTING TO ACCELERATE TO TRAFFIC SPEED..

NHTSA ODI 10862058

Working with the data? Download all 160 complaints as CSV · fetched from NHTSA July 20, 2026

How to use these: a complaint is one owner’s report, filed voluntarily and published unverified. Patterns matter more than any single story. If several owners describe the same failure at similar mileage, put that system at the top of your pre-purchase inspection list. Back to the full 2015 Toyota Prius Phev verdict →