Home · 2026 Toyota Prius Plug-in Hybrid · Complaints

What 4 owners told NHTSA about the 2026 Toyota Prius Plug-in Hybrid

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 (4)Electrical system (2)Backup camera & sensors (1)

Newest first · 4 complaints

May 21, 2026Electrical system

A vehicle was sold and delivered while under an active stop‑sale safety recall (manufacturer recall 26TB03). The recall was not disclosed at the time of purchase. When questions were raised about whether any recalls were present, the issue was dismissed and no recall information was provided. According to the recall documentation, the potential defect involves the rear door system possibly opening while the vehicle is in motion. Because the stop‑sale indicates the vehicle should not have been sold, the safety risk is that the vehicle was driven with occupants in the rear seats without anyone being informed of the potential hazard. This created a risk to the people inside the vehicle and to others on the road. The problem was later confirmed through the manufacturer’s official recall database and the published recall information. The issue has not been inspected or repaired by the manufacturer or dealer because the remedy is not yet available. The defect is not something the owner can see or detect on their own.

NHTSA ODI 11739409

May 5, 2026Backup camera & sensors

Infotainment screen failed to boot when the vehicle was turned on. Due to this failure, the rear view camera was not available when the vehicle was shifted to reverse. After backing out of the parking spot, I chose to park and restart the vehicle. The infotainment screen then proceeded to boot up and behave normally. There were no warnings or any other alerts or messages. A disabled rear view camera can impact pedestrian and vehicle safety by limiting rear vision while operating the vehicle in reverse. During the drive home, approximately 15 minutes later, the infotainment system went to a black screen and rebooted. After 10-15 seconds, the system had restarted and was available again. This did not appear to impact vehicle control or associated safety systems. It was a mild distraction while driving. The vehicle has not yet been inspected by the dealer, this is scheduled a few days from now at their earliest availability.

NHTSA ODI 11735804

Mar 12, 2026Electrical system

The recall (Number 26V049) is a serious safety concern, however the dealer states there is no remedy available despite a clearly described available remedy ("Toyota dealers will modify the left and right rear door switch circuits FREE OF CHARGE, to prevent the switch from activating even if it is shorted.")

NHTSA ODI 11723918

Oct 13, 2025

I was driving at a slow speed in a parking lot on October 10, 2025 at 4:20 p.m. when the car suddenly stopped. When I looked down I saw that it was in neutral. I had not done anything to the gear shift and there was nothing in the area that could have shifted the car from drive to neutral. The car is brand new - this happened at approximately 400 miles odometer.

NHTSA ODI 11693137

Working with the data? Download all 4 complaints as CSV · fetched from NHTSA July 8, 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 2026 Toyota Prius Plug-in Hybrid verdict →