2016 Toyota Prius: problems, recalls and what it’s worth

Known problems on the 2016 Toyota Prius

No generation-wide weak spot is flagged in GarageIntel’s research for this year and model. A specific car can still have its own problems, so get it inspected.

2016 Toyota Prius recalls

NHTSA lists 5 recall campaigns for the 2016 Toyota Prius. Repairs are free at a dealer for the brand, and a dealer can confirm by VIN which were already done.

• ElectricalFire risk

  An electrical short can increase the risk of a fire.

  Details 18V579000

  Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2016-2018 Toyota Prius vehicles. A portion of the engine wire harness connected to the hybrid Power Control Unit (PCU), could contact the cover at this connection and wear, causing an electrical short circuit.

  Fix: Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the engine wire harness assembly and replace it if damage is found. A protective sleeve or protective tape will be included to prevent any future damage. These repairs will be performed free of charge. The recall began October 30, 2018. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-888-270-9371. Toyota's number for this recall is J0T.

• Airbags

  If the air bags fail to deploy in a crash, it can increase the risk of injury.

  Details 18V085000

  Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2016 Toyota Prius and Lexus RX 350, RX 350 F Sport, RX 450h F Sport and RX 450h vehicles and 2015-2016 Lexus NX 200T, NX Turbo and NX 300h vehicles. The air bag pressure sensors and/or the acceleration sensors may fail causing the side/curtain shield air bags and/or the front air bags to not deploy in the event of a crash.

  Fix: Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will replace the sensors as necessary based on their serial numbers, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin March 12, 2018. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's numbers for this recall are JLA, J0F.

• Hybrid Propulsion System

  If the capacitor was not properly secured, vibrations from driving the vehicle may damage the capacitor, shutting down the hybrid system, causing a loss of motive power and increasing the risk of a crash.

  Details 17V658000

  Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2016 Prius vehicles. A capacitor within the hybrid system may not have been properly bolted to the inverter housing.

  Fix: Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will replace the inverter, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin by early December 2017. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's number for this recall is H0U.

• Airbags

  A front passenger air bag that unintentionally inflates can increase the risk of a crash or injury.

  Details 16V672000

  Toyota Motor Engineering and Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain model year 2016 Toyota Prius vehicles manufactured November 30, 2015, to June 14, 2016. An air bag inflator manufacturing error may result in the inadvertent partial inflation of the front passenger air bag.

  Fix: Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger air bag assembly, free of charge. The recall began November 10, 2016. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's number for this recall is G0W.

• Brakes

  If the parking brake cable disengages from the mechanism and the transmission is left in a gear other than 'Park' while the ignition is on and the driver leaves the vehicle, the vehicle may roll unexpectedly,…

  Details 16V741000

  Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain model year 2016-2017 Prius vehicles manufactured August 6, 2015, to October 3, 2016. The affected vehicles are equipped with a foot-operated parking brake system that has a parking brake cable that may disengage.

  Fix: Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will install a clip at the parking brake cable end to prevent the cable from disengaging, free of charge. The recall began November 10, 2016. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-888-270-9371. Toyota's number for this recall is G01.

2016 Toyota Prius safety investigations and free repairs

No open safety investigations.

Free repairs to ask about (warranty extensions):

• Warranty extension: Dealer Package: Toyota will be sending Safety Recall/Special Service Campaign Follow-Up Notices to owners whose vehicles have not yet had the following Safety Recall/Special Service Campaign repairs completed.
• Warranty extension: Dealer Email: Toyota will be sending Safety Recall/Special Service Campaign Follow-Up Notices to owners whose vehicles have not yet had the following Safety Recall/Special Service Campaign repairs completed.
• Warranty extension: Region Letter: Toyota will be sending Safety Recall/Special Service Campaign Follow-Up Notices to owners whose vehicles have not yet had the following Safety Recall/Special Service Campaign repairs completed.
• Warranty extension: Region Email: Toyota will be sending Safety Recall/Special Service Campaign Follow-Up Notices to owners whose vehicles have not yet had the following Safety Recall/Special Service Campaign repairs completed.
• Warranty extension: Technical Instructions: Update 4/9/2019: Note added on p.

3 more in the full VIN report.

A dealer for the brand can check these by VIN.

Source: NHTSA, Sep 24, 2026.

2016 Toyota Prius safety and fuel

From NHTSA’s crash tests and the EPA’s fueleconomy.gov.

What owners complain about

179 complaints filed with NHTSA for this year and model, about average.

What a 2016 Toyota Prius is worth

Rough trade-in values — roughly what a dealer would pay — by mileage, from published trade-in guides. Private sales and dealer prices run higher. For the exact car, add its VIN.

From new to now

New, a 2016 Toyota Prius started at about $24,200. At a typical 120,000 miles today it trades in for about $9,800 — roughly 60% less.

Typical mileage = 12,000 miles a year; values between two published mileages are estimated in a straight line. “New” is the base price (cheapest version) as published, give or take destination fees; higher trims cost more.

Other Toyota Prius years

2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024