NHTSA recalls, safety ratings, and consumer complaints for the 2019 Toyota Prius.
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| Frontal Crash | |
| Side Crash | |
| Rollover |
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| Frontal Crash |
Component: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: INSTRUMENT CLUSTER/PANEL
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2019 Prius vehicles. An electrical short circuit in the combination meter could occur, causing the speedometer, the odometer, and the fuel gauge to go blank. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 101, "Controls and Displays."
Consequence: A blank main display will not show important information like vehicle speed or fuel level. Driving with an inoperative display can increase the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the flash memory chip (ROM) production date, and if necessary, replace it along with the combination meter circuit board, free of charge. The recall began February 7, 2020. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-888-270-9371. Toyota's numbers for this recall are 19TA21 and 19TB21.
Component: ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC)
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2019 Lexus LS500, LC500, ES300h, UX250h, LS500h, Toyota Prius, RAV4 HV, 2019-2020 Toyota Prius Prime, and 2020 Corolla HV vehicles. The brake booster pump may fail causing a deactivation of the Vehicle Stability Control system and a loss of braking assist. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 126, "Electronic Stability Control Systems."
Consequence: Deactivation of the vehicle stability control system or a loss of braking assist increases the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and, if necessary, replace the brake booster pump, free of charge. The recall began September 20, 2019. Toyota owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-888-270-9371 and Lexus owners may contact Lexus customer service at 1-800-255-3987. Toyota's numbers for this recall are K1L/K0L. Lexus' numbers for this recall are K2F/KLF.
Body of car has rust perforation starting from the inside working out. This is on the roof, so water incursion will effect airbags and electrical system. FIrst noticed rust bubbles a few years ago, but did not think much of it. Now two body shops have said roof panel needs to be replaced. This is big stuff!
See Attachment
Since October 2023, my 2019 Toyota Prius has developed severe and unpredictable driving behavior after a regular brake service, which may have triggered or coincided with a software or ECU update. The car, which had been driving smoothly since I bought it in 2021, suddenly began showing false braking, steering interference, and lane instability — as if the car were trying to “correct” problems that didn’t exist. These interventions often happen on highways or during turns, creating serious safety risks for both driver and passengers. I’ve spent months and thousands of dollars replacing parts, performing alignments, and recalibrating sensors, including at Toyota dealerships. The problem persists because it is software-based, not mechanical. I discovered that in mid–2023, the NHTSA announced upcoming rules requiring Automatic Emergency Braking (AEB) with pedestrian detection by 2029. Around that same time, reports from multiple drivers (Toyota, Honda, Hyundai, Ford, Subaru) began to appear describing the exact same issues. It seems manufacturers began silently updating vehicles to meet anticipated compliance standards. However, this introduced overly sensitive and malfunctioning driver-assist systems. The most alarming part is that the driver cannot fully disable these features — the “off” button only reduces their intervention. This means when the system malfunctions, the driver is forced to operate an unsafe vehicle. As a professional rideshare driver, this problem destroyed my ability to work. Passengers reported me for unsafe driving because of the car’s erratic behavior. I eventually lost my vehicle and income. I believe this is a systemic safety defect linked to premature or unregulated implementation of AEB software. Drivers deserve the right to fully disable malfunctioning systems that endanger lives. This is not just a car issue — it’s a public safety crisis that must be urgently investigated.
The 2019 Toyota Prius has 3 NHTSA recalls and 28 consumer complaints on file. It received an overall safety rating of 5 out of 5 stars in NHTSA crash testing. For the most detailed information about a specific vehicle, decode its VIN using our free decoder above.
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| Side Crash |
| Rollover |
Component: EQUIPMENT:OTHER:LABELS
Gulf States Toyota (GST) is recalling certain 2019 C-HR, 4Runner, Avalon, Avalon Hybrid, Camry, Camry Hybrid, Highlander, Land Cruiser, Prius, RAV4, Sequoia, Tacoma, Sienna, Tundra and Yaris vehicles. The text on the load capacity label may become illegible. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 110, "Tire Selection and Rims."
Consequence: If the driver cannot read the label, they may unknowingly overload the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: GST will notify owners, and dealers will provide corrected load carrying capacity modification labels, free of charge. The recall began May 24, 2019. Owners may contact GST customer service at 1-800-444-1074. GST's number for this recall is 19R1.
Coolant system failed because coolant was leaking into catalytic converter. Two mechanics in two different states (one a Toyota dealer) claimed this is defect with 2019 Prius and results in repair costing more than $2000.00 because of this design flaw. Warning light did not come on until coolant was gone.
The contact owns a 2019 Toyota Prius. The contact stated there was a coolant leak and the coolant level was low. There was no indication of coolant on the ground. The check engine and engine HOT warning lights were illuminated. The contact stated that the failure was related to TSB: 0135-19. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer where it was diagnosed that there was a coolant leak in the front exhaust pipe heat exchanger. The parts to repair the vehicle were on backorder. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 95,000.
Exhaust heat-exchanger coolant pipe (part of the hybrid cooling loop) on my 2019 Toyota Prius is the system that failed. Safety risk: complete loss of coolant can cause sudden engine overheating and possible power reduction or shutdown while the vehicle is moving. I transport two young children daily; an unexpected stall on a highway or during an intersection turn would put all occupants and surrounding traffic at risk. AutoNation Toyota Mall of Georgia (dealer) inspected the car on 22-May-2025, confirmed the leak, and advised the vehicle is unsafe to drive until the pipe is replaced. Repair estimate is $2,249 parts & labor to replace the front exhaust pipe that is on back order, no ETA. Toyota Corporate (Brand Engagement, Case # 250522002498) is aware; they escalated the file to their Parts Department because the replacement pipe is back-ordered with no estimated arrival date. No other agencies or insurers have inspected the vehicle. Two days before the dealer visit, the warning symbol began flashing briefly at breaking then for longer intervals while driving. On the morning of 22-May-2025 the lamp was flashing more often and longer prompting the service appointment. Dealer found the coolant reservoir completely empty. No prior warning messages had appeared.
* I was pulling into a parking space at a slow speed. When I applied the brake the car accelerated causing the car to scrape the car next to the space. The car then stopped. * The acceleration was out of my control and the brakes did not stop it. Fortunately there was no person in front of me. * The Tow truck operator who came to get the car experienced the same issue when pulling into the bay at the dealer. I do not know about the manufacturer during their inspection as they did not provide me with that information. * Toyota had an inspection performed and that report was submitted to Toyota on August 20. We just received notification from Toyota that they found no problem with the car. * No warning lights noted.
The issue is with the back middle seat belt. When the back right passenger seat, which is a 2/3 seat is placed down in order to accommodate long pieces of lumber, it remains stuck there as the seatbelt for the middle seat will not release. The seatbelt mechanism for the middle seat is located in the 2/3 seat which is stuck in the down position. Therefore, we cannot use the middle seat nor the back right seat because the seatbelt for the middle seat is locked in place and not releasing. So the back right seat is lying down and stuck there as the seatbelt for the middle seat is locked unable to release. Living alone, I rarely use the middle seat for passengers. Honestly, that seatbelt has probably only been used five times in five years. Obviously, this poses a Safety problem.
I was idling at a parking space and went to turn off my car. The vehicle surged forward and the BRAKE sign came on. I pushed my brake to the floor and nothing happened. I was moving toward a brick wall so I put in in reverse and the car surged backwards. The BRAKE sign came on and I pushed the brake to the floor and again nothing happened and I ended up hitting the car behind me. I immediately took my car to the dealership where they kept it for 3 days and said they could find nothing wrong and it was safe to drive. I just got it back from having the body work done and am afraid to drive it as this might happen again or worse. I am reporting it to let you know and to see if this has occurred and been reported as happening in this make and model previously. I also have 2 witnesses to what happened.
On Saturday [XXX], while shifting to reverse in a back alley to back up slowly, the car engine suddenly and loudly revved and shot backwards at accelerating speed. I slammed on brakes which did not respond at all, thus forcing me to attempt to shift gears which also failed to stop the acceleration. Car only stopped because it went up a curb and hit the corner of a parked vehicle in a neighbors driveway. If I had been on busier street and not a back alley this could have resulted in numerous vehicle collisions and unimagined fatalities. Car is being towed on [XXX] to Advanced Collision Repair on 4511 Central Ave, Columbia Heights, for diagnostic assessment. There were no warning lamps, messages or other indicators prior to this terrifying lack of vehicle control . This was first episode since purchasing car approx one year ago. Incident was captured on neighbor’s home camera. Other neighbor heard the revving and ran out due to spontaneously loud revving of an engine. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Vehicle was involved in a accident and it was a total loss and no airbags deployed There wasBodily injury due to this accident
This complete set of Dunlop Enasave 01 A/S 195 / 65 R 15 91S tires has failed in a short span of time. At the beginning of October, we noticed a slight warbling while driving at any speed. An inspection by Les Schwab tires revealed exposed steel belting on the inside of one of the tires, although a quick check found all four tires were failing. A subsequent inspection by our local Toyota dealership found the same problem, with the additional information that the cords had snapped on all four tires. It is relevant to note that these tires only have 44K miles on them, and that the vehicle is garage kept and not exposed to abnormal conditions.
The vehicle has started to exhibit a wobbling feeling when driving, similar to when there is a bubble or blister in the tire. At only 4 years old, and with only 44K miles, we knew this shouldn't be the problem. An inspection by Les Schwab Tires, as well as the Toyota dealership where we purchased the vehicle new confirmed that all four tires are damaged, i.e. the "cords snapped" on the belt, exposing the nylon and steel belts, and putting the vehicle in danger of a blow-out on all four tires. We first noticed this around the beginning of October.
Re: Front left and right Toyo Tires (195/65R15 ) Having passed MA state inspection at the end of August my husband and I headed out for a 500 mile road trip. I purposely went back to the station that did the inspection and asked if the tires looked okay for this trip. I was assured they would be fine. But 100 miles into the trip the front end was shimmying so badly my husband's leg in the passenger seat was vibrating. He didn't sleep that night and said, "I think we should look into new tires if we're going to continue." I found a Town Fair Tire store in Northhampton, MA and booked an appointment. On arrival one of the specialists came out to inspect the tires I wanted to change out and he stopped in his tracks to shake his head in disbelief. His words were, "You have been driving on secondary rubber and just last evening a woman was towed in with her Prius, same year, same mileage but she had blown a tire because of the poor tread." That was all I had to hear. It would be different if it was just me but here were two of us with 34,000 miles on our Prius' and horribly worn out tires. What's the likelihood of that? I am sick thinking that Toyota stuck such cheap tires on a car which could have threatened our lives. Greed is what drives these decisions and it has to stop!
This happened about 3 weeks ago. I drove to work on local roads with no incidents of debris hitting windshield - no visible cracks. After my shift I spotted about a three foot crack in the middle of windshield leading down to passenger side. No warnings or symptoms of a problem. Although car is 2019, I have less than 16000 miles on it & most of my driving is highway & local roads. I’ve read that 2016-2017 Prius had this issue with lawsuit pending which also stated safety concerns over early warning detection system failing due to windshield cracks. Toyota (on phone) said it would cost 1200 to replace. I bought the extended warranty but it doesn’t cover the windshield. No inspection done except by coworkers.
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