Owners have filed 29 complaints with NHTSA about this car, most about the electrical, acceleration and cruise control, and brakes. The 9 checks below target those problems, in the order you would do them at the car.
2022Tick items off on your phone at the car, or print it. Ticks stay on this device.
0/9 checked
2022 Toyota Prius: inspection sheet
Before you go, or before you touch the car0/3
Engine off, key in hand0/2
Ask the seller not to warm the car up first0/3
At least 20 minutes, with some highway0/1
These checks are specific to this model year. For tires, body panels, fluids, and the other basics every used car needs, use the general inspection guide.
Nearby years usually share most parts, so their problems are worth checking on this car too.
Worth adding to your 2022 checks
Worth adding to your 2022 checks
Worth adding to your 2022 checks
EPA figures for each version of the 2022 Toyota Prius. Use them to confirm you are looking at the version that was advertised, and as a yardstick on the test drive.
| Version | Drive | EPA rating |
|---|---|---|
| 1.8L 4-cylHybrid | FWD, 4WD | 49–56 mpg |
| 1.8L 4-cylPlug-in hybrid | FWD | 640 mi range |
NHTSA complaints for the 2022 Toyota Prius, grouped by the part owners named. Open a row to read what goes wrong.
A loud, ear-piercing screech from the speakers at startup is the most repeated complaint. It lasts a few seconds and comes and goes, and dealers say they cannot fix what they cannot reproduce. One dealer traced the noise to the Data Control Unit at about 55,000 miles. The 3 reported injuries are tied to this noise. Other reports describe a spot on the steering wheel getting hot enough to melt the cover, dash icons that wash out in bright sun, and odometer records that do not match the advertised mileage. One crash report describes a sudden surge followed by no brake response.
Unintended acceleration is the main pattern. Reports describe the car surging forward while the brake is pressed, or speeding up from 25 to 50 mph before the driver can stop it. These cases range from 700 to 25,000 miles. One ended in a crash into a wall, with the airbags deploying. No cause has been found. A separate complaint says adaptive cruise control speeds up hard when another car cuts in, then slows down.
The brakes fail to stop the car in these reports. Drivers describe the car rolling forward, or moving in reverse, while they press the pedal hard. One driver had to shut off the hybrid system to stop. In another case the car lost drive with several warning lights on, and a dealer diagnosed a failed brake booster and master cylinder assembly, quoted at about $4,230. The failures cluster between 10,000 and 12,500 miles. One crash ended in a rollover off a rock wall.
Both complaints are crash reports. In one total-loss crash, neither the front nor the side airbags deployed and the SOS system did not work, and one injury is reported. The other report describes the car lurching forward through a garage door while the driver held the brake. That one reads more like an unintended acceleration complaint than an airbag fault. Neither report gives a cause.
Glass breaks with nothing hitting it in these reports. In one, the windshield cracked 12 to 18 inches up from the bottom edge while the car sat parked with the defroster running. In the other, the driver's side window shattered at highway speed with no sign that anything struck it, covering the driver and seat in glass. Both failures came on suddenly, and neither report names a cause.
Most of these complaints are about a recall repair that has not been done. One owner says the dealer could not get the part for the repair and the car had no failure yet. Another says the car would not accelerate as intended and several warning lights came on briefly, at about 12,000 miles. The dealer could not find a cause, and the owner tied it to the same recall. Neither report shows a finished repair.
Excerpts from complaints Prius owners filed with NHTSA, as written. Listen for the same symptoms on your test drive.
When adaptive cruise control is engaged and a car cuts in front of you the car will accelerate rapidly at first nearly hitting the car before it slows.
Filed with NHTSA, September 2022
Airbags never deployed front or side. Vehicle equipped and activated SOS system did not work. vehicle was a total loss and I nearly died in the process
Filed with NHTSA, March 2022
Complaints for this year next to the average for the other model years, area by area.
The 2022 ranks fourth for owner complaints among 8 Prius years, close to the average of the others. Newer years have had less time to collect complaints, so compare like with like.
Recall repairs are free at any Toyota dealer, but the seller may never have had them done. Check each campaign number against the VIN.
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2022 Prius and Prius Prime vehicles. The Engine Control Unit (ECU) software may falsely detect an error and shut down the hybrid system, causing a loss of drive power.
Risk: A loss of drive power increases the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will update the ECU software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed November 18, 2021. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's number for this recall is 21TB07/21TA07.
Cars shoppers compare with the Toyota Prius, with their own 2022 checklists.
2022 owner complaints, side by side
