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2020 Toyota Prius Prime problems

The most common problem on the 2020 Toyota Prius Prime is windows, wipers and visibility. It has 1.6 times the complaints of a typical Prius Prime model year.

Typical year1.6x the typical complaints
Year score
58/100
Owner complaints
16
Recalls
1
Service bulletins
123
Worst area
Visibility
Fuel economy
54mpg

The worst 2020 Toyota Prius Prime problems

Ranked by number of owner complaints. Mileage and cost come from what owners wrote.

  • Visibility
    5
  • Acceleration
    3
  • Electrical
    3
  • Transmission
    3
  • Brakes
    2

Problems by type

Tap a problem to see which part fails, at what mileage and in which other years.

  • Visibility
    5
  • Acceleration
    3
  • Electrical
    3
  • Transmission
    3
  • Brakes
    2
  • Tires
    2
  • Airbags
    1
  • Body
    1
  • Driver assistance
    1
  • Lights
    1

Recalls 1

Service brakesReported July 24, 2019 · 6,925 vehicles affected
What is wrong
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."
Risk
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.

Recall number 19V544000 · Recall details

See all 1 recalls for the 2020 Toyota Prius Prime

Defect investigations

Pedestrian alert soundsOpened January 27, 2023, closed August 7, 2023

the federal safety agency received a petition on or about July 18, 2022, requesting that Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 141 be applied to all electric and hybrid vehicles operating in the United States. The petition can be reviewed at under ODI Number 11486072. FMVSS 141 establishes performance requirements for pedestrian alert sounds for motor vehicles. The standard applies to hybrid and electric vehicles that have a gross vehicle weight rating of 4,536 KG or less or are defined as low-speed vehicles. The standard became fully applicable to all such vehicles manufactured on or after March 1, 2021.On January 27, 2023, the federal safety agency opened Defect Petition (DP) 22-005 to evaluate the subject matter described in the petition. On June 24, 2023 and as supplemented on June 25, 2023, the petitioner notified the federal safety agency he was withdrawing his petition. The petitioner indicated that, based on his review of data, there is no justification for asserting potential benefits that could be derived from actions sought by my petition. Based on the petitioner's withdrawal, DP22-005 is closed. Closure of this DP does not represent a determination by the federal safety agency regarding the subject matter of the petition.

DP22005

Technical service bulletins for the 2020 Toyota Prius Prime 123

Bulletins tell dealers how to fix known problems. A warranty extension means the manufacturer pays for that repair for longer.

See all 123 bulletins for the 2020 Toyota Prius Prime

2020 Toyota Prius Prime fuel economy

Official EPA estimates in miles per gallon (MPGe for electric). Ranges cover trims that share the same engine.

EngineDriveCityHighwayCombined
1.8L 4‑cyl Plug-in hybridFWD555354

What 2020 Toyota Prius Prime owners say

Most recent owner complaints, unedited.

Filed Sep 29, 2025 · Acceleration · 54,300 miles · NJ · crash

The contact owns a 2020 Toyota Prius Prime. The contact stated that while pulling into a parking lot, traveling down the aisle, and driving around the end cap to the second aisle, pulling into the parking spot at 5 MPH, the vehicle suddenly accelerated. The wheels squealed. The vehicle traveled through the spot and sideswiped another vehicle, and stopped. There were no reported injuries or fire. A police report was filed. The vehicle was serviced a week prior. The local dealer was contacted, who referred to the manufacturer. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 54,300.

Filed Feb 28, 2025 · Brakes · 67,000 miles · NY

The contact owns a 2020 Toyota Prius Prime. The contact stated while driving at approximately 40 MPH, the brake pedal was depressed while making a left turn onto another road, but the vehicle failed to slow down. The contact stated that the brake pedal was vibrating, and the vehicle felt like it was skidding on ice. The contact stated the vehicle maintained the position in lane but was not slowing down as intended. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact had not taken the vehicle to a local dealer or independent mechanic. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 67,000.

Filed Mar 27, 2024 · Tires · NY

I purchased Goodyear Assurance MaxLife 195/65 R 15 from Sam's Club in Kingston on August 2023. On [XXX] my tire blew out on the inner sidewall of my tire. When I spoke with an employee from the automotive department in Sam's Club about my tire, the person said " Let me guess, was it an Assurance MaxLife?" I said "yes, how did you know?" The employee said " this is like the 19th one with the same problem. I'm shocked their not a recall on them." So I paid for a new tire and the next day decide to check to if their was any recalls on the tires. I didn't find any. So I decided to make this report for others. Hope this help! INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Filed Jan 10, 2024 · Visibility · CA

The car had about 8000 miles on it. It was parked in Garage the night before. In the morning the outside temperature was 39F. During my 30 minutes driving, the front defrost was turned on. Afterwards it was parked on driveway and at that time the windshield was fine. 6 hours later, I noticed a spiderweb like crack under the camera section on the front windshield. The crack was about 11 inch long. It looks like the glass could not handle the temperature change.

Filed Aug 12, 2023 · Visibility · MI

The right side outside mirror glass detached and fell off while driving down the road. There was no noticeable defect on the vehicle prior to this and no known reason for this to happen. The vehicle was operating normally and was not involved in any sort of unusual maneuvering or crash. Upon taking it to the Toyota dealership it was found that glass did in fact detach on its own and needed to replace the entire mirror mechanism. This is obviously a safety concern for the driver due to a required mirror missing and also a safety hazard that could impact another motorist by this glass flying and hitting another car.

Filed Dec 9, 2022 · Acceleration, Airbags · 14,000 miles · CA · crash

The contact owns a 2020 Toyota Prius Prime. The contact stated that while driving slowly into a parking space the vehicle suddenly experience unintended acceleration and accelerated forward before crashing into a building. During the crash, the front end of the vehicle was severely damaged but the air bags did not deploy. No injuries were reported. The vehicle was towed from the scene. No police report was filed. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The manufacturer and local dealer were not yet notified. The VIN was not available. The failure mileage was 14,000. The contact stated that the car traveled approximately 29 feet when it accelerated forward. The car's front end was totaled.

Filed Aug 15, 2022 · Transmission · CA

I was driving yesterday on Freeway in the 2nd lane ,all of a sudden car went from drive to neutral,I didn't touch transmission gear lever and I put gas And it says it is on neutral N,I was in dangerous situation, the other cars were flying by,I put on hazard lights Slowly changed lanes because it was not on D drive mode,pulled it over to Shoulder applied brakes and shift to D Then proceeded back to freeway, I was very scare in this whole ordeal

Filed Feb 1, 2022 · Electrical, Transmission · 6,000 miles · CA · crash

The contact owns a 2020 Toyota Prius Prime. The contact stated that while coasting her vehicle into a parking spot at 2 MPH, the vehicle independently accelerated forward with her foot lightly on the accelerator pedal. The vehicle jumped the curb and crashed into two vehicles. The contact was uncertain if any warning lights illuminated on the instrument panel during the failure. The air bag did not deploy upon impact. Police were called to the scene; however, since no injuries or property damage were reported, they informed that contact that they would not be needed. The contact had the vehicle towed to an independent mechanic where it remained in their possession. A dealer was notified and offered no assistance. The manufacturer was also notified and informed her that she would receive a callback. The vehicle had yet to be repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 6,000.

Filed Feb 18, 2021 · Body, Electrical · 15,200 miles · CA

I was driving to work into the garage. The entrance of the garage has a mild incline with a narrow entrance and I normally will slow down so I can steel the car slowly. I was going at about 10 to 15 mile speed and felt a stall first and then the car went into accelerated mode on its own. I felt the car was shift to a different gear on its own up to 80 to 100 miles. I am lucky there is a cement pole in front of me and the car went right into the pole smashing the left side(driver side of the car ) I have to step on the break to stop the car. It all happened very quickly within few minutes. I was lucky there was no one in front of me and I was not hurt. I never had issue with toyota car and this was the first time. I actually had car in the day before for 15,000 miles maintenance

Filed Feb 12, 2021 · Tires · 3,400 miles · NJ

The outer side of my r front passenger tire blew out in two places,(not near the tread area) while driving on a good highway road surface approx 50 MPH. 3400 miles total on the odometer. No bump when I heard the tire pop.

Compare the 2020 Toyota Prius Prime

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Questions about the 2020 Toyota Prius Prime

Is the 2020 Toyota Prius Prime reliable?

Owners have filed 16 complaints about the 2020 Toyota Prius Prime, 1.6 times a typical Prius Prime model year.

What is the 2020 Toyota Prius Prime year score?

The 2020 Toyota Prius Prime scores 58 out of 100 (below average). The score compares it with the other model years of the Toyota Prius Prime: 75 is a typical year, 50 means twice the usual complaints, and serious complaints and recalls lower it.

What is the most common problem with the 2020 Toyota Prius Prime?

Windows, wipers and visibility, with 5 complaints. Next is acceleration (3).

How many recalls does the 2020 Toyota Prius Prime have?

1 recall, covering service brakes.

What gas mileage does the 2020 Toyota Prius Prime get?

Official estimates for the 2020 Toyota Prius Prime range from 54 mpg combined. The most efficient version (1.8L 4-cyl plug-in hybrid, FWD) gets 55 city and 53 highway.

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