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2017 Toyota Prius electrical problems

11 complaints (12% of all complaints for this car). Typical mileage when it fails: 5,000.

owner complaints
11
of this car's complaints
12%
typical mileage
5,000
crashes
0
recalls
1

Which part fails

  • Instrument panel: speedometer/odometer
    1

At what mileage

Complaints by mileage at the time of the problem.

0k-25k
25k-50k
50k-75k
75k-100k
100k-125k
125k-150k
150k-175k
175k-200k
200k+

Toyota Prius electrical problems in other years

200120052010201520202026

Related recalls

Electrical system: wiringReported September 5, 2018 · 192,347 vehicles affected
What is wrong
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.
Risk
An electrical short can increase the risk of a fire.
Remedy
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.

Recall number 18V579000 · Recall details

Related 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

What 2017 Toyota Prius owners say

Most recent owner complaints, unedited.

Filed Dec 19, 2025 · Electrical · 225,810 miles · FL

Odometer Fraud. The contact purchased a 2017 Toyota Prius. It was discovered when the contact listed the vehicle for sale that there was a mileage discrepancy. The vehicle was as a private sale. At the time of the purchase, the mileage was 126,611. The potential purchaser provided a CARFAX report that recorded the mileage on 11/6/2024 at 225,810.

Filed Oct 26, 2022 · Electrical · NY

For the past year or so we have had issues with the vehicle not starting properly. If we leave the radio, wipers, heater, or air conditioner in the ON position when we shut the car off, or a window down a little on a hot day, a sensor triggers a Low Battery error code. We have had the battery checked and it is NOT low. When this happens to start the car we need to get a jumpstart from someone. This limits where we feel safe driving to as in a remote place where not many other people and cars are it would be more difficult to find someone to give us a jumpstart. On occasion, we have had to call a towing service to come to help us, which requires sometimes a long wait. The car starts right up once the connection to the other vehicle's battery is made. We should not need a checklist to make sure everything is turned off before we leave the car to avoid this non-starting issue.

Filed Apr 1, 2020 · Electrical, Seat belts · 21,000 miles · AZ

Even though this vehicle has nothing to do with this case, I consider that it is very relevant that I express my concerns with this vehicle due to the fact that I traded in my 2015 toyota prius for a vehicle that provided an unsafe driving experience to my family which was the 2017 toyota prius with VIN number [xxx] after taking it to three different toyota dealerships to be evaluated by two different toyota field inspectors from toyota headquarters, toyota motor vehicles made the choice not to listen to our concerns and rejected to take responsibility providing me a safety hazard product in order to avoid lemon law and/or make me aware of the high levels of emf that the vehicle had. On april 18 2019, we never were told by the second field inspector sent by toyota headquarters the results of his findings. Big two toyota took advantage of the situation and convinced us to trade in this vehicle for a new 2019 toyota sienna. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6).

Filed Jan 19, 2019 · Brakes, Driver assistance · 27,000 miles · WA

When driving on the highway during rain the adaptive cruise control spontaneously stops and lashes on the dash display that it is no longer set, the car decelerates rapidly, leaving the driver scrambling to determine what has happened. The systems involved are the adaptive cruise control and "toyota safety sense."

Filed Oct 5, 2018 · Electrical, Fuel system · 1,000 miles · GA · fire

While driving on I-75 there seems to be a spark caused fuel to leak and burn back tire and the tire rolled off the freeway putting all the five passengers into a hazardous situation on the I-75 freeway. We smelled smell of tire and gas leak. Fortunately, we were able to pull off the freeway. It was reported to toyota and their dealers multiple times. No one even bothered or concerned about the issue or safety of passengers.

Filed Aug 6, 2018 · Acceleration, Electrical · 12,240 miles · CA

The vehicle started normally but when I reached about two blocks from my house, the prius started to act as if the electric motors were not engaging. The engine did not engage either and the gas pedal was unresponsive. The first time this occurred, I was stuck in the middle of a 4-way intersection until I shut down the vehicle and restarted it. After I restarted the prius, it continued behaving erratically. It sounded and felt like the gas motor had engaged but the electric motor had not. It also felt like the transmission was slipping/not engaging and I had to rev the motor to get the transmission to engage (which it did with a kick like it was being put into gear). This has happened 3 times so far. I had a passenger in the vehicle on the last incident. I have taken the vehicle into the dealership 3 times, but they are unable to find any issues with the vehicle. I reached out to toyota to see if they could address the issue, but they said that their field tech was unable to find any problem. I am worried that this car will fail in traffic and cause an accident. The incident dates are june 20, july 2 and july 27, 2018. The only indication that something was abnormal on july the 27th. Was a lower mpg reading on my display. Other than that, there was no warning or error codes displayed.

Filed Jul 17, 2018 · Electrical, Engine · 5,000 miles · MD

Car started by itself when it was parked in a driveway in hot weather in the sun. My key fob does not have a remote starting mechanism - only door unlock and lock capability.

Filed Jul 16, 2018 · Electrical · 5,000 miles · MD

Tl* the contact owns a 2017 toyota prius. While the vehicle was parked in the driveway, the engine automatically started. Koons arlington toyota (4045 lee hwy, arlington, va 22207, (703) 522-6000) was contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 5,000.

Filed Aug 14, 2017 · Electrical, Lights · 2,000 miles · OH

Tl* the contact owns a 2017 toyota prius. The contact stated that the vehicle started on its own without warning. The contact stated that he had an auto power start fob, but it was not around the key fob. In addition, a headlight warning sensor illuminated that advised the contact to take the vehicle to the dealer. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer (brunswick auto mart, 3031 center rd, brunswick, oh, 44212). The dealer replaced the passenger side headlight system and sensor. The headlight was repaired. The contact mentioned the vehicle engaging independently to the dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and they stated that they would document the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 2,000. ...updated 09/21/17 *bf updated 9/22/2017*js updated 09/25/2017*js ***updated 09/26/17*lj

Filed Jul 18, 2017 · Electrical · 2,117 miles · CA

1) the tablet information screen is so large and the instructions so complicated that you have to take your eyes off the road for a long time just to regulate HVAC and radio 2) the car goes completely dead randomly after driving it. Must be towed.

Questions about the 2017 Toyota Prius electrical

Does the 2017 Toyota Prius have electrical problems?

Owners have filed 11 complaints about the electrical of the 2017 Toyota Prius, 12% of all its complaints.

At what mileage do 2017 Toyota Prius electrical problems start?

The typical (median) mileage in owner complaints is 5,000 miles.

Was there a recall on the 2017 Toyota Prius electrical?

Yes, 1 recall: 18V579000. Check your VIN to see if your car still needs the free repair.

What year does the Toyota Prius have the most electrical problems?

The Toyota Prius model years with the most electrical complaints are 2007 (248 complaints), 2008 (235 complaints) and 2010 (192 complaints).

Other 2017 Toyota Prius problems

Visibility 17Brakes 14Acceleration 13Engine 13Fuel system 12Body 7Steering 7Transmission 4Wheels 4Airbags 3Seats 3Driver assistance 2Lights 2Seat belts 1Suspension 1Tires 1

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