Toyota Prius fire or smoke problems

Filed Sep 28, 2026 · Electrical, Tires · 138,932 miles · CA · fire · 1 injury

The contact owns a 2013 Toyota Prius. The contact stated that while driving and pulling into a parking lot, there was a burning odor coming from the vehicle. The contact exited the vehicle but saw no fault with the vehicle. The contact was then notified by another person that the vehicle had caught on fire. The fire department extinguished the fire and informed the contact that the windshield washer fluid reservoir was melted in half with burned wires nearby. The fire department stated that the fire was caused by the electrical wiring on the passenger’s side near the coolant reservoir under the hood. The vehicle was not destroyed and was towed back to the residence. A bystander who helped extinguish the fire had sustained a burn to the left arm. Medical attention was administered at the scene. Additionally, the contact stated that the passenger’s side rear tire was losing air pressure every morning with the TPMS warning light illuminated. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 138,932.

Filed May 19, 2026 · Engine, Fuel system · PA

The catalytic converter heat exchanger failed internally, causing coolant to leak into the exhaust system. Symptoms included white smoke from exhaust and coolant loss with no visible ground leak. This is a documented factory defect per Toyota Technical Service Bulletin T-SB-0135-19 affecting 2016-2019 Prius models. Toyota has denied warranty coverage despite the vehicle was originally bought & spent its entire prior operational life registered in New York, a state covered under Toyota's full 15-year/150,000-mile emissions warranty. Defect was confirmed by an authorized Toyota dealership, in PA. Vehicle had approximately 83,104 miles at time of diagnosis. Manufacturer denied coverage and is forcing the customer (me) to pay a huge amount for this very well known & defective case. MOST IMPORTANTLY ITS dangerous and unsafe for all the cars our there too, since it is very well known that at a certain point this will happen, but despite TOYOTA never sent a RECALL. Due to this, engine light goes on & off, refrigerant is flammable and leaks in the exhaust pipe happens with this specific case, which ultimately could catch on fire, while the vehicle is moving or stalling. Lots of white smoke comes out of the car that directly impact the environmental aspects, and above all, people owning such vehicle, will be running into this issue, which will 100% put the safety of owner and anyone close in proximity to their vehicle at RISK. PLEASE ADD RECALL WITHOUT CAP for ALL SUCH TOYATA PRIUS due to flammable refrigerant leak inside the car engine components, and proven via strong white smoke coming out of exhaust that has the potentially to put the entire car on fire, specifically.

Filed Jun 28, 2025 · Engine · TN · fire

Pulled out of the driveway drove about a 100 ft heard large clunking sound front end dropped down as if there was a flat tire pulled off the highway drove through the grass 100 ft back to my home the car started smoking from the engine compartment and burst into flames. Tried to extinguish with fire extinguishers and water hose while calling 911. Fire Department extinguished the fire. Car is a complete loss. There was an oil leak trail from where the car first drop down through the grass. The car did not have a previous oil leak. The car had 300,000 miles on it. No one was injured.

Filed May 24, 2024 · Acceleration, Brakes · CA · crash

My car accelerated significantly on its own while I was pulling into a parking stall in a private parking lot. It caused my vehicle to jump a curb and accelerate up a dirt divider and push over a bush that was planted in the dirt divider. Depressing my brakes did not Decelerate the car, so I pressed the Park button to eventually stop the vehicle. I’m not sure what speed it was traveling when it accelerated, but I could smell burning rubber at the end of the incident. I’m not sure when the smell first occurred.

Filed Aug 3, 2023 · Body · VA · fire

catalytic converter is easily accessible and there should be a recall to have a safety operation and stop all these cars from being sold in the market because there is a rise in many thefts of the catalytic converter due to it being very easily accusable without any guard in place to prevent thieves from getting to it to remove and sell for parts. Spray paint can be cleaned off and vin numbers can be sanded down. simply trying that will not work. i was unaware that it was stolen off of the vehicle until i drove it a little ways to where the vehicle was then burning and i could smell it catching on fire

Filed May 31, 2023 · Engine · 150,000 miles · CA · fire

The contact owns a 2011 Toyota Prius. The contact stated while driving approximately 35 MPH, the contact smelled an abnormal burning odor and then heard an abnormal explosion. The contact observed black smoke coming from under the hood. The contact pulled off the road and turned the vehicle off. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact lifted the hood and saw flames coming from under the engine. The contact was able to extinguish the fire with a fire extinguisher. The contact had the vehicle towed to his residence. The contact called an independent mechanic who diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the engine needed to be replaced. The contact stated that when the engine was lifted out of the engine compartment, there was a hole in the engine block. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 150,000.

Filed Jan 23, 2023 · Electrical, Engine · IL · fire

The engine caught fire while sitting in my garage. I had driven it for a few hours doing deliveries for a store and parked it in my garage around 2:30pm. About 1.5 hours later, my wife was coming home and opened the garage door and saw smoke above the hood of my car and then a few seconds later it burst into flames. I believe that it was smouldering for a while and the gust of wind when the big garage door opened gave it the extra push to ignite. The car was bought used and had a front end accident prior to my purchasing it so the electrical system could have melted and started the fire but the inspector that Toyota sent did not give me any copy of his report. It is a 2012 model. I bought the car in 2014, and had it for about 5 years until this happened and completed burned up the car and all the contents of my garage. I had a T-Mobile Sync-up module in the OBD port and it recorded a drop in voltage from around 12 to 5 volts at the time of the fire which I believe was transferred to my phone when I was near it.

Filed Jul 1, 2021 · Electrical, Seats · MA · fire

Hi, After being parked for about 1.5 hrs my back seat on the drivers side caught on fire. I understand this is where a battery is and that newer cars of this brand have had recalls for this problem.

Filed Jan 25, 2021 · Engine · 140,000 miles · GA · fire

Tl* the contact's girlfriend owned a 2007 toyota prius. The contact stated that while his girlfriend was driving at 55 MPH, a grayish smoke began to emit from the engine without warning. His girlfriend then immediately pulled over and exited the vehicle with her son as the smoke quickly turned into flames. The fire spread rapidly and the vehicle exploded. As a result, the authorities arrived at the scene and the fire was extinguished. A fire report was filed; no injuries were reported. Due to the failure, the vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it remained in their possession. The dealer nor manufacturer had yet to be notified of the failure. The vehicle was destroyed due to the fire. The failure mileage was approximately 140,000. *ln

Filed Jun 21, 2019 · Electrical · 82,500 miles · WA · fire

We were on freeway when an odd smell was detected. There were several large trucks in the area and we passed off the smell to the trucks. A couple of miles later the passenger said, "the floor is on fire!" at this point, an abundance of smoke appeared above the dashboard on the passenger's side. We exited the freeway, found a fire extinguisher and were able to put out the fire. The local toyota dealer was informed but no action was taken. The insurance company has totaled the vehicle. We are awaiting the settlement check. We have no idea what started the fire. There were no indicators I.e. Warning lights/buzzers, etc. Prior to the fire. The area under the dashboard on the passenger's side is a charred mass. Therein a large hole at the top of the dash near where the speaker for that side is housed. *bf