TOYOTA PRIUS PRIME · model year

2017 TOYOTA PRIUS PRIME

43 NHTSA complaints, 8 crash reports for this specific cohort.

NHTSA overall rating

Not crash-tested

New Car Assessment Program

The 2017TOYOTAPRIUS PRIME carries 43 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 8 crashes, 0 fires, 5 injuries, and 0 fatalities. For crash performance, NHTSA's New Car Assessment Program gave this cohort an overall Not Rated/5 rating, with Not Rated/5 front crash, Not Rated/5 side crash, and Not Rated/5 rollover scores derived from standardized barrier and dynamic tests.

Component-level analysis is where model-year complaints become actionable: the top complaint category for the 2017 PRIUS PRIME is electrical system with 7 filings, followed by visibility/wiper (6) and service brakes (4). Concentration in one or two component groups is the classic signature of a systemic defect; a flat distribution usually reflects normal aging, warranty complaints, or isolated build-plant variability.

NHTSA currently has 51 investigation files overlapping the 2017 PRIUS PRIME, and 1 remain open. Owners comparing this cohort against neighboring years should pair the counters above with the complaint-by-year trend on the parent model page — a spike in a single year often tracks to a platform refresh, a new transmission supplier, or an updated ECU calibration. Use the related-complaint feed below to read raw owner narratives before deciding whether any pattern here affects your specific use case.

43
Complaints
8
Crashes
0
Fires
5
Injuries
0
Deaths

Total Complaints

43 filings

Crashes Reported

8 reports

Source

NHTSA ODI

Federal complaints database

Complaints vs. fleet median (215)

At or below the fleet median complaint volume.

NHTSA NCAP overall: Not Rated/5 — Not rated · Front: Not Rated/5 · Side: Not Rated/5 · Rollover: Not Rated/5

Complaints by Component

ComponentCount
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM7
VISIBILITY/WIPER6
SERVICE BRAKES4
POWER TRAIN3
TIRES2
STEERING2
AIR BAGS2
ENGINE2
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM2
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING2
UNKNOWN OR OTHER2
ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC)1
EQUIPMENT:ELECTRICAL1
WHEELS1
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL1

Recent Complaints

20251215ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

I have a 2017 Toyota Prius Prime advanced. It has the large infotaiment screen that is where I have to access many items. Often, seemingly randomly, the screen shuts down and reboots itself. During the time it is rebooting I do not have any access to the controls. It gives no warning when it is going to reboot. I have seen other Toyota recalls for a similar problem on the RAV4 vehicles and I wonder if it is related.

20251215UNKNOWN OR OTHER

I have a 2017 Toyota Prius Prime advanced. It has the large infotaiment screen that is where I have to access many items. Often, seemingly randomly, the screen shuts down and reboots itself. During the time it is rebooting I do not have any access to the controls. It gives no warning when it is going to reboot. I have seen other Toyota recalls for a similar problem on the RAV4 vehicles and I wonder if it is related.

20251103ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

The dealer sold original Toyota Truestart H4, 12 Volt battery failed after 2 years and 9 months. The battery is warranted for 84 months/7 years.

20250617ENGINE

Toyota has a very well known issue with head gasket failures right around 140k miles that they refuse to address. This is my second Prius and my second failure right at 140k miles. They refuse to acknowledge it, but the advisors in the service department say that's their "bread and butter." They repair bad head gaskets on priuses for $5k all day long. Toyota needs to do right by their clients.

20250515STRUCTURE:BODY

Background Toyota has received reports of paint peeling on certain vehicles with the original factory-applied Blizzard Pearl or Super White paint colors. These reports indicate that vehicles with these specific paint colors, applied during the vehicle manufacturing process, may experience paint peeling on exterior metal body panels. Although the original factory paint is covered by Toyota’s New Vehicle Limited Warranty for 3 years or 36,000 miles (whichever comes first), we at Toyota care about the customers’ ownership experience. Toyota is providing coverage for repairs related to the condition described above. The following information is provided to inform you and your staff of the program notification schedule and your degree of involvement. Customer Support Program Coverage Details This Customer Support Program provides coverage for involved vehicles with the original factory Blizzard Pearl or Super White paint. The covered condition may occur when sunlight over time degrades

20240630ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

Jbl touchscreen 11.6 on Prius prime plugin 2017 has capacitive buttons like FM AM SPEAKER/Audio, and resistive buttons like Volume and Sufio not registering a finger touch or pressure. All other icons on touchscreen work and respond. Bluetooth works but no sound when a text message is read from my iPhone. Started when heat index was 107 on June 23. With climate change I am concerned that EV and PHEV touchscreens may need to be recalled to prevent this kind of failure. Mechanic said it WAS NOT FUSES OR BATTERY, and AICHATGBT proffered a software glitch or a neede update

20240402CrashPOWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION

The contact owned a 2017 Toyota Prius Prime. The contact stated after the vehicle was in the park position and exiting, the vehicle accelerated on its own in reverse. The contact mentioned when she parked, the front tires pointed towards a curb which allowed her to get inside the vehicle and to depress the brake pedal. The vehicle continued accelerating, crashed into two trees on the front driver's side and front passenger side, jumped the curve, and crashed into a fence where the vehicle came to a stop. The contact mentioned that she was a professional driver for a living and assured that the failure was not a user error. A police report was not filed due to the incident occurring on her property. No injuries were sustained. A Toyota representative inspected the vehicle at the contact's residence to diagnose the vehicle but the results were not available. The unknown local dealer was contacted. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was traded in at the dealer and the contact no lo

20240311ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

Each time I use the USB port behind the cup holders, my vehicle's electrical system goes through a power-down cycle. This has happened several times over the years while I was driving. I no longer use that particular USB port for safety reasons. I reported this to my Toyota dealer, but they could not replicate the problem while I was there, so nothing was ever done. My younger son was driving the car and nearly had a wreck when the electrical system power-cycled while he was driving. He has been instructed to not use the USB ports.

20230916VISIBILITY/WIPER

My 2017 Toyota Prius Prime has experienced a second windshield crack perhaps hit by a small object, which I didn't notice at all. The crack is a "L" shape, about 15 in at each direction. The firs Windshield crack was happened about a year ago. Toyota dealer replaced it with an original Toyota Windshield. I believe this particular Windshield type isn't strong enough to withstand a small stone hitting it. As I didn't notice any loud popping sound during driving

20230703CrashSEATS

Driver side electric Seat rail malfunction after I was hit from the rear end collision. The seat electric adjustment became inoperable. The seat rail has a small gear in the electric seat that got destroyed during the rear end collision. Is the seat designed for damping, if so why does the driver side electric seat become inoperable?

20230626CrashAIR BAGS

I had to avoid an oncoming driver who lost control in a flash storm and ended up colliding with a telephone pole head on going 60mph. No safety devices activated at all, and Toyota refuses to admit it’s a problem.

20230626CrashSEAT BELTS

I had to avoid an oncoming driver who lost control in a flash storm and ended up colliding with a telephone pole head on going 60mph. No safety devices activated at all, and Toyota refuses to admit it’s a problem.

20230419TIRES

It was time to replace my original equipment tires after approximately 30,000 miles (41,622 car miles, remainder 11,622 on separate snow tires). The car rode smoothly. I purchased four YOKOHAMA AVID Ascend LX SIZE 195/65R15 tires. The tires were balanced professionally at VIP Tires in Watertown, MA. Since the original tires had a little bit of uneven wear, I also had the car aligned at the same time. I immediately noticed intense vibration in the car seat and floorboard (not in stearing) when driving over 47 mph. I brought the car back and they rebalanced the tires. The vibration remained. I took a video of both back tires (both same DOT code) using my GoPro (and wife driving) and found left rear seemed ok, but right rear had abnormal tread movements. I also noticed much more seat vibration at right rear compared to left rear seat. I brought car back to installer and they (Marco & Julio) confirmed the right rear tire is defective.

20220223POWER TRAIN

Loud popping, grinding, and clicking noises from the front left of the car while decelerating, sometimes during acceleration, and parking. The clicking has been happening since the vehicle was new and has progressively gotten worse. It is so bad now that other motorists and pedestrians become distracted by it. A pedestrian tripped and fell over last week trying to look behind them at what was causing this unusual racket. I can now feel the repetitive popping in the steering wheel and brake peddle. The car now feels unsafe to drive. I have taken this vehicle to several Toyota dealers in 2018, 2019, 2020, and 2021 to expressed my concerns. Dealers insist the characteristic is normal, even when T-SB-0157-18 "Click Noise From LF Wheel Area During Deceleration" was in effect. The vehicle is still under powertrain warranty and no warranty repair has been offered each time. This characteristic was very similar to T-SB-0157-18, however it has gotten worse. It now always occurs during decelera

20211204UNKNOWN OR OTHER

I was driving in behind several cars on a city street about 30 mph. The cars ahead slowed quickly. The automatic braking system came on suddenly and completely and applied the brakes on its own with no warning red flash. It locked the brakes and the wheels skidded on the pavement I had no control over this at all I tried tapping lightly to stop the skid. I was about 10-12 feet away from the vehicle ahead of me when the car stopped. I did have some additional stopping room but had no control over the braking system at all if I had been on wet pavement the skidding and “hopping” would have been worse.

20211204FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING

I was driving in behind several cars on a city street about 30 mph. The cars ahead slowed quickly. The automatic braking system came on suddenly and completely and applied the brakes on its own with no warning red flash. It locked the brakes and the wheels skidded on the pavement I had no control over this at all I tried tapping lightly to stop the skid. I was about 10-12 feet away from the vehicle ahead of me when the car stopped. I did have some additional stopping room but had no control over the braking system at all if I had been on wet pavement the skidding and “hopping” would have been worse.

20210830FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM

Approximately July 19th 2021 at 4 a.m. in the morning on 2021 going Southbound on 210 going towards San Bernardino we will see the flat tire at the very end since the flat tire the hybrid system says offline not available car stalled pulled over tire was blown out. This is the second time that the hybrid system has been reported offline or malfunction. Upon further review the records of the vehicle I have noticed that on January 18th 2021 the previous owner had a similar incident but the dealership in Hemet California failed attempt to repair it or document it correctly and falsified records

20210830ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

Approximately July 19th 2021 at 4 a.m. in the morning on 2021 going Southbound on 210 going towards San Bernardino we will see the flat tire at the very end since the flat tire the hybrid system says offline not available car stalled pulled over tire was blown out. This is the second time that the hybrid system has been reported offline or malfunction. Upon further review the records of the vehicle I have noticed that on January 18th 2021 the previous owner had a similar incident but the dealership in Hemet California failed attempt to repair it or document it correctly and falsified records

20210820CrashFORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING

This vehicle rear ended another vehicle in peak hour stop and go traffic. The estimated speed at the time of impact was 10-15 MPH. There was exensive front end damage to the vehicle. The air bags did not deploy. Unclear if the AEB engaged but the driver actively tried braking but not successful in avoiding the collision.

20210728SERVICE BRAKES

-The following systems malfunctioned all at the same time on 2021-07-23 at approximately 5:00pm CDT traveling at ~70mph on the interstate in normal conditions in HV system mode: -Low Braking Power -ABS Control System Malfunction -Lane Departure Alert Malfunction -Traction Control Malfunction -Pre-Collision System Malfunction -This is available for inspection upon request, if loaner vehicle is provided and covered. -My girlfriend and I were put at risk due to multiple safety systems malfunctioning, which drastically increased chances of an accident -The vehicle has been diagnosed by a certified Toyota repair shop, and the issue could not be replicated nor found by them. I am also unable to replicate the malfunction. See attached photos. -The vehicle has been inspected three times in the past 30 days by Carvana, Beneficial Automotive in Moore, OK, and Fowler Toyota in Norman, OK. None found this issue. -See attached for the instrument warnings. ICS warning,

Compare 2017TOYOTAPRIUS PRIME to Similar Vehicles

NHTSA Investigations 1 Open

View all investigations

Frequently Asked Questions

How many complaints does the 2017 TOYOTA PRIUS PRIME have?
The 2017 TOYOTA PRIUS PRIME has 43 NHTSA complaints, 8 crashes, 0 fires, 5 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
What is the safety rating for the 2017 TOYOTA PRIUS PRIME?
The 2017 TOYOTA PRIUS PRIME received an overall NHTSA safety rating of Not Rated/5, front crash rating of Not Rated/5, side crash rating of Not Rated/5, and rollover rating of Not Rated/5.
What are the most common problems with the 2017 TOYOTA PRIUS PRIME?
The most-complained component for the 2017 TOYOTA PRIUS PRIME is ELECTRICAL SYSTEM with 7 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include VISIBILITY/WIPER and SERVICE BRAKES.
Is the 2017 TOYOTA PRIUS PRIME safe to buy?
Review the complaint history, crash and fire reports, safety ratings, and recall status on this page to make an informed decision. The 2017 TOYOTA PRIUS PRIME has an NHTSA safety rating of Not Rated/5. Compare with other model years using the links above.
Where does this data come from?
All complaint, recall, and safety rating data is sourced from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Complaints are filed by vehicle owners through NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation.

Vehicle Safety Guides

Data as of 2025. Sources: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) complaints database, NHTSA recall campaign API, NHTSA NCAP crash-test ratings, and NHTSA FARS for fatality cross-reference.