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2018 Toyota Prius Recalls & Complaints

1

open safety recall on record

Critical

45 owner complaints filed · Severity Index 0.53 · updated 2026-08-07

The recalls

Critical18V579000

Electrical System:Wiring

electrical short can raises the risk of a fire.

Remedy & full details

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.

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.

Complaint volume

45 this model-year 7 median, same year

Volume alone is not a fault rate — popular vehicles attract more reports. Read it next to the severity mix below.

What owners reported happened

8Crashes
0Fires
2Injuries
0Deaths

Across 45 complaints. Severity Index 0.53.

Severity Index weights each complaint's reported outcome (death ×10, injury ×4, fire ×3, crash ×2) and divides by total complaints. It measures how severe reports are, not how often faults occur.

What owners report most

Unknown Or Other5 · 11%Visibility/Wiper5 · 11%Exterior Lighting5 · 11%Vehicle Speed Control4 · 9%Service Brakes3 · 7%Structure · Body3 · 7%Air Bags3 · 7%Power Train2 · 4%
  1. Unknown Or Other — 5 reports
  2. Visibility/Wiper — 5 reports
  3. Exterior Lighting — 5 reports
  4. Vehicle Speed Control — 4 reports
  5. Service Brakes — 3 reports
  6. Structure:Body — 3 reports
  7. Air Bags — 3 reports
  8. Power Train — 2 reports
  9. Seats — 2 reports
  10. Engine — 2 reports

What to do

  1. Find your 17-character VIN on the driver's door jamb or the base of the windscreen.
  2. Check it against NHTSA's official lookup at nhtsa.gov/recalls — the authoritative record for your exact car.
  3. Book the repair with any franchised dealer. Safety recall work is free, with no time limit and regardless of who owns the car now.

Other model years

2000 · 2001 (3) · 2002 (2) · 2003 (1) · 2004 (6) · 2005 (6) · 2006 (6) · 2007 (4) · 2008 (4) · 2009 (6) · 2010 (10) · 2011 (6) · 2012 (6) · 2013 (3) · 2014 (3) · 2015 (1) · 2016 (5) · 2017 (3) · 2018 · 2019 (3) · 2020 · 2021 · 2022 (1) · 2023 (4) · 2024 (4) · 2025 (2) · 2026 (1)

Numbers in brackets are open recall campaigns for that year.

Questions

Does an open recall mean the car is unsafe to drive?

Not usually. NHTSA issues a "do not drive" or "park outside" advisory when a defect is dangerous enough to keep you out of the car — those are flagged Critical above. Everything else should be repaired promptly but is not an immediate stop-driving order.

Do I pay for recall repairs?

No. Federal law requires the manufacturer to fix a safety recall free of charge, including parts and labour, whether or not you are the original owner.

Why are there complaints but no recalls?

Complaints are unverified reports filed by owners. They can prompt an investigation, but many never become recalls — either the fault isn't safety-related or it isn't widespread.