NHTSA lists 1 safety recall and 52 owner complaints for the 2018 Toyota Prius.
1Safety recalls
52Owner complaints
9Complaints citing a crash
0Complaints citing a fire
Data: NHTSA recall and complaint filesUpdated Sep 27, 2026
Recalled components: electrical system. Most-reported area: exterior lighting (6 complaints, 12%). Includes the plug-in hybrid, sold as the Prius Prime until 2024. Excludes the smaller Prius c and the Prius v wagon.
1 safety recall for the 2018 Toyota Prius
Newest first. Summaries are NHTSA's own wording. Open a recall for the fix and the full notice.
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.
The fix and full notice
Fix: 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.
NHTSA listing: PRIUS. Toyota campaign J0T.
Questions about any of these recalls: call NHTSA's Vehicle Safety Hotline at 888-327-4236 (TTY 888-275-9171) or check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
What owners report
The areas named in the 52 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2018 Prius. NHTSA does not verify complaints.
Exterior lighting6 · 12%
Visibility/wiper6 · 12%
Air bags5 · 10%
Speed control5 · 10%
Body structure4 · 8%
Most named: body (4)
Brakes4 · 8%
Fuel and propulsion system4 · 8%
Unknown or other8 · 15%
A complaint can name more than one area, so shares add up to more than 100%.
Toyota Prius recalls and complaints by model year
The highlighted bars are the 2018 model year. Newer model years have had less time on the road, so their counts are lower. Counting complaints filed in each model year's first three years, the 2016 Prius drew the most (93) and the 2018 drew 24.
Owner complaints
2018: 52 complaintsTap or drag across the chart for other years.
Show as a table
Owner complaints by model year, Toyota Prius
Model year
Complaints
2016
154
2017
133
2018
52
2019
38
2020
30
2021
16
2022
32
2023
25
2024
38
2025
18
2026
10
Safety recalls
2018: 1 recallTap or drag across the chart for other years.
Show as a table
Safety recalls by model year, Toyota Prius
Model year
Recalls
2016
5
2017
3
2018
1
2019
3
2020
1
2021
0
2022
1
2023
4
2024
4
2025
2
2026
1
Crash test ratings
NHTSA's 5-Star Safety Ratings for each version it tested. Rollover risk is NHTSA's estimate of the chance of rolling over in a single-vehicle crash.
Tested version
Overall
Frontal
Side
Rollover
Toyota Prius 5 HB FWD
Rollover risk 10.7%
Toyota Prius PRIME 5 HB FWD
Not rated
Not rated
Not rated
Not rated
Questions
What are the most common 2018 Prius problems?
The areas owners name most often in NHTSA complaints: exterior lighting (6), visibility/wiper (6), air bags (5). NHTSA does not verify complaints, and one complaint can name several areas.
Is the 2018 Toyota Prius safe?
In NHTSA crash tests every tested version of the 2018 Toyota Prius earns 5 stars overall. The table above lists each tested version.
How do I check if my Prius has an open recall?
Enter the 17-character VIN from your dashboard, door jamb or registration at nhtsa.gov/recalls. The lookup lists unrepaired recalls for that exact vehicle. Safety recall repairs are free at Toyota dealers.
Sources and method
NHTSA recalls file (NHTSA datasets), dated Sep 27, 2026; every campaign checked against NHTSA's recalls API.
NHTSA owner complaints file, dated Sep 26, 2026. Counted by complaint number, so a complaint naming three components counts once in the total.
NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings (NCAP).
NHTSA model names covered: PRIUS, PRIUS PRIME.
Complaint counts are unverified owner reports. They rise with sales volume and time on the road, so compare model years with care. How we build these pages. Spotted an error? Tell us.