2016 Toyota Prius V: what breaks, and at what mileage
What breaks on the 2016 Toyota Prius V
On the 2016 Toyota Prius V, the failure owners report most often is ABS module or sensor failure, with 3 reports on file. Across every failure mode on this year, half the dated reports were filed before 20,000 miles. Overall it scores 70 out of 100, high risk for a 2016.
High risk for a 2016 — 164th riskiest of the 255 2016 vehicles we can rate. 24 owner reports; fleet size estimated from this year's own recall paperwork.
The failures owners actually file about
Owners have reported 12 named failure modes on the 2016 Toyota Prius V, and the three most-reported carry 38% of everything filed.
ABS module or sensor failure leads with 3 reports and about 0.1 per 1,000 vehicles.
Airbag failed to deploy in a crash follows with 3 reports, median 35,000 miles.
Other speed control problem follows with 3 reports, median 70,000 miles.
By system, the reports fall mostly into brakes (4), airbag (3) and adas (3).
The mileage the reports cluster at
8 of the reports on the 2016 Toyota Prius V came with an odometer reading, and half of those were filed before 20,000 miles.
Cumulatively, 88% by 50,000 miles of the dated reports had been filed.
The busiest stretch is between 10,000 and 20,000 miles, which alone holds 50% of the dated reports.
75% of the dated reports were filed below 36,000 miles, which is early enough that a fair number of these cars were still under a factory warranty when the owner complained.
Tick median reported mileage Solid middle half of reports Faint 10th to 90th percentile Colour how bad the failure is when it happens
How reports accumulate
Every report with an odometer reading, cumulative, from 0 to 200,000 miles. A curve that climbs early is a car with early problems, whatever its total.
- Line share of reports filed by that mileage
- Dashed the median reported mileage
What happens when these parts fail
Across the named modes, 10 mention a crash and 5 an injury. Those are the words owners used in their own complaints, and NHTSA does not verify them, but they are the closest thing in this data to a measure of what a failure actually did.
The average severity weight across every report on this year is 7.33, where a stalled engine or a failed airbag weighs many times more than a rattling trim panel, and a figure this high means the reports are dominated by failures with safety consequences rather than annoyances. The weighting is set out in full on the methodology page.
What the top failures cost to put right, as editorial estimates for an independent US shop rather than figures from NHTSA: ABS module or sensor failure at $500–$2,400, airbag failed to deploy in a crash at $1,000–$5,000, other speed control problem at $250–$2,000 and other engine problem at $300–$4,000. Dealer labour, a seized bolt or a part that is no longer made can push any of these past the top of its range.
17% of the reports on this year sit in the engine, transmission, drivetrain or cooling systems — the four where a repair bill is usually four figures.
Every reported failure mode
| Failure mode | System | Reports | With reading | 25th | Median | 75th | Per 1,000 | Typical repair | Severity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ABS module or sensor failure | brakes | 3 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.1 | $500–$2,400 | High |
| Airbag failed to deploy in a crash | airbag | 3 | 1 | — | 37k | — | 0.1 | $1,000–$5,000 | Critical |
| Other speed control problem | adas | 3 | 1 | — | 70k | — | 0.1 | $250–$2,000 | Critical |
| Other engine problem | engine | 2 | 1 | — | 18k | — | 0.1 | $300–$4,000 | High |
| Other electrical problem | electrical | 2 | 1 | — | 18k | — | 0.1 | $250–$2,000 | Moderate |
| Other body or interior problem | body | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.1 | $200–$2,000 | Moderate |
| No-start or intermittent start failure | engine | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.0 | $200–$1,800 | Moderate |
| Water pump failure | cooling | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.0 | $500–$2,200 | High |
| Fuel pump failure | fuel | 1 | 1 | — | 28k | — | 0.0 | $600–$2,600 | High |
| Other fuel system problem | fuel | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.0 | $300–$2,200 | High |
| Other brake problem | brakes | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.0 | $300–$1,800 | High |
| Other visibility problem | glass | 1 | 1 | — | 15k | — | 0.0 | $150–$1,400 | Moderate |
| Unclassified problem | other | 3 | 2 | — | 13k | — | 0.1 | — | Moderate |
Rate per 1,000 uses a fleet-size estimate derived from recall paperwork for this exact model year. It is a lower bound. Repair costs are typical independent-shop ranges for the failure, not figures from these reports.
How often, against how many were built
Scaled by an estimate of how many of these cars exist, the 2016 Toyota Prius V draws about 0.6 per 1,000 vehicles, which puts it in the 71st percentile of complaint rates among 2016 vehicles we can rate.
That denominator is the weakest number on the page and it is fair to say so plainly. Rate per 1,000 uses a fleet-size estimate derived from recall paperwork for this exact model year. It is a lower bound.
The working figure is 38,091 vehicles. If the true number is twice that, every rate on this page is half what it says; the ranking against other 2016 vehicles, which is what the risk score uses, is far more robust than the rate itself.
Recalls on the 2016 model year
NHTSA has issued 1 recall campaign covering the 2016 Toyota Prius V, affecting an estimated 38,091 vehicles. A recall is a different kind of evidence from a complaint: it is the regulator and the manufacturer agreeing that something has to be fixed, and the fix is free for as long as the car exists.
The campaigns cover hybrid propulsion system: inverter. Whether the work was actually done on the car in front of you is a question only the VIN can answer, and the manufacturer or NHTSA will answer it free.
One caution about reading these together: a recall usually raises the complaint count for the same part, because owners who read about it go and file. The mileages stay informative; the counts get noisy.
HYBRID PROPULSION SYSTEM: INVERTER
266,638 vehicles 2020-06-24- Defect
- Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2013-2015 Prius and 2014-2017 Prius V vehicles not included in recall 18V-684. Excessive voltage in the Intelligent Power Module (IPM) within the inverter may cause the hybrid system to shut down, causing the vehicle to stall while being driven.
- Consequence
- An unexpected hybrid power system shut down may increase the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will perform a software update for the hybrid system. If the vehicle has experienced an inverter failure with certain hybrid system faults related to this condition, the inverter assembly will be repaired or replaced, prior to software update. All repairs will be performed free of charge. This recall began July 24, 2020. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-888-270-9371. Toyota's number for this recall is 20TB10 / 20TA10.
Recall work is free at a franchised dealer regardless of the car's age. Check the VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls before assuming it was done.
How it ranks in the 2016 field
The score at the top of the page, placed among its peers. The zones are the same thresholds the scorer applies, read out of the scorer itself, so the picture and the band word cannot disagree.
Scores are ranked within the model year, never across years, because an older car has had longer to accumulate reports.
- Left fewer and less serious reports
- Right more, or worse
- Marker this vehicle
Where 2016 sits in the model line
High risk for a 2016 — 164th riskiest of the 255 2016 vehicles we can rate. The comparison is always within the same model year, so an older car is never penalised for having had longer to break.
Across the 5 model years of this car that carry enough reports to score, 2013 comes out best at 66 and 2016 worst at 70, with 2016 itself at 70.
If the model year is negotiable, 2013 and 2015 score lower than 2016 by a margin worth acting on. Same body, same engines, different luck — usually a supplier change or a mid-cycle fix, which the complaint data can show but never explain.
Within the 2011–2018 generation specifically, 2013 is the strongest year at 66 and 2016 the weakest at 70.
Scores compare each year against other cars of the same model year, so a low number on an older car is a real result and not an artefact of age.
Shorter is better. Years with too few reports to score are shown without a bar rather than as a zero, because no data is not good news.
Within the 2011-2018 generation, 2013 Toyota Prius V scores best at 66 and 2016 Toyota Prius V worst at 70.
What this page cannot tell you
24 owner reports; fleet size estimated from this year's own recall paperwork. Every count on this page is therefore a floor: it is the number of owners who went to the trouble of filing with a federal agency, which is a small and self-selected fraction of the owners who had the fault.
Of those 24 reports, 8 carried an odometer reading, so the mileages here describe 33% of the sample rather than all of it. Owners also round: readings pile up on multiples of ten thousand, which is why this site publishes "about 90,000 miles" and not "91,438".
The failure modes are assigned by software reading the owner's own words, which is accurate in bulk and wrong in individual cases. A mode with a handful of reports may contain a misfiled one.
And nothing here predicts what one car will do. These are other people's complaints, filed years apart, on cars maintained by strangers. Read the page as a map of where this model year has previously gone wrong, then have the specific car in front of you inspected.
Questions this page answers
What are the most common problems with the 2016 Toyota Prius V?
The most-reported failures are abs module or sensor failure (3 reports), airbag failed to deploy in a crash (3 reports, median 35,000 miles) and other speed control problem (3 reports, median 70,000 miles). Counts come from owner complaints filed with NHTSA, which are voluntary, so they show what owners bothered to report rather than every fault that occurred.
Is the 2016 Toyota Prius V reliable?
It scores 70 out of 100 on our risk index, which is high — 164th riskiest of the 255 2016 vehicles we can rate. The score is a comparison against other 2016 vehicles, not a prediction about any individual car, and it is built from complaint rates, severity and how early failures appear.
Which year of the Toyota Prius V is best?
Within the 2011–2018 generation, 2013 scores best at 66 out of 100 and 2016 worst at 70. Same body, same engines, different luck.
Where this comes from. Every figure above is computed from NHTSA owner complaints and recall records for this exact make, model and year. Complaints are voluntary and self-selected, so treat counts as a floor. The methodology page writes out each formula, and the same numbers are available as JSON.
What breaks at my mileage Compare with another car
Source Owner complaints and recall records published by the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, model years 1996–2027 Figures rebuilt Published by AtWhatMileage How every figure is computed