Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (battery, alternator, wiring, ignition, instrument cluster, infotainment).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2014 Toyota Prius owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
Originally, Toyota issued a safety recall in 2014 to address the inverter defect in model years 2010 to 2014, an attempt to fix the problem on about 800,000 cars in the U.S. by modifying software that controls the hybrid electrical system. It was intended to fix the overheating problems. The inverter controls the power flowing between the battery and electrical motors. The inverter boosts the battery from 200 - 500 volts. They inspected my car saying it was in excellent condition. After, the software upgrade i had major problems. My original Prius battery with around 65,000 miles stopped holding a charge. My 12 volt battery also died shortly after. And my power outlets in my got super hot and spiratually worked off and on. And my driver seat gets hot when i turn on car even though seat button is off. I am sweating all the time. Plus, i have skin conditions and asma. …
The brake system malfunctioned suddenly. While driving and while stopped, the brake pedal became very hard and braking behavior became unpredictable. The vehicle sometimes brakes aggressively and other times requires excessive pedal force to stop. The ABS and BRAKE warning lights illuminated. The vehicle no longer provides normal braking assistance. This issue is related to a failure of the brake actuator / brake booster, which is a known issue affecting Toyota Prius models from 2010 to 2015. This defect creates a serious safety risk, as braking performance is inconsistent and may increase stopping distance or cause loss of control during emergency braking situations. The vehicle has not been repaired yet because the cost is very high and the manufacturer has declined assistance despite this being a known safety-related defect.
I was dropping my daughter off at school and the car completely shut down on me and turned off in the middle of an intersection. I have just had brakes and oil changed but ever since I got the car codes keep popping up and when checked it's all good. Front lights keep glitching and even with new brakes there is still a bad sound. My dash computer thing keeps going in and out. It happens a lot more when it rains and makes a sizzling sound I'm afraid to drive it in the rain. I'm besides myself how the car turned off on me and my child we couldn't move I could accelerate and we almost got hit then another light came on and I couldn't even turn my wheel. Very dangerous
The air temperature was probably about 50 or 60 F. On a route I routinely drive , I accelerated up hill normally from 0mph to about 45 to 55 mph. I did not accelerate aggressively. Just after climbing the short hill, The engine suddenly loses all power. I had to pull over. I look under the engine to find five pieces of metal blown out of the bottom of the engine block above the oil pan and oil spilling out onto the ground. The car has about 98,000 miles on it and was maintenance regularly including on schedule oil changes, coolant change, state inspections. There were no check engine lights or electronic error codes to indicate anything was wrong with the vehicle which I would have been able to diagnose and possibly fix. The car had been maintenanced in August/September for winter by myself. …
Good Evening, I'm writing to request a callback in regards to my 2014 Toyota Prius which is subject to a recall. "The involved vehicles were designed to enter a failsafe driving mode in response to certain hybrid system faults. Toyota has found that in rare situations, the vehicle may not enter a failsafe driving mode as intended. If this occurs, the vehicle could lose power and stall. While power steering and braking would remain operational, a vehicle stall while driving at higher speeds could increase the risk of a crash." I recently just moved back to South Florida, I was living in NJ for a few years and had the Inverter malfunction earlier this February, 2023, forcing the car to enter the fail safe mode described giving me the warning to "Check Hybrid System, Stop the Vehicle in a Safe Place". …
I was driving on the highway during rush hour when a loud beeping noice began. My 15 year old cousin was in the passenger seat and began to check for the source of the beeping. I was driving 55mph on a busy highway with no safe shoulder stop. As I was preparing for the exit, the brakes suddenly became dysfunctional. The pedal was extremely hard to press down and I found myself unable to slow down the car in enough time to avoid hitting upcoming traffic. I found myself in an urgent, life threatening situation and needed to pull over into the emergency lane located before the exit. I could not just consider my safety, but that of other drivers and my 15 year old passenger. She is traumatized. I was able to get the car to stop with my entire weight on the pedal. …
I am submitting this complaint regarding a serious safety concern involving the brake actuator/booster assembly on my 2014 Toyota Prius. My vehicle has experienced failure of this critical braking component and has been unable to be properly repaired since November due to difficulty obtaining the correct replacement parts. This involves a major safety system required for proper braking operation. Brake actuator/booster assembly. Diagnostic codes: B1206, B2321, C1252, C1253 C1256. Toyota previously acknowledged brake actuator concerns through Customer Support Program ZJB. However, my vehicle is outside the program limits despite experiencing what appears to be the same type of failure reported by many other Prius owners. …
The car brakes failed at low speeds (10-15 MPH) and bumped into the car in front in a stop-and-go traffic on the wet freeway after a recent rain. The brake pedal went all the way down to touch the floor, as if the brake pedal was disengaged from the braking system and the ABS light did not turn on at the time of braking. The car was driving in the straight line and immediately before this I was able to successfully brake the car on the very same trip. So the problem is intermittent. This is the second time with this car, as my spouse also experienced the similar brake failure at even lower speeds (<10 MPH) resulting in touching the car in front and minor scratch on the bumper. It was a dry day then and almost similar circumstances. Associated geico claim number is 0423477190101054. We opened a case with Toyota to check the data recorder. Associated Toyota case number is 181112370.
On Friday, January 12, 2018 I fount the car seat severely smoldering on the passenger side. The care was filled with brown smoke and toxic fumes. The seat was completely burned and melted and toxic residue. Fire department put out fire with water. Car seat heater apparently did not turn off and smoldered all night. Toyota giving me the run around, delaying investigation at least 5 weeks or more. The car was parked in garage, last driven brief distance evening before. Garage now with toxic fumes and residue. Car likely totaled, and Toyota trying to get out of any assistance/responsibility. They are on purpose being very difficult, and forcing me to comply with their agenda, or lose option for their taking some responsibility.
I was in a parking lot and put the car in reverse. Then I heard a "boom" and I thought that I backed into something, so I quickly put the car into drive. I then felt the car excelerating fast and I was pushing the brake as hard as I could and could not stop the car from moving forward. The car proceeded to excellerate and when over a curb up onto pavement and through a metal fence and bent a 5 inch round metal fencing down to the ground and the car kept going another 30 feet till it finally stopped. You can see the skid marks in the the parking lot.
Related recalls
Electrical system › Software
Toyota is recalling certain model year 2010 through 2014 Prius vehicles. In the affected vehicles, the Intelligent Power Module (IPM) inside the inverter module (a component of the hybrid system) contains transistors that may become damaged from high operating temperatures.
Remedy: Toyota will notify owners and dealers will update the software for both the motor/generator control electronic control unit (ECU) and the hybrid control ECU, free of charge.
NHTSA investigations
Pedestrian alert sounds
NHTSA received a petition on or about July 18, 2022, requesting that Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 141 be applied to all electric and hybrid vehicles operating in the United States. The petition can be reviewed at NHTSA.gov under ODI Number 11486072. FMVSS 141 establishes performance requirements for pedestrian alert sounds for motor vehicles.
Electrical complaints in other Prius years
Frequently asked questions
How common are electrical problems on the 2014 Toyota Prius?
NHTSA has 33 complaints about the electrical system of the 2014 Toyota Prius, 16% of the model year's 209 complaints. The component named most often is instrument cluster/panel (1 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2014 Toyota Prius electrical problems?
Yes — NHTSA recall 14V-053 (software, Feb 12, 2014). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.
At what mileage do 2014 Toyota Prius electrical problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 19,000 miles, and 59% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 2 crashes, 1 fire and 0 injuries to electrical system problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.