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2018 Toyota Prius

Hybrid

Midsize Cars
2 EPA-rated configurations
Data refreshed 2026-09-11

Safety Signal

85 / 100 from the NHTSA recall record

Recalls1 critical1

Complaintsowner reports to NHTSA37

Crash ratingNHTSA overall5★

Fuel economybest combined, EPA56 mpg

2027 2026 2025 2024 2023 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017 2016

The 2018 Toyota Prius is sold in the U.S. as a hybrid midsize car with 2 EPA-rated configurations. The most efficient version, the Prius Eco, is EPA-rated at 56 mpg combined. NHTSA lists 1 recall campaign for this model year, 1 rated critical, which gives it a Safety Signal grade of B. Owners have filed 37 complaints, most often about the visibility/wiper. NHTSA crash-tested it at 5 stars overall.

Specs & fuel economy

Source: EPA fueleconomy.gov

Configuration	Powertrain	Drive	Engine / motor	City	Hwy	Comb	Annual fuel*
Prius Eco	Hybrid	FWD	1.8L 4-cyl + 207V Li-Ion	58	53	56	$1,100
Prius	Hybrid	FWD	1.8L 4-cyl + 202V Ni-MH	54	50	52	$1,200

*EPA estimate at 15,000 miles/year at EPA reference fuel and electricity prices. fueleconomy.gov record ids: 39753, 39752.

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Recalls (1)

Source: NHTSA recall database

!critical

Electrical System

J0T

192,347 vehicles

ProblemToyota 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.RiskAn electrical short can increase the risk of a fire.FixToyota 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 campaign 18V579000reported Sep 5, 2018Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing

NHTSA defect investigations

Electrical System:Propulsion System — Pedestrian alert sounds closed

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. The standard applies to hybrid and electric vehicles that have a gross vehicle weight rating of 4,536 KG or less or are defined as low-speed vehicles. The standard became fully applicable to all such vehicles manufactured on or after March 1, 2021.On January 27, 2023, NHTSA opened Defect Petition (DP) 22-005 to evaluate the subject matt

Opened Jan 27, 2023 · closed Aug 7, 2023 · action DP22005

Owner complaints

Source: NHTSA complaint database

37complaints filed

5 involved a crash · 1 a fire · 2 injuries · 0 deaths reported

Filed per year: 2018: 10 · 2019: 9 · 2020: 2 · 2021: 2 · 2022: 2 · 2023: 3 · 2024: 2 · 2025: 4 · 2026: 3

Most-cited components

Unspecified5

Visibility/Wiper5

Exterior Lighting5

Vehicle Speed Control4

Structure4

Service Brakes3

What owners describe

“The contact owns a 2018 Toyota Prius. The contact stated that while having a routine oil change, the contact was made aware that there was no coolant in the coolant reservoir. No warning lights were illuminated. The contact was constantly adding coolant to the coolant reservoir; however, the following day the coolant r…”Aug 17, 2026 · Engine And Engine Cooling · NHTSA owner report

“The contact owns a 2018 Toyota Prius. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the engine constantly overheated. An unidentified warning light was flashing on the instrument panel. An independent mechanic inspected the vehicle and became aware that the coolant reservoir was empty. One month later,…”Jun 26, 2026 · Engine And Engine Cooling · NHTSA owner report

“Both taillamps holding moisture. Could cause electrical issues or fire. .. same year and model car have same reported issues and were fixed by manufacturer. This vehicle is the same but different level.”Mar 13, 2026 · Exterior Lighting · NHTSA owner report

Complaint counts are raw owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects, and scale with how many were sold. Use them to spot patterns, not to rank.

Crash ratings

Source: NHTSA NCAP

Configuration	Overall	Frontal	Side	Rollover	Rollover risk
5 HB FWD	★★★★★	★★★★☆	★★★★★	★★★★☆	11%

NHTSA New Car Assessment Program. Standard driver-assist: forward collision warning, lane departure warning, automatic emergency braking.

Other Prius model years

2027 Toyota Prius

0 recalls · 0 complaints

2026 Toyota Prius

1 recalls · 9 complaints

2025 Toyota Prius

2 recalls · 18 complaints

2024 Toyota Prius

4 recalls · 23 complaints

2023 Toyota Prius

4 recalls · 19 complaints

2022 Toyota Prius

1 recalls · 24 complaints

2021 Toyota Prius

0 recalls · 6 complaints

2020 Toyota Prius

0 recalls · 14 complaints

2019 Toyota Prius

3 recalls · 30 complaints

2017 Toyota Prius

3 recalls · 91 complaints

2016 Toyota Prius

5 recalls · 154 complaints

Sources & method

Safety Signal starts every model-year at 100 and subtracts points per open NHTSA recall campaign by severity: critical 15 (fire risk, park-outside or do-not-drive advisories), high 8 (brakes, steering, airbags, loss of drive power, structure, battery), moderate 6, minor 3 (software, labels, lighting fixed by an update). Floor 35. A ≥ 90, B ≥ 80, C ≥ 70, D ≥ 60, otherwise F. Complaint counts and NHTSA crash ratings are shown separately and are not blended into the grade.

EPA figures come from fueleconomy.gov vehicle records. Recalls, complaints, investigations and crash ratings come from NHTSA's public flat files, refreshed weekly.

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