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2019 Toyota Prius

Hybrid

Midsize Cars
3 EPA-rated configurations
Data refreshed 2026-10-26

Safety Signal

85 / 100 from the NHTSA recall record

RecallsNHTSA campaigns 3

Complaints7 crash · 2 injured reported 30

Crash ratingNHTSA overall 5★

Fuel economybest combined, EPA 56 mpg

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

The 2019 Toyota Prius is sold in the U.S. as a hybrid midsize hatchback with 3 EPA-rated configurations. The most efficient version, the Prius Eco, is EPA-rated at 56 mpg combined. NHTSA lists 3 recall campaigns for this model year, which gives it a Safety Signal grade of B. Owners have filed 30 complaints, most often about the service brakes. NHTSA crash-tested it at 5 stars overall.

Toyota Prius — photograph via Wikimedia Commons — Toyota Prius · Photo: TTTNIS · CC0 · Wikimedia Commons

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	$1,200
Prius	Hybrid	FWD	1.8L 4-cyl + 207V Li-Ion	54	50	52	$1,300
Prius AWD	Hybrid	4WD (part-time)	1.8L 4-cyl + 202V Ni-MH	52	48	50	$1,350

*EPA estimate at 15,000 miles/year at EPA reference fuel and electricity prices. fueleconomy.gov record ids: 41163, 41161, 41162.

Emissions & certification

Source: EPA emission certificates

Configuration	Smog rating	Emission standard	Where it can be sold new	SmartWay
Prius, Prius AWD, Prius Eco	7 / 10	California LEV-III SULEV30 / Federal Tier 3 Bin 30	All 50 states (federal, all altitudes); California and states following California standards	SmartWay Elite

Certified for all fifty states, so it can be registered new anywhere in the U.S.

The smog rating scores tailpipe pollutants other than greenhouse gases, 1 (worst) to 10 (best), and is comparable only within a model year. The standard is the federal bin or California tier the configuration was certified to. Both come from the EPA certificate behind the window sticker.

Specifications filed with NHTSA

Source: NHTSA vPIC

Dimensions Exterior

Body style	Hatchback/Liftback/Notchback
Doors	5
GVWR class	Class 1: 6,000 lb or less (2,722 kg or less)

Engine Basics

Cylinders	4
Displacement	1.8 L
Engine configuration	In-Line

Engine Output

Horsepower

96 hp

Fuel Economy

Fuel	Gasoline

Seating

Seat rows	2
Seating capacity	5 seats

Transmission

Drivetrain	4x2
Transmission	Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT)

Driver assistance

Standard: Adaptive cruise control, Anti-lock brakes, Automatic emergency braking, Backup camera, Electronic stability control, Forward collision warning, Lane departure warning, Lane keeping assist, Pedestrian automatic emergency braking

Filed by the manufacturer with NHTSA under the federal vehicle-identification rule and decoded from the VIN pattern — not a manufacturer press kit, so it describes the configurations we could identify rather than every trim (seen: L/LE/XLE/LTD., LE/XLE). Figures for the trim you are looking at may differ.

Dimensions & weight

Source: Transport Canada

Length	178.7–181.9 in
Width (body, without mirrors)	69.3–70.1 in
Height	57.9–62.2 in
Wheelbase	106.3–109.4 in
Track, front	60.2–60.6 in
Track, rear	60.2–61.0 in
Curb weight	3,064–3,318 lb
Weight distribution, front/rear	59/41 to 60/40

Measured by Transport Canada for its Canadian Vehicle Specifications database, which covers the North American versions of each model — here 2 configurations: 5-door Liftback, V 5-door Hatchback. Where a range is shown, those versions differ. Width is the body without mirrors, which is why it can read narrower than a brochure figure. Before we used it we checked it against the US manufacturer press kits we hold (27 Sep 2026): wheelbase agreed within 1% on every vehicle we could compare, length on 98%, and the curb weight fell inside the manufacturer's range on 96%. Source dataset. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada. Licence.

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Recalls (3)

Source: NHTSA recall database

●moderate

Electrical System

19TA21 / 19TB21

3,751 vehicles 88% reported repaired built Jul 9, 2019 – Jul 31, 2019

Problem Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2019 Prius vehicles. An electrical short circuit in the combination meter could occur, causing the speedometer, the odometer, and the fuel gauge to go blank. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 101, "Controls and Displays." Risk A blank main display will not show important information like vehicle speed or fuel level. Driving with an inoperative display can increase the risk of a crash. Fix Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the flash memory chip (ROM) production date, and if necessary, replace it along with the combination meter circuit board, free of charge. The recall began February 7, 2020. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-888-270-9371. Toyota's numbers for this recall are 19TA21 and 19TB21.

Filed with NHTSAOwner letter PDF Remedy instructions PDF

NHTSA campaign 19V876000 reported Dec 11, 2019 Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing the full filing, and every vehicle covered →

▲high

Electronic Stability Control (Esc)

K1L/K0L, K2F/KLF

6,925 vehicles 98% reported repaired built Apr 26, 2019 – May 31, 2019

Problem Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2019 Lexus LS500, LC500, ES300h, UX250h, LS500h, Toyota Prius, RAV4 HV, 2019-2020 Toyota Prius Prime, and 2020 Corolla HV vehicles. The brake booster pump may fail causing a deactivation of the Vehicle Stability Control system and a loss of braking assist. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 126, "Electronic Stability Control Systems." Risk Deactivation of the vehicle stability control system or a loss of braking assist increases the risk of a crash. Fix Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and, if necessary, replace the brake booster pump, free of charge. The recall began September 20, 2019. Toyota owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-888-270-9371 and Lexus owners may contact Lexus customer service at 1-800-255-3987. Toyota's numbers for this recall are K1L/K0L. Lexus' numbers for this recall are K2F/KLF.

Filed with NHTSARemedy instructions PDF

NHTSA campaign 19V544000 reported Jul 24, 2019 Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing the full filing, and every vehicle covered →

○minor

Equipment

19R1

3,634 vehicles 67% reported repaired built Feb 21, 2019 – Feb 27, 2019

Problem Gulf States Toyota (GST) is recalling certain 2019 C-HR, 4Runner, Avalon, Avalon Hybrid, Camry, Camry Hybrid, Highlander, Land Cruiser, Prius, RAV4, Sequoia, Tacoma, Sienna, Tundra and Yaris vehicles. The text on the load capacity label may become illegible. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 110, "Tire Selection and Rims." Risk If the driver cannot read the label, they may unknowingly overload the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash. Fix GST will notify owners, and dealers will provide corrected load carrying capacity modification labels, free of charge. The recall began May 24, 2019. Owners may contact GST customer service at 1-800-444-1074. GST's number for this recall is 19R1.

Filed with NHTSAOwner letter PDF

NHTSA campaign 19V244000 reported Mar 27, 2019 Gulf States Toyota, Inc. the full filing, and every vehicle covered →

These are vehicle campaigns — the ones the automaker filed against this model. NHTSA also records equipment recalls, filed by a parts maker against a component (a tyre, a child seat, an aftermarket part), and those are not listed here or counted above. nhtsa.gov/recalls shows both for a VIN.

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 mat

Opened Jan 27, 2023 · closed Aug 7, 2023 · action DP22005 · the investigation’s page →

Whether any of this applies to one specific Prius

A campaign covers a build range, not a model year, so two identical-looking cars from 2019 can differ. Both of these check a VIN against the manufacturer’s own list, free, in about ten seconds. Toyota publishes its own lookup because federal rule 49 CFR 573.15 requires it to, and to keep it current to within seven days.

NHTSA VIN check →Toyota’s own VIN lookup →

Hear about a recall before the letter does

The manufacturer’s letter is the last step of a recall: it has up to 60 days after filing to mail owners, at the address on the registration. We email you the day NHTSA posts a recall on the 2019 Toyota Prius, with what to do next. Nothing else, ever — no newsletter, no marketing, one-click unsubscribe in every message.

Owner complaints

Source: NHTSA complaint database

30complaints filed

7 involved a crash · 0 a fire · 2 injuries · 0 deaths reported

7.5 per 10,000 built · Toyota reported 40,266 Prius built (its Early Warning production report to NHTSA)

Filed per year: 2019: 4 · 2020: 3 · 2021: 2 · 2022: 2 · 2023: 7 · 2024: 4 · 2025: 5 · 2026: 3

Most-cited components

Service Brakes 11

Unspecified 8

Engine 7

Vehicle Speed Control 4

Air Bags 4

Forward Collision Avoidance 4

In owners' own words

Filed with NHTSA by the people who own these cars, one per problem area. Quoted as written, with anything identifying removed.

Coolant is leaking into the catalytic converter. This seems to be a common issue. Toyota issued a technical service bulletin on XXX covering this exactly. Some 2016–2019 Prius and 2017–2019 Prius Prime vehicles may exhibit low coolant level, MIL on with DTC P148F00, and/or poor heater performance due to coolant leakage at the front…

Engine Aug 26, 2026 NHTSA owner report · ODI 11759842

Frequency when I start car makes a very loud , painful high pitch noise for anywhere from 5-15 seconds

Electrical System Jul 13, 2026 NHTSA owner report · ODI 11749970

Since October 2023, my 2019 Toyota Prius has developed severe and unpredictable driving behavior after a regular brake service, which may have triggered or coincided with a software or ECU update.

Forward Collision Avoidance Oct 11, 2025 NHTSA owner report · ODI 11692652

* I was pulling into a parking space at a slow speed. When I applied the brake the car accelerated causing the car to scrape the car next to the space. The car then stopped. * The acceleration was out of my control and the brakes did not stop it. Fortunately there was no person in front of me.

Service Brakes Oct 16, 2024 NHTSA owner report · ODI 11620209

Vehicle was involved in a accident and it was a total loss and no airbags deployed There wasBodily injury due to this accident

Air Bags Dec 4, 2023 NHTSA owner report · ODI 11558272

This complete set of Dunlop Enasave 01 A/S 195 / 65 R 15 91S tires has failed in a short span of time. At the beginning of October, we noticed a slight warbling while driving at any speed.

Tires Nov 10, 2023 NHTSA owner report · ODI 11554546

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.

Reported by Toyota itself: 25 death-or-injury claims on this model year in its quarterly Early Warning reports to NHTSA (49 CFR 579.21): 33 injured, as claimed, not verified — about 62 per 100,000 built. Every Prius model year, by year and system → Dated and by system, they are exhibit F of the defect dossier.

Crash ratings

Source: NHTSA NCAP

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

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

Service bulletins & campaigns

Source: NHTSA manufacturer communications

Communicationsfiled with NHTSA 140

Most recentmanufacturer date 2026-08-20

Kindsas classified by NHTSA 139 service bulletins, 1 service campaign

Most often about: Equipment, Electrical System, Structure, Engine, Equipment Adaptive/Mobility.

T-SB-0110-20 Rev2 Service bulletin
2026-08-20 · Engine
OBSOLETE NOTICE August 20, 2026: This bulletin is now obsolete. Please see T-SB-0051-26.
T-SB-0051-26 Service bulletin
2026-08-20 · Engine
This bulletin includes basic procedures for performing a rescue charge at battery on high voltage (HV) Ni-MH and Li-ion batteries.
T-SB-0055-24 Rev2 Service bulletin
2026-01-07 · Unknown Or Other
Some 2005 – 2026 Toyota vehicles that have undergone water intrusion may exhibit a condition in which a musty odor is present. Follow the procedures in this bulletin to remediate the odor and address this condition. The purpose of this Service Bulletin is to provide general guidelines and procedures for odor remediation. This Service Bulletin provides a guide on how to prepare and treat the interi
T-TT-0790-25 Service bulletin
2025-08-20 · Electrical System
Some customers may experience echoing on the line calling the vehicle when using Bluetooth Hands Free. This is caused by the phone Hands Free volume being too low.
T-TT-0784-25 Rev1 Service bulletin
2025-06-17 · Engine
Some ECUs can set a DTC that is common with other ECUs. This can lead to accidental use of the wrong repair manual when diagnosing these type of DTCs.
T-TT-0784-25 Service bulletin
2025-06-13 · Engine
Some ECUs can set a DTC that is common with other ECUs. This can lead to accidental use of the wrong repair manual when diagnosing these type of DTCs.
T-SB-0058-23 Rev1 Service campaign
2025-06-13 · Electrical System
The air conditioning dye injection tool kit has been developed to aid in identifying the location of air conditioning refrigerant leaks. The procedures outlined in this Service Bulletin aid in locating, inspecting, and repairing refrigerant leaks.
T-SB-0110-20 Rev2 Service bulletin
2024-12-10 · Engine
This bulletin includes basic procedures for performing a rescue charge at battery on high voltage (HV) Ni-MH and Li-ion batteries. This bulletin should be used in conjunction with the applicable model and model year Repair Manual while performing the battery rescue charge. The GRX-5100 should be used wherever the Repair Manual references the Toyota Hybrid System (THS) charger.

A service bulletin is the manufacturer telling its dealers how to diagnose or repair a known condition. It is not a recall, not a finding that the vehicle is defective, and the work is not automatically free — though a bulletin is often what a dealer works from when you describe a symptom, so quoting the document number can save a diagnosis. The count is every communication filed; the list shows the most recent, one entry per campaign, because a single campaign is usually filed as several documents on the same day. The summaries are NHTSA's; the full documents come from the manufacturer.

Diagnostic trouble codes on file

Source: NHTSA manufacturer communications and complaints

Codes documented against this model year in the federal record. A code appearing here does not mean this vehicle will set it — it means the code is part of this nameplate-year's documented history.

Code	What it means	Most often filed under	Where it appears
P0A7F P0A7F on Toyota →	Manufacturer-defined — the meaning is set by the automaker, not the standard.	Electrical System · Battery →	2 bulletins
P0A80 P0A80 on Toyota →	Manufacturer-defined — the meaning is set by the automaker, not the standard.	Electrical System · Battery →	2 bulletins

Generic codes (the second character is 0 or 2) mean the same thing on every vehicle sold in the United States. Manufacturer-specific codes (1 or 3) mean whatever the automaker assigned, and no honest source can define them for you — which is why the ones here carry the evidence instead of a definition. A code is a link when enough separate federal documents name it across the catalogue to be worth a page of its own; the rest are listed here, where the vehicle is the context that makes them mean something.

At the New York inspection station

Source: New York State DMV

New York inspections 0.55%

failed emissions

903 initial inspections of 881 vehicles.

Measure	The 2019 Prius	Every 2019 vehicle	Behind it
Failed the emissions check	0.55%	2.7%	901
Failed the safety inspection	1.3%	1.7%	903
Air-bag warning lamp stayed lit	0.33%	0.20%	903
Miles driven a year	10,523	9,904	odometer at inspection
Average odometer	76,475	72,084	odometer at inspection

New York’s emissions test on these model years is an on-board diagnostics check: it fails a car whose check-engine light is on or whose self-tests have not finished. First inspections only, so a car that failed and came back is counted once; private and special plates, not taxis, livery or commercial plates. A rate appears only where at least 200 inspections stand behind it. “Every 2019 vehicle” is every 2019 model-year car, SUV and pickup inspected in the same window, all makes. This is the state’s record of test results, not a reliability score by itself. Source: New York State Department of Motor Vehicles, Vehicle Inspections (data.ny.gov, Open NY terms).

Prius by model year

all years, side by side →

Year Safety Recalls Complaints

2027 A 0 0 55 mpg 2026 A 1 10 57 mpg 2025 B 2 18 57 mpg 2024 C 4 27 57 mpg 2023 C 4 21 57 mpg 2022 A 1 24 56 mpg 2021 A 0 6 56 mpg 2020 A 0 14 56 mpg 2019 this page B 3 30 56 mpg 2018 B 1 38 56 mpg 2017 C 3 91 56 mpg 2016 F 5 155 56 mpg

Common questions about the 2019 Prius

Source: EPA, NHTSA and manufacturer press kits

Does the 2019 Toyota Prius have any recalls?

NHTSA has posted 3 recall campaigns for the 2019 Toyota Prius. The most serious on file is 19V544000, covering Electronic Stability Control (Esc). Check your own VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls; a recall applies to specific build ranges, not every car.

How safe is the 2019 Toyota Prius?

NHTSA gave the 2019 Toyota Prius 5 stars overall in its New Car Assessment Program tests — 4-star frontal crash, 5-star side crash, 4-star rollover. WhichTrim also grades it B (85/100) on its recall record, which is a different question from crash protection.

What is the fuel economy of the 2019 Toyota Prius?

Across the 3 EPA-rated configurations of the 2019 Toyota Prius, the best EPA combined figure is 56 mpg. Figures are the EPA's own, per configuration, and every one is listed above.

What are the dimensions of the 2019 Toyota Prius?

Transport Canada measured it at 178.7–181.9 in long, 69.3–70.1 in wide (body, without mirrors), 57.9–62.2 in tall, on a 106.3–109.4 in wheelbase. Curb weight: 3,064–3,318 lb depending on configuration. Those are its measurements of the North American versions; every figure is in the table above.

What do owners complain about on the 2019 Toyota Prius?

Owners have filed 30 complaints with NHTSA about the 2019 Toyota Prius, most often about service brakes, unspecified, engine. Of those, 7 involved a crash, 2 reported injuries. Complaints are unverified owner reports, so treat the pattern as a signal and the individual report as an anecdote.

How clean is the 2019 Toyota Prius?

The EPA smog rating for the 2019 Toyota Prius is 7 out of 10. That score covers tailpipe pollutants other than greenhouse gases, and it only compares vehicles within the same model year. It is certified for all fifty states, so it can be registered new anywhere in the U.S. Its configurations were certified to different standards — California LEV-III SULEV30, Federal Tier 3 Bin 30 — which the table above lists per configuration.

Are there service bulletins for the 2019 Toyota Prius?

The manufacturer has filed 140 service bulletins and related communications with NHTSA for the 2019 Toyota Prius, most often covering equipment, electrical system, structure. The most recent is dated 2026-08-20. A bulletin is not a recall: it is the repair procedure a manufacturer sends its dealers for a condition it knows about, and the work is not automatically paid for. It is still worth knowing — if the symptom matches, quoting the bulletin number at the service desk can save a diagnosis. The document numbers and summaries are listed above.

How does the 2019 Toyota Prius do at state inspection?

In New York’s inspection lanes over the 12 months to Oct 10, 2026, the 2019 Toyota Prius failed the emissions check on 0.55% of first inspections — lower than the 2.7% for every 2019 model-year vehicle inspected; and the safety inspection on 1.3% (every 2019 vehicle: 1.7%). The figures are New York State DMV’s own inspection records, first inspections only, and the table above sets each one against every vehicle of the same model year.

What we hold, and what an empty row means

Paid vehicle-history reports will not tell you the difference between “nothing happened to this car” and “we never received that record” — both of the big two say as much in their own help pages. Most of what is on this page comes from complete federal registers, so we can tell you which is which, row by row.

Data	Held	Source	What it covers — or what empty means
Fuel economy & configurations	3 configurations	EPA certification records	Every configuration the EPA certified for sale, with its own test figures.
Emission certificates	3 configurations	EPA emission certificates	Smog rating, standard and the sales area that decides where the car can be sold new.
Recalls	3	NHTSA recall campaigns	A complete federal register: every campaign covering this model year, with severity and advisory flags.
Owner complaints	30	NHTSA complaint database	Also complete, but unverified: these are reports owners filed, not findings. Counts scale with how many were sold.
Crash ratings	2 tested	NHTSA NCAP	Only the configurations NHTSA chose to crash-test, which is never all of them.
Service bulletins	140	NHTSA manufacturer communications	Everything the manufacturer told its dealers about a defect or malfunction, short of a recall.
Investigations	1	NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation	Open and closed defect investigations, with the agency's own narrative.
Driver-assist crash reports	none	NHTSA Standing General Order 2021-01	No report has been filed. Only entities named in the order report, and only crashes they hear of — so this is also what an unequipped car, or a manufacturer without telematics, looks like.
Specifications filed with NHTSA	12 fields	NHTSA vPIC, decoded from VIN patterns	What the manufacturer filed under the federal VIN rule — a configuration, not the full trim ladder.
Measured dimensions	7 fields	Transport Canada, Canadian Vehicle Specifications	Length, width, height, wheelbase, track and curb weight, measured on the North American versions.
Trims, pricing & equipment	none	Manufacturer press kit	We have not transcribed a press kit for this model year yet. This is our gap, not the manufacturer's — the one row here where an empty cell means we are behind.

Rebuilt nightly; this page was generated 2026-10-26. Every figure above is traceable to the source named beside it, and the JSON for this page carries the same values with their identifiers.

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). The most serious recall counts in full and each further one counts 85% of the one before, because a vehicle sold in millions is recalled more often than a rare one without being more dangerous — and because a flat subtraction bottomed the scale out, scoring a vehicle with 22 recalls within a point of one with six. A ≥ 90, B ≥ 80, C ≥ 70, D ≥ 60, otherwise F. Read it as what it counts: recall campaigns on the federal record, weighted by severity. The damping reduces the sales bias by roughly 40% but does not remove it: like our complaint counts, this is not normalized by how many were sold, so a best-seller still scores somewhat worse than an obscure model with the same real risk. NHTSA crash ratings, do-not-drive and park-outside advisories, and the crash, fire, injury and death counts in owner complaints are reported separately on every page and never blended into the letter — a vehicle can hold five stars and a poor letter at once, and where that happens we say so rather than leave you to notice. Because the scale subtracts from a clean sheet, a model year too new to have been recalled, complained about or bulletined scores full marks on an empty record; we label those grades provisional rather than present them as earned.

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

JSON for this page · API