2013 Toyota Prius v: True Cost, Problems & Verdict
467 NHTSA owner complaints · 3 recalls · data-computed verdict. No opinions — public data only.
Read the guide
Used Toyota Prius, Prius c and Prius v: the years to avoid, including 2013 — written and signed by Adir Trabelsi, 2026-09-16.
Owner complaints: 467 filed with NHTSA
Complaints per year on the road: 35.92
What owners say
Verbatim reports filed with the United States safety regulator (NHTSA) by owners of this exact model year. Public record.
My Prius had brake warning lights come on around December 2025. Turns out the brake accumulator had an internal leak. After doing some research, I discovered this was a known brake booster issue that Toyota has not issued a recall on. They do have an extended warranty program, but my vehicle did not qualify. The warning lights did not come on until after the 10 years or 150k miles cutoff for the warranty. Toyota's re…
Suddenly Cars Brakes failed with vehicle almost lunged forward. I had to slam the brakes heavily for it to stop; Took the vehicle to Toyota Service and clearly its a QUALITY issue toyota acknowledged as a know problem with error code C1391. They even had customer support program 20TE07 acknowledging it as their issue; I almost got killed for this. The repair costs are abnormally high at 4900$'s putting me a financial…
The harness webbing/strap on the Evenflo Revolve360 Slim tore without any known incident or accident causing the damage. The defect was discovered on April 15, 2026 when the seat was temporarily removed from the vehicle. Upon inspection, the harness strap was found to be nearly completely torn through and would likely not have restrained the child occupant in the event of a crash. The seat had been in regular use and…
Recalls: 3 campaigns
| Campaign | Component | Summary |
|---|---|---|
| 18V684000 | Hybrid Propulsion System | Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2010-2014 Toyota Prius and 2012-2014 Toyota Prius V vehicles. 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. |
| 13E070000 | Exterior Lighting:Tail Lights | Genera Corporation (Genera) is recalling certain aftermarket replacement tail lights, model 11-6468-00 (driver-side), and model 11-6467-00 (passenger-side), sold for use on 2012-2013 Toyota Prius V vehicles. The brake light and tail light circuits are switched causing the brake lights to be illuminated continuously until the brake pedal is pressed, when the… |
| 15V449000 | Hybrid Propulsion System: Inverter | Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain model year 2012-2014 Prius V vehicles manufactured August 22, 2011, to June 30, 2014. A component within the hybrid inverter assembly may overheat, causing the hybrid system to reduce output power allowing the vehicle to only drive a short distance. |
What it costs to buy — and what owning it really takes
Class-level estimates, priced as a compact car of its model year, re-priced to your country. Not a quote, not a valuation of one specific car — condition, mileage and options move it. How these are computed.
What it costs to run
EPA combined 41 MPG · estimated annual fuel cost $1,650
Re-priced automatically from your country's retail fuel, electricity and parts indices — change country in the bar at the top. Estimates; see methodology.
What this car's problems cost to fix
Ranked by the components owners of this exact model year actually complain about. Each figure is flat-rate labour hours x the local shop rate plus a parts band — an estimate of what this kind of failure costs, not a quote, and not a prediction that this car will need it. Formula.
- Service Brakes246 complaints · typical job: Pads, rotors and caliper service, both axles (3.0 h labour + parts)$580–$1,140
- Electrical System61 complaints · typical job: Alternator, battery-drain or body-module diagnosis and replacement (3.0 h labour + parts)$540–$1,310
- Unknown Or Other53 complaints · typical job: Diagnosis and mixed repair (2.0 h labour + parts)$360–$940
- Engine50 complaints · typical job: Cooling-system or timing-drive repair (6.0 h labour + parts)$1,040–$2,220
- Vehicle Speed Control26 complaints · typical job: Throttle body, pedal sensor or cruise module replacement (2.5 h labour + parts)$520–$1,150
- Fuel/Propulsion System25 complaints · typical job: Fuel pump or injector replacement (3.5 h labour + parts)$680–$1,620
Other Toyota Prius v years
FAQ
What is the most common problem with the 2013 Toyota Prius v?
The most-reported issue in NHTSA complaint data is Service Brakes (246 complaints in our indexed sample).
Is the 2013 Toyota Prius v a good used car to buy?
Our data verdict is BUY with a reliability score of 71/100, computed from 467 NHTSA complaints and 3 recall campaigns. See the verdict card for the top reasons.
How much does it cost to fix the 2013 Toyota Prius v's most common problem?
246 of the NHTSA complaints filed against the 2013 Toyota Prius v sit in the Service Brakes group — more than any other component on this model year. The representative job there is pads, rotors and caliper service, both axles: about 3.0 hours of labour plus parts, roughly $580–$1,140 at a US independent shop and re-priced to your country at the top of the page. It is an estimate of what this class of failure costs, not a quote for this car.
What does a 2013 Toyota Prius v cost to run per year?
About $4,682 a year in fuel or energy plus the maintenance band — roughly $23,410 over five years, before purchase price, insurance and depreciation. Figures come from available EPA fuel-economy data and industry maintenance averages, and are re-priced to your country.
Does the 2013 Toyota Prius v have recalls?
Yes — NHTSA lists 3 recall campaign(s) for the 2013 Toyota Prius v, 0 of them touching fire, crash or stall risk, the most recent recorded 04/10/2018. Check this car's VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls before you buy.
Compare with
Other compacts of about the same age.
What will a 2013 Toyota Prius v really cost YOU per year?
Fuel, maintenance band and depreciation — computed from public data in 10 seconds.
Open the true-cost calculatorData sources
Complaints & recalls: NHTSA ·
Fuel economy: EPA fueleconomy.gov ·
Scoring: our published methodology.
Maintenance bands are industry-average estimates (AAA Your Driving Costs, CarMD index) — labeled estimates, not measurements.
Last updated: 2026-10-04.
Strong evidence — 467 complaints, 3 recalls on record
- 467 NHTSA complaints on record (35.9/yr of exposure) — worse than a typical year of this model (26.3/yr)
- 3 recall campaigns, 0 touching safety-critical systems