2020 Toyota Prius Problems and Top Complaints – Is Your Car A Lemon?

Updated on December 9th, 2022 Author: Brian Jones

Everyone that looks at hybrid vehicles starts with the 2020 Toyota Prius. After all, it does continue the lineup of original hybrids. The automaker claims it helps you “be in your element,” but most owners are ready to get out. This vehicle has a faulty electrical system, defective electronic stability control and damaged service brakes.

Click on other model year to view more problems: 2018   2019   2022

NHTSA Complaints for the 2020 Toyota Prius

Problems with the Electrical System

In a hybrid vehicle, the electrical system is more important than ever. Not only does it run the battery for recharging, but also all of the convenience features.

Here’s an Edmunds review that talks about all of the glitches with the amenities. “The software problems, in no particular order: * Halfway there if you want to speak Canadian: Can display km/h, l/100km, but NOT temperature in Centigrade, only Fahrenheit, because, um, apparently displaying Centigrade on a car bound for North America is too confusing for a Japanese software engineer to understand? * If you try to engage cruise control while in engine-braking mode, it fails silently. The system is perfectly capable of telling you why it can’t turn cruise control on (for that matter, there’s no reason cruise control shouldn’t work when you’re in engine-braking mode), but Toyota just couldn’t be bothered to either engage cruise control or tell you why it hadn’t. Took me a long time to debug that one! * Every time you plug in your phone to the USB port to charge, it pops up a couple of error messages on your phone telling you that you need to install Entune, which you have to dismiss. * Just… go to the Android Play store and read the reviews for Entune. It’s worse than useless, and it violates Android’s notification policies in an intrusive way. So you have to have it, but it does nothing but annoy. Whether you install it or not. * No support for Android Auto. Wait, what? Some Toyotas have this, so it’s not like they don’t know how. They just didn’t feel like it? * Want to use standard Bluetooth commands to control your phone’s media player from your steering wheel? “Pause” works, but “Play” doesn’t, and gods help you f you want to skip to the next or previous track. This is the first car I’ve seen in 8 years that can’t do these things. * There’s a nice prominent “MAP” button on the center display. It does nothing but tell you that you have to download Toyota’s really ghastly proprietary mapping software (see also “android auto” etc).”

On the battery end of things, there are many more issues. Service Bulletin #T-SB-0062-20 talks about how the HV battery intake filter and cooling fan can experience a buildup of lint, debris and dust, which reduces the efficiency of the cooling system. Whether drivers are hoping to enjoy the ride with their favorite convenience features or they trust the battery cooling system to do its job, they are sadly disappointed. Maybe it’s time to get out of the element and move onto one of the other popular hybrid models instead. The Prius may have been the first, but it can’t keep up with other brands any longer.

Problems with the Electronic Stability Control

If the Prius was about to get into an accident because of these faulty systems, it would be helpful to know that the brakes work properly. Yet, that seems to be an issue as well.

Here is one more NHTSA review. “My dad was driving on the highway. He said that he stepped on the brakes and the brakes did not work. He got into an accident in which all the airbags were deployed and the car was totaled. The car only had 700 miles. I believe this was the second time that my dad drove this car on the highway. My mom, who was a passenger, said that the car accelerated very quickly. Prior to purchasing this car, my dad had driven a Prius (2010-2012?), so he was very familiar with the feel of the Prius.”

Again, there is no documentation from the automaker regarding rapid acceleration or trouble braking, yet that’s what customers are facing. Considering the word Prius means “first” or “superior” in Latin, it’s time to consider renaming this Toyota vehicle. So far, the only thing it is superior in is defects, causing it to be a top contender for the junkyard.

Problems with the Brakes

If the Prius was about to get into an accident because of these faulty systems, it would be helpful to know that the brakes work properly. Yet, that seems to be an issue as well.

Here is one more NHTSA review. “My dad was driving on the highway. He said that he stepped on the brakes and the brakes did not work. He got into an accident in which all the airbags were deployed and the car was totaled. The car only had 700 miles. I believe this was the second time that my dad drove this car on the highway. My mom, who was a passenger, said that the car accelerated very quickly. Prior to purchasing this car, my dad had driven a Prius (2010-2012?), so he was very familiar with the feel of the Prius.”

Again, there is no documentation from the automaker regarding rapid acceleration or trouble braking, yet that’s what customers are facing. Considering the word Prius means “first” or “superior” in Latin, it’s time to consider renaming this Toyota vehicle. So far, the only thing it is superior in is defects, causing it to be a top contender for the junkyard.

Your Lemon Law Legal Rights

Think you have a lemon? Sit back and let the experts work out your lemon case at no cost to you. The law makes Toyota pay legal fees. You may be able to get your lemon out of your life. Every year, auto manufacturers buy back, replace or pay cash settlements to thousands of ‘lemon’ owners like you.

About the Author:

Brian Jones spent more than 30 years working as an ASE Certified Master Tech and Parts Specialist at multiple dealerships. Brian has become an authority in the industry, traveling across the country to consult for car dealerships and contributing his expertise as a writer for several major automotive publications. In his spare time, Brian enjoys working on pickup trucks, muscle cars, Jeeps and anything related to motorsports.

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