AI Damage2014 Toyota Prius C: common problems
Owners of the 2014 Toyota Prius C filed 33 complaints with NHTSA, most often about service brakes and engine. Details by component below, with sources.
Key figures
- Owner complaints
- 33
- involving a crash
- 5
What fails most often
- 1 Service brakes 27% of all complaints
- 2 Engine 21% of all complaints
- 3 Electrical system 18% of all complaints
- 4 Vehicle speed control 12% of all complaints
- 5 Air bags 9% of all complaints
- 6 Exterior lighting 9% of all complaints
- 7 Steering 9% of all complaints
- 8 Wheels 9% of all complaints
- Service brakes: 9 complaints (27% of all).
- Engine: 7 complaints (21% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Electrical system: 6 complaints (18% of all).
- Vehicle speed control: 4 complaints (12% of all).
- Air bags: 3 complaints (9% of all), 3 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
Engines and transmissions
US-market versions per EPA. On the right: how many NHTSA complaints name this engine or transmission type.
- 1.5 L · hybrid · 4 cyl
- CVT
Drive: FWD
Symptoms owners describe
How many of the 33 NHTSA complaints mention each symptom (automatic count from complaint text; one complaint can mention several).
Components owners complain about
| Component | Owner complaints | involving a crash | Technical service bulletins (TSB) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Service brakes | 9 | 0 | 0 |
| Engine | 7 | 1 | 0 |
| Electrical system | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| Vehicle speed control | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| Air bags | 3 | 3 | 0 |
| Exterior lighting | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Steering | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Wheels | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Powertrain | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Structure | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| Electronic stability control | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Fuel/propulsion system | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Seat belts | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Suspension | 1 | 0 | 0 |
What owners report
Short excerpts of NHTSA complaints in the original wording. These are owner statements not verified by NHTSA; personal data removed.
My daughter was traveling down 121 by grapevine mills mall. She noticed a driver being aggressive. So she attempted to switch to get away from him. When she was checking to merge to next lane the aggressive driver stopped for no reason. Intentionelly wrecking her car. Then driving off.
The air bags did not deploy. The contact suffered pains and sought medical attention a month later. A police report was filed. The cause of the failure was not diagnosed. The body damage to the passenger side of the vehicle was repaired.
In addition, the seat belt did not restrain the driver. A police report was filed. The contact sustained facial lacerations, contusions to the left arm, shoulder, and hip, and severe headaches the required medical attention. The vehicle was towed to a tow lot and deemed a total loss by the insurance company.
Tl* the contact owned a 2014 toyota prius c. The contact stated that while driving at 3 mph from a stop light, another vehicle t-boned into the driver's side door. The contact mentioned that the other driver failed to stop for the red light which caused the crash.
The brakes failed while driving at a high speed (55 MPH) on the highway along with failing when braking at a low speed (15 MPH) near a major intersection. This occured with no warning other than the Brake, ABS, and Traction Control appearing as the failure was occuring.
While driving, suddenly all brake lights and warning lights went on, and brakes stopped working normally. It became difficult to brake (brake took a while to engage - had to press pedal to the floor). After diagnostics at the dealership it looks like the brake booster failed.
We were driving on a city street about 25-30mph and the car jerked suddenly and the lights on the dashboard illuminated and the "Check Hybrid System" message came up as well. The car was able to coast to a nearby parking lot. We attempted to drive the car home and the car stalled in the middle of the street.
Four warning lights came on while driving. Brakes became not responsive unless you press down very hard. Regenerative braking, went away. The Brake pump can be audibly heard turning on every few seconds.
When owners complained
NHTSA complaints by filing year. The peak shows at what age the problems show up most.
Comparison
By complaint count this model year ranks 6,523 of 36,656 model years in the NHTSA data (top 18% most complained about).
On average one model year of the Prius C has 19 complaints (10 years in the data). This year has 33, above average.
What to check before buying
- Service brakes. Pedal feel, ABS operation, leaks, discs and hoses.
- Engine. Cold start, unusual noises, oil leaks and engine codes.
- Electrical system. Scan all modules, test the battery and alternator, inspect connectors near the impact zone.
- Vehicle speed control. Accelerator pedal, cruise control, throttle codes.
Other years of this model
Questions and answers
What are the most common problems with the 2014 Toyota Prius C?
Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: service brakes, engine, electrical system. Total complaints: 33. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: warning lights, check engine (21%), loss of power / limp mode (9%), brake failure (6%).
How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 2014 Toyota Prius C?
NHTSA lists 0 manufacturer service bulletins for this year. A bulletin tells dealers how to diagnose or fix a known issue; it is not a recall.
Should I buy a 2014 Toyota Prius C from a US auction?
Owner complaints describe defects, not crash damage. Before bidding, check the components listed above and review the lot photos: VinWind builds a report of visible and hidden damage by VIN.
Other 2014 models
Read also
Sources: public NHTSA data (USA): service bulletins and owner complaints; YouTube: links to videos credited to their authors. Complaints are owner statements not verified by NHTSA, and describe defects rather than crash damage. Data updated 2026-11-05.