The Lane Check

Home › Cars › Toyota › Prius › 2019

2019 Toyota Prius problems: engine and transmission complaints and recalls

NO ELEVATED SIGNAL
21%
7 of 33 relevant owner complaints are about the engine, transmission or fuel system

No elevated drivetrain complaint concentration in the available NHTSA records for the 2019 Toyota Prius. Engine, transmission and fuel system account for 21% of relevant complaints.

Better than 86% of the 1,790 model years we track (2010–2023).

Excludes 5 airbag, lighting and seat-belt recall complaints that would otherwise mask the signal (unadjusted: 18%).

NHTSA data checked October 3, 2026

The VIN is on the listing, the driver’s door jamb, and the bottom of the windshield on the driver’s side.

Does the 2019 Toyota Prius have engine or transmission problems?

Not as a pattern, going by owner complaints. 7 of 33 relevant complaints filed with NHTSA about the 2019 Toyota Prius concern the engine, transmission or fuel system (21%). For comparison, the 2018 scores 28% and the 2020 scores 19%. This describes the model year, not any one car: a well-maintained or already-repaired example can be fine, and a clean model year can still have a bad car in it.

Drivetrain complaints
7
engine, transmission, fuel
Total complaints
38
this model year
Fires reported
0
owner-reported
Recall campaigns
3
7 crashes · 2 injuries

Complaints by component

SERVICE BRAKES12 · 32%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER9 · 24%
ENGINE6 · 16%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM5 · 13%
WHEELS5 · 13%
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE4 · 11%

The years either side

Manufacturers fix things mid-generation. A bad year next to a clean one is common; the fix usually arrived in between.

How the 2019 compares with other Toyota Prius years

Of the 13 Toyota Prius years with enough complaints to score, the 2019 is the 4th-worst on engine and transmission share (21%). The worst is the 2018 (28%), the best the 2010 (11%). By volume, the 2019 drew 38 complaints (7 drivetrain), against 58 for the 2018 and 30 for the 2020.

Toyota Prius years to avoid and best years →

In the full report

The rest of the picture on the 2019 Toyota Prius

  • Up to 15 owner reports, with the ones about your car's own engine first.
  • What to ask the seller and what to check on the test drive, for this car.
  • Two cars side by side, if you are deciding between them.

What one owner reported

ENGINE08/26/2026
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 lea…

One of 7 drivetrain complaints. The full report shows up to 15, with quotes about the engine in the car you are looking at first.

2019 Toyota Prius engine and transmission recalls

No engine or transmission recalls. NHTSA lists 3 recall campaigns on the 2019 Toyota Prius, none of them for the engine, transmission or fuel system. A recall is the manufacturer admitting a defect and paying to fix it; whether a specific car still has one open depends on its VIN, which the full report checks. The owner complaints above are a separate record and often point at problems that never became a recall.

3 other recalls on this model year (airbags, lighting, brakes and the rest)
electrical system: instrument cluster/panel19V876000 · Dec 2019
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,…
electronic stability control (esc)19V544000 · Jul 2019
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…
equipment: other: labels19V244000 · Mar 2019
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…

Source: NHTSA recall campaigns filed against this year, make and model. Checked October 3, 2026.

Checking one particular 2019 Toyota Prius? This page is about the model year. Accidents, title brands and odometer records belong to the individual car, and that is what a vehicle history report covers.

Get a history report from EpicVIN Before you pay: EpicVIN’s $1 offer is a 3-day trial (up to 5 reports) that renews at $49.99 a month unless you cancel. Other plans are listed under “View all our packages” at checkout. We may earn a commission if you buy through this link. It does not change what this page reports.

Questions people ask about the 2019 Toyota Prius

Does the 2019 Toyota Prius have engine or transmission problems?

Not as a pattern, going by owner complaints. 7 of 33 relevant complaints filed with NHTSA about the 2019 Toyota Prius concern the engine, transmission or fuel system (21%). It describes the model year, not any one car, so an inspection still matters.

What is the most common problem with the 2019 Toyota Prius?

Going by NHTSA owner complaints, the most common problem filed against the 2019 Toyota Prius is service brakes: 12 of 38 complaints (32%) name it, followed by engine (6) and electrical system (5). A complaint can name more than one component, so these overlap. Engine, transmission and fuel-system complaints together make up 21% of the relevant total.

Is the 2019 Toyota Prius reliable?

On the engine and transmission, nothing stands out: 21% of relevant complaints filed with NHTSA concern the drivetrain, below the 33% line where we call a signal elevated. That is better than 86% of the 1,790 model years we track. Among the 13 Toyota Prius years we score, it ranks 4th-worst. Complaint data describes the model year, not one car, and it says nothing about trim, paint or electronics outside the drivetrain; an independent inspection still decides it.

Are there engine or transmission recalls on the 2019 Toyota Prius?

No. NHTSA lists 3 recall campaigns on the 2019 Toyota Prius, none of them for the engine, transmission or fuel system.

Which Toyota Prius years are better?

Among the Toyota Prius years we track, the 2010 (11%), the 2011 (17%) and the 2023 (17%) have a lower engine and transmission complaint share than the 2019 (21%). Manufacturers fix things mid-generation, so the year before or after can be a different car. Every year side by side: https://thelanecheck.com/cars/toyota-prius

Have the VIN?Paste it and get the full report for that car. First report free, then a 30-day pass covers a whole car search.

Check a VIN

Experimental model-level information. This is not a vehicle inspection, vehicle-history report, financial advice or purchase recommendation. It describes patterns across a model year, not the condition of any individual vehicle. Combined across 2 body styles NHTSA files separately.