The Lane Check

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 17, 2026
Share this car

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

2010
11%
278 of 2,822
2011
17%
72 of 522
2012
18%
111 of 701
2013
18%
95 of 592
2014
20%
58 of 321
2015
18%
34 of 206
2016
19%
31 of 182
2017
25%
33 of 147
2018
28%
13 of 58
2019
21%
7 of 38
2020
19%
5 of 30
2021
too few complaints
2022
21%
6 of 32
2023
17%
4 of 25

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

In the full report

The rest of the picture on the 2019 Toyota Prius

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 them, with quotes about the engine in the car you are looking at first.

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

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 17, 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.

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.

Should I buy a 2019 Toyota Prius?

That depends on the car in front of you, not just the model year. The 2019 Toyota Prius shows no elevated engine or transmission pattern in owner complaints, which is a good starting point. It is still one car with its own history, so get an independent pre-purchase inspection and a vehicle history report before you commit.

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.