2014 Toyota Prius Air Bags
Owner-reported problems and safety issues filed with NHTSA. Review common failures, severity levels, and complaint trends over time.
Complaint Timeline
Chronological view of owner reports
Passenger airbag indicator on/off light was on despite having passenger over the airbag activation weight requirement being present with seatbelt buckled. Brought car to Toyota dealership and after running diagnostics for two hours they found that the airbag itself is faulty.
My 2014 Toyota Prius was in a T-bone accident, directly on the driver door and the side air bags did not deploy.
Airbags did not deploy when I got into an accident on I-91. The car has been totaled and is in Allstate's possession, and I believe it is available for inspection. My safety was put at risk because the airbags didn't deploy in a head-on collision with multiple objects (reflector pole, trees). The vehicle is in the process of being inspected by Allstate insurance representatives. There were no warning messages or symptoms prior to this incident.
HEAD ON COLLISION HITTING A TREE, AIRBAGS DID NOT DEPLOY, VEHICLE TOTALED DRIVER IN THE HOSPITAL. ACCIDENT ON SEPTEMBER 1, 2020 IN TALLAHASSEE, FL
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. HER VEHICLE HAD EXTENSIVE DAMAGE AND HER AIR BACKS NEVER DEPLOYED. HER PRIUS C HAD DRIVER SIDE FRONT END DAMAGE. THE FRONT DRIVER SIDE FENDER WAS RIPPED FROM THE VEHICLE.
MY WIFE WAS DRIVING OUR 2014 TOYOTA PRIUS EASTBOUND ON BROADWAY RD., APPROACHING SOSSAMAN RD., IN MESA, AZ, ON FRIDAY DECEMBER 13, 2019 AT ABOUT 10:00 AM. WEATHER CONDITIONS WERE CLEAR AND DRY. SHE WAS ALONE IN THE VEHICLE, WEARING HER SEAT BELT, TRAVELING AT 20 MPH IN A CONSTRUCTION ZONE, WANTING TO TURN SOUTHBOUND ON SOSSAMAN RD., SOME 200 YARDS FURTHER EAST. CONSTRUCTION CREWS HAD REMOVED A PORTION OF THE ROADWAY, CREATING A DITCH, ABOUT 8 FEET LONG IN THE DIRECTION OF TRAVEL, ABOUT 10 TO 12 INCHES DEEP AND ABOUT TWO LANES WIDE. AFTER PASSING A CONSTRUCTION VEHICLE, SHE BEGAN HER TURN TO THE RIGHT AND RAN INTO THE DITCH. THE FRONT WHEELS OF THE PRIUS DROPPED INTO THE DITCH AND PROCEEDED ACROSS THE OPENING SOME 8 FEET, AT A SLIGHT ANGLE, AND IMPACTED THE CONCRETE ROADWAY ON THE OTHER SIDE, CAUSING A SUDDEN AND VIOLENT DECELERATION. DUE TO THE RELATIVELY SHALLOW DITCH, AND THE LOW GROUND CLEARANCE OF THE PRIUS, THE CAR RODE UP ON THE CONCRETE AND THE BRUNT OF THE IMPACT WAS ABSORBED BY THE UNDERCARRIAGE. THERE WAS SOME FASCIA AND BUMPER DAMAGE. THE WHEELS DID NOT IMPACT THE CONCRETE BARRIER. THE DRIVER'S SIDE AIRBAG DID NOT DEPLOY. I FILED A CLAIM WITH TOYOTA, AND THEY AGREED TO HAVE THE VEHICLE'S EVENT DATA RECORDER DOWNLOADED. ANALYSIS OF THE EVENT DATA RECORDER INFORMATION, PROVIDED BY TOYOTA, SHOWS A TOTAL TIME OF 123 MILLISECONDS FOR THE VEHICLE TO REACH A COMPLETE STOP FROM THE POINT OF INITIAL IMPACT, WITH A MAXIMUM LONGITUDINAL DECELERATION OF -14G'S (MY CALCULATION.) MY WIFE SUFFERED SEVERE NECK INJURIES. TOYOTA SENT ME A LETTER SAYING THE AIRBAG SYSTEM OPERATED AS DESIGNED AND WAS NOT AT FAULT (MY SUMMARY.) I DON'T SEE HOW THAT CAN BE, DUE TO THE EXTENT AND NATURE OF MY WIFE'S INJURIES. OR, TOYOTA'S DESIGN CRITERIA ARE AT FAULT AND DID NOT ANTICIPATE THIS TYPE OF COLLISION.
MY AIRBAGS DEPLOYED PRIOR TO IMPACT AT A SPEED OF LESS THAN 25 MPH. I APPLIED THE BRAKES VERY FORCEFULLY AND THE AIRBAGS DEPLOYED PRIOR TO IMPACT. I HAD LITTLE FRONT END DAMAGE AND EVERY SINGLE AIRBAG DEPLOYED.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2014 TOYOTA PRIUS. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE AIR BAG WARNING INDICATOR WAS ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO CROWN TOYOTA (LOCATED AT 255 W PERSHING RD, DECATUR, IL 62526, (217) 615-1049) AND THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED TO HAVE IT DIAGNOSED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 113,127.
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 AIR BAGS IN THE VEHICLE FAILED TO DEPLOY CORRECTLY. THE CONTACT SUSTAINED A NECK AND BACK INJURIES WHICH REQUIRED MEDICAL ATTENTION. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED AND DEEMED DESTROYED. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE CONTACT NOTIFIED THE MANUFACTURER OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 50,000.
WHILE DRIVING ON STREET I NOTICED IN THE MIDDLE OF MY STEERING WHEEL (WHERE YOU PRESS THE HORN) THERE WERE RAISED MARKS. VERY PROMINENT CENTER OF STEERING WHEEL LEFT SIDE. SLIGHTLY RAISED ON THE RIGHT. I COULD SEE THE RAISED SHAPE AS A QUARTER OF A BUNDT CAKE. I GOT REALLY SCARED AND DROVE TO TUSTIN TOYOTA. I ASK THE SERVICE ADVISER WHERE MY STEERING WHEEL AIR BAG WAS, HE POINTED TO THE RAISED SECTION ON MY STEERING WHEEL. I SHOWED HIM THE RAISED MARKS AND THAT IT APPEARS THAT SOMETHING PERHAPS THE AIR BAG WAS PUSHING OUTWARD. I TOLD HIM THAT NOT ONLY CAN YOU SEE THE RAISED MARKS YOU CAN SEE THEM. HE WENT AND CHECKED ANOTHER PRIUS V ON THE SHOWROOM FLOOR, THAT STEERING WHEEL WAS COMPLETELY FLAT. WENT ON TO SAY "GOOD CALL" THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE WITH THE AIRBAG. THE R/O READS: CK STEERING WHEEL LEFT SIDE AIR BAG IS RAISED. REPLACED THE PAD ASSY. I AM CONCERNED THAT THERE MAY BE A PROBLEM WITH THE AIRBAG ITSELF BECAUSE IT WAS STARTING TO PUSH OUTWARD. HOW SAFE IS IT TO DRIVE MY PRIUS V. SHOULD I BE CONCERNED WITH THE AIRBAG WHAT IF THE AIRBAG DECIDES TO INFLATE WHILE I AM DRIVING WHAT IF THE AIRBAG DOES NOT INFLATE IF I HAVE AN ACCIDENT PLEASE FEEL FREE TO CONTACT ME . *TR
I PURCHASED THE VEHICLE BRAND NEW FROM A DEALERSHIP. WITHIN A FEW WEEKS, I NOTICED THAT WHEN MY HUSBAND SAT IN THE FRONT PASSENGER SEAT (300LBS) THE NOTIFICATION LIGHT SAID "PASSENGER AIR BAG ON". WHEN MY STEPSON SAT IN THE FRONT PASSENGER SEAT THE LIGHT SAID "PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF". I TOOK A PICTURE TO SHOW THE NOTIFICATION LIGHT AND THE SIZE OF MY 15 YR OLD STEPSON 5' 10" & 175LB-FULLY ADULT SIZE. I CALLED THE DEALERSHIP AND THEY TOLD ME THEY HAD "NEVER HEARD OF THE PROBLEM" AND SAID IT WAS JUST THAT THE PASSENGER AIRBAG NEEDED TO BE RECALIBRATED. AFTER DOING SOME SEARCHING, I REALIZED THAT THE 2012-2013 MODELS HAVE ALREADY BEEN RECALLED FOR THAT EXACT SAME REASON. I AM VERY CONCERNED THAT THE PROBLEM HAS NOT BEEN FIXED WITH TOYOTA, AND THAT NEW CARS ARE BEING SOLD WITH THE SAME PROBLEM. NEEDLESS TO SAY, I AM NOT HAPPY WITH TOYOTA RIGHT NOW AND THIS IS A HUGE SAFETY PROBLEM. I ALSO HAVE CONCERNS ABOUT THE BACK SEAT BELTS NOT LATCHING PROPERLY WHEN A CAR SEAT IS BEING USED, BUT THAT'S ANOTHER STORY.... *TR
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Quick Summary
The 2014 Toyota Prius has 11 Air Bags complaints on file. 7 crashes have been reported. Review the timeline above for detailed owner experiences.