Toyota on Wednesday announced a recall of 2023 and 2024 Prius hybrid and Prius Prime plug-in hybrid models due to a potential fault with the cars' electronic rear door latches.
In the approximately 55,000 vehicles recalled in the U.S., water can enter and short circuit these door latches, according to a Toyota press release. If that happens, and the doors are not locked, they could open while the car is moving or during a crash. That could increase the risk of injury to occupants.
2024 Toyota Prius
Toyota dealers will replace the rear-door opener switches on both sides with improved ones, free of charge. Owners will be notified through the mail by early June regarding when to take their cars in to have this work performed. In the meantime, Toyota is asking customers to ensure a feature that automatically locks the doors while driving is enabled.
All of the recalled vehicles are of the current generation of Prius, introduced for the 2023 model year. The latest Prius looks like one, and makes a strong statement, but it doesn't innovate—although it is more fun to drive than before. The recall also applies to the Prius Prime, which effectively reboots the Chevy Volt formula with more electric range.
2024 Toyota Prius
Toyota does have a different kind of rear door opener in the latest Prius—a recessed arrangement at the rear of the door rather than along the beltline. Toyota itself has emphasized that design became the priority over tech in remaking this model.
Prius owners tend to be very, very loyal, according to used-car retailer CarMax. Its data shows that more than a third of Prius owners get another one.
