Possible Purchase

There were issues with each generation:

• Gen2 had steering shaft problems, but there were two recalls to correct them. Oil usage was an issue after about 150k miles. Basically a great car. My Gen2 went 288k miles and 12 years before trading it in due to many scheduled maintenance items all coming due at 300k miles.
• Gen3 has had several expensive engine issues due to clogged egr, soft cylinder rings, loss of coolant due to head gasket failures. In the extreme, bent piston rods and complete engine failures. Luckily, I avoided Gen3.
• Gen4 has reported as losing coolant in the heat recovery system and parts availability has been a problem. There is a simple DIY to bypass the heat exchanger, but if ignored this can result in engine overheating and subsequent engine failure. Pay attention to your fluid levels and it is another great car. My 2016 model 3 gave me great service until it was destroyed by a kamikaze deer in 2020. My 2020 AWDe is also performing well at 36k miles.

I follow the maintenance schedule in all my cars, but add some items due to personal knowledge. In a Prius you should do an ATF drain/refill early (at about 30k miles) and then at 120k miles and every 120k miles thereafter. There is no such thing as a "lifetime" ATF (I've done lab testing on the ATF in my 2004 Prius).

JeffD

 

Our 2017 Prius LE was our very first hybrid (my wife replaced her 2008 Corolla and didn't want a "big" car like an Avalon or Camry). Anyway, I loved it so much I traded in my old Scion iQ for a 2021 Prius AWD.
We've had no issues with coolant leaks in our Gen 4's. (No issues at all...but have learned we have a strange windshield wiper so best to just replace the rubber part, not the whole thing.)
My only beef was with my wife's Toyo Nanoenergy tires. She only had 23,000 miles on them yet they were VERY worn and she actually got a flat. (Thankfully, her car has a spare tire....my 2021 did not come with one so I bought my own that sits in the back)
Anyway, I replaced her tires in Jun 2021 with General Altimax and didn't notice a huge drop in MPG and they already have 8,000 miles on them and don't look worn, at all.
As a DIYer, these Prius are the EASIEST to service of any vehicle I've ever owned. Draining/filling the transmission is almost as easy as servicing my rear differential in the Tundra....seriously! (Hardest part is getting the drain plug to break free.) The brakes can be scary but I learned from The Car Care Nut youtuber (Master Toyota mechanic) to just disconnect the battery cable and then it's just like every other brake system for bleeding and doing a brake job.
Oh, hybrids have "regenerative braking" and you'll LOVE them...I had to double-check my wife's brake pads after driving 10,000 miles....almost NO wear at all! I've heard of Prius' going for 100,000 before needing new pads. (I did do a brake line bleed in her car at 5 years.)

 

On my Model 3, since the brakes are also so seldomly used, Tesla recommends to service the brake every two years to prevent them from rusting in place (yearly in places that uses salt on the roads in winter). Is it the same for the Prius? Do Toyota recommend any brake cleaning? In my Model 3, when I replace the winter tire for the summer one in the spring, I take off the pads and regrease the bushings and sliding bolts so nothing rust in place.

 

if you look at the maintenance schedule, it should say a full brake inspection every 5k, and lube the slide oins every 30k.
prime might be a bit different since some have had frozen calipers in salt zones iirc.

 

I guess I'll be doing the same maintenance on the Prius then. My 20 minutes job (swapping wheels) just became an hour+ job... Two Tesla (daughter's and ours) plus the Prius. Here goes a spring morning or afternoon lol.