2016 Toyota Mirai — Should You Buy One?
Typical asking price: $5,000–$12,000. There are 2 high-severity known issues you need to know before handing over a check.
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Kestrel Take
Do not buy this car unless you live within a short drive of a working hydrogen station, and even then, think hard. Hydrogen infrastructure in the US has contracted sharply, stations close without warning, and a Mirai with no fuel is a very expensive paperweight.
What we checked
Checked against public records, 2026-09-25
NHTSA holds 2 owner complaints for the 2016 Toyota Mirai, and no recall campaigns.
That is too small a record to read a pattern from, so we are not going to pretend otherwise — with numbers this low one owner moves the percentage by a lot. What has been filed is grouped under the fuel system (1), throttle and cruise control (1). Treat those as things to look at, not as the vehicle's known weaknesses. A thin file usually means few of these were sold or few owners filed. It is not evidence the vehicle is trouble-free, and the issues below are our own research rather than a reading of this record.
Counts come from the NHTSA complaint and recall database — free, public, and worth checking yourself.
Known Issues for the 2016 Toyota Mirai
Ranked by wallet impact. These are documented, recurring problems — not freak accidents. How we decide that.
Hydrogen stations exist almost exclusively in California and their numbers have fallen. Station outages are frequent and unpredictable. A car that cannot be fueled has no transportation value regardless of its condition.
Repair cost: Not yet priced — a safety matter first, a repair bill second
Source: not yet checked against public records.
Hydrogen has become dramatically more expensive per mile than gasoline. Manufacturer fuel credits, where they existed, expire — check whether any remain and whether they transfer.
Repair cost: Not yet priced — a safety matter first, a repair bill second
Source: NHTSA complaints filed under the fuel system (1).
The high-pressure tanks carry certified service lives and the fuel cell stack is a limited-supply, dealer-only component. Out-of-warranty repair options are essentially nonexistent.
Repair cost: Not yet priced — a safety matter first, a repair bill second
Source: NHTSA complaints filed under the fuel system (1).
These sell for a small fraction of their original price because the buyer pool is tiny and shrinking.
Repair cost: Not yet priced
Source: not yet checked against public records.
Walk-Away Red Flags
- ✗Living anywhere without hydrogen stations — which is nearly everywhere
- ✗No remaining fuel credit
- ✗Expired or near-expiry warranty
- ✗A price that looks like a steal — it is priced for a reason
Good Signs
- ✓Substantial remaining manufacturer fuel credit that transfers to you in writing
- ✓Multiple reliable hydrogen stations within your daily range
- ✓Full factory warranty remaining
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Known issues on this page are based on documented owner reports, NHTSA complaints, class-action records, and manufacturer technical service bulletins. Individual vehicles vary. A pre-purchase inspection by a trusted mechanic is always worth doing.
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