2016 Toyota Mirai — Should You Buy One?
Typical asking price: $5,000–$12,000. There are 3 high-severity known issues you need to know before handing over a check.
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
Partly reconciled against public records, 2026-09-11
NHTSA holds 2 owner complaints for the 2016 Toyota Mirai, and no recall campaigns.
A big number here usually means a lot of these were sold, not that it is a bad vehicle — popular models collect more complaints for the same rate of trouble. So the total on its own says little. What is worth reading is the shape of it. 50% of them are about one thing — the fuel system. That much concentration is a genuine pattern rather than background noise, and it is the first thing to check on any example you look at.
Not written up yet: throttle and cruise control (1 complaint). That group is in the public record and is not covered by the issues below. Treat it as something to ask about, not as absent.
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.
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: NHTSA complaints filed under the fuel system (1).
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
Found a specific Toyota Mirai?
This page covers what goes wrong on the 2016 Toyota Mirai in general. The Kestrel report covers this specific car— the asking price vs. market, the photos, the seller's description, and a BUY / NEGOTIATE / WALK AWAY verdict with a negotiation script.
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Not ready to pay for one? The free read is instant and needs no card — it checks the asking price against the market and names the top issues for this year. It stops short of the verdict, because that needs the photos.
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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