How to Replace a 2010-2015 Toyota Prius Side View Mirror

Watch the full video on YouTube

To replace a side view mirror on a 2010-2015 Toyota Prius you need a flathead screwdriver, a Phillips screwdriver and a socket wrench with a 10mm socket. The mirror is held by three 10mm bolts, but you cannot free it from outside. Its wire runs from inside the door, behind the door panel, up to the mirror, so the door panel has to come off first. Once it is off, the three bolts come out, you unplug the mirror, and it lifts away.

Rolando filmed this on a 2010 Prius, working the driver side, and ReveMoto publishes it as the guide for the 2010 through 2015 Prius. The video runs 12 minutes. Every step below links to its moment, so you can jump to the part you are stuck on.

What tools do you need to replace a Prius side mirror?

A flathead screwdriver pops the two trim covers. A Phillips screwdriver takes out the two screws holding the door panel. A socket wrench with a 10mm socket handles the one cover-panel bolt and the three mirror bolts. That is the whole kit.

• Flathead screwdriver, for the corner trim and the handle cover
• Phillips screwdriver, for the two door-panel screws
• Socket wrench with a 10mm socket
• A trim or panel tool works in place of the flathead and is gentler on the plastic, which the video description suggests

Rolando does the mirror bolts with a plain socket wrench on purpose. He owns an impact gun and tells you to leave it alone here. That matters most on the way back together, and there is a reason for it below.

Why the door panel has to come off first

Open the door, pop the trim cover off the inside corner by the base of the mirror, and you will see three bolts. At that point it looks like a five-minute job. It is not. The mirror's wire runs from inside the door, behind the door panel, to the mirror, and if you try to pull it through it stops short. "It's stuck back there, so you got to take off the door panel," Rolando says at 1:23. So the real work is the door panel. The mirror is the quick part once the panel is off.

Where are the fasteners on the mirror and door panel?

The door panel on a 2010-2015 Prius is held by two Phillips screws and a row of hidden clips. One screw sits behind the inside door handle, under a small cover you pop off first. The other is down in the armrest pocket, the cupped grip you pull the door shut with. Both screws are the same size; at 10:17 Rolando says you can't go wrong with either one. With those two out, the panel is held only by clips around its edge and pulls off by hand.

Behind the panel, near the front of the door, a small plastic cover panel is held by one 10mm bolt. That panel is what the mirror wire runs behind, which is why it has to come off.

The mirror itself is held by three 10mm bolts in a bracket at the top front corner of the door, plus one electrical connector. Leave the connector plugged in until all three bolts are out, so the mirror does not drop.

How to replace a 2010-2015 Prius side view mirror, step by step

Work from the inside of the door out: the corner trim, the two door-panel screws, the panel itself, the cover panel behind it, then the three mirror bolts and the plug. Hold the mirror as the last bolt comes out.

1. Pop the trim cover off the inside corner of the door

Open the door. At the inside top corner, next to the base of the mirror, there is a small trim cover. Start at the top and work it off with your fingers or a flathead. Underneath are the three bolts that hold the mirror, and the wire you cannot pull free yet.

The corner trim off, with the mirror's mounting bolts in the bracket behind it.

Watch this step at 0:54

2. Pop the cover off behind the door handle

To start on the door panel, go to the small cover behind the inside door handle. Get a flathead under it and it comes right off. There is a screw underneath.

Flathead under the small cover in the door-handle recess.

Watch this step at 1:31

3. Remove the screw behind the handle

With that cover off, there is a Phillips screw in the recess behind the handle. Take it out.

The Phillips screw behind the door handle, coming out.

Watch this step at 1:47

4. Remove the screw in the armrest pocket

The second screw is down at the bottom of the armrest pocket. Reach in with the Phillips and back it out.

The second screw, at the bottom of the armrest pocket.

Watch this step at 1:57

5. Pry the door panel off

Now the panel is on clips only. Start at the bottom, pull it out a corner at a time, and feel for anything still holding before you force it. "Do it gently, see if there's anything getting stuck," Rolando says at 2:25. Once it is loose, lift the whole panel up off the window sill and set it aside.

Working the door panel loose, held on clips now.

Watch this step at 2:23

6. Take off the interior cover panel

With the door panel off, look at the front of the door by the mirror. A small plastic cover panel is held by one 10mm bolt. Take the bolt out with the socket wrench and pull the panel off. This is the panel the mirror wire was stuck behind.

The 10mm bolt on the inner cover panel, with the door wiring exposed.

Watch this step at 3:18

7. Take out the three 10mm mirror bolts

Now the three mirror bolts in the bracket at the top front corner. Break each one loose with the socket wrench, then spin it out the rest of the way with your fingers. Leave the wire connected while you do this. As the last bolt comes out the mirror starts to fall, so hold it with one hand. "It's already trying to fall off, just hold it up, take off that last bolt," Rolando says at 4:51.

Reaching into the top front corner of the door to the three mirror bolts.

Watch this step at 4:02

8. Wiggle the mirror off and unplug it

Holding the mirror, wiggle it free of the door. With your other hand, unhook the electrical connector, then slide the wire out through the door. The mirror comes off with its wiring pigtail still attached.

The mirror off the car, wiring pigtail attached.

Watch this step at 5:06

Putting the new mirror on

Install runs the same list backward. Feed the new mirror's wire back through the door and plug the connector in until it clicks. Rolando hooks the wire up first on purpose, so the mirror can't drop while you line it up (6:08). Guide the mirror onto its studs and start the three 10mm bolts.

Here is the part that matters: leave the impact gun in the box. "This is made out of plastic... you don't want to break that stud or it's going to break the whole mirror," Rolando says at 7:38. Snug each bolt by hand or with a wrench, a little at a time, and stop when it is seated.

Before the door panel goes back on, turn the car on and run the mirror through everything: up, down, left, right, and if yours has a turn signal in the glass, that it lights. Rolando flags this at 8:40, and he's right. Finding a dead mirror after the panel is back on means doing the panel twice. Then put back the interior cover panel, the door panel onto its clips, the two screws, and the trim covers.

Which painted mirror fits your Prius?

ReveMoto sells a painted side view mirror for each Prius year from 2010 to 2015, and this video is attached to the 2010 through 2013 listings. Pick your year, then your side, driver or passenger. Each listing also splits by feature, with versions for a mirror that has a turn signal in the glass and one that is heated, so match those to the mirror you are taking off. Every one comes painted to your Prius's factory color, which you choose on the listing.

• 2010 Toyota Prius painted side view mirror
• 2011 Toyota Prius painted side view mirror
• 2012 Toyota Prius painted side view mirror
• 2013 Toyota Prius painted side view mirror
• 2014 Toyota Prius painted side view mirror
• 2015 Toyota Prius painted side view mirror

Toyota also sold a Prius Plug-In from 2012 to 2015, and those mirrors have their own painted listings; search your Plug-In year on the store.

Frequently asked questions

Do you have to take the door panel off to replace a Prius side mirror?

Yes. On a 2010-2015 Prius the mirror's wire runs from inside the door, behind the door panel, to the mirror. You can expose the three mirror bolts by popping the corner trim, but the wire stays stuck until the panel is off. Taking the panel off is two Phillips screws, one behind the door handle and one in the armrest pocket, then unclipping it by hand.

How many bolts hold the Prius side mirror, and what size?

Three, all 10mm. Rolando counts three bolts behind the corner trim and takes them out with a socket wrench. There is also one 10mm bolt holding a small cover panel inside the door, and two Phillips screws holding the door panel on. The mirror has one electrical connector; leave it plugged in until the three bolts are out so the mirror does not drop.

Can I use an impact gun to put the new mirror on?

Rolando says not to. The mirror's studs are plastic, and an impact gun or too much torque will snap a stud and ruin the whole mirror. Use a wrench and snug the three bolts by hand, a little at a time. An impact gun is fine for taking the old mirror off if you have one, just not for the install.

Which Prius side view mirror should I order?

Pick your year, 2010 through 2015, then your side, driver or passenger. The listing also splits by whether the mirror has a turn signal in the glass and whether it is heated, so match those to the mirror you are removing. The Prius Plug-In has its own listings for 2012 through 2015.

Will the painted mirror match the rest of my Prius?

Each mirror is painted to your car's factory color before it ships, so the cap matches the doors and the rest of the body. You choose your color on the listing.

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