Problems · NHTSA complaints
2005 Toyota Prius problems
Owners filed 1,051 complaints about the 2005 Toyota Prius with NHTSA between Jan 2005 and Feb 2026. The most-cited component is exterior lighting (346).
Complaints
1,051
Filed with NHTSA
Crashes
102
Reported by owners
Fires
4
Reported by owners
Injuries
66
People reported injured
Deaths
1
Reported to NHTSA
Complaints by component
One complaint can cite several components
- Exterior lighting346
- Electrical system178
- Service brakes, hydraulic128
- Vehicle speed control109
- Service brakes82
- Service brakes, electric68
- Engine and engine cooling64
- Air bags44
- Power train41
- Steering39
- Traction control system19
- Electronic stability control (esc)18
- Engine15
- Fuel system, gasoline14
Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.
Data from NHTSA Complaints API · synced Nov 5, 2026NHTSA vehicle page
When complaints were filed
Does it get worse with age? Complaints per calendar year filed
72
43
20
50
80
322
72
48
73
59
53
33
31
39
26
5
7
3
5
4
4
2
View as table
| Model year | Complaints filed per calendar year |
|---|---|
| 2005 | 72 |
| 2006 | 43 |
| 2007 | 20 |
| 2008 | 50 |
| 2009 | 80 |
| 2010 | 322 |
| 2011 | 72 |
| 2012 | 48 |
| 2013 | 73 |
| 2014 | 59 |
| 2015 | 53 |
| 2016 | 33 |
| 2017 | 31 |
| 2018 | 39 |
| 2019 | 26 |
| 2020 | 5 |
| 2021 | 7 |
| 2022 | 3 |
| 2023 | 5 |
| 2024 | 4 |
| 2025 | 4 |
| 2026 | 2 |
Mileage at failure isn’t a structured field in NHTSA complaint data, so we don’t chart it. Some owners mention it in their reports below.
Top problems in owners’ words
Verbatim from NHTSA complaints, newest first
Exterior lighting
346 reports2 crashes
“The contact owns a 2005 Toyota Prius. The contact stated that while replacing the instrument cluster, the contact discovered that the turn signals were inoperable. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who determined that an unknown part needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 143,500.”
Electrical system
178 reports4 crashes3 fires
“The contact owns a 2005 Toyota Prius. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the left turn signal was activated, however, the left turn signal failed to function as intended. In addition, the contact stated that the four-way flashers failed to function as intended. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed with a computer failure. The contact was informed that an unknown part needed to be replaced, or an unknown software update was needed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but provided no assistance. The contact referenced an unknown recall with a similar failure description; however, the VIN was not under recall. The failure mileage was approximately 143,500.”
Service brakes, hydraulic
128 reports17 crashes
“TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 TOYOTA PRIUS. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 15 MPH DURING INCLEMENT WEATHER, THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED AND THE VEHICLE JERKED INTERMITTENTLY WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE BRAKE PADS NEEDED TO BE REALIGNED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED; HOWEVER, THE FAILURE RECURRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 133,000.”
Vehicle speed control
109 reports33 crashes1 fire1 related recall
“COMBINATION METER INTERMITTENTLY NOT FUNCTIONING. WHEN TURNING THE CAR ON, SOMETIMES THE DASH METER WORKS, SOMETIMES IT'S JUST BLACK AND CONTINUES THE ENTIRE TIME THE CAR IS RUNNING. THEN WHEN TRYING TO TURN THE CAR OFF, IT WILL NOT TURN OFF, WHICH IS A MAJOR SAFETY CONCERN. WHEN THIS OCCURS, THERE ARE NO DASH LIGHTS AT ALL TO INDICATE FUEL AMOUNT, ODOMETER READING, DOOR OPEN SIGNAL, CHECK ENGINE, MAINTENANCE REQUIRED AND SO ON. THE SPEED BEING DRIVEN IS NOT SHOWING EITHER WHICH IS ANOTHER MAJOR SAFETY ISSUE. CRUISE CONTROL ALSO DOES NOT FUNCTION, THE CENTER TOUCHSCREEN DOES NOT DISPLAY HYBRID MOTOR INFORMATION OR MPG. THE BEEPING WHEN BACKING UP DOES NOT FUNCTION. ALSO THE REAR HATCH WILL NOT OPEN WHILE CAR IS RUNNING WHICH IS ALSO A MAJOR SAFETY ISSUE IN ADDITION TO ALL OF THE OTHER FUNCTIONS NOT AVAILABLE. THE ODOMETER IS NOT RECORDING MILEAGE DURING THESE TIMES WHICH MAKES IT DIFFICULT TO DO PROPER MAINTENANCE THAT GOES BY MILEAGE, SUCH AS OIL CHANGES.”
Service brakes
82 reports4 crashes
“i had brake warning lights pop up on my dash..my brake actuator fail on my 05 prius.. this is a known issue with toyota prius. the brake actuator is a very important part of the braking system and vehicle is deemed unsafe with a failed actuator/module.. the dealer quoted over 3000 in repairs.. they were covering them for a while and now they are not.. the cost of the repair exceeds the value of vehicle due to the brake actuator being very expensive.. this is something that should have been recalled..”
Service brakes, electric
68 reports10 crashes
“(1). I SLAMMED ON THE BRAKES, BUT THERE WAS NO POWER BRAKES. THE 2005 PRIUS SLOWED, BUT DID NOT STOP UNTIL IT CRASHED INTO ANOTHER VEHICLE. I WAS GOING APPROXIMATELY 35 MPH, AND I TRAVELED 3 CAR LENGTHS BEFORE COLLIDING WITH THE OTHER VEHICLE. (2). LOSS OF POWER ASSIST HAD PREVIOUSLY OCCURRED WHILE BACKING UP, BUT THIS WAS THE FIRST FAILURE GOING FORWARD. (3). TOTAL LOSS(TOTALED,, $7,000 DAMAGE). THE 2005 PRIUS IS NOW AT AN AUTOMOBILE RECYCLING YARD. )4) I NOTIFIED TOYOTA. BUT I HAD TO CALL THEM BACK SEVERAL TIMES, AND AFTER 15 DAYS, SOMEONE FINALLY ANSWERED, INSTEAD OF ME GETTING THEIR VOICE MAIL. IF THE POWER BRAKES HAD FAILED AT AN INTERSECTION, IT COULD HAVE BEEN A FATAL CRASH. *KB”
Data from NHTSA Complaints API (owner reports, unverified) · synced Nov 5, 2026
Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.