2005 Toyota Prius problems, complaints & recalls

2005 Toyota Prius recalls (3)

• Recall 12V536000Nov 14, 2012350,662 vehicles
  ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING · HYBRID PROPULSION SYSTEM: INVERTER

  Toyota is recalling certain model year 2004-2009 Prius vehicles manufactured August 6, 2003, through March 30, 2009 and FCHV-adv vehicles manufactured December 12, 2008, through September 13, 2011. During manufacturing, a scratch may have occurred inside of the electrically driven water pump at the coil wire. The coil wire may corrode at the scratched portion.

  Risk: The corroded coil wire may break and the water pump could stop. The corroded coil wire could cause a short circuit between coil wires and a possible open fuse, creating a stall-like condition of the hybrid system while the vehicle is being driven. This may increase the risk of a vehicle crash.

  Remedy: Toyota will notify its owners, and dealers will replace the electric water pump, free of charge. The recall began on January 17, 2013. Owners may contact their Toyota dealer or the Toyota Customer Experience Center at 1-800-331-4331.

• Recall 12V537000Nov 14, 2012669,705 vehicles
  STEERING · STEERING:GEAR BOX:SHAFT SECTOR

  Toyota is recalling certain model year 2004-2009 Prius vehicles manufactured August 5, 2003, through March 30, 2009. The affected vehicles have a steering intermediate extension shaft assembly built with metal splines that complete the connection from the steering wheel to the steering gear. These splines may have been manufactured with an insufficient hardness.

  Risk: Over time, the splines may wear and eventually fail resulting in a loss of steering ability, increasing the risk of a vehicle crash.

  Remedy: Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the extension shaft and replace it if it is one with insufficient hardness, free of charge. The recall began during December 2012. Owners may contact their Toyota dealer or the Toyota Customer Experience Center at 1-800-331-4331.

• Recall 10V036000Feb 3, 2010153,418 vehicles
  EQUIPMENT:OTHER:LABELS

  Southeast toyota is recalling certain model year 2005-2011 passenger vehicles for failing to comply with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 110, "tire selection and rims." these vehicles were sold without the requisite load carrying capacity modification labels.

  Risk: A driver may overload a vehicle which may increase the risk of a crash.

  Remedy: Dealers will mail to consumers the corrected label or the customer will have the option for dealers to install the label free of charge. The safety recall began on may 27, 2010. Owners may contact southeast toyota at 1-800-301-6859.

NHTSA defect investigations

• DP22005Opened Jan 27, 2023Closed Aug 7, 2023led to recall 22V063000

  Pedestrian alert sounds

  NHTSA received a petition on or about July 18, 2022, requesting that Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 141 be applied to all electric and hybrid vehicles operating in the United States. The petition can be reviewed at NHTSA.gov under ODI Number 11486072. FMVSS 141 establishes performance requirements for pedestrian alert sounds for motor vehicles. The standard applies to hybrid and electric vehicles that have a gross vehicle weight rating of 4,536 KG or less or are defined as low-speed vehicles. The standard became fully applicable to all such vehicles manufactured on or after Marc…

• DP13001Opened Feb 21, 2013Closed Apr 8, 2020

  Intermediate Steering Shaft Separation

  The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) received a January 2013 defect petition requesting that it open an investigation on Model Year (MY) 2004-2009 Toyota Prius vehicles to address a possible manufacturing safety defect related to the steering column intermediate shaft.During the defect petition evaluation, ODI: 1.Reviewed the petition and its enclosures; 2.Reviewed the subject steering system layout; 3.Examined the Petition Vehicle?s history, including its repair history; 4.Reviewed and followed-up potentially related consumer complaints; 5.Assessed Safety Recalls 06V-188 and 12V-537; and…

• PE05029Opened May 31, 2005Closed Oct 12, 2005

  Engine stalling

  Odi opened pe05-029 based on 33 reports of alleged gasoline engine stalling on the subject vehicles.the subject vehicles are gasoline/ electric hybrid vehicles that can be operated in gasoline or electric modes, or a combination of both depending on the power demand.all reports allege that the gasoline engine shut down suddenly without warning.some of the complainants reported that the vehicle continued to operate using the electric mode for a period of time after the gas engine stalled and some reported that the vehicle shut down at the same time that they felt the gas engine stalled.some con…

Recent 2005 Toyota Prius complaints

Excerpts of the newest owner complaints, lightly cleaned of personal details. Complaints are unverified owner reports.

1. Filed Feb 16, 2026CAEngineOther / UnknownTransmission & Drivetrain

   Eingen faliur acording to dealership Toyota of Anthioc the veicle is on there lot for now but there diagnostic was engine faliure

   NHTSA complaint #11718280 · source
2. Filed Jan 11, 2026FLBrakes

   ABS actuator failed and had little to no braking action while merging on the freeway. Had to swerve to avoid collision on interstate

   NHTSA complaint #11710245 · source
3. Filed Nov 10, 2025143,500 miDEElectrical SystemLighting

   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…

   NHTSA complaint #11698556 · source
4. Filed Nov 10, 2025143,500 miDELighting

   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.

   NHTSA complaint #11698502 · source
5. Filed May 2, 2025CACrash1 injuredTowedAirbags

   Vehicle: 2005 Toyota Prius VIN: [XXX] Date of Incident: April 2024 Location: Citrus Heights, California Incident Summary: In April 2024, I was involved in a front-end collision while driving my 2005 Toyota Prius. I rear-ended another vehicle at moderate to high speed. Despite the severity of the impact, the driver-side airbag failed to deploy. As a result, I was thrown forward and hit my head on the windshield, suffering lacerations and head trauma. After being evaluated by…

   NHTSA complaint #11658429 · source
6. Filed Mar 18, 2025NCBrakes

   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…

   NHTSA complaint #11648968 · source
7. Filed Aug 16, 2024FLBrakes

   Brake actuator going bad. Safety is put at risk as brakes are slow to work and sometimes don't work at all for a couple of seconds, making sudden stops impossible. Has not been confirmed by dealer. Has not been inspected. ABS and TPMS light would briefly pop up for a couple of seconds on car startup before shutting off.

   NHTSA complaint #11608878 · source
8. Filed Jun 26, 2024299,999 miMNBrakesElectrical System

   The contact owns a 2005 Toyota Prius. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the brakes seized. In addition, the contact heard a squealing sound and the ABS warning light illuminated. The contact used the parking brake to stop the vehicle. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or the dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The contact stated that the odometer was inoperable and failed to display the…

   NHTSA complaint #11596913 · source

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Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Office of Defects Investigation public data, as of Oct 10, 2026. Complaints are submitted by owners and are not verified by NHTSA or by us; a complaint does not prove a defect exists. View this vehicle on NHTSA.gov Methodology