2005 Toyota Prius Problems, Complaints & Recalls
- Compared with other Prius years
- Far more complaints than other years 5th of 27 for complaints
- Safety recalls
- 6 recalls: check your VIN
- NHTSA crash rating
- Not rated
Owners have filed 1,051 complaints with NHTSA about the 2005 Toyota Prius. That ranks 5th out of 27 Prius model years for complaints. The most reported problem area is exterior lighting (346 complaints, 33%), typically at around 101,000 miles. Complaints mention 102 crashes, 4 fires, 66 injuries. There are 6 safety recalls covering this model year. NHTSA has opened 3 defect investigations involving it.
- 1,051owner complaints
- 6safety recalls
- 3NHTSA investigations
- 102complaints mentioning a crash
Complaints are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume.
Most common 2005 Toyota Prius problems
Complaints grouped by the part of the car owners reported, with the median mileage when the problem happened.
| Problem area | Complaints | Share | Median miles | Owners mention most | Typical repair cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Exterior Lighting problems | 346 | 33% | 101,000 | “turn off” (19%) | $760 |
| Electrical System problems | 178 | 17% | 100,000 | “turn off” (16%) | — |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic problems | 128 | 12% | 45,000 | “hit pothole” (5%) | $3,500 |
| Vehicle Speed Control problems | 109 | 10% | 50,000 | “floor mat” (8%) | — |
| Service Brakes problems | 82 | 8% | 135,626 | “brake actuator” (33%) | $3,300 |
| Service Brakes, Electric problems | 68 | 6% | 46,400 | “since first” (7%) | — |
| Engine and Engine Cooling problems | 64 | 6% | 18,881 | “electric motor” (11%) | — |
| Air Bags | 44 | 4% | 65,000 | — | — |
| Power Train | 41 | 4% | 76,063 | — | — |
| Steering | 39 | 4% | 87,500 | — | — |
| Unknown or Other | 37 | 4% | 86,500 | — | — |
| Traction Control System | 19 | 2% | 30,000 | — | — |
| Electronic Stability Control (esc) | 18 | 2% | 70,522 | — | — |
| Engine | 15 | 1% | 120,000 | — | — |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 14 | 1% | 53,500 | — | — |
| Visibility | 12 | 1% | 60,000 | — | — |
| Structure | 11 | 1% | 67,384 | — | — |
| Fuel/propulsion System | 10 | 1% | 80,000 | — | — |
| Tires | 10 | 1% | 20,000 | — | — |
| Seat Belts | 7 | 1% | 38,750 | — | — |
| Equipment | 4 | 0% | 30,000 | — | — |
| Equipment Adaptive/mobility | 4 | 0% | 90,000 | — | — |
| Fuel System, Other | 4 | 0% | 56,157 | — | — |
| Suspension | 4 | 0% | 20,500 | — | — |
| Hybrid Propulsion System | 3 | 0% | 153,000 | — | — |
| Latches/locks/linkages | 3 | 0% | 5,000 | — | — |
| Service Brakes, Air | 3 | 0% | 600 | — | — |
| Visibility/wiper | 3 | 0% | 186,000 | — | — |
| Wheels | 3 | 0% | 22,200 | — | — |
| Electronic Stability Control | 2 | 0% | 1,700 | — | — |
| Parking Brake | 2 | 0% | 78,145 | — | — |
| Interior Lighting | 1 | 0% | 104,300 | — | — |
| Seats | 1 | 0% | — | — | — |
One complaint can list several problem areas, so shares can add up to more than 100%.
Complaints by year received
2005 Toyota Prius recalls (6)
Tap a recall to see the problem, the risk and the fix.
Hybrid propulsion system: inverter; engine and engine cooling
Problem: 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.
Fix: 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.
Steering:gear box:shaft sector
Problem: 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.
Fix: 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.
Equipment:other:labels
Problem: 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.
Fix: 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.
Vehicle speed control:accelerator pedal
Problem: Toyota is recalling certain model year 2004-2010 passenger vehicles. The accelerator pedal can get stuck in the wide open position due to its being trapped by an unsecured or incompatible driver's floor mat.
Risk: A stuck open accelerator pedal may result in very high vehicle speeds and make it difficult to stop the vehicle, which could cause a crash, serious injury or death.
Fix: Toyota filed an amended defect report on november 25, 2009, stating that dealers will modify the accelerator pedal and, on certain vehicles, alter the shape of the floor surface under the pedal. These changes address the risk of pedal entrapment due to interference with the floor mat. Redesigned accelerator pedals will become available beginning in april 2010 and dealers will replace any modified pedal with the new pedal if desired. Also, dealers will replace any genuine toyota or lexus all-weather floor mats with redesigned all-weather mats, or repurchase the previous mats from owners who do not want the new ones. Additionally, software modifications will be installed on camry, avalon and lexus es 350, is 350 and is 250 models that will ensure that the brake overrides the accelerator in the event both brake and accelerator pedals are applied. Toyota will begin mailing letters to owners on december 31, 2009. Owners may contact toyota at 1-800-331-4331, lexus at 1-800-255-3987.
Steering:electric power assist system
Problem: The intermediate shaft and sliding yoke in the electric power steering system can crack when large forces are applied and the connection may separate or the sleeve may fracture.
Risk: This could result in a loss of steering control of the vehicle.
Fix: Toyota will replace the steering intermediate shaft and inspect the sliding yoke and replace it if necessary. The recall began on june 9, 2006. Owners may contact toyota at 1-800-331-4331.
Air bags
Problem: On certain vehicles, due to improper assembly of the air bag inflator, which is used in the side air bag, the curtain shield air bag, and the knee air bag assembly, some inflators were produced with an insufficient amount of the heating agents necessary for proper air bag deployment. In this condition, the expansion force of the gas may be insufficient to properly inflate the air bag when the srs system is activated during a crash.
Risk: This may increase the risk of injury to the occupant in the involved seating position in the event of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will replace the specific srs air bag. The recall began on april 6, 2006. Owners may contact toyota at 1-888-270-9371, scion at 1-866-548-1851, or lexus at 1-800-255-3987.
To see whether a specific car still has an open recall, enter its VIN on NHTSA's official recall lookup. You can also decode a VIN here.
NHTSA defect investigations
- Pedestrian alert sounds (DP22005) — opened Jan 27, 2023, closed Aug 7, 2023, led to recall 22V063000.
- Intermediate Steering Shaft Separation (DP13001) — opened Feb 21, 2013, closed Apr 8, 2020.
- Engine stalling (PE05029) — opened May 31, 2005, closed Oct 12, 2005.
Recent owner reports
Short excerpts of the latest complaints filed with NHTSA, with personal details removed. Full reports can be searched on NHTSA.gov.
Eingen faliur acording to dealership Toyota of Anthioc the veicle is on there lot for now but there diagnostic was engine faliure
ABS actuator failed and had little to no braking action while merging on the freeway. Had to swerve to avoid collision on interstate
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…
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: 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…
Other Toyota Prius years
| Year | Complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 Prius | 6 | 1 |
| 2025 Prius | 16 | 2 |
| 2024 Prius | 27 | 4 |
| 2023 Prius | 20 | 4 |
| 2022 Prius | 24 | 1 |
| 2021 Prius | 6 | 0 |
| 2020 Prius | 14 | 0 |
| 2019 Prius | 30 | 3 |
| 2018 Prius | 37 | 1 |
| 2017 Prius | 91 | 3 |
| 2016 Prius | 155 | 5 |
| 2015 Prius | 166 | 1 |
| 2014 Prius | 208 | 3 |
| 2013 Prius | 412 | 3 |
| 2012 Prius | 424 | 6 |
| 2011 Prius | 521 | 6 |
| 2010 Prius | 2,823 | 10 |
| 2009 Prius | 502 | 6 |
| 2008 Prius | 1,497 | 4 |
| 2007 Prius | 2,003 | 4 |
| 2006 Prius | 1,439 | 6 |
| 2005 | 1,051 | 6 |
| 2004 Prius | 610 | 6 |
| 2003 Prius | 99 | 1 |
| 2002 Prius | 167 | 2 |
| 2001 Prius | 165 | 3 |
| 2000 Prius | 4 | 0 |
See all Toyota Prius problems by year, every Toyota model, or the Toyota VIN decoder.
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Frequently asked questions
What are the most common problems with the 2005 Toyota Prius?
Owners most often report exterior lighting, electrical system, service brakes, hydraulic problems. The top one, exterior lighting, accounts for 346 complaints.
Was there a recall on the 2005 Toyota Prius?
Yes, 6 safety recalls. Enter your VIN at NHTSA.gov to check whether the repairs were done on your car.
Was the 2005 Toyota Prius a good year?
Complaint data can't fully answer that, because counts aren't adjusted for sales. Compared with other Prius model years, the 2005 has far more complaints than most years. Always get a pre-purchase inspection and check the VIN for open recalls.