2005 Toyota Prius Vehicle Speed Control Problems

Source: NHTSA · Updated Feb 16, 2026 · 109 complaints analyzed

Owners have filed 109 complaints with NHTSA about vehicle speed control problems on the 2005 Toyota Prius, 10% of all complaints for this model year. Half of the reports with a mileage happened before 50,000 miles. The words owners use most often: “floor mat” (8% of reports).

What owners describe

Phrases that appear unusually often in these complaints compared with complaints about other cars.

  • Floor mat: mentioned in 9 of 109 complaints (8%)
  • Unintended acceleration: mentioned in 9 of 109 complaints (8%)
  • Suddenly accelerated: mentioned in 7 of 109 complaints (6%)

At what mileage do vehicle speed control problems happen?

Based on 86 complaints that reported the odometer reading.

Under 10k miles15 · 17%
10k–25k miles9 · 10%
25k–50k miles18 · 21%
50k–75k miles21 · 24%
75k–100k miles10 · 12%
100k–150k miles8 · 9%
150k+ miles5 · 6%

How serious are the reports?

Of 109 complaints, 33 mention a crash, 1 a fire, 10 an injury.

Toyota Prius vehicle speed control complaints by model year

Peak: 2010, with 287 complaints
2001: 2520012002: 122003: 520032004: 522005: 10920052006: 842007: 12420072008: 1562009: 7120092010: 2872872011: 2820112012: 132013: 2220132014: 142015: 720152016: 142017: 1320172018: 42019: 420192020: 12021: 120212022: 12024: 220242025: 1

n = 1,050 complaints · Source: NHTSA

Model yearVehicle Speed Control complaintsShare of that yearMedian miles
2025 Prius16%—
2024 Prius27%3,000
2022 Prius14%25,000
2021 Prius117%56,000
2020 Prius17%15,670
2019 Prius413%1,495
2018 Prius411%7,500
2017 Prius1314%14,000
2016 Prius149%13,250
2015 Prius74%3,000
2014 Prius147%11,687
2013 Prius225%9,750
2012 Prius133%21,000
2011 Prius285%21,000
2010 Prius28710%4,300
2009 Prius7114%10,000
2008 Prius15610%28,500
2007 Prius1246%36,600
2006 Prius846%45,000
2005 Prius10910%50,000
2004 Prius529%59,384
2003 Prius55%41,873
2002 Prius127%42,240
2001 Prius2515%60,189

When owners reported it

Peak: 2010, with 70 complaints
2005: 4200542006: 3200632007: 3200732009: 7200972010: 702010702011: 6201162012: 1201212013: 2201322014: 2201422015: 6201562016: 2201622017: 1201712018: 220182

n = 109 complaints · Source: NHTSA

Related recalls (1)

Vehicle speed control:accelerator pedalOct 5, 2009 · NHTSA campaign 09V388000 · 4,445,056 vehicles

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.

What owners report

Short excerpts of recent complaints, with personal details removed. Full reports are on NHTSA.gov.

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…

Received Dec 11, 2018 · NHTSA complaint 11160849

I started the car and the speed indicator didn't illuminate. I thought it was a lightbulb or something that that had gone out since the car drove like normal. When i got to my destination i tried to turn off the car but it didn't turn off. I called the campus car service, by the time they got to me…

Received Jun 22, 2018 · NHTSA complaint 11103337

Clock cable failed.. Caused the airbag, horn and cruise control to not work..

Received Apr 13, 2017 · NHTSA complaint 10972196
Toyota Prius
2023 Toyota Prius Z HEV. Representative photo; appearance varies by model year. Photo: TTTNIS, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Frequently asked questions

Do all 2005 Toyota Priuss have vehicle speed control problems?

No. NHTSA has 109 owner complaints about vehicle speed control for the 2005 Toyota Prius (10% of the 1,051 complaints for this model year). Complaint data shows that the problem is reported, not how many of all cars sold are affected.

Was there a recall on the 2005 Toyota Prius vehicle speed control?

Yes: 1 safety recall list vehicle speed control. Check your VIN on NHTSA.gov to see whether the fix was done on your car.

At what mileage do vehicle speed control problems start?

The median reported mileage is 50,000 miles: half of the reports with a mileage came before that.

What do owners say about vehicle speed control problems on the 2005 Toyota Prius?

The most frequent phrase is “floor mat”, in 9 of 109 complaints, followed by “unintended acceleration” (9).

Other 2005 Toyota Prius problems

See all 2005 Toyota Prius problems or vehicle speed control problems across all Prius years.