Your vehicle report
2004 Toyota Prius
The problems owners report. The recalls to check. The evidence behind each.
Your vehicle at a glance
Complaint patterns and official recall records, kept distinct.
- Owner complaints
- 610
- Received Dec 2003 to Sep 2025
Owner reports
Most reported problems
- 1Headlights dim or fail at night175 complaints · 29% of this vehicle’s complaints
- 2Engine suddenly shuts off while driving51 complaints · 8.4% of this vehicle’s complaints
- 3Unintended acceleration despite braking44 complaints · 7.2% of this vehicle’s complaints
Official NHTSA records
Recalls to check
- Recall #12V536000Toyota 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.
- Recall #12V537000Toyota 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.
BrakeNews signals
Flagged complaint patterns
Unusual complaint patterns with no matched recall yet. A flag does not mean a recall will happen.
No problems currently meet BrakeNews’s flagging criteria. This is not a safety rating.
How flags are identifiedComplaint counts reflect reports submitted to NHTSA, not failure rates or a reliability ranking. Reported in these complaints: 38 crashes, 2 fires, 29 people injured, 0 deaths.
Explore by system
Where do owners report problems?
Choose an area on the car or a system below to explore the reported problems.
Illustrative only; not this vehicle’s exact design. Areas represent complaint categories, not confirmed defective parts.
Showing all 20 listed problems by system.
Engine & powertrain
Brakes
Electrical & lights
Airbags, belts & seats
Steering, suspension & tires
Body, doors & glass
Driver assistance
No problems in this category meet this page’s listing criteria. This does not establish that the system is free of problems.
Other
No problems in this category meet this page’s listing criteria. This does not establish that the system is free of problems.
Complaint history
When NHTSA received these reports. Changes in reporting alone do not establish a change in failure rates.
Show as a table
| Year | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 2003 | 2 |
| 2004 | 13 |
| 2005 | 172 |
| 2006 | 20 |
| 2007 | 18 |
| 2008 | 26 |
| 2009 | 67 |
| 2010 | 106 |
| 2011 | 28 |
| 2012 | 37 |
| 2013 | 21 |
| 2014 | 14 |
| 2015 | 22 |
| 2016 | 9 |
| 2017 | 12 |
| 2018 | 18 |
| 2019 | 10 |
| 2020 | 6 |
| 2021 | 2 |
| 2022 | 5 |
| 2023 | 0 |
| 2024 | 0 |
| 2025 | 2 |
| 2026 (to Oct 2026) | 0 |
| Total | 610 |
Problems owners report
Listed groups have at least 3 complaints. The page includes the 20 largest groups plus any additional flagged groups; some complaints are not assigned to a group.
| Problem | Complaints | Share | Share ratio | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Headlights dim or fail at night | 175 | 29% | – | |
| Engine suddenly shuts off while driving | 51 | 8.4% | – | |
| Unintended acceleration despite braking | 44 | 7.2% | – | NHTSA recall #09V388000 |
| Anti-lock brakes fail or lock up | 20 | 3.3% | – | |
| Check engine light comes on repeatedly | 18 | 2.9% | – | |
| Airbags fail to deploy in crashes | 16 | 2.6% | – | NHTSA recall #06V096000 |
| Infotainment screen ghost-touches and changes on its own | 15 | 2.5% | – | |
| Instrument cluster or speedometer fails | 12 | 2.0% | – | |
| Trailer frame, axle, or hitch fails while towing | 11 | 1.8% | – | |
| Brake pedal sinks due to leaking lines | 10 | 1.6% | – | |
| Brake booster fails, leaving stiff pedal | 10 | 1.6% | – | |
| Vehicle suddenly loses engine power at speed | 9 | 1.5% | – | |
| Automatic transmission shifts unexpectedly or slips | 6 | 1.0% | – | |
| Gear shifter fails to register Park | 6 | 1.0% | – | |
| Tires blow out or tread separates | 5 | 0.8% | – | |
| Battery drains and dies when parked | 5 | 0.8% | – | |
| Transmission will not engage reverse gear | 5 | 0.8% | – | |
| Seat belt fails to latch or retract | 4 | 0.7% | – | |
| Fuel tank or line leaks gasoline | 4 | 0.7% | – | |
| Engine won't start or cranks intermittently | 4 | 0.7% | – |
AI groups complaints by meaning; the groups are approximate. Share ratio compares the problem’s share of this vehicle’s complaints with its share on other vehicles over the last 24 months (shown from 3 recent complaints). A 2× ratio means twice the complaint share, not twice the failure risk. Flags mark unusual shares or recent surges after an AI review of the complaint content. “First signal” does not mean the pattern has persisted continuously.How recall estimates are calculated.
Recalls
NHTSA recall #12V536000November 14, 2012350,662 vehicles affected
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.
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.
NHTSA recall #12V537000November 14, 2012669,705 vehicles affected
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.
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.
NHTSA recall #09V388000October 5, 20094,445,056 vehicles affected
vehicle speed control: accelerator pedal
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.
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.
Remedy
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.
NHTSA recall #06V188000May 31, 2006170,856 vehicles affected
steering: electric power assist system
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.
This could result in a loss of steering control of the vehicle.
Remedy
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.
NHTSA recall #06V096000April 3, 2006133 vehicles affected
air bags
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.
This may increase the risk of injury to the occupant in the involved seating position in the event of a crash.
Remedy
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.
NHTSA recall #04V558000November 22, 2004183,090 vehicles affected
exterior lighting: brake lights: switch
Certain passenger vehicles may be equipped with an improperly designed brake light switch. A silicon oxide build-up occurs on the contacts inside the brake light switch, which Can make it inoperable.
If the switch is inoperable, the brake lights will not illuminate and Can increase the risk of a crash.
Remedy
Dealers will replace the brake light switch. The recall began during december 2004. Owners should contact Toyota at 1-800-331-4331.
Other model years
About this data
NHTSA complaints and recalls through October 2026. Complaints are counted once each, however many components they name. Original complaints are on NHTSA's page for the 2004 Toyota Prius.
Problem groups are formed by AI and may be approximate. BrakeNews flags unusual complaint patterns; they are not official defect findings. Investigation reports are written and checked by AI, with no human review. Owner reports do not establish that a defect exists.
Read the methodology and track record · Check current recalls by VIN