2002 Toyota Prius problems
Owners have filed 201 complaints about the 2002 Toyota Prius with NHTSA. Steering accounts for 40.3% of them — far more than any other system, ahead of electrical system at 10%.
Complaints201
Crashes16
Fires5
Injuries13
Deaths5
What owners report breaking
Steering 40.3% · 81
Electrical system 10.0% · 20
Tires 9.0% · 18
Service brakes, hydraulic 7.5% · 15
Vehicle speed control 6.0% · 12
Engine and engine cooling 5.5% · 11
Power train 4.5% · 9
Suspension 4.0% · 8
Severity
Of those complaints, 16 describe a crash, 5 describe a fire, 13 report an injury and 5 report a death.
Reading the numbers
Across the 17 model years of the Toyota Prius in this data, 2002 draws comparatively few complaints; 2010 is the outlier year.
Filings are rising — 7 in the last three years against 6 in the three before. For a vehicle this age that usually points to a wear-related failure owners are hitting now.
The median odometer reading at the time of complaint was 65,395 miles.
In owners' own words
Steering wheel, uncontrollable shudder, will literally rip itself out of your hand or grip. Usually happens during the first of the day when it's relatively cold. While slowly moving the vehicle, the steering wheel will start to vibrate violently, in an un controllable manner. Sometimes the power steering will just error out while driving down the street during the day, loosing all power steering as well. Steering · reported at 142,000 miles
The contact owns a 2002 Toyota Prius. The contact stated that the vehicle would shake abnormally when first started. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and serviced under nhtsa campaign number 11v304000 (steering), however the failure was not corrected. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 100,000 and the current mileage was 170,000. Steering · reported at 100,000 miles
The contact owns a 2002 Toyota Prius. The contact was driving approximately 45 mph when the power steering warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the power steering rack would need to be replaced. The dealer deemed as unsafe to drive. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 90,000. Steering · reported at 90,000 miles
Verbatim from NHTSA filings. Complaints are unverified owner reports.
Safety recalls
Checking NHTSA for open recalls…