2003 Toyota Prius problems
Owners have filed 123 complaints about the 2003 Toyota Prius with NHTSA. Steering accounts for 33.3% of them — far more than any other system, ahead of electrical system at 11.4%.
Complaints123
Crashes5
Fires0
Injuries8
Deaths0
What owners report breaking
Steering 33.3% · 41
Electrical system 11.4% · 14
Tires 8.9% · 11
Engine and engine cooling 8.9% · 11
Service brakes, hydraulic 6.5% · 8
Power train 4.9% · 6
Service brakes 4.1% · 5
Vehicle speed control 4.1% · 5
Severity
Of those complaints, 5 describe a crash and 8 report an injury.
Reading the numbers
Across the 17 model years of the Toyota Prius in this data, 2003 draws comparatively few complaints; 2010 is the outlier year.
Filings have fallen off, 6 in the last three years against 8 in the three before. That is normal as a generation leaves the road.
The median odometer reading at the time of complaint was 75,000 miles.
In owners' own words
I was driving east at 50 mph on california hwy 68 at 0800. It was raining but there was no standing water. I was driving a 2003 Toyota Prius. As I crossed the intersection with san benancio road the car slowly swerved to the left across the road, entering the opposite shoulder sliding broadside. The car continued the rotation, coming to rest facing east again. I did nothing to initiate this bizarre event. Steering
The contact owns a 2003 Toyota Prius. When the contact would drive the vehicle she noticed that the steering wheel would turn left and right and would not return to the center position. The vehicle was taken to the dealership on 2 separate occasions where the contact had the rack and pinion replaced on both occasions the failure mileage was 42000 and the current mileage was 103000. The vin was not available. Steering · reported at 42,000 miles
The contact owns a 2003 Toyota Prius. While driving 10 mph, and making a left turn, the steering wheel shook violently. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, but the cause of the failure could not be found. The vehicle was not repaired. The vin was included in nhtsa campaign number: 11v304000 (steering). The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 100,000. Steering · reported at 100,000 miles
Verbatim from NHTSA filings. Complaints are unverified owner reports.
Safety recalls
Checking NHTSA for open recalls…