2005 Toyota Prius problems
Owners have filed 1,298 complaints about the 2005 Toyota Prius with NHTSA. Exterior lighting accounts for 26.8% of them — the clear leader, ahead of electrical system at 13.8%.
Complaints1,298
Crashes133
Fires5
Injuries93
Deaths1
What owners report breaking
Exterior lighting 26.8% · 348
Electrical system 13.8% · 179
Service brakes, hydraulic 10.0% · 130
Vehicle speed control 8.4% · 109
Service brakes 6.3% · 82
Service brakes, electric 5.2% · 68
Engine and engine cooling 5.0% · 65
Air bags 3.5% · 45
Severity
Of those complaints, 133 describe a crash, 5 describe a fire, 93 report an injury and 1 report a death.
Reading the numbers
Across the 17 model years of the Toyota Prius in this data, 2005 sits 5th by complaint volume. 2010 draws the most.
Filings have fallen off, 14 in the last three years against 20 in the three before. That is normal as a generation leaves the road.
The median odometer reading at the time of complaint was 78,000 miles.
In owners' own words
1. Driver's side hid-type headlight went out while driving at night. Went on & off intermittently for several days. Required a replacement headlight computer and bulb. Ridiculously expensive to get headlights functioning properly. 2. Headlight leveling system malfunctions & warning light goes on intermittently, generally during & right after rain storms. Ongoing problem since car had approximately 32,000 miles. Exterior lighting · reported at 62,400 miles
The front headlights will randomly flicker out, usually one at a time but sometimes both at the same time. One can get it back on by toggling the headlight switch on and off, but extremely dangerous when on an interstate at night. A ton of owners are having this same problem, but apparently there is as of yet no recall. You can switch out the expensive bulb, but that also apparently doesn't fix the problem. Exterior lighting · reported at 90,000 miles
1. Toyota Prius hid light faulty. - The lights go off and when turned off and on come back up. 2. Called the dealer and the dealer quoted - $350 per bulb and $300 in labor charges = $1000 to replace 2 head lamps. 3. Logged a complaint with Toyota. Toyota said there was nothing wrong with the parts and offered a 50% reimbursement which still ends up to $500 out of pocket expenses just to replace 2 head lamps. Exterior lighting · reported at 78,000 miles
Verbatim from NHTSA filings. Complaints are unverified owner reports.
Safety recalls
Checking NHTSA for open recalls…