KnownCarProblems2005 Toyota Prius Problems and Recalls
Owners filed 1,051 complaints with NHTSA about the 2005 Toyota Prius, most often about the lights (33% of complaints, typically around 100,500 miles). It is 5th of 27 Prius model years by number of complaints and has 6 recalls.
Most common 2005 Toyota Prius problems
Lights
346 complaints · 33%Half of these problems showed up before 100,500 miles. Parts named most often: headlights, turn signal, fog lights, brake lights.
Driver's side headlight began going out intermittently, first rarely, then gradually more frequently. Switching them off and on would restore it temporarily. The first time I took it to the dealer they couldn't reproduce the problem. By the time it became very bad, they diagnosed that the headlamp was overheating, and…
The headlights on my 2005 Toyota Prius randomly turn off while driving. Sometimes one goes out, but when they both go out all of the lights inside the car go out too. When I turn the lights off and then back on they will work for a short time. Additionally, after this started the electronic ignition began to have…
Brakes
215 complaints · 21%Half of these problems showed up before 70,000 miles. Parts named most often: antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip, power assist, foundation components, controls.
We kept hearing a sound which appeared to be coming from the drivers side and sounded like a light horn or alarm sound. It seemed to be connected with braking and yet at other times my foot was on the brake and the sound would occur over and over. We took the car to the local dealership who diagnosed the problem as a…
Tl contact owns a 2005 Toyota Prius. While driving 50 MPH he was going over a ridged roads with her foot on the brake pedal the would vehicle accelerated on its own. The failure has occurred everyday for approximately 2 years . The dealer has not been contacted. No repairs have been made. The failure mileage was…
Electrical
178 complaints · 17%Half of these problems showed up before 100,000 miles. Parts named most often: instrument cluster/panel, ignition, 12v/24v/48v battery, wiring.
On three separate occasions my headlamps have gone out. Each time it has been the right or left side. The fourth time. The lights came on using the hi-beam only. Numerous incidents have taken place. This is the second time my wife has been pulled over for this. I have replaced these myself. However, this last time it…
Tl contact owns a 2005 Toyota Prius. The vehicle was parked all day until the driver pushed the power button and there was no power in the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to the dealership for diagnostic and testing. It took the dealer two weeks to perform a diagnostic test on the vehicle. The technical support team…
Speed control
109 complaints · 10%Half of these problems showed up before 50,000 miles. Parts named most often: accelerator pedal, cruise control.
2005 Prius with about 50k miles. Driving in nv. Temp about 33f. Accelerated from about 60 MPH to 70 MPH to pass. Throttle stuck wide open. Accelerated up to about 85 MPH. After about 15 secs, the engine throttled back to normal. I checked immediately for a bunched up floor mat or carpet or anything under the…
We have a 2005 Toyota Prius that was involved in an accident as a result of the car taking off on it's own and the brakes not working. The Prius only stopped when it hit another car and then we were unable to get the car turned off. This was not due to the floor mat recall. The car was in park and took off, would not…
Engine
79 complaints · 8%Half of these problems showed up before 34,500 miles. Parts named most often: engine, cooling system, exhaust system.
Tl contact owns a 2005 Toyota Prius. The contact stated that the inverter cooling water pump failed. While driving 72 MPH with the vehicle speed control engaged, there were several warning lights illuminating causing the vehicle speed control to lose power. He drove onto the side of the road, turned the engine off and…
My daughter was driving the family car a 2005 Toyota Prius on a nj county road on a low traffic sunday morning in april 2009. The car unexpectedly surged causing her to loose control, hit a telephone pole and cause property and physical damage.
Service Brakes, Electric
68 complaints · 7%Half of these problems showed up before 46,500 miles.
We have the same brake defect in our 2005 Toyota Prius as the defect that is currently being reported in the 2010 Toyota Prius. In our car, when we go over a manhole cover or similar irregularity in the road while braking, the car feels like it is momentarily hydroplaning and you have lost traction. My wife stopped…
My 2005 Toyota Prius brakes didn't engage when I pressed on them in stop and go traffic. I was behind a utility truck with a concrete post hanging about 10 feet off the back of it (properly marked), and I gave myself room behind the truck and was aware of the pole hanging off of the truck. Traffic started moving, and…
Air bags
44 complaints · 4%Half of these problems showed up before 65,000 miles. Parts named most often: frontal, side/window.
The contact owns a 2005 Toyota Prius. The contact stated that the brakes were depressed and failed to respond. The contact crashed into the rear end of another vehicle and the air bags failed to deploy. The contact sustained injuries to the chest, a leg gash and a pulled muscle in the back. The front passenger…
The contact owns a 2005 Toyota Prius. While driving at approximately 25 MPH, the air bag warning light illuminated on and off. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic. The technician diagnosed that the main wiring harness needed to be replaced and not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure.…
Transmission
41 complaints · 4%Half of these problems showed up before 76,000 miles. Parts named most often: automatic transmission, driveline, axle assembly.
Tl contact owns a 2005 Toyota Prius. While driving approximately 60 MPH, the contact noticed that all the warning lights illuminated on the dashboard. The contact pulled over and turned the vehilce off. When attempting to restart the vehicle, he noticed that the vehicle would not restart. The vehicle was towed to the…
Gear shift selector sticks in drive or reverse. A few years ago, the only symptom was clicking noise when lever was actuated, but now it does not return to a neutral position when you let go. Happens every time. Consequentially, unless you consciously return the lever to central position, pressing park does not take…
Complaints are owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects. One complaint can name several components, so shares add up to more than 100%.
2005 Toyota Prius recalls
Hybrid system: inverter
Risk: 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.
Fix: 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.
Full defect summary
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.
Steering: shaft sector
Risk: Over time, the splines may wear and eventually fail resulting in a loss of steering ability, increasing the risk of a vehicle crash.
Fix: 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.
Full defect summary
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.
Equipment: labels
Risk: A driver may overload a vehicle which may increase the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will mail to consumers the corrected label or the customer will have the option for dealers to install the label free of charge. The safety recall began on may 27, 2010. Owners may contact southeast toyota at 1-800-301-6859.
Full defect summary
Southeast toyota is recalling certain model year 2005-2011 passenger vehicles for failing to comply with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 110, "tire selection and rims." these vehicles were sold without the requisite load carrying capacity modification labels.
Speed control: accelerator pedal
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
Full defect summary
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.
Steering: electric power assist system
Risk: This could result in a loss of steering control of the vehicle.
Fix: 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.
Full defect summary
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.
Air bags
Risk: This may increase the risk of injury to the occupant in the involved seating position in the event of a crash.
Fix: 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.
Full defect summary
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.
Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer. Enter your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which recalls are still open on your car.
NHTSA defect investigations
Pedestrian alert sounds
Summary
Nhtsa received a petition on or about july 18, 2022, requesting that federal motor vehicle safety standard (fmvss) 141 be applied to all electric and hybrid vehicles operating in the united states. The petition can be reviewed at NHTSA.gov under odi number 11486072. Fmvss 141 establishes performance requirements for pedestrian alert sounds for motor vehicles. The standard applies to hybrid and electric vehicles that have a gross vehicle weight rating of 4,536 kg or less or are defined as low-speed vehicles. The standard became fully applicable to all such vehicles manufactured on or after march 1, 2021.on january 27, 2023, NHTSA opened defect petition (dp) 22-005 to evaluate the subject matt
Intermediate steering shaft separation
Summary
The office of defects investigation (odi) received a january 2013 defect petition requesting that it open an investigation on model year (my) 2004-2009 toyota prius vehicles to address a possible manufacturing safety defect related to the steering column intermediate shaft.during the defect petition evaluation, odi: 1.reviewed the petition and its enclosures; 2.reviewed the subject steering system layout; 3.examined the petition vehicle?s history, including its repair history; 4.reviewed and followed-up potentially related consumer complaints; 5.assessed safety recalls 06v-188 and 12v-537; and, 6.requested and examined complaint, claim, field report, service history, and warranty information
Engine stalling
Summary
Odi opened pe05-029 based on 33 reports of alleged gasoline engine stalling on the subject vehicles.the subject vehicles are gasoline/ electric hybrid vehicles that can be operated in gasoline or electric modes, or a combination of both depending on the power demand.all reports allege that the gasoline engine shut down suddenly without warning.some of the complainants reported that the vehicle continued to operate using the electric mode for a period of time after the gas engine stalled and some reported that the vehicle shut down at the same time that they felt the gas engine stalled.some consumers reported that they were able to restart the vehicle either immediately or after allowing the
Questions about the 2005 Toyota Prius
- What are the most common problems with the 2005 Toyota Prius?
- By NHTSA owner complaints: lights (346 complaints, typically around 100,500 miles); brakes (215 complaints, typically around 70,000 miles); electrical (178 complaints, typically around 100,000 miles).
- How many recalls does the 2005 Toyota Prius have?
- 6 recalls listed by NHTSA, the latest from November 14, 2012 (hybrid system). Check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which ones are still open on your car.
- Is the 2005 a bad year for the Toyota Prius?
- It is 5th of 27 Prius model years by number of complaints, with 1,051 complaints. Complaint counts are not adjusted for how many cars were sold, so popular years collect more of them, and the newest years have had less time to.