KnownCarProblems2007 Toyota Prius Problems and Recalls
Owners filed 2,003 complaints with NHTSA about the 2007 Toyota Prius, most often about the lights (53% of complaints, typically around 50,000 miles). It is the 2nd most complained-about Prius model year since 2000 and has 4 recalls.
Most common 2007 Toyota Prius problems
Lights
1,061 complaints · 53%Half of these problems showed up before 50,000 miles. Parts named most often: headlights, brake lights, tail lights.
Random, intermittent failure of either hid headlamp. Started around 48,000 miles. Turning the headlamp switch off and on again reignites the failed light, until the next random failure. The dealer is replacing the computer(s) that control the lights. They want to replace the lamps, but they cost $400, and are not…
Headlight on passenger goes out intermittently. Sometimes the headlight on the driver's side also goes out. Dealer tells me that there is something wrong with the headlight and it needs to be replaced for a cost of $492. Have less than 50,000 miles on my car. If both headlights have to be replaced, that will be near…
Brakes
275 complaints · 14%Half of these problems showed up before 52,500 miles. Parts named most often: antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip, foundation components, antilock.
During turns at times my 2007 pruis will bog down and have no power. I have reported the problem to the dealer and they believe it my be a sensor problem where the ABS senses to much spin and cuts power to the transmission. It takes about 5 to 10 seconds to get the power back to the transmission. During this time the…
1. First time occurrence event: icy roads, around freezing point, lasted one or two days. A few days ago recurred. 2. Failure: car brakes very abrupt opposed to the gentile brake that is applied 3. Done: nothing yet, waiting for recall info.
Electrical
248 complaints · 12%Half of these problems showed up before 67,000 miles. Parts named most often: 12v/24v/48v battery, instrument cluster/panel, wiring, software.
My 07 Prius which I rarely drive at night is suffering from spontaneous outage of the hid headlamps with less than 65000 miles on it. Worse, I am told the 100,000 mile platinum warranty will not cover the repair, which might cost me up to $1000 for both lamps. This is absurd. This is a hidden defect, and clearly a…
Vehicle has 70,000 miles, 2007 Prius. Both headlights go off at random. Turning them off and back on will correct the problem temporarily until they go out again. Dealer says its the bulb shorting out $600 will correct the problem. I'm waiting to get the car home to keep the lights on while at a stand still to…
Body and structure
184 complaints · 9%Half of these problems showed up before 69,500 miles. Parts named most often: body, frame and members.
The contact owns a 2007 Toyota Prius hybrid. The contact stated that the trunk door failed to open. The contact also mentioned that the material that latched the door with the trunk was melted and the trunk could not be accessed. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified. The failure…
Hatchback latch does not respond to smart key and will not open to touch as it is supposed to. This problem has occurred intermittently for about ten months. Also, the rubber latch covering has deteriorated into a soft, sticky black substance that stains my fingers when I try to open the latch. The deterioration…
Speed control
124 complaints · 6%Half of these problems showed up before 36,500 miles. Parts named most often: accelerator pedal, cruise control.
Our leased 2007toyota Prius sometimes "jumps" forward unexpectedly when going over a stone or bump on a dirt road or other street, briefly increasing acceleration. This has happened when traveling a straight road and also when taking a corner onto a dirt road. Braking doesn't slow down the acceleration, increasing the…
We own a Toyota Prius. When we turn on the heater and turn it to the feet, warm air starts blowing from the vent on the driver side to the face. We took it to the dealer "capitol Toyota", capital auto mall, san jose, ca. The dealer said that they would charge big time to fix it since we were just over 36,000 miles in…
Other or unspecified
67 complaints · 3%Half of these problems showed up before 90,000 miles.
Toyota priuses, covering multiple model years, have problems with their multifunction displays in the range of 85000-95000 miles. The problem manifests itself with a display that will start to go out and have problems with a fuzzy display or lines through the picture, or will just fail outright. This can cause…
When attempting to shift the vehicle into drive or reverse the transmission selection will revert to neutral within a few seconds. The problem occurs multiple times even after tuning off all accessories and restarting the vehicle. In some cases it requires that the transmission joystick selector lever be held manually…
Service Brakes, Electric
59 complaints · 3%Half of these problems showed up before 30,000 miles.
I purchased a 2007 used Toyota Prius in june 2009. On two or three occasions in the past 7 months, the brakes have failed to respond momentarily. This happened at low speeds, when braking around a corner or when the road was wet. The lack of brake response was accompanied by a delay in acceleration. The problem only…
Toyota Prius braking issue. When going over manhole cover or approaching a toll booth going about 20 MPH, I cannot brake for a few seconds. In addition, a yellow light flashes on the dashboard. This happens consistently in certain spots.
Engine
54 complaints · 3%Half of these problems showed up before 98,500 miles. Parts named most often: engine, cooling system.
The contact owns a 2007 Toyota Prius. The contact stated that while driving approximately 55 MPH the vehicle started to overheat. The check engine light illuminated on the instrument panel prior to the failure. The vehicle was taken to a dealer nearby and they advised him that they needed to replace the inverter pump.…
I was driving about 35 MPH on a city street when the car suddenly shifted into neutral. I tried to put it back in drive, but it kept shifting back into neutral. Luckily there was enough distance between me and the car behind me was that it didn't result in an accident. I held the gearshift in drive with my right hand…
Complaints are owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects. One complaint can name several components, so shares add up to more than 100%.
2007 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.
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
Headlight failure
Summary
Odi opened this investigation after receiving reports that both headlights would go out, or extinguish while driving.the subject vehicles are equipped with high intensity discharge (hid) headlamps that operate on independent lamps and ecu's (electronic control units) for each headlight, meaning that each headlight runs independently of the other, and a failure in one lamp or ecu does not necessarily result in a failure of the other.during the investigation, a random sample of forty consumers was contacted by odi in a telephone survey to verify their experiences.the consumers stated in complaints to toyota that both headlights failed at the same time.odi discovered through talking with these
Questions about the 2007 Toyota Prius
- What are the most common problems with the 2007 Toyota Prius?
- By NHTSA owner complaints: lights (1,061 complaints, typically around 50,000 miles); brakes (275 complaints, typically around 52,500 miles); electrical (248 complaints, typically around 67,000 miles).
- How many recalls does the 2007 Toyota Prius have?
- 4 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 2007 a bad year for the Toyota Prius?
- It is the 2nd most complained-about Prius model year since 2000, with 2,003 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.