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2001 Toyota PriusProblems, recalls & complaints

NHTSA has logged 165 owner complaints about the 2001 Toyota Prius, most often about the steering. It is covered by 3 safety recalls.

2001 Toyota Prius
67
CarFlaw IndexSolid year50% below the Prius median · #14 of 23 years by complaints
Safety recalls3Free fix at dealersOwner complaints16522 with a crash, fire or injuryTypical failure mileage68kSteering, median miles

Source: NHTSA complaints, recalls, investigations and manufacturer recall reports, through December 12, 2019. Updated daily. Photo: Rutger van der Maar, CC BY 2.0.

Complaints by system

Where the 2001 Toyota Prius has problems

165 complaints grouped by the system owners reported.

Box size = number of complaints naming that system. Darker = larger share. One complaint can name more than one system.
Complaints by system
SystemComplaintsCrash, fire or injury
Steering451
Electrical system276
Tires274
Vehicle speed control255
Engine and engine cooling181
Fuel system, gasoline91
Suspension91
Service brakes, hydraulic82
Power train51
15 other systems306

Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation. Complaints are submitted by the public and are not verified by NHTSA.

3 recalls

2001 Toyota Prius recalls and how many were fixed

Each ring shows the share of affected cars repaired, from the manufacturer’s latest quarterly report to NHTSA. Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.

–no report yet

Steering: electric power assist system

Recall 11V-304 · Jun 1, 2011 · 52,377 vehicles

Risk. LOSS OF POWER STEERING, PARTICULARLY WHEN AN OPERATOR IS ACTIVELY INTENDING TO STEER THE VEHICLE, MAY INCREASE THE RISK OF A CRASH.

Problem, fix and repair progress →

–no report yet

Engine and engine cooling

Recall 06V-266 · Jul 19, 2006 · 34,771 vehicles

Risk. ENGINE OIL INSIDE THE SENSOR WIRING CONNECTOR COULD CAUSE EXPANSION DUE TO THE HEAT OF THE ENGINE AND COULD DEFORM THE SENSOR WIRING CONNECTOR.

Problem, fix and repair progress →

–no report yet

Steering: gear box (other than rack and pinion)

Recall 00V-285 · Sep 21, 2000 · 1,772 vehicles

Risk. IF THIS OCCURS, THE POWER STEERING WARNING ICON WILL BE DISPLAYED ON THE CENTER PANEL, AND THE DRIVER COULD EXPERIENCE HIGHER THAN NORMAL STEERING EFFORT…

Problem, fix and repair progress →

Recalls apply to specific cars. To see whether a recall is still open on yours, enter the 17-character VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls or with Toyota.

Mileage at failure

When do steering problems start?

68kmiles, median

Based on the odometer reading in 31 steering complaints. 58% were reported before 100,000 miles.

median0k50k100k150k200k+
3under 30k miles18under 100k miles13100k miles or more
Best & worst years

2001 vs. every other Prius year

Bars show complaints per model year. Colors show the CarFlaw verdict: complaints weighted for crashes, fires and injuries, adjusted for years on the road and compared with the Prius median. How we score

'01'02'03'04'05'06'07'08'09'10'11'12'13'14'15'16'17'18'19'20'21'22'23'24'25'26
  • Avoid
  • Caution
  • Solid
  • Best
  • Not rated
NHTSA crash tests

2001 Toyota Prius safety ratings

2001 Toyota Prius 4-DR. in NHTSA's New Car Assessment Program. Photos are from NHTSA's crash tests.

2001 Toyota Prius frontal crash test, NHTSA
Frontal crashNot rated
  • Stability control: Optional
  • Forward collision warning: No
  • Lane departure warning: No
1 investigation

NHTSA defect investigations

Federal investigations that included the 2001 Toyota Prius, and the recalls they led to.

  1. Pedestrian alert soundsDP22005 · closed Aug 7, 2023
    Led to recall 22V-063
In owners' words

What Prius owners report

Recent steering complaints filed with NHTSA, shortened. Personal details are removed.

I WAS GETTING OFF THE FREEWAY AND DRIVING 40 MPH ON THE OFF RAMP, WHEN THE 2001 TOYOTA PRIUS DID A UNWANTED LEFT TURN OF THE STEERING WHEEL, I TRIED TO TURN THE STEERING WHEEL BACK TO CORRECT THE CAR ANGLE, BUT HE STEERING FORCE WAS TOO STRONG FOR ME TO CORRECT BACK TO STRAIGHT AHEAD, THE LEFT…
Complaint 11288564 · Dec 12, 2019 · 165,000 miles
STEERING RECALL I CALLED TOYOTA THEY SAID THEY COULDN'T DO IT AND IT SAYS ONLINE IT'S GOOD FOR 10 YEARS AFTER RECALL DATE.
Complaint 11254342 · Sep 10, 2019
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 TOYOTA PRIUS. WHILE DRIVING 65 MPH, THE STEERING WHEEL SHOOK VIOLENTLY WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE VIN WAS INVALID. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 143,000.
Complaint 10953939 · Feb 10, 2017 · 143,000 miles

Own a 2001 Prius?

Decode your VIN to see the recalls for your exact car, then confirm open recalls with NHTSA.