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2002 Toyota PriusProblems, recalls & complaints

NHTSA has logged 167 owner complaints about the 2002 Toyota Prius, most often about the steering. It is covered by 2 safety recalls.

2002 Toyota Prius
66
CarFlaw IndexSolid year49% below the Prius median · #13 of 23 years by complaints
Safety recalls2Free fix at dealersOwner complaints16723 with a crash, fire or injuryTypical failure mileage90kSteering, median miles

Source: NHTSA complaints, recalls, investigations and manufacturer recall reports, through July 2, 2023. Updated daily. Photo: Cutlass, CC0.

Complaints by system

Where the 2002 Toyota Prius has problems

167 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
Steering802
Electrical system184
Tires180
Service brakes, hydraulic142
Vehicle speed control126
Engine and engine cooling111
Power train91
Suspension80
Service brakes41
11 other systems205

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

2 recalls

2002 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 →

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?

90kmiles, median

Based on the odometer reading in 71 steering complaints. 56% were reported before 100,000 miles.

median0k50k100k150k200k+
7under 30k miles40under 100k miles31100k miles or more
Owner-reported costs

What owners say repairs cost

Dollar amounts owners wrote in their complaints when describing a repair or a quote. These are not price estimates; a system is shown only when at least 8 owners mentioned a cost.

Steering

11 owners mentioned a cost

$3,000median

Middle half: $2,080 – $3,350

If a problem is covered by a recall, the dealer fixes it for free. Some manufacturers also reimburse owners who paid for a repair before a recall was announced.

Best & worst years

2002 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

2002 Toyota Prius safety ratings

2002 Toyota Prius 4-DR. in NHTSA's New Car Assessment Program. Photos are from NHTSA's crash tests.

2002 Toyota Prius frontal crash test, NHTSA
Frontal crashNot rated
2002 Toyota Prius side barrier test, NHTSA
Side barrierNot rated
  • Stability control: Optional
  • Forward collision warning: No
  • Lane departure warning: No
1 investigation

NHTSA defect investigations

Federal investigations that included the 2002 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 driving on the 91 freeway west exit ramp to merge into the 57 freeway in Orange County ca. when suddenly I lost all power steering on the car. We managed to get out the freeway on the first exit
Complaint 11529952 · Jul 2, 2023
DRIVING UP AND DOWN A SLIGHT INCLINE, POWER STEERING SUDDENLY GOES OUT. ONLY HAPPENED TWICE SO FAR BUT I DON'T KNOW WHAT WOULD PREVENT IT FROM HAPPENING AGAIN. PROBABLY GOING ABOUT 15-20MPH UPHILL AND MAYBE 20-25MPH DOWNHILL. HAPPENED ON A CITY STREET.
Complaint 11360535 · Sep 22, 2020 · 145,139 miles
I WAS DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY AND FELT A JERKING AT MY STEERING WHEEL A FEW MONTHS BACK, I THOUGHT OK MAYBE THE STEERING WHEEL LOOSE OR SOMETHING, I WAS GOING AROUND 65 MPH. FAST FORWARD TO TWO WEEKS AGO AND THE STEERING WHEEL COMPLETELY LOCKS UP ON ME DRIVING TO A DR APPOINTMENT I HAD TO GO TO. I…
Complaint 11306536 · Feb 2, 2020 · 251,929 miles

Own a 2002 Prius?

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