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2005 Toyota PriusProblems, recalls & complaints

NHTSA has logged 1,051 owner complaints about the 2005 Toyota Prius, most often about the exterior lighting. It is covered by 6 safety recalls.

2005 Toyota Prius
23
CarFlaw IndexYear to avoid3.3× the Prius median · #5 of 23 years by complaints
Safety recalls6Free fix at dealersOwner complaints1,051152 with a crash, fire or injuryTypical failure mileage100kExterior lighting, median miles

Source: NHTSA complaints, recalls, investigations and manufacturer recall reports, through February 16, 2026. Updated daily. Photo: Vauxford, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Complaints by system

Where the 2005 Toyota Prius has problems

1,051 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
Exterior lighting3462
Electrical system17810
Service brakes, hydraulic12817
Vehicle speed control10934
Service brakes824
Service brakes, electric6810
Engine and engine cooling643
Air bags4429
Power train415
23 other systems19225

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

6 recalls

2005 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

Recall 12V-537 · Nov 14, 2012 · 669,705 vehicles

Risk. Over time, the splines may wear and eventually fail resulting in a loss of steering ability, increasing the risk of a vehicle crash.

Problem, fix and repair progress →

–no report yet

Vehicle speed control: accelerator pedal

Recall 09V-388 · Oct 5, 2009 · 4,445,056 vehicles

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…

Problem, fix and repair progress →

Show 2 more recalls
–no report yet

Air bags

Recall 06V-096 · Apr 3, 2006 · 133 vehicles

Risk. THIS MAY INCREASE THE RISK OF INJURY TO THE OCCUPANT IN THE INVOLVED SEATING POSITION IN THE EVENT OF A CRASH.

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 exterior lighting problems start?

100kmiles, median

Based on the odometer reading in 302 exterior lighting complaints. 49% were reported before 100,000 miles.

median0k50k100k150k200k+
14under 30k miles147under 100k miles155100k 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.

Exterior lighting

88 owners mentioned a cost

$493median

Middle half: $350 – $737

Service brakes

17 owners mentioned a cost

$2,500median

Middle half: $2,500 – $2,800

Electrical system

13 owners mentioned a cost

$700median

Middle half: $476 – $1,000

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

2005 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

2005 Toyota Prius safety ratings

2005 Toyota Prius 4-DR. in NHTSA's New Car Assessment Program. Photos are from NHTSA's crash tests.

2005 Toyota Prius frontal crash test, NHTSA
Frontal crashNot rated
2005 Toyota Prius side barrier test, NHTSA
Side barrierNot rated
  • Stability control: Optional
  • Forward collision warning: No
  • Lane departure warning: No
3 investigations

NHTSA defect investigations

Federal investigations that included the 2005 Toyota Prius, and the recalls they led to.

  1. Intermediate Steering Shaft SeparationDP13001 · closed Apr 8, 2020
    No recall
  2. Pedestrian alert soundsDP22005 · closed Aug 7, 2023
    Led to recall 22V-063
  3. ENGINE STALLINGPE05029 · closed Oct 12, 2005
    No recall
In owners' words

What Prius owners report

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

The contact owns a 2005 Toyota Prius. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the left turn signal was activated, however, the left turn signal failed to function as intended. In addition, the contact stated that the four-way flashers failed to function as intended. The…
Complaint 11698556 · Nov 10, 2025 · 143,500 miles
The contact owns a 2005 Toyota Prius. The contact stated that while replacing the instrument cluster, the contact discovered that the turn signals were inoperable. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who determined that an unknown part needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The…
Complaint 11698502 · Nov 10, 2025 · 143,500 miles
THE HEADLIGHTS ON MY 2005 PRIUS CONTINUE TO GO OUT. WE REPLACE THE BULBS BUT EVEN WITH BRAND NEW BULBS WILL BE DRIVING AND AFTER ABOUT 60 SECONDS OF HEADLIGHTS BEING ON THE LIGHT WILL TURN OFF. SOMETIMES ONLY ONE TURNS OFF BUT OFTEN BOLT TURN OFF AND WE'RE IN COMPLETE DARKNESS DRIVING ON THE ROAD.…
Complaint 11289902 · Dec 18, 2019 · 164,000 miles

Own a 2005 Prius?

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