no report yet
Engine and engine cooling
Risk. The corroded coil wire may break and the water pump could stop.
2006 Toyota PriusProblems, recalls & complaints
NHTSA has logged 1,440 owner complaints about the 2006 Toyota Prius, most often about the exterior lighting. It is covered by 6 safety recalls.
Source: NHTSA complaints, recalls, investigations and manufacturer recall reports, through October 27, 2026. Updated daily. Photo: SsmIntrigue, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Complaints by system
Where the 2006 Toyota Prius has problems
1,440 complaints grouped by the system owners reported.
941Exterior lighting6 crash/fire/injury
153Electrical system3 crash/fire/injury
94Service brakes, hydraulic
84Vehicle speed control
73Service brakes
45Service brakes, electric
30Air bags
25Engine
22Power train
18423 other systems19 crash/fire/injury
| System | Complaints | Crash, fire or injury |
|---|---|---|
| Exterior lighting | 941 | 6 |
| Electrical system | 153 | 3 |
| Service brakes, hydraulic | 94 | 12 |
| Vehicle speed control | 84 | 19 |
| Service brakes | 73 | 17 |
| Service brakes, electric | 45 | 8 |
| Air bags | 30 | 24 |
| Engine | 25 | 3 |
| Power train | 22 | 5 |
| 23 other systems | 184 | 19 |
Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation. Complaints are submitted by the public and are not verified by NHTSA.
6 recalls
2006 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
Risk. Over time, the splines may wear and eventually fail resulting in a loss of steering ability, increasing the risk of a vehicle crash.
no report yet
Other: labels
Risk. A DRIVER MAY OVERLOAD A VEHICLE WHICH MAY INCREASE THE RISK OF A CRASH.
no report yet
Vehicle 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…
Show 2 more recalls
no report yet
Steering: electric power assist system
Risk. THIS COULD RESULT IN A LOSS OF STEERING CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE.
no report yet
Air bags
Risk. THIS MAY INCREASE THE RISK OF INJURY TO THE OCCUPANT IN THE INVOLVED SEATING POSITION IN THE EVENT OF A CRASH.
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?
49kmiles, median
Based on the odometer reading in 848 exterior lighting complaints. 91% were reported before 100,000 miles.
94under 30k miles774under 100k miles74100k 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
247 owners mentioned a cost$500median
Middle half: $350 – $950
Electrical system
24 owners mentioned a cost$1,000median
Middle half: $651 – $1,500
Service brakes
14 owners mentioned a cost$2,700median
Middle half: $2,500 – $2,975
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
2006 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
2006 Toyota Prius safety ratings
2006 Toyota Prius 4-DR. in NHTSA's New Car Assessment Program. Photos are from NHTSA's crash tests.
Frontal crashNot rated
Side barrierNot rated
- Stability control: Optional
- Forward collision warning: No
- Lane departure warning: No
3 investigations
NHTSA defect investigations
Federal investigations that included the 2006 Toyota Prius, and the recalls they led to.
- Intermediate Steering Shaft SeparationNo recall
- Pedestrian alert soundsLed to recall 22V-063
- HEADLIGHT FAILURENo recall
In owners' words
What Prius owners report
Recent exterior lighting complaints filed with NHTSA, shortened. Personal details are removed.
The right or left headlight will rabdomly turn off, and tyrn back there 8s no ryme or readon to it,and while driving at night it is cery dangerous, aparebtly its not just this car, this is a common issue and it needs to be fixed
One afternoon, in the Summer of 23, I entered my Toyota Prius to run some errands. Once I proceeded to power on the car, none of the dashboard lights illuminated. This included the gas gauge, speedometer & transmission indicator. Fortunately, I was only driving a few blocks down the road from my…
I was Driving down the main road at night time in my 2006 prius and the headlights both went out and all most caused a crash. I pulled over turned my car off then back on and the headlights came back on so i started driving home. After driving a couple blocks i was pulled over by the police because…
Own a 2006 Prius?
Decode your VIN to see the recalls for your exact car, then confirm open recalls with NHTSA.