no report yet
Engine and engine cooling
Risk. The corroded coil wire may break and the water pump could stop.
2007 Toyota PriusProblems, recalls & complaints
NHTSA has logged 2,004 owner complaints about the 2007 Toyota Prius, most often about the exterior lighting. It is covered by 4 safety recalls.
Source: NHTSA complaints, recalls, investigations and manufacturer recall reports, through October 23, 2026. Updated daily. Photo: Cutlass, CC0.
Complaints by system
Where the 2007 Toyota Prius has problems
2,004 complaints grouped by the system owners reported.
1,060Exterior lighting5 crash/fire/injury
248Electrical system5 crash/fire/injury
184Structure14 crash/fire/injury
145Service brakes, hydraulic25 crash/fire/injury
127Service brakes
124Vehicle speed control
59Service brakes, electric
50Air bags
42Latches/locks/linkages
32225 other systems40 crash/fire/injury
| System | Complaints | Crash, fire or injury |
|---|---|---|
| Exterior lighting | 1060 | 5 |
| Electrical system | 248 | 5 |
| Structure | 184 | 14 |
| Service brakes, hydraulic | 145 | 25 |
| Service brakes | 127 | 22 |
| Vehicle speed control | 124 | 41 |
| Service brakes, electric | 59 | 7 |
| Air bags | 50 | 38 |
| Latches/locks/linkages | 42 | 1 |
| 25 other systems | 322 | 40 |
Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation. Complaints are submitted by the public and are not verified by NHTSA.
4 recalls
2007 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…
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?
50kmiles, median
Based on the odometer reading in 958 exterior lighting complaints. 88% were reported before 100,000 miles.
112under 30k miles845under 100k miles113100k 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
201 owners mentioned a cost$500median
Middle half: $350 – $800
Electrical system
34 owners mentioned a cost$690median
Middle half: $400 – $1,075
Structure
26 owners mentioned a cost$300median
Middle half: $124 – $345
Service brakes
22 owners mentioned a cost$2,685median
Middle half: $2,000 – $3,000
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
2007 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
2007 Toyota Prius safety ratings
2007 Toyota Prius 4-DR.w/SAB 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 2007 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.
I CANT SEE THE ROAD. Who is in charge of allowing these new bright LED headlights? They make it very hard to see where I’m driving when they’re eye level with my car!! So all I see is a bunch of LED lights coming straight at me, which is very unacceptable because now I can’t see the road. Making it…
The lights spontaneously turned off while driving on a cloudy night on an unlit section of interstate. While slowing the car down, it went onto gravel, semi-circled around and flipped over onto the lower median. No air bag deployed. No protection from shoulder seat belt. Head hit steering wheel,…
Both headlights failed, one earlier, then the second, on a cloudy night on an unlit, deserted rural stretch of interstate highway. Driver started slowing down from 60 mph, looking for a place to pull over. An accident resulted--only the defective car was involved. No airbag was deployed. The driver…
Own a 2007 Prius?
Decode your VIN to see the recalls for your exact car, then confirm open recalls with NHTSA.