"How reliable is the 2004 Toyota Prius?"

"Based on 737 NHTSA complaints, the 2004 Toyota Prius has a median complaint mileage of 72436 miles. The most common issue is EXTERIOR LIGHTING."

"What are common problems with the 2004 Toyota Prius?"

"The most frequently reported component in NHTSA complaints for the 2004 Toyota Prius is EXTERIOR LIGHTING, accounting for a significant portion of the 737 total complaints filed."

2004 Toyota Prius: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 737 complaints

737

Total Complaints

72,436mi

Median Mileage

EXTERIOR LIGHTING

Top Issue

Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

Distribution of NHTSA complaints by vehicle mileage at time of report.

16,575 25th Percentile

72,436 Median Mileage

118,000 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

EXTERIOR LIGHTING

164

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

153

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE

SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC

SERVICE BRAKES

POWER TRAIN

EXTERIOR LIGHTING:HEADLIGHTS

AIR BAGS

Severity Assessment

Crashes

Fires

Injuries

Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"ON THE TOYOTA 2004 PRIUS THE LEFT REAR AND CENTER REAR SEAT BELT BUCKELS ARE INTERCHANGED. THE LEFT REAR BUCKEL IS POSITIONED IN A VERTICAL POSITION BETWEEN THE LEFT AND CENTER SEATS. THE CENTER REAR SEAT BELT BUCKEL (MARKED CENTER) IS ON A FABRIC STRAP THAT EMERGES BETWEEN THE LEFT REAR SEAT CUSHIO..."

"I HAVE A 2004 PRIUS. (YOUR SUSTEM DOES NOT SHOW A PRIUS, SO I CHECKED THE TOYOTA MATRIX BOX, SINCE THE SYSTEM MADE ME CHECK SOME MODEL BOX.)THE TOYOTA NAVIGATION SYSTEM IS DEFECTIVE--IT DIRECTS TURNS ONTO NON-EXITENT ROADS. PEOPLE WILL DIE WHEN THEY FOLLOW THE SYSTEM'S DIRECTIONS AND DRIVE OFF ROAD ..."

"REPORTED TO TOYOTA ON 2/7/04 FILE #200402110133. WHILE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY, 70MPH, CRUISE CONTROL ON, BOTH MY WIFE AND MYSELF HAVE ACCIDENTALLY BUMPED THE GEAR SHIFT KNOB WITH OUR HAND AND PUT THE PRIUS INTO DYNAMIC BRAKING MODE (DBM). THE SEMI-TRUCK BEHIND ME ALMOST RAN ME OVER BEFORE I COULD G..."

Source: NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Names and identifying details omitted.

Data source: View this vehicle on NHTSA.gov | NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Public domain.

Methodology: Complaint counts and mileage distributions are computed directly from consumer-reported NHTSA complaints. This data represents reported issues, not failure rates — vehicles without complaints are not represented. Full methodology.

Data through: 2026-03-28