2005 Toyota Prius: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 1297 complaints
1297
Total Complaints
78,000mi
Median Mileage
EXTERIOR LIGHTING
Top Issue
133
Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

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

35,000 25th Percentile
78,000 Median Mileage
125,500 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

EXTERIOR LIGHTING
315
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
161
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC
98
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
98
SERVICE BRAKES
82
SERVICE BRAKES, ELECTRIC
68
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
38
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
37
STEERING
36
AIR BAGS
36

Severity Assessment

133
Crashes
5
Fires
93
Injuries
1
Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"THE VEHICLE'S GAS NEEDLE INDICATED THAT THE TANK WAS HALF FULL. WHEN THE CONSUMER ATTEMPTED TO REFUEL THE VEHICLE, THE PUMP SHUT OFF AFTER ONLY DEPOSITING 1.1 GALLONS OF FUEL INTO THE TANK. *NM THE CONSUMER STOPPED A SECOND TIME TO TRY TO FILL THE FUEL TANK AND INSERTED THE PUMP INTO THE TANK. A..."
"PRIUS HAD EXTEMELY POOR STABILITY AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS WITH 25 MPH GUSTY CROSSWIND. DIRECTIONAL STABILITY WAS *EXTREMELY* POOR - WIND GUST WOULD SHIFT DIRECTION OF THE CAR 10-15 DEGREES. LITTLE ROAD FEEDBACK IN STEERING WHEEL, REQUIRED GREAT ATTENTION FROM DIRVER TO CONTROL CAR @ 60MPH. LESS CAPABLE DR..."
"EXTREME SENSITIVITY & INSTABILITY IN STRONG CROSSWINDS. THE STANDARD INTEGRITY TIRES THAT COME WITH THE CAR ARE A JOKE! *AK"

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