"How reliable is the 2006 Toyota Prius?"

"Based on 1687 NHTSA complaints, the 2006 Toyota Prius has a median complaint mileage of 50000 miles. The most common issue is Exterior Lighting."

"What are common problems with the 2006 Toyota Prius?"

"The most frequently reported component in NHTSA complaints for the 2006 Toyota Prius is Exterior Lighting, accounting for a significant portion of the 1687 total complaints filed."

2006 Toyota Prius: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 1687 complaints

1687

Total Complaints

50,000mi

Median Mileage

Exterior Lighting

Top Issue

109

Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

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

35,230 25th Percentile

50,000 Median Mileage

80,000 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

Exterior Lighting

823

Electrical System

147

Headlights

121

Service Brakes, Hydraulic

Vehicle Speed Control

Service Brakes

Service Brakes, Electric

Engine

Unknown Or Other

Air Bags

Severity Assessment

109

Crashes

Fires

Injuries

Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"DT*: THE CONTACT STATED A PIECE OF THE DASHBOARD STICKS OUT, CAUSING A GLARE ON THE WINDSHIELD. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED. *AK UPDATED 03/20/06. *JB"

"WHEN COMING TO A STOP THE BRAKES STUTTER OR GRAB. IT IS EXPLAINED IN DETAIL AT THIS THREAD: HTTP://PRIUSCHAT.COM/-T11858.HTML AND HERE: HTTP://PRIUSCHAT.COM/INDEX.PHP?ACT=ST&F=19&T=16922. *NM"

"DT*: THE CONTACT STATED THE GPS NAVIGATIONAL SYSTEM DOES NOT ACCEPT ADDRESSES RENDERING IT INOPERABLE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS ALERTED. ALTHOUGH THE VEHICLE WAS SEEN BY A DEALER, NO REPAIRS WERE MADE BECAUSE A REMEDY WAS NOT AVAILABLE. *AK"

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

When Were Complaints Filed?

Number of complaints by the year the issue occurred.

When Does Each Component Fail?

Median mileage at complaint for top components.

Exterior Lighting 823 complaints

25th: 38,000 mi Median: 50,000 mi 75th: 68,506 mi

Electrical System 147 complaints

25th: 41,500 mi Median: 60,750 mi 75th: 119,250 mi

Headlights 121 complaints

25th: 35,000 mi Median: 42,000 mi 75th: 54,150 mi

Service Brakes, Hydraulic 84 complaints

25th: 6,750 mi Median: 30,000 mi 75th: 66,666 mi

Vehicle Speed Control 81 complaints

25th: 27,000 mi Median: 45,000 mi 75th: 86,589 mi

Where Are Complaints Coming From?

Top states by complaint count.

CA: 449 VA: 118 TX: 90 PA: 89 NY: 78 FL: 77 MD: 72 NC: 52 IL: 48 MA: 45

Who Files Complaints?

6.8%

Original Owners

93.2%

Second+ Owners

Toyota Prius — Other Years

See how this model compares across different model years.

Year	Complaints	Median Mileage	Top Issue	Crashes
2001	215	60,824	Steering	23
2002	201	65,395	Steering	16
2003	123	75,000	Steering	5
2004	737	72,436	Exterior Lighting	50
2005	1297	78,000	Exterior Lighting	133
2007	2448	52,000	Exterior Lighting	191
2008	1892	55,000	Exterior Lighting	214
2009	635	31,500	Exterior Lighting	90
2010	3476	7,195	Service Brakes, Hydraulic	255
2011	651	75,000	Service Brakes	56
2012	531	40,063	Service Brakes	75
2013	516	44,000	Service Brakes	54
2014	265	27,000	Service Brakes	45
2015	195	24,500	Service Brakes	50
2016	211	17,658	Visibility/Wiper	10
2017	125	14,000	Visibility/Wiper	20
2018	44	8,600	Unknown Or Other	8
2019	51	4,500	Service Brakes	16
2020	23	14,260	Unknown Or Other	13
2022	27	29,800	Unknown Or Other	5
2023	20	-	Electrical System	2
2024	29	3,000	Unknown Or Other	10
2025	22	-	Unknown Or Other	3

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