2005 TOYOTA PRIUS Recalls, Complaints & Safety

Eingen faliur acording to dealership Toyota of Anthioc the veicle is on there lot for now but there diagnostic was engine faliure

ABS actuator failed and had little to no braking action while merging on the freeway. Had to swerve to avoid collision on interstate

The contact owns a 2005 Toyota Prius. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the left turn signal was activated, however, the left turn signal failed to function as intended. In addition, the contact stated that the four-way flashers failed to function as intended. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed with a computer failure. The contact was informed that an unknown part needed to be replaced, or an unknown software update was needed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but provided no assistance. The contact referenced an unknown recall with a similar failure description; however, the VIN was not under recall. The failure mileage was approximately 143,500.

The contact owns a 2005 Toyota Prius. The contact stated that while replacing the instrument cluster, the contact discovered that the turn signals were inoperable. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who determined that an unknown part needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 143,500.

Vehicle: 2005 Toyota Prius VIN: [XXX] Date of Incident: April 2024 Location: Citrus Heights, California Incident Summary: In April 2024, I was involved in a front-end collision while driving my 2005 Toyota Prius. I rear-ended another vehicle at moderate to high speed. Despite the severity of the impact, the driver-side airbag failed to deploy. As a result, I was thrown forward and hit my head on the windshield, suffering lacerations and head trauma. After being evaluated by emergency responders and undergoing a hospital visit (MRI included), I was told I had not sustained any life-threatening injuries. However, since the crash, I have experienced severe cognitive symptoms, including confusion, chronic fatigue, sudden drowsiness, memory loss, and extreme mood swings. These symptoms are ongoing and have made daily life extremely difficult. I had brought the vehicle to Roseville Toyota in Roseville, CA, for a full pre-purchase inspection prior to the crash. They provided a CARFAX vehicle history report, but they did not inform me that the airbag had failed to deploy in a previous incident listed in the report. I was unaware the airbag system might be defective, and if I had known, I would not have driven or purchased the vehicle. To this day, there has been no recall issued for airbags on this vehicle, and I believe this is a dangerous and potentially fatal defect that must be investigated by NHTSA. I am asking for an investigation into why the airbag system failed, and whether other Toyota Prius models from these years have similar undisclosed issues. Supporting Info: •The vehicle had dealership service history. •Toyota has documentation showing the vehicle was inspected and that I received the CARFAX, but they failed to alert me to the airbag defect. •I was paid out for the vehicle’s value and partial medical expenses through insurance, but no accountability has been taken for the **failed airbag INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Crash 1 injured

i had brake warning lights pop up on my dash..my brake actuator fail on my 05 prius.. this is a known issue with toyota prius. the brake actuator is a very important part of the braking system and vehicle is deemed unsafe with a failed actuator/module.. the dealer quoted over 3000 in repairs.. they were covering them for a while and now they are not.. the cost of the repair exceeds the value of vehicle due to the brake actuator being very expensive.. this is something that should have been recalled..

Brake actuator going bad. Safety is put at risk as brakes are slow to work and sometimes don't work at all for a couple of seconds, making sudden stops impossible. Has not been confirmed by dealer. Has not been inspected. ABS and TPMS light would briefly pop up for a couple of seconds on car startup before shutting off.

The contact owns a 2005 Toyota Prius. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the brakes seized. In addition, the contact heard a squealing sound and the ABS warning light illuminated. The contact used the parking brake to stop the vehicle. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or the dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The contact stated that the odometer was inoperable and failed to display the correct mileage. The contact stated that the odometer was stuck on 299,999.

This has been an on going issue with all of toyota hybrids, the abs actuator which control the brakes isn't safe to drive around when not functioning right. Dealership will not replace im suprise that this has no been a recall as its a safety hazard on the road not only for the driver but putting others in danger. My brakes sometimes is floored to the ground with minimal stoppage.

Prius have a LONG known problem w/ braking systems (over 15 years) defaulting to SOFT brake pedal that (will) kill any driver. Toyota decided to avoid a recall by paying off a few repair jobs, during warranty. They have created a new part to resolve the issue. $4000 to replace a brake pump. Most fail at 150k miles. . [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

I had lost functionality for some buttons on the steering wheel that didn't directly impact safety. On replacing the clockspring mechanism inside the whweel I decided to inspect the old unit. Four of the lines in the flex cable are impacted by corrosion, three have already failed. The fourth line is one of the airbag's electrical lines. I'm filing an issue report because the airbag would be next impacted by this failure and I believe there's a fair chance the corroded line could fail during the vehicle's attempt to fire the airbag on the wheel.

11 months ago I had a brand new Toyota ABS brake actuator installed on my 2005 Prius. Less than a year later, it is failing again. Since I've driven the car more than 12,000 miles Toyota will not replace the part under warranty. Toyota charges $1800 for the part alone. I had an abs brake actuator fail on a previous 2007 Prius as well. Toyota forums imply this is a too common problem.

The red triangle keeps coming on with engine repair light when ever I'm driving from Los Angeles. My mechanic said that there's a recall from 2004 for the water pump. Please advise. Thank you, [XXX] [XXX] INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

We purchased our 2005 Prius in 2014, and after 7 years of learning to drive with the bizarre behavior of this Gen 3 Prius, and reporting it to the dealer (who said that's just how they are designed), I just read dozens of reports on NHTSA, all from Gen3 Prius owners, all reporting identical issues with the antilock braking and traction control systems. It is as if Toyota intentionally designed them to operate exactly the opposite of how they should. With traction control, anytime the front drive wheels loose traction - gravel, railroad tracks, even as simple as painted road stripes or damp surfaces - traction control kicks in; however, on this car, traction control immediately cuts all motive power to the drive wheels, leaving the driver vulnerable to getting hit from behind; it cuts in and out until the car decides it has enough traction to proceed. It's dangerous and idiotic. The anti-lock brakes do much the same; if one encounters a situation requiring emergency braking, when the anti-lock system initiates, the brakes simply cut out, and the car jumps ahead, until they grab, then loose again immediately, with multiple lurches, and sometimes just no brakes at all available. It is dangerous and, from the Toyota dealer where we get it serviced regularly, a constant complaint from owners. And, Toyota does nothing. There needs to be a class action addressing both of these dangerous propensities. It's an awful design. Just awful.

While driving in a heavy trafficed area, my car eccellerated on its own. When i stepped on the brake the car did not respond but simply kept driving at around 20 miles per hour. Magically i was able to navigated the traffic and there was no crash, but there certainly could have been and several people could have been badly hurt. I have scheduled a mechanics assessment for tomorrow.

Fuel pump malfunctioned. The vehicle stalled at low speeds while driving on an incline and gave a large red exclamation error sign on the dashboard. It stopped accelerating and came to a stop. Afterwards the engine will not start anymore. The car was towed to a garage and they found the fuel pump to be faulty.

When driving the vehicle multiple lights came on (ABS, VSC, & brake)! Brakes became hard to push at times and didn’t feel normal. Took it to shop and had both ABS speed sensors replaced. Warning lights went away and brakes were normal again. After a day, the lights came back on and a constant alarm started sounding! The brake system failed and the vehicle was super hard to stop! Came very close to having a major accident on the interstate when this happened!!! It took pumping of the brakes and full force on the pedal to bring it to a stop!! Went back to the shop and was told that the ABS control module/actuator went bad and needs to be replaced. Was also told that this system is a known problem in Toyota Prius’s for a long time!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The contact owns a 2005 Toyota Prius. The contact stated when the vehicle was started, the instrument panel was inoperable. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer however, the mechanic was unable to determine the cause of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted or informed of the failure. The VIN was not available. The approximate failure mileage was 25,000.

The contact owns a 2005 Toyota Prius. The contact stated while starting the vehicle, the instrument panel failed to light up or show any electrical functions. The contact restarted the vehicle however, the failure persisted. The contact was concerned with not knowing the speed, mileage, fuel level, or engine performance while driving. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 129,000.

On 9/12/21, I was driving 25-30mph when the SUV in front of me stopped on the freeway interchange suddenly and unexpectedly (other cars were not around us). I hit the breaks very hard and fast but could not stop and collided with the SUV. The front end of the Prius lodged under the back end of the SUV and the impact was enough to wreck the Prius. During that collision, the driver side seatbelt engaged, but the passenger side seatbelt did not. My preteen hit his forehead on the dashboard very hard. Additionally, the airbags failed to deploy. I could smell an odor from the dust from the airbags. The car is at a repair shop waiting for insurance adjuster to inspect. There were no warning lamps or other messages of the problem prior to the failure.

Crash 2 injured

On 9/12/21, I was driving 25-30mph when the SUV in front of me stopped on the freeway interchange suddenly and unexpectedly (other cars were not around us). I hit the breaks very hard and fast but could not stop and collided with the SUV. The front end of the Prius lodged under the back end of the SUV and the impact was enough to wreck the Prius. During that collision, the driver side seatbelt engaged, but the passenger side seatbelt did not. My preteen hit his forehead on the dashboard very hard. Additionally, the airbags failed to deploy. I could smell an odor from the dust from the airbags. The car is at a repair shop waiting for insurance adjuster to inspect. There were no warning lamps or other messages of the problem prior to the failure.

Crash 2 injured

I NEVER RECEIVED ANY NOTIFICATION OF NEED TO CHANGE OUT THE ACTUATOR ON MY BRAKE SYSTEM. MY CAR HAS BEEN MAINTAINED METICULOUSLY. YESTERDAY WHILE DRIVING ON INTERSTATE, THE ABS, BRAKE, AND VSC LIGHTS ILLUMINATED. MY MECHANIC SAYS $2500 REPAIR. I WAS NEVER NOTIFIED OF THIS LIFE THREATENING ISSUE BY TOYOTA. THE 'EXTENDED WARRANTY' OF COURSE WAS TIME LIMITED, EXPIRING IN 2017. SHOULD HAVE BEEN A RECALL

CAR STOPPED ACCELERATING/ ENGINE DIED WHILE DRIVING AT 20-30 MPH EXITING HOLLAND TUNNEL. COASTED, THEN BRAKED TO STOP, PULLING OVER TO SHOULDER. TURNED AC OFF. RED WARNING LIGHT ON. AC WARNING LIGHT? PRESSED PARK BUTTON. PRESS POWER BUTTON TO TURN OFF CAR. WAITED 5 SEC AND THEN PRESSED POWER BUTTON, KEEPING AC OFF , AND RESUMED ACCELERATING.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 TOYOTA PRIUS. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING AT VARIOUS SPEEDS, THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED IN ANTICIPATION TO STOP THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT STATED THE BRAKE WARNING LIGHT WAS ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO MIKE CALVERT TOYOTA (2333 S LOOP W, HOUSTON, TX 77054) WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED WITH THE BRAKE ACTUATOR NEEDING TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE CONTACT RELATED THE FAILURE TO AN UNKNOWN RECALL. THE MANUFACTURER WAS INFORMED OF THE FAILURE. THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE RECALL HAD ENDED IN 2017. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 100,000.

DURING COLD WEATHER TRYING TO DRIVE THE CAR IT WILL NOT STAY IN THE GEAR I HAVE TO HOLD IT DOWN EVEN WHEN I BACK OUT OF THE DRIVEWAY OR WHEN I GO ANYWHERE IT STARTS TO WARM UP THEN THE CAR MAY SOMETIMES STAY IN GEAR.

VEHICLE IN MOTION AT LOWER SPEEDS USUALLY BELOW 10 MILES PER HOUR, WHICH IS WHEN THE FRICTION BRAKES KICK IN AS YOU COMING TO A STOP. THE ISSUE IS THAT THE FRICTION BRAKES COME IN AND LOCK UP WAY TOO HARD EVEN THOUGH THE PRESSURE ON THE PEDAL HAS NOT CHANGED. THIS CAUSES THE CAR TO SKID AND/OR BUCK, NOT STOPPING AS EFFECTIVELY, MAKING IT MORE LIKELY TO CAUSE AN ACCIDENT. THE ISSUE SEEMS TO BE MORE PREVALENT WITH THE REAR DRUM BRAKES BUT THE FRONT DISK BRAKES ALSO CONTRIBUTE TO IT.

HEAD LIGHT ARE INTERMITTENT; SAME PROBLEM AS 2006 AND LATER RECALL

2 RECALLS NOT COMPLETED

2005 TOYOTA PRIUS, BASE MODEL, 136,600 MILES, METICULOUS SERVICE HISTORY, RECALLS SERVICED, SAFE DRIVER. AT 45MPH ABS, (!), AND BRAKE LIGHTS CAME ON DASHBOARD. PARKED, TURNED OFF CAR, AND CHECKED 12V BATTERY AND BRAKE FLUID LEVELS'FINE UPON INSPECTION. BRAKES BECAME SPONGY UPON STARTUP. LIMPED CAR TO DEALERSHIP AND WAS TOLD ABS ACTUATOR HAD FAILED, DESTROYING FRONT BRAKE PADS AND ROTORS AT SAME TIME. QUOTED $3,600 REPAIR ESTIMATE; CAR WORTH $4,000. RECOGNIZED TOYOTA ISSUE'TSB WITH A WARRANTY EXTENSION OFFERED (ZG1). THIS ALSO OCCURS ON GEN 3 PRIUS MODELS (2010'2014 , ZJ1 EXTENSION). FORTUNATE TO HAVE NOT WRECKED, BUT THE REPAIR COST HAS TOTALED THE VEHICLE.

WHEN I GO TO HIT THE BRAKES THE CAR WON'T STOP AND THE REAR END MAKES NOISE AND RAISES UP. THE ABS AND BRAKE LIGHTS ARE ONE AS WELL AS MAINTENANCE REQUIRED AND SRS AIRBAG LIGHT. THE MASTER ALARM BUZZER IS ON AND WON'T GO OFF. BRAKES ENGAGED WITHOUT HITTING THE BRAKE CAUSES RIM TO OVERHEAT AND BRAKE FLUID GETS EXTREMELY HOT. ALSO SOMETIMES WHEN TAP ON THE BRAKES THEY WILL LOCK UP AND YOU WILL GO SLIDING SIDEWAYS OR TAP THE BRAKES AND THEY STRAIGHT TO THE FLOOR. ALSO THE BRAKE ACTUATOR STARTS WHINING NOISE AND WON'T GO OFF EVEN IF THE CAR IS TURNED OFF. DON'T HAVE DOCUMENTATION FROM A MECHANIC BUT CAN SEND VIDEO OF DRIVING IT. *TR

2005 TOYOTA PRIUS BRAKE ACTUATOR/ FLUID ACCUMULATOR. TOYOTA HAS ONLY ISSUED AN EXTENDED WARRANTY ON THIS ISSUE, WHICH EXPIRED IN DEC 2017. COMPLETE CARELESSNESS ON THEIR PART! THIS ISSUE SEEMS TO BE PREVALENT IN MANY OF THEIR VEHICLES. IT SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN AN EXTENDED WARRANTY BUT A FULL-ON RECALL. THIS FAULTY PART IS VERY DANGEROUS AS IT CAN LEAD TO A TOTAL LOSS OF BRAKING ON THE VEHICLE. I BOUGHT THIS CAR USED JUST A MONTH AGO AND AM NOW DEALING WITH AN EXTREMELY COSTLY REPAIR BILL TO CORRECT THIS PROBLEM. THE PREVIOUS OWNER APPARENTLY DID NOT BRING THE CAR IN FOR REPAIR DURING THE SO CALLED 'WARRANTY' TIME FRAME AND NOW I AM DEALING WITH IT. TOYOTA HAS SAID IF THE COMPONENT DIDN'T FAIL DURING THE WARRANTY TIMEFRAME, THEN THEY WERE NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR THE REPAIR COST. I FEEL TOYOTA WAS TRYING TO AVOID THE REPAIR COSTS AND NOW WANT ME, THE CONSUMER, TO COVER IT OUT OF POCKET. NEEDS TO BE AN IMMEDIATE RECALL ON THIS!

THE HEADLIGHTS ON MY 2005 PRIUS CONTINUE TO GO OUT. WE REPLACE THE BULBS BUT EVEN WITH BRAND NEW BULBS WILL BE DRIVING AND AFTER ABOUT 60 SECONDS OF HEADLIGHTS BEING ON THE LIGHT WILL TURN OFF. SOMETIMES ONLY ONE TURNS OFF BUT OFTEN BOLT TURN OFF AND WE'RE IN COMPLETE DARKNESS DRIVING ON THE ROAD. WE HAVE TO TOGGLE THE HEADLIGHT CONTROL OFF AND ON SEVERAL TIMES BEFORE THEY TURN ON AGAIN, WHICH LEAVES US DRIVING IN COMPLETE DARKNESS AND IT'S A BIG SAFETY HAZARD! AGAIN, BRAND NEW BULBS HAVE THIS ISSUE, TOO. GETTING THE WHOLE HEADLIGHT AND COMPUTER BEHIND IT REPLACED IS VERY EXPENSIVE. THIS IS A BIG SAFETY ISSUE AND IT HAS BEEN HAPPENING AND GETTING WORSE FOR OVER A YEAR.

I WAS DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY AT 70 MPH AND SUDDENLY MY BRAKING SYSTEM FAILED. I HAD NO BRAKING AND HAD TO USE THE MANUAL FOOT BRAKE TO SLOW. ABS LIGHT AND RED TRIANGLE CAME ON. I ENTERED INTO A CONSTRUCTION ZONE SO WAS UNABLE TO PULL TO THE SHOULDER. I RESTARTED MY CAR AND DROVE HOME WITHOUT BRAKES. I TOOK THE VEHICLE TO TOYOTA AND SPENT $2,500 TO FIX SINCE THE WARRANTY ON THE ACTUATOR ENDED IN 2017. THIS SHOULD BE RECALLED AND I SHOULD BE REFUNDED AS THIS IS A DANGEROUS RISK AND IS STILL HAPPENING TO MANY 05 PRIUSES STILL ON THE ROAD.

SHIFTER REVERTS TO NEUTRAL. HAVE TO DRIVE HOLDING IN D OR R.

MY VEHICLE WILL NOT GO BUT ABOUT 30 OR 40 MAYBE 50 ON HIGHWAY AFTER VERY SLOW EXELARATION I'M ALMOST KILLED EVERY TIME I GET ON THE HIGHWAY HIGHWAY AND REG STREETS TO EXCEARATE IT VERY VERY SLOW TO START THEN I HAVE TO PULL OVER AND KILL IT START OVER NOT USING HET OR AIR NOW IT JUST WON'T START HAVE NOT HAD IT CHECKED CAN'T AFFORD IT

THE PASSENGER SIDE FRONT HEADLIGHT STARTED GOING OFF AUTOMATICALLY AFTER A WHILE OF TURNING ON. IF I TURN IT OFF AND ON AGAIN, IT LIGHTS UP AND THEN FIRST DIMS AND THEN TURNS OFF ON ITS OWN. THE LIGHTS HAVE BEEN REPLACED AND IT DID NOT SOLVE THE PROBLEM. THIS IS VERY DANGEROUS FOR NIGHT TIME DRIVING AS THE DRIVERS WILL NEVER KNOW WHEN THE HEADLIGHTS WILL GO OUT. THIS IS NOT A RANDOM INCIDENT; IT IS ONE OF THE MOST COMMON PROBLEMS OF GEN 2 PRIUS (04-09) THAT I FOUND ONLINE. I AM ATTACHING A DOCUMENT THAT LISTS SOME ONLINE FORUMS WHERE OTHER PRIUS OWNERS HAVE REPORTED SIMILAR PROBLEMS. TOYOTA SETTLED A LAWSUIT FOR 06-09 PRIUS, YET THERE IS NO RECALL FOR THE HEADLIGHT ISSUE OF GEN 2 PRIUS.

DROVE TO WORK ON WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2019 NO ISSUE WITH THE CAR ALL DAY. LEFT WORK AT 8:30PM AND BRAKES DID NOT WORK UNLESS PRESSED EXTREMELY HARD. DASH LIT, BRAKE LIGHT ON LEFT, ABS ON RIGHT OF DASH LIT, TRIANGLE WITH EXCLAMATION MARK IN CENTER WITH HIGH PITCHED BUZZING NOISE. BACKING UP WAS FINE BUT NOT WHEN THE CAR WAS IN DRIVE. CONTACTED TOYOTA DEALERSHIP IN WILMINGTON, DELAWARE AND THEY STATED NO CURRENT RECALL ON BRAKES FOR 2005 PRIUS. CHECKED RECALL HISTORY WHICH SHOWED ZERO UNREPAIRED RECALLS WHICH MEANS THE PUMP WAS REPLACED PRIOR TO MY PURCHASE OF VEHICLE. HOWEVER, STILL HAVING PROBLEMS WITH BRAKES.

MY 2005 PRIUS HAS AN ABS AND BRAKE LIGHT ON . FAIL TO STOP. ONE DAY I WAS ON HIGHWAY AND THE ABS START MAKING NOISE. ( ALARM). AND BRAKE STOP WORKING. ALMOST GOT INTO THE ACCIDENT. WHEN I GOT HOME , I START CALL TOYOTA TO REPORT AND CHECK ON MY BRAKE AND ABS LIGHT AND ANY OTHER RECALL. THEY SAID NO MORE RECALL FOR MY PRIUS 2005. I THINK WHOEVER OWN THE PRIUS HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM. AND OUT OF LUCK FOR THE ABS BRAKE RECALL AND HAVE THE ACCIDENT. I HOPE TOYOTA EXTEND THE RECALL THE BRAKE , ABS ,