2000 Toyota Prius Problems
Owner-reported complaints filed with NHTSA, grouped by component
Data refreshed
What this page shows
Everything below is an owner-reported complaint submitted to NHTSA about the 2000 Toyota Prius, grouped by the component NHTSA recorded on the report. These are not confirmed defects, and they are not recalls. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a category with more reports in it is not evidence that a part is defective.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
Reports by component
Ranked by how many owner reports name each component category
- Exterior lighting375.0%
- Steering125.0%
Percentages are of component mentions. A single complaint can name more than one component, so these do not sum to the total complaint count.
Each component in detail
What the reports in each category say, in the owners' own words
Exterior lighting
Reports naming headlights, tail lights, turn signals and other exterior lighting.
From owner reports, verbatim
WHILE DRIVING THE CAR DOWN THE HIGHWAY AT NIGHT THE DRIVERS HEADLIGHT WENT OUT. AFTER PULLING OVER AND TURNING OFF CAR AND PLACING EMERGENCY BLINKERS ON GOT OUT AND LOOKED AT HEADLIGHTS DRIVERS SIDE WAS OUT. TURNED OFF HEADLIGHTS AND TURNED THEM BACK ON. THEY CAME BACK ON I DROVE HOME SAFELY. TWO DAYS LATER IT HAPPENED AGAIN WENT TO DEALERSHIP AND HAD BULBS REPLACED. THREE MONTHS HAD BULBS CHANGED AGAIN. THIS HAS BEEN DON MULTIPLE TIMES. TWO WEEKS AGO UPON RETURNING HOME AT NIGHT BOTH HEADLIGHT WENT OUT TOGETHER LEAVIN ME ON SIDE OF ROAD. PARKED CAR AND HAD WIFE PICK ME UP. RETRIEVED CAR THE NEXT DAY. FACTORY SAYS SORRY ABOUT THIS NOT OUR PROBLEM. *TR
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2000 TOYOTA PRIUS. THE PASSENGER AND DRIVER SIDE HEADLIGHT SHUTS ON AND OFF 2 TO 3 MINUTES AFTER STARTING THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT HAS TO TURN THE HEADLIGHT SWITCH ON AND OFF TO RESET THE PASSENGER SIDE HEADLIGHT. THE CONTACT HAS SCHEDULED AN APPOINTMENT WITH THE DEALER TO DIAGNOSE THE FAILURE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE LACK OF HEADLIGHTS AT NIGHT COULD POTENTIALLY CAUSE A CRASH TO OCCUR. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 45,000. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 39,000.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Steering
Reports naming the steering system — racks, columns, power-steering assist and steering linkage.
From owner reports, verbatim
2001 TOYOTA PRIUS - STEERING WHEEL SUDDENLY VIBRATES AND PULLS HARD TO THE SIDE. PROBLEM IS INTERMITTENT BUT HAS INCREASED IN FREQUENCY. DEALER SAID IT WAS BRAKE DRUM AND PERFORMED $800 REPAIR BUT ONLINE SEARCH SUGGESTS IT IS ACTUALLY COMMON STEERING PROBLEM THAT CONTINUES EVEN AFTER PRIOR REPAIR. *TR
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers.
Elsewhere on this vehicle
Data sources
- NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation — owner-reported complaints and the components recorded on them
Data on this page last refreshed .