2005 Toyota Prius Electrical Problems

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.

NHTSA ID

11698556

Incident

Sep 10, 2025

Mileage

143,500 mi

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.

NHTSA ID

11596913

Incident

Jun 26, 2024

Mileage

299,999 mi

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.

NHTSA ID

11547686

Incident

Oct 1, 2023

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).

NHTSA ID

11521924

Incident

May 11, 2023

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!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

NHTSA ID

11458514

Incident

Mar 22, 2022

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.

NHTSA ID

11457000

Incident

Mar 16, 2016

Mileage

25,000 mi

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.

NHTSA ID

11439482

Incident

May 10, 2021

Mileage

129,000 mi

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

NHTSA ID

11280513

Incident

Jun 1, 2019

Mileage

100,000 mi

THE DASHBOARD LIGHTING SYSTEM QUIT TURNING ON IN JULY 2019. I COULD NOT TELL HOW FAST OR HOW SLOW I WAS DRIVING. THE ANTI LOCK BRAKE SYSTEM LIGHT TURNED ON WHILE THE CAR WAS RUNNING ON SEP 23 2019 AND THE BRAKES FAILED TO OPERATE WHILE ON THE ROAD OUTSIDE MY HOUSE

NHTSA ID

11258444

Incident

Sep 23, 2019

Mileage

220,000 mi

THE INSTRUMENT PANEL DISPLAY STOPPED WORKING IN MY 2005 PRIUS. YOU PRESS THE BUTTON TO START THE CAR AND THE CAR STARTS BUT NOTHING DISPLAYS. YOU CANNOT SEE YOUR FUEL GAUGE, SO I RAN OUT OF GAS AND ALMOST WAS HIT BY A VEHICLE WHILE WALKING DOWN THE SIDE OF THE HIGHWAY. YOU CANNOT SEE YOUR SPEEDOMETER SO YOU DON'T KNOW HOW FAST YOU ARE GOING WHICH MAKES IT IMPOSSIBLE TO FOLLOW SPEED LIMITS. IT IS A SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE AND TOYOTA KNEW ABOUT THE PROBLEM AND EVEN ISSUED A WARRANTY EXTENSION ZTV TO COVER IT, BUT THEY DID NOT INFORM ME ABOUT THE EXTENSION IN 2013/14. NOW THAT EXTENSION HAS EXPIRED AND THEY WILL NOT REPAIR MY CAR. MY TECHNICIAN AT AUTOMOTIVE PERFECTION DIAGNOSED THE PROBLEM, BUT TOYOTA WOULD NOT ACCEPT HIS DIAGNOSIS AND SPARTAN TOYOTA CHARGED ME $132.45 TO MAKE THE SAME DIAGNOSIS. THEY THEN TOLD ME A NEW METER WOULD COST ME $696.06 INSTALLED AND REFUSED TO FIX THE VEHICLE EVEN THOUGH TOYOTA HAS KNOWN ABOUT THIS PROBLEM SINCE AT LEAST 2012.

NHTSA ID

11242195

Incident

Jul 19, 2019

Mileage

200,000 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 TOYOTA PRIUS. EVERY TIME THE VEHICLE WAS STARTED, ALL THE WARNING INDICATORS ILLUMINATED ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL. ALSO, THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS MORE DIFFICULT TO DEPRESS THAN USUAL AND TOOK LONGER TO STOP THE VEHICLE. TOYOTA OF VERO BEACH (1075 US-1, VERO BEACH, FL 32962) DIAGNOSED THAT A NEW BRAKE ACTUATOR NEEDED TO BE INSTALLED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE AND DID NOT ASSIST. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 76,000.

NHTSA ID

11218080

Incident

Feb 13, 2019

Mileage

76,000 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 TOYOTA PRIUS. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE INSTRUMENT PANEL WOULD REMAIN ON WHEN THE IGNITION KEY WAS USED TO TURN OFF THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT TOOK THE VEHICLE TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE INSTRUMENT PANEL NEEDED TO BE REPAIRED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO GETTEL TOYOTA OF LAKEWOOD (5959 E STATE RD 64, BRADENTON, FL 34208, (941)-567-1080) WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE INSTRUMENT PANEL FAILED AND NEEDED TO BE REPAIRED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE AND INFORMED THE CONTACT THAT THE EXTENDED WARRANTY WAS EXPIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 104,000.

NHTSA ID

11183130

Incident

Oct 11, 2018

Mileage

104,000 mi

THE COMBINATION METER WHICH CONTAINS THE SPEEDOMETER AND GAS GAUGE, AMONG OTHER THINGS, HAS BEEN GOING DEAD FREQUENTLY (DOES NOT LIGHT UP WHEN THE CAR IS STARTED) FOR THE PAST FEW YEARS. IT USED TO BE 1-2 TIMES A MONTH, BUT RECENTLY IT OCCURS A FEW TIMES A WEEK. THE CAR DRIVES NORMALLY, BUT IT IS VERY DANGEROUS TO NOT KNOW THE SPEED OR TO KNOW HOW MUCH GAS REMAINS IN THE TANK. EVEN WHEN THE METER STARTS TO WORK AGAIN, THE GAS READING IS NOT ACCURATE. IT IS NOT EVEN POSSIBLE TO TELL IF THE CAR IS RUNNING OR NOT, BECAUSE THE SCREEN IS BLACK. THIS IS A KNOWN PROBLEM BY TOYOTA BUT THEY NO LONGER OFFER REPLACEMENT. THIS IS A SERIOUS SAFETY CONCERN THAT THE MANUFACTURER SHOULD ADDRESS ON ALL AFFECTED VEHICLES. EVEN THE SEPARATE TOUCH SCREEN WHICH CONTAINS DIAGNOSTICS TESTS FOR THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM IS BLACK, SO THERE IS NO WAY TO CORRECT THE ISSUE.

NHTSA ID

11179987

Incident

Feb 12, 2019

Mileage

117,000 mi

COMBINATION METER INTERMITTENTLY NOT FUNCTIONING. WHEN TURNING THE CAR ON, SOMETIMES THE DASH METER WORKS, SOMETIMES IT'S JUST BLACK AND CONTINUES THE ENTIRE TIME THE CAR IS RUNNING. THEN WHEN TRYING TO TURN THE CAR OFF, IT WILL NOT TURN OFF, WHICH IS A MAJOR SAFETY CONCERN. WHEN THIS OCCURS, THERE ARE NO DASH LIGHTS AT ALL TO INDICATE FUEL AMOUNT, ODOMETER READING, DOOR OPEN SIGNAL, CHECK ENGINE, MAINTENANCE REQUIRED AND SO ON. THE SPEED BEING DRIVEN IS NOT SHOWING EITHER WHICH IS ANOTHER MAJOR SAFETY ISSUE. CRUISE CONTROL ALSO DOES NOT FUNCTION, THE CENTER TOUCHSCREEN DOES NOT DISPLAY HYBRID MOTOR INFORMATION OR MPG. THE BEEPING WHEN BACKING UP DOES NOT FUNCTION. ALSO THE REAR HATCH WILL NOT OPEN WHILE CAR IS RUNNING WHICH IS ALSO A MAJOR SAFETY ISSUE IN ADDITION TO ALL OF THE OTHER FUNCTIONS NOT AVAILABLE. THE ODOMETER IS NOT RECORDING MILEAGE DURING THESE TIMES WHICH MAKES IT DIFFICULT TO DO PROPER MAINTENANCE THAT GOES BY MILEAGE, SUCH AS OIL CHANGES.

NHTSA ID

11160849

Incident

Jun 1, 2018

Mileage

225,000 mi

THE HEADLIGHTS WILL INTERMITTENTLY GO OUT. I WILL TURN THE LIGHTS OFF AND ON, IT WILL COME BACK ON. THEN SHUTS OFF AGAIN AFTER A FEW MINUTES. YOU HAVE TO CONTINUE SWITCHING IT OFF AND ON, OFF AND ON. TAKEN IT TO TOYOTA SEVERAL TIMES FOR THIS PROBLEM. THE LAST TIME I TOOK IT WAS IN AUGUST 2018 AND WAS TOLD THAT THE ONLY REMEDY WAS TO REPLACE BOTH HEADLIGHTS. THE ESTIMATE TOTAL WAS $318.62 FOR ONE HEADLIGHT. TOYOTA IS AWARE OF THE PROBLEM BUT WANTS NO LIABILITY OR RECALL FOR THIS MODEL YEAR. IT IS VERY DANGEROUS FOR NIGHT DRIVING AS THE HEADLIGHT WILL JUST SUDDENLY SHUT OFF.

NHTSA ID

11156797

Incident

Dec 7, 2018

Mileage

258,687 mi

I STARTED THE CAR AND THE SPEED INDICATOR DIDN'T ILLUMINATE. I THOUGHT IT WAS A LIGHTBULB OR SOMETHING THAT THAT HAD GONE OUT SINCE THE CAR DROVE LIKE NORMAL. WHEN I GOT TO MY DESTINATION I TRIED TO TURN OFF THE CAR BUT IT DIDN'T TURN OFF. I CALLED THE CAMPUS CAR SERVICE, BY THE TIME THEY GOT TO ME (ABOUT 30 MINUTES) THE CAR HAD TURNED OFF BY ITSELF. THIS HAS HAPPENED ABOUT 8 TIMES SINCE. THERE WAS A RECALL ON THIS VERY ISSUE WHERE TOYOTA ADMITTED THAT HIGH MILAGE PRIUS' WERE EXPERIENCING THIS PROBLEM. THE RECALL ENDED IN 2013. I JUST DON'T UNDERSTAND HOW A KNOW ISSUE IS NO LONGER BEING FIXED WHEN THEY CLEARLY STATED THAT IT AFFECTS HIGH MILEAGE CARS. SO PEOPLE LIKE ME WHO'S CARS HAVEN'T REACHED A 'HIGH MILEAGE" DURING THEIR RECALL PERIOD ARE BASICALLY TOLD TO GUESS HOW FAST THE CAR IS TRAVELING?

NHTSA ID

11103337

Incident

Nov 1, 2017

Mileage

140,000 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 TOYOTA PRIUS. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE ODOMETER WAS NOT GOING OVER 300,000 MILES AND WAS STUCK AT 299,999. THE CONTACT TOOK THE VEHICLE TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE VEHICLE NEEDED AN ODOMETER CLUSTER. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE AND INFORMED THE CONTACT THAT THE FAILURE WAS NOT DUE TO THE VEHICLE NEEDING MAINTENANCE. THE DEALER (IRA TOYOTA OF DANVERS, 99 ANDOVER ST, DANVERS, MA 01923) DIAGNOSED THAT THE ODOMETER NEEDED TO BE REPLACED, BUT WAS NOT DUE TO A DEFECT. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 299,999.

NHTSA ID

11084977

Incident

Apr 12, 2018

Mileage

299,999 mi

THE COMBINATION METER ON MY 2005 TOYOTA PRIUS IS NOT WORKING. SO MY INSTRUMENT PANEL WILL GO OUT OR GO DARK AND MY CAR WILL KEEP RUNNING

NHTSA ID

11080917

Incident

Feb 14, 2018

Mileage

145,000 mi

LEFT AND RIGHT FRONT HEAD LIGHTS GO OUT INTERMITTENTLY ,

NHTSA ID

11053479

Incident

Nov 3, 2017

Mileage

145,000 mi

HEADLIGHT GOES OUT REPEATEDLY. HEADLIGHT WORKS AGAIN AFTER HEADLIGHTS ARE TURNED OFF THEN ON AGAIN. STARTED WITH THE SAME ONE HEADLIGHT GOING OUT. NOW THE OTHER. SOMETIMES BOTH GO OUT, INCLUDING AT NIGHT. EACH TIME THE HEADLIGHTS MUST BE TURNED OFF THEN ON AGAIN AND THEY WORK FOR A WHILE LONGER. LIGHTS GO OUT WHEN STATIONARY AND WHEN DRIVING.

NHTSA ID

11044017

Incident

Nov 1, 2017

Mileage

274,000 mi

THE HEADLIGHTS ARE PRONE TO TURNING TO OFF RANDOMLY, SOMETIMES ONE SIDE, OTHER TIMES BOTH SIDES. AFTER TURNING THEM ON/OFF AT THE STEERING COLUMN THEY WILL COME BACK ON FOR A WHILE THEN THE ISSUE STARTS OVER. THIS PROBLEM OCCURS WITH THE VEHICLE EITHER MOVING OR IN THE STATIONARY MODE. NO HEADLIGHTS WHEN DRIVING AT NIGHT IS A DEFINITE SAFETY HAZARD. SO FAR, TOYOTA REFUSES TO HONOR A FIX!

NHTSA ID

11033271

Incident

Oct 11, 2017

Mileage

226,000 mi

TOYOTA PRIUS COMBINATION METER NOT WORKING FOR 2 DAYS WHEN I REPEATLY TURN IT ON AND TURN IT OFF....THEN WORKS ONE DAY THEN IS NOT WORKING NOW---I CAN'T SEE THE INSTRUMENT PANEL AND HOW FAST I AM DRIVING AND THEN I CAN NOT SHUT THE CAR OFF FOR SEVERAL MINUTES....VERY UNSAFE. AND I JUST HAD THE CAR SERVICED FOR A MESSED UP BATTERY. THIS IS A USED CAR THAT I BOUGHT TO REPLACE THE 2001 TOYOTA PRIUS THAT WAS REARENDED IN DEC 2016 THEN THE DEALER SOLD ME A JUNK CAR IN APRIL 2017 NOW HAVING TO FIX ALL THESE PROBLEMS. I WILL SELL THIS CAR AS A PIECE OF JUNK TO THE JUNK YARD AS STRAP METAL BECAUSE THAT WHAT IT IS. VERY UNSAFE AND THE NHTSA IS ALLOWING THIS TO HAPPEN. STARTED ON 08/22/2017 & 08/23/2017 & 08/25/2017 I CAN'T SEE THE PANEL.

NHTSA ID

11019580

Incident

Aug 22, 2017

Mileage

150,000 mi

PASSENGER HEADLIGHT GOES OFF INTERMITTENTLY. TURN SWITCH OFF AND ON AND COMES ON AGAIN. HAVE HAD BULB REPLACED X2 AND NOW TOYOTA DEALER SAYS THAT TOYOTA HAS A BULLETIN ABOUT IT. NOTE TO THE TUNE OF $500 TO FIX. IN RESEARCHING THIS SEEMS TO BE A COMMON PROBLEM. IT'S A HAZARD AT NIGHT OR IN RAIN OR INCLEMENT WEATHER AND EVIDENTLY SOMETHING TOYOTA HAS HAD COMPLAINTS ABOUT ENOUGH TO PUT OUT A BULLETIN. VEHICLE IN MOTION, HIGHWAY MILES. I BELIEVE SOME SORT OF SHORT BUT CERTAINLY NOT MECHANIC. THIS HAS BEEN HAPPENING SINCE JANUARY 2017. TWO NEW BULBS PLUS LABOR AND NOW TOLD WIRING MECHANISM. HELP. IF TOYOTA KNOWS A PROBLEM, ADDRESS IT IN A RECALL.

NHTSA ID

11011293

Incident

Jan 11, 2017

THE PRIUS ODOMETER STOPPED AT 299999 AND WON'T RECORD MORE MILEAGE. HOWEVER, THE TRIP ODOMETER CONTINUES TO REGISTER MILES, SO IT SEEMS CLEAR THE MECHANISMS ARE WORKING TO COLLECT MILES. THE PROBLEM THIS CAUSES IS THAT SOME STATES VIEW THIS FAILURE TO MOVE ON OR RESET AT 000000 AS AN INSPECTION FAILURE. SHOULD NOT BE A DESIGNED FAILURE, AS PREVIOUS COMLAINT INDICATED SINCE THIS IS A DIGITAL READOUT.

NHTSA ID

11004731

Incident

Jul 10, 2017

Mileage

299,999 mi

CAR HEADLIGHTS WILL INTERMITTENTLY GO OFF DURING NIGHTTIME DRIVING. THIS ISSUE HAS OCCURRED ON MULTIPLE OCCASIONS.

NHTSA ID

11002981

Incident

Jun 24, 2017