2006 Toyota Prius Problems

The right or left headlight will rabdomly turn off, and tyrn back there 8s no ryme or readon to it,and while driving at night it is cery dangerous, aparebtly its not just this car, this is a common issue and it needs to be fixed

One afternoon, in the Summer of 23, I entered my Toyota Prius to run some errands. Once I proceeded to power on the car, none of the dashboard lights illuminated. This included the gas gauge, speedometer & transmission indicator. Fortunately, I was only driving a few blocks down the road from my residence as I live in a small rural town with little congestion, little traffic and mostly two-lane roads. I can't imagine this occurring in a much larger metropolitan city. When I arrived at my destination, I discovered that my Prius wouldn't shut off. This dashboard malfunction was preventing the Toyota from powering off. I quickly completed my errands with my vehicle running during this entire ordeal. Finally, when I returned home, I frantically researched on YouTube regarding this issue and discovered many others who also were having these no-illuminating-dashboard problems. Some YouTubers offered workarounds but the solutions will be temporary as the problem will eventually worsen until the Prius owners have no working dashboard lights. From the way I understand it, this problem is nothing more than a small computer board that's behind the speedometer and this computer board has a small diode that tends to burn out on all kinds of Toyota Priuses when it reaches around 150,000 miles.

I was involved in an auto accident on 4/20/2026 @ 6:23 PM. I was driving a 2006 Prius and the vehicle in front of me stopped to make a left turn. I applied my brakes, which grabbed slightly and then released. I then had to hit the brakes hard and they did the same thing again. I ended up rear-ending the vehicle in front of me and had to go to the hospital. I’ve been out of work since the accident, and I feel this was not my fault DUE TO FAULTY BRAKING SYSTEM ON THIS VEHICLE. My vehicle was declared a total loss, by the insurance company After doing my own research I have found many accidents with this type of vehicle that has had rear end accidents with injuries and some fatalities. it also shows not only this 2nd generation with this problem however the 3rd generation Prius as well. I have been out of work since the accident. I'm asking for a complete and thorough investigation into this and a satisfactory resolution to this so that it doesn't happen to anyone else. There were no warning indicators of any kind prior to the accident plus I had paid over 2000 dollars' worth of work and a set of 4 new tires put on this vehicle prior to this incident. Please advise and thank you.

I am looking to receive a little bit more assistance regarding my daughter's first car that she worked very hard for. It is a 2006 Toyota Prius. It was garage-kept and owned by an older couple who only put 85,000 miles on it. It is really a gem of a car. Soon after we registered the car, my daughter was out driving with her father. While going through a 4-way stop, she found that the brakes had failed and she was unable to stop at the intersection. Luckily, she was with her father, and he was able to give her verbal instruction to guide the both of them to safety. Upon further investigation, we learned that there was a recall on the Brake Actuator Assembly in 2016. Which is the part that has failed and almost caused my 16 year old daughter to crash the car she worked hard for. I contacted the Toyota Brand Engagement Center. It was stated to me that the recall has expired, however, I feel that the fact that a recall was issued means that it was recognized by Toyota that the vehicle was sold with a faulty brake system. This, in and of itself, is a hazard and could be fatal. This should be addressed and the brake system should be replaced as it is no fault to any owner regardless of the recall expiry date. We look forward to your timely response on how we can remedy this very serious safety issue. My daughter was super excited as she worked very hard to save up for her first Toyota and get it registered only to find that the brake system fails.

The following describes a near total failure of the brake system that accompanies and is triggered by routine aging of the battery. I believe this applies to multiple model years and editions of the Prius, based on reports by other owners on owners' discussion groups. I believe this should have the highest severity level. Here is what happens: An alarm is sounded, several warning lights ABS, VCS appear, and soon after that, the front brakes stop working. The rear brakes then prove ineffective and lock up. The happens with high frequency under any of the following conditions: (a) as the battery approaches 3yrs age, (b) it is excessively cold outside. (c) there is a higher than typical load on the 12V system from any of a variety of reasons. After installing a fresh new 12V battery, the above happens with much less frequency. There no warning on the dashboard to indicate that the condition of the 12V battery is not safe for operation of the vehicle. It seems clear that the route cause is that the brake control unit is configured within inadequate tolerance for the normal aging of the 12V battery, compounded by the absence of warning on the dash. This probably traces back to a poorly chosen LDO voltage regulator in the design of the brake control unit. Recommendation: Review the electrical designs for the brake control unit, all model years, replace as needed and update the dash board computer to provide warning when the battery condition is not sufficient for safe operation of the vehicle. I further recommend that this be done with all due haste, as the condition is quite dangerous. Qualifications: PhD Chemical Physics and Electrical Engineer

The light up display for the odometer, fuel gauge, and speedometer does not always light up. When it is not lit, the cruise control and any warning and informative alarms/lights also do not work. This is a well-known issue among owners of these cars, related to the capacitors on the circuit board for the display being defective, and there is extensive documentation of it online. It may also have had a technical service bulletin released for the issue, but I'm not entirely sure. The light goes out intermittently and is not always consistently out. I did mention it to the service personnel when I took it in to get recalls repaired recently, and they didn't seem surprised or unaware of the issue. I did not ask them to diagnose or fix it, as I know I can get it done for a better deal elsewhere.

The light up display for the odometer, fuel gauge, and speedometer does not always light up. When it is not lit, the cruise control and any warning and informative alarms/lights also do not work. This is a well-known issue among owners of these cars, related to the capacitors on the circuit board for the display being defective, and there is extensive documentation of it online. It may also have had a technical service bulletin released for the issue, but I'm not entirely sure. The light goes out intermittently and is not always consistently out. I did mention it to the service personnel when I took it in to get recalls repaired recently, and they didn't seem surprised or unaware of the issue. I did not ask them to diagnose or fix it, as I know I can get it done for a better deal elsewhere.

The contact owns a 2006 Toyota Prius. The contact stated that while driving approximately 35 MPH, the steering wheel erroneously steered to the left direction on its own. The contact used force to maneuver the vehicle however the steering wheel independently veered again to the left, right, left, and then back to the right. The vehicle crashed into a curb, and violently accelerated across 2 lanes of oncoming traffic where a van crashed into the vehicle head-on. The air bags deployed upon impact. The contact sustained 11 fractured bones (L1 through L5 lower lumbar, pelvic, pelvis, 11th rib, and sacrum) and received medical attention via trauma center where she remained for over 2 weeks. The other driver of the van sustained unknown injuries but did not receive any known medical attention. A police report was not on file for the incident. A dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The VIN was not available. The failure mileage was 77,000.

One afternoon, in the Summer of 23, I entered my Toyota Prius to run some errands. Once I proceeded to power on the car, none of the dashboard lights illuminated. This included the gas gauge, speedometer & transmission indicator. Fortunately, I was only driving a few blocks down the road from my residence as I live in a small rural town with little congestion, little traffic and mostly two-lane roads. I can't imagine this occurring in a much larger metropolitan city. When I arrived at my destination, I discovered that my Prius wouldn't shut off. This dashboard malfunction was preventing the Toyota from powering off. I quickly completed my errands with my vehicle running during this entire ordeal. Finally, when I returned home, I frantically researched on YouTube regarding this issue and discovered many others who also were having these no-illuminating-dashboard problems. Some YouTubers offered workarounds but the solutions will be temporary as the problem will eventually worsen until the Prius owners have no working dashboard lights. From the way I understand it, this problem is nothing more than a small computer board that's behind the speedometer and this computer board has a small diode that tends to burn out on all kinds of Toyota Priuses when it reaches around 150,000 miles.

The contact owns a 2006 Toyota Prius. The contact stated while his wife was attempting to stop the engine and turn off the vehicle, the vehicle failed to turn off. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact's wife was able to drive safely to the residence. The contact disconnected the battery and conducted a personal diagnostic test and the vehicle was operable. The vehicle was not diagnosed by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 265,817.

The light up display for the odometer, fuel gauge, and speedometer does not always light up. When it is not lit, the cruise control and any warning and informative alarms/lights also do not work. This is a well-known issue among owners of these cars, related to the capacitors on the circuit board for the display being defective, and there is extensive documentation of it online. It may also have had a technical service bulletin released for the issue, but I'm not entirely sure. The light goes out intermittently and is not always consistently out. I did mention it to the service personnel when I took it in to get recalls repaired recently, and they didn't seem surprised or unaware of the issue. I did not ask them to diagnose or fix it, as I know I can get it done for a better deal elsewhere.

The contact owns a 2006 Toyota Prius. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost power and immediately regained power. Approximately 24 hours later the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the hybrid water pump was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The local dealer was contacted and informed the contact that the vehicle was not included in the NHTSA campaign number 12V536000 (Engine and Engine Cooling, Hybrid Propulsion System). The contact indicated that the vehicle experienced the failure listed in the recall. The failure mileage was 167,000.

The contact owned a 2006 Toyota Prius. The contact stated that while slowly driving into an intersection and turning left at less than 3 MPH, the owner of a Ford F-150 coming from the driver's side of the vehicle at 35 MPH crashed into their driver's side door. The crash caused the vehicle to slide to a complete stop. None of the air bags deployed. The driver of the Ford F-150 stated that the sun created a glare, preventing them from noticing the red light they had driven through. The contact's vehicle was towed and deemed totaled by their insurance. A police report was filed. The contact received a broken rib, rotator cuff, whiplash, and back injuries. Medical attention was needed. The dealer was not informed of the failure. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 150,000

TRAVELLING 30-35 MPH. TRIED TO STOP-BRAKE PEDAL WENT TO THE FLOOR AND CAR ACCELERATED. HIT A STEEL SIGN WHICH TOTALLED THE CAR. AIRBAGS FAILED TO ACTVATE EVEN THOUGH THE FORCE OF HITTING THE SIGN DROVE THE ENGINE BACK TO THE DASHBOARD.CITY STREET.

The contact owns a 2006 Toyota Prius. The contact stated that while driving approximately 35 MPH, the steering wheel erroneously steered to the left direction on its own. The contact used force to maneuver the vehicle however the steering wheel independently veered again to the left, right, left, and then back to the right. The vehicle crashed into a curb, and violently accelerated across 2 lanes of oncoming traffic where a van crashed into the vehicle head-on. The air bags deployed upon impact. The contact sustained 11 fractured bones (L1 through L5 lower lumbar, pelvic, pelvis, 11th rib, and sacrum) and received medical attention via trauma center where she remained for over 2 weeks. The other driver of the van sustained unknown injuries but did not receive any known medical attention. A police report was not on file for the incident. A dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The VIN was not available. The failure mileage was 77,000.

LOSS OF VEHICLE STEERING CONTROL WHILE DRIVING. LUCKILY THE VEHICLE WAS JUST GOING DOWN THE DRIVEWAY AT LOW SPEED SO NO ONE WAS INJURED.*DT*JB

THE WATER PUMP WENT OUT CAUSING THE HYBRID BATTERY TO DIE. PRESSING THE BREAK IS SUPPOSED TO RECHARGE THE BATTERY BUT THE BATTERY IS NOW COMPLETELY GONE

SMELL OF FUEL AFTER GETTING OUT OF VEHICLE. ALSO SOMETIMES WITH AC OR WINDOWS OPEN. DEALER SAYS DETERIORATION OF CONNECTIONS IN ENGINE COMPARTMENT. COULD POSSIBLY BE FIRE AND INJURY IF THIS GOT WORSE. CONSIDER THIS FOR RECALL. OTHER TOYOTA MODELS PROBABLY WITH SIMILAR SYSTEMS ARE RECALLED. WHY NOT THIS MODEL?

TRUNK LATCH RUBBER MELTS WHEN THE WEATHER IS HOT. HAPPENS REPEATEDLY EVERY SUMMER, UNTIL THE TRUNK LATCH IS UNUSABLE. THE TRUNK WILL NOT OPEN.

TRUNK LATCH TO OPEN TRUNK WHILE STATIONARY NOW SERIOUSLY REDUCED FUNCTION. RUBBER HAS MELTED. NOW THE TRUNK IS VERY DIFFICULT TO OPEN. SOMETIMES, ESPECIALLY WHEN IT IS COLD OUT, TRUNK CANNOT BE OPENED AT ALL.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 TOYOTA PRIUS. WHILE DRIVING 65 MPH, THE GEAR UNEXPECTEDLY SHIFTED INTO NEUTRAL. THE CONTACT MENTIONED THAT THE GEAR NEEDED TO BE HELD IN THE DRIVE POSITION IN ORDER TO DRIVE THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO A DEALER FOR DIAGNOSTIC TESTING OR REPAIRS. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 220,000.

BAUGHT THE CAR OFF A PRIVATE SALE. CAR IS A COMPLETE BAD CONDITION FRON THE SUSPENSION TONTHE MOTOR MAKES STRANGE NOISES AIR CONDITIONER WONT WORK TIRES FALL FROM ALLIGHMENTS SEAT BEATS ARE OFF BURNING A PIL CHANGE IN LESS THEN A WEEK.NO ACCIDENTS NO CHANGES AS IS AND HAVE BEEN USING IT FOR WORK.

BOTH OF MY HEADLIGHTS WENT OUT AT THE SAME TIME THE OTHER DAY NOW THE FACT THAT BOTH OF THEM WENT OUT AT THE EXACT SAME TIME ALREADY TELLS ME THAT ITS NOT THE BULB,BALLEST OR ANYTHING OTHER THEN AN ELECTRICAL ISSUE BECAUSE EVERYONE IS HAVING THIS PROBLEM AND THEY HAVE CHANGED BOTH BALLASTS AND BULBS AND THE SAME THING HAPPENED OVER AND OVER AGAIN, PLEASE MAKE THIS A RECALL BECAUSE IT IS VERY UNSAFE

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 TOYOTA PRIUS. WHILE OPERATING THE VEHICLE, THE POWER STEERING SUDDENLY MALFUNCTIONED AND CAUSED THE STEERING WHEEL TO BECOME VERY DIFFICULT TO TURN. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE POWER STEERING ECU WAS FAULTY AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. ALSO, WHILE DRIVING THE VEHICLE, IT SUDDENLY STALLED AND WOULD NOT RESTART. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE THROTTLE BODY WAS FAULTY. THE FAILURE WAS REPAIRED. THE CONTACT ALSO INDICATED THAT THE AIR CONDITIONER BLOWER STOPPED OPERATING AND THE FRONT WINDSHIELD COULD NOT BE DEFROSTED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURES. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 200,500. *DT*JB

I HAVE MILESTAR MS 932 SPORT TIRES 185/65R15 ON MY PRIUS TOYOTA06 VEHICLE I RECENTLY HAD ONE OF THESE TIRES SEPARATE ON ME ,THE( STEEL BELT). IT HAD A LARGE LUMP IN THE TREAD AREA WHICH MOST DEFINITELY WOULD HAVE EXPLODED IF I DIDNT STOP AND GET IT REPLACED. TWO MONTHS LATER I EXPERIENCED THE SAME THING WITH ANOTHER TIRE ONE THE SAME VEHICLE . ALL TIRES WERE PURCHASED FROM THE SAME COMPANY AT FIRST THOUGHT I SUSPECTED JUST A BAD TIRE BUT THIS HAPPENING TWICE TO ME SHOWS THAT IT MUST BE A GREATER DEFECT PROBLEM THE TIRES HAVE APPROXIMATELY 27000 ON THEM . THEY ARE SUPPOSED TO BE 60000 TIRES THESE ARE WELL CARED FOR TIRES AND HAVE NOT BEEN SUBJECTED TO ABUSE OR ANY REPAIRS. ID NUMBER ON THE FIRST TIRE THAT FAILED IS 04CH514A124

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 TOYOTA PRIUS EQUIPPED WITH YOKOHAMA AVID TIRES, SIZE: 185/65R/15. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 35 MPH, THE REAR PASSENGER'S SIDE TIRE BLEW DUE TO A ROAD HAZARD. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHERE IT WAS ADVISED TO THE CONTACT THAT THE TIRE TREAD WAS CRACKED. THE CONTACT MENTIONED THAT THE FAILURE OCCURRED ON THREE DIFFERENT OCCASIONS. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 70,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 80,000. *TR

Hi, After being parked for about 1.5 hrs my back seat on the drivers side caught on fire. I understand this is where a battery is and that newer cars of this brand have had recalls for this problem.

THE TOYOTA PRIUS 2006 WAS HIT FROM BEHIND (REAR ENDED) ON 05/13/2021 AND DRIVER'S SEAT COLLAPSED BACKWARDS, CAUSING A HEAD INJURY. THIS WAS NOT EXPECTED AND IS NOT ACCEPTABLE BY ANY SAFETY STANDARD. FORTUNATELY THERE WERE NO OTHER OCCUPANTS IN THE VEHICLE. THIS WAS A CHAIN COLLISION AND THE PRIUS WAS STATIONARY WHEN IT WAS HIT IN A SECONDARY COLLISION AND STILL THIS HAPPENED, WHAT IF OUR CAR WAS HIT IN THE PRIMARY COLLISION OR WHAT IF THERE WAS A CHILD ON THE BACK SEAT?! THE VEHICLE IMMEDIATELY BEHIND WAS ALSO STATIONARY BEFORE IT EXPERIENCED THE FIRST ORDER COLLISION. THESE SEATS DESERVE A SAFETY RECALL. ONE CAN FIND MANY OTHER SEAT COLLAPSING EVENTS, EVEN WITH CHILDREN KILLED OR BRAIN DAMAGED ON BACK SEATS. PLACE OF THE ACCIDENT: THE CHESAPEAKE EXPRESSWAY (168). ACCIDENT REPORT ATTACHED.

THE SEAT BELTS IN THE BACK SEAT ARE TOTALLY INOPERABLE. THEY DO NOT RETRACT , SO IF YOU USE THEM THEY ARE EXPANDED TO THEIR LARGEST SIZE AND WILL NOT RETRACT. WE HAVE CHILDREN THAT HAVE CARSEATS AND WE ARE UNABLE TO USE THE BACK SEAT OF OUR VEHICLE

THE SEAT BELTS IN THE BACKSEAT ARE NOT FUNCTIONAL. THE DEALER IS TELLING US THAT IT WILL BE $650 TO MAKE THEM FUNCTIONAL AGAIN. I HAVE HAD MANY CARS , MAKES AND MODELS AND HAVE NEVER HAD ALL MY SEAT BELTS FAIL LIKE THIS. THEY DO NOT RETRACT ANYMORE. IT SEEMS TO ME THAT THE MANUFACTURER SHOULD HAVE SOME RESPONSIBILITY IN FIXING THIS ISSUE,

The contact owns a 2006 Toyota Prius. The contact stated while she was sitting in the vehicle that was parked in the garage, the vehicle accelerated on its own and proceeded to move forward while the emergency brake was activated, and no warning light illuminated. The vehicle struck the contacts home going inside the home. The contact stated the vehicle was not on, but the vehicle started on its own once the vehicle was pulled from the inside of the home. The contact legs where stuck in between the front side door of the vehicle but did not seek any medical attention. The air bags did not deploy. A police report was filed. The vehicle was not towed. The dealer or the manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 168,000.

MY 2006 TOYOTA PRIUS WAS PARKED IN A DRIVEWAY. I POWERED IT ON THEN TRIED TO PUT IT IN DRIVE. THE SHIFT KEPT BOUNCING OUT OF DRIVE WITHOUT MY MOVING IT, INTO N, R AND FINALLY BACK INTO DRIVE AT WHICH POINT I RELEASED THE HAND BRAKE, THEN EASED MY FOOT OFF THE BRAKE PEDAL. I DID NOT PUSHED THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL IN ORDER TO TURN ONTO THE ROAD SLOWLY. BUT THE CAR SUDDENLY ACCELERATED REALLY FAST. AS IT DID SO THE RED TRIANGLE 'PROBLEM - CHECK ENGINE' SYMBOL CAME UP ON THE DASHBOARD. THE CAR WENT ACROSS THE ROAD AND INTO A NEIGHBOR'S FRONT YARD WHERE THERE WAS A LOT OF SNOW AND A SNOWDRIFT BY THE ROAD, AND RAN STRAIGHT INTO THE SNOWDRIFT WHICH STOPPED IT. I WAS THEN ABLE TO TURN OFF THE POWER. THE FOOT BRAKE HAD NO EFFECT. THE CAR WAS HEADING ON A LINE AT RIGHT ANGLES TO THE HOUSE AND HAD THERE NOT BEEN THAT SNOWDRIFT THERE, WOULD HAVE HIT THE HOUSE HEAD-ON. THIS WAS NOT DRIVER ERROR, BUT 'UNCONTROLLED ACCELERATION'. THERE MAY BE A CONNECTION TO THE FOLLOWING BATTERY FAILURE: ON 1/11/11 A RECENTLY INSTALLED START-MOTOR BATTERY (INSTALLED 1/3/11) WENT DEAD, AFTER 1636 MILES, AND HAD ITSELF TO BE REPLACED. THE CAR IS NOW BEING CHECKED BY THE LOCAL TOYOTA SERVICE AND DEALERSHIP. *TR

The contact owns a 2006 Toyota Prius. While receiving an oil change by an independent mechanic, the contact was informed that there was a large crack to the engine cradle located on the undercarriage. The contact was informed by the mechanic that the vehicle was unsafe to drive. The contact notified the manufacturer of the failure and was informed that the VIN was not under recall. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 159,000.

BAUGHT THE CAR OFF A PRIVATE SALE. CAR IS A COMPLETE BAD CONDITION FRON THE SUSPENSION TONTHE MOTOR MAKES STRANGE NOISES AIR CONDITIONER WONT WORK TIRES FALL FROM ALLIGHMENTS SEAT BEATS ARE OFF BURNING A PIL CHANGE IN LESS THEN A WEEK.NO ACCIDENTS NO CHANGES AS IS AND HAVE BEEN USING IT FOR WORK.