Vehicle Data Hub

2004 Toyota Prius electrical system problems

Owners reported electrical system problems in 184 complaints for the 2004 Toyota Prius, 25% of the complaints on file. It is the 2nd most reported problem area for this model year.

At a glance

Complaints
184 25% of this year's complaints
Typical mileage
29,000 miles 149 complaints with mileage
Crashes and fires
4 and 2
Injuries and deaths
1 and 0

Source: NHTSA owner complaints

When electrical system problems show up

Electrical system complaints by mileage, 2004 Toyota Prius Complaints by odometer reading in 20,000-mile steps. The median is about 29,000 miles. 0k to 20k miles: 64 complaints 20k to 40k miles: 17 complaints 40k to 60k miles: 13 complaints 60k to 80k miles: 10 complaints 80k to 100k miles: 6 complaints 100k to 120k miles: 7 complaints 120k to 140k miles: 8 complaints 140k to 160k miles: 7 complaints 160k to 180k miles: 6 complaints 180k to 200k miles: 1 complaints 200k+ miles: 10 complaints 040k80k120k160k200k miles Typical: 29,000 miles
Based on 149 complaints that include mileage. 63% were reported before 60,000 miles. The amber marker shows the median: half of these complaints happened before that mileage.
View the numbers
MileageComplaints
0k to 20k miles64
20k to 40k miles17
40k to 60k miles13
60k to 80k miles10
80k to 100k miles6
100k to 120k miles7
120k to 140k miles8
140k to 160k miles7
160k to 180k miles6
180k to 200k miles1
200k+ miles10

What the data shows

Of the 149 electrical system complaints that report mileage, the median is about 29,000 miles, and 63% were reported before 60,000 miles.

These complaints mention 4 crashes, 2 fires, 1 injury.

What owners wrote

2004 toyota prius having problems starting.* the consumer stated after several tries, the vehicle started, however when he shifted into the drive, the engine raced and the vehicle lurched forward rapidly, even though the accelerator had not been applied. The consumer was unable to stop the vehicle by using the brakes. The vehicle continued forward about 25 feet and crashed into a garage. The consumer received minor scratches to his knee. The consumer also noted that the air bags did not deploy.

January 2007 CrashInjury

I am the owner of a 2004 prius. After buying my car used 2 years ago I noticed that once in awhile the display, including fuel consumption, speedometer, odometer, and more, would not light up and that the car would not turn off easily several times I have been in situations where I have little gas an am unable to see my gas gauge or know how fat iam going on the highway. I understand that this was once covered by toyota under the warranty extension but is not considered a safety concern.

Reported at 115,000 miles, April 2019

Other problems reported for the 2004 Toyota Prius

Electrical system problems in other years

Electrical system problems across all Toyota models