2004 Toyota Prius problems
Owners have filed 737 complaints with NHTSA about the 2004 Toyota Prius. Lighting is the most reported problem area, at 25% of complaints. After that come electrical system (25%) and engine (13%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 737 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Lighting 25% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 50 and 2
- Injuries and deaths
- 38 and 0
- Typical mileage
- 72,000 miles 600 complaints with mileage
Source: NHTSA owner complaints
Where the complaints are
Share of this model year's complaints by the part of the car involved. One complaint can name more than one part, so the shares can add up to more than 100%.
When problems show up
View the numbers
| Mileage | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 0k to 20k miles | 166 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 48 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 51 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 61 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 67 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 61 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 49 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 31 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 23 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 13 |
| 200k+ miles | 30 |
What the data shows
Among the 600 complaints that report mileage, the typical (median) problem appeared at about 72,000 miles. For lighting specifically, the median reported mileage is about 106,000 miles (164 complaints with mileage).
Safety-related details: 50 complaints mention a crash; 2 complaints mention a fire; 38 injuries reported.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 2004 ranks 6th most-complained-about out of 23 model years of the Toyota Prius with enough data (436 complaints in that window). It is also covered by 6 safety recall campaigns.
What owners wrote
A few complaints as filed, shortened and with personal details removed. The first ones are among the most serious reports for this model year; the rest are typical.
Tl*the contact owns a 2004 toyota prius. The contact was driving approximately 25 MPH on a gravel road. Pressure was applied to the brake pedal and there was no power response. The vehicle failed to slow down and crashed into another vehicle. The opposing vehicles driver, and passengers sustained moderate injuries. The police was called to the scene. The brake system failure occurred intermittently prior to the crash. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer for an estimate of the body damages.
Tl*the contact owns a 2004 toyota prius. While driving approximately 55 MPH the vehicle accelerated on its own. The vehicle crashed into a concrete divider on the highway. The contact stated that the air bags did not deploy. The contact was able to drive the vehicle after the crash. The driver and the passengers sustained injuries to their back and neck and were under going therapy for their injuries. There was no police report filed.
Tl* the contact owned a 2004 toyota prius. While driving approximately 15 MPH and while attempting to stop the vehicle by depressing the brake pedal, the brakes malfunctioned and the vehicle crashed into the rear of an SUV. The contact sustained multiple toe injuries on the right foot, including one fractured toe. Medical attention was required. A police report was filed. The vehicle was destroyed. The cause of the failure was not determined. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure.
During normal service at dealer service advisor indicated that steering yoke sub assemble and shaft assembly needed to be replaced because of binding. Dealer indicated that they had done the steering recall " NHTSA campaign number: 06v188000 " in 2006 on this car. Is the current issue (which we had repaired at a cost of almost $1000) associated/or as a result of the prior recall?