2007 Toyota Prius problems
Owners have filed 2,451 complaints with NHTSA about the 2007 Toyota Prius. Lighting is the most reported problem area, at 44% of complaints. After that come brakes (14%) and electrical system (10%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 2,451 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Lighting 44% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 191 and 11
- Injuries and deaths
- 100 and 2
- Typical mileage
- 52,000 miles 2,070 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 | 229 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 445 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 530 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 270 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 190 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 125 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 100 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 65 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 49 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 24 |
| 200k+ miles | 43 |
What the data shows
Among the 2,070 complaints that report mileage, the typical (median) problem appeared at about 52,000 miles. For lighting specifically, the median reported mileage is about 50,000 miles (966 complaints with mileage).
Safety-related details: 191 complaints mention a crash; 11 complaints mention a fire; 100 injuries reported; 2 deaths reported.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 2007 ranks 2nd most-complained-about out of 23 model years of the Toyota Prius with enough data (1,610 complaints in that window). It is also covered by 4 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.
Vehicle was sb in lane 2 of 2 when it is reported that the driver lost control struck a guard rail on the right then traveled across two lanes crossing onto a shoulder where it eventually struck a tree. Eye witnesses saw no brake lights at any point. Autopsy concluded that the driver died from trauma caused by impact with the tree. The vehicle was a 07 prius.
I was driving my vehicle and exiting a highway when I applied the brakes and the vehicle sped up and hit the vehicle in front and pushed it into two other vehicles.
Driverside front headlight intermittently went out. Took my automobile to original dealer on march 9, 2010 and it was replaced. During my conversation with the service advisor, he indicated that the passenger side headlight might experience the same problem. He was correct. On march 10, 2007 the passenger side began having the same problem. This is the same problem described in NHTSA -pe09019. I am concerned for my safety and others who will be affected.
In 2010 (approximately), the dashboard display of my prius would intermittently not display when the car was first started. This condition makes it impossible to know how fast the car is going, how much fuel there is, etc. I visited dealers and independent mechanics and no one claimed to know anything about this problem. However, I have subsequently learned that toyota issued a service bulletin on this very issue in 2009! (t-sb-0172-09).