2001 Toyota Prius Problems

What owners report

Owners of this model year most often describe the steering wheel shaking or shuddering on its own, sometimes with the power steering warning light and a loss of assist; these complaints span low and high mileage and often appear at morning start-up or in cold weather. A second large group describes the gas engine cutting out at speed, leaving only electric power, and many of those vehicles had accelerator pedal or sensor assemblies, computers or other engine parts replaced. Tire wear complaints are also common and tend to come in at low mileage.

1. 1
   Steering

   Steering wheel shakes or kicks on its own

   • 24 complaints (15%)
   • median 65,427 mi at 8.2 yrs old (19 state mileage)
   • filed 2002–2017

   Owners describe the steering wheel suddenly shuddering or jerking back and forth, sometimes hard enough to pull the wheel from their hands, often shortly after a cold start, when backing up, or while turning. Some say the condition is intermittent and clears after the car is shut off and restarted, and that letting the car warm up reduces it. Dealers are reported to have replaced the steering rack or sensor assemblies, sometimes at the owner's expense, while other owners say the dealer could not reproduce the problem. Reported from about 14,000 to 189,000 miles, with many complaints filed by owners above 60,000 miles and several noting cold-weather or first-start conditions.

   Recall 11V304000Recall 00V2850001 related service bulletin

   What to check: Start the car cold and turn the wheel lock to lock while stationary and at low speed, watching for shudder or a warning light. Ask whether the steering rack, torque sensor or any related recall work has been done, and check the VIN against the campaigns.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “I have a 2001 Toyota Prius. Sporadically, the steering will shake violently. It seems to happen when I turn the steering wheel. Mechanics cannot figure out what is wrong. This past weekend the power steering warning light when on and I lost power steering. It came back on when I stopped the car so it may be a computer glitch. The shaking is getting worse.”

   NHTSA complaint #10294971, filed 2009-12, 59,000 miles

   “The steering wheel on my 2001 Toyota Prius suddenly starts shaking violently when I start up the car. It seems to occur during cold weather. I have to stop the car when it happens because steering is no longer possible when the shaking happens. This shaking has occurred at least 5 times. If I let the car warm up for a few minutes before driving it seems to reduce the occurrence of the shaking.”

   NHTSA complaint #10311151, filed 2010-02, 40,000 miles
2. 2
   Vehicle speed control

   Engine cuts out or loses power while driving

   • 43 complaints (26%)
   • median 45,000 mi at 4.8 yrs old (35 state mileage)
   • 3 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • owner-quoted repair $755 (median of 6 quotes)
   • filed 2001–2018

   Complaints describe the gas engine stopping abruptly at highway speed, leaving only electric power, along with warning lights and a loss of speed; several owners report having to pull over and restart the car to continue. Many were told the accelerator pedal assembly or its sensor had failed and had it replaced, and some had computers or throttle parts replaced with the problem returning later. Mostly reported between roughly 25,000 and 90,000 miles, though later complaints reach 130,000 miles or more; several occurred at steady highway speeds.

   What to check: Ask whether the accelerator pedal assembly, throttle body or engine computer has been replaced, and request any service records for stalling or warning-light complaints. A test drive at highway speed with attention to hesitation or surging is worthwhile.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “1. I was driving at sustained speeds of 55 to 65 MPH on an us route 101 for approximately 40 minutes in my 2001 Toyota Prius. 2. The internal combustion engine suddenly stopped operating, leaving only the electric motor operating. This caused a sudden loss of power and deceleration. 3. The accelerator pedal assembly had to be replaced. The old part is not available.”

   NHTSA complaint #10129860, filed 2005-07, 48,785 miles

   “My Toyota Prius 2001 has stalled twice, while on the freeway. I went from 60 MPH to 10 MPH within seconds. It was extremely dangerous. The gas engine shut off and all I had was electric power. Toyota replaced multiple computer parts both times.”

   NHTSA complaint #10123886, filed 2005-06, 23,834 miles
3. 3
   Steering

   Loss of power steering assist

   • 13 complaints (8%)
   • median 104,128 mi at 9.4 yrs old (10 state mileage)
   • 1 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2002–2019

   Owners report the power steering warning light coming on and the wheel suddenly becoming stiff and hard to turn, sometimes at speed, then returning to normal after the car is restarted. Complaints also mention groaning or high-pitched noise when the wheel is turned fully, and some owners say they were told their vehicle was not covered by a related steering campaign. Spread across the mileage range, from about 14,000 up to 160,000 miles, with repeated intermittent occurrences over months.

   Recall 00V285000Recall 11V3040001 related service bulletin

   What to check: Test low-speed turns and listen for groaning from the steering, and confirm whether recall 00V285000 or 11V304000 was performed for this VIN. Ask if the steering rack or assist assembly has ever been replaced.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “I was getting off the freeway and driving 40 MPH on the off ramp, when the 2001 Toyota Prius did a unwanted left turn of the steering wheel, I tried to turn the steering wheel back to correct the car angle, but he steering force was too strong for me to correct back to straight ahead, the left front car the concrete barrier, and the car turn 360 degree around. The rear right bumper hit the concrete barrier. Lucky there was no other cars around me.”

   NHTSA complaint #11288564, filed 2019-12, 165,000 miles

   “Check engine light came on in vehicle. Took to dealer for service and was told the power steering rack had a malfunction and needed replaced. They replaced the rack and electric link assembly and did a front end alignment at a cost to me of $1500 dollars. The service advisor told us that this was the third time this year that he had seen this problem . After researching this problem further, I found that many people have had this same problem. Why should I have to pay for a faulty part?”

   NHTSA complaint #10158903, filed 2006-06, 67,520 miles
4. 4
   Tires

   Uneven or rapid tire wear

   • 28 complaints (17%)
   • median 26,000 mi at 2.8 yrs old (13 state mileage)
   • 2 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2001–2010

   Owners describe front or rear tires wearing unevenly or wearing out quickly, in some cases with inner-edge wear or belts showing, despite regular rotation and alignment. Complaints mention several sets of tires replaced in a short period, and some owners attribute the wear to rear axle alignment; dealers reportedly checked alignment and replaced tires without resolving it. Reported mostly under 70,000 miles, with several complaints filed by 20,000 to 40,000 miles.

   1 related service bulletin

   What to check: Inspect all four tires for uneven or inner-edge wear and ask for an alignment printout. Check whether the rear alignment is within specification, since owners describe repeated replacements without a lasting fix.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “This is the 3rd set of tires I have had to put on the car due to uneven wear. I only have 48000 miles on the car. The tires wear as though they are under inflated, but I am careful to be sure that I am following the manufacturers recommendation for tire inflation. Since this is the only tire useable on this car, I am very disappointed in Toyota's response to the problem. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10070475, filed 2004-01, 26,000 miles

   “I have serious and repeating problems with suspension/ tires on my Toyota Prius 2001 car (manufactured 06/01). Three times the front tires where abnormally and significantly worn (during approx 7,500 miles) with, with side and top scars etc. Toyota already changed the tires four times but they are unable to solve problem. However, the same problem is likely repeat itself again and again, and changing the tires is not a solution. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10121100, filed 2005-05, 60,000 miles
5. 5
   Engine cooling

   Engine stalling and hard restarting

   • 30 complaints (18%)
   • median 50,000 mi at 4.6 yrs old (24 state mileage)
   • 1 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2003–2016

   Complaints describe the engine stalling or running rough, sometimes with a lean-misfire code, warning indicators on the dash, and difficulty restarting or a rough idle afterwards. Some owners report the engine stopping shortly after leaving the dealer following service, with computers, injectors or throttle parts replaced on subsequent visits. Reported from around 16,000 to 130,000 miles, with several complaints filed after the car was serviced or the battery was disconnected.

   Recall 06V2660002 related service bulletins

   What to check: Ask whether the crankshaft position sensor recall 06V266000 was completed and whether any stalling or rough-idle codes have been stored. A scan for pending codes and a cold-start test drive can reveal idling or restart problems.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “On june 6, 2006 I took our 2001 Toyota Prius to a local Toyota dealer because it had been losing power while driving. The Prius mechanic told me that it was normal and that there was nothing wrong. I responded that I knew that something was wrong with the vehicle. On june 15, 2006 on the way into work, the car completely lost power while driving on the interstate. Fortunately, we were able to pull over at a relatively safe spot. Had it stalled in heavier traffic or in a different lane, we could have died there. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10160423, filed 2006-06, 64,000 miles

   “While driving, the car lost power and would start up again, but would not stay running. Car was towed in and the dealer put a new engine ecu- (computer). This took a month, as the computer had to be made in japan. A year and a half later, the new computer has been replaced and the car continues to not start up. It has been in the shop four times this month, each time the car is returned to me and will not start the next day.”

   NHTSA complaint #10110593, filed 2005-02, 34,763 miles

Buying note. This model year has a well-documented pattern of steering shudder, intermittent power steering warning lights and engine stall complaints, so service records and a cold-start test drive matter more than mileage alone. Confirm which steering and crankshaft sensor recalls were completed for the specific VIN, and budget for possible steering rack or accelerator pedal work.

Summary written with AI from a sample of 60 NHTSA complaints for this model year (picked at random, with complaints that state a mileage and recent ones taken first), then checked automatically against the source records. Where a problem shows a complaint count, every complaint for this model year was matched with fixed keyword rules (written with AI and tested against the sample), and the mileage, age and repair figures are calculated from those complaints; owners' figures are as stated, not verified. Other counts refer to the sample. The excerpts come from NHTSA's public complaint records and are unverified; capitalisation is normalised, NHTSA staff notes are removed, and shortened text ends with “…”. Something wrong? Request a correction.