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Electrical systemPart report

2001 Toyota Prius Electrical system Problems

Complaints
27about this part
Share
16%of 165 total for the year
Median mileage
61,000miles
Trend
StableComplaints filed in the last 3 full calendar years are within 25% of the 3 years before.

NHTSA recorded 27 complaints about the electrical system of the 2001 Toyota Prius, 16% of the 165 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 61,000 miles. 3 of these say a crash was involved and 3 a fire, according to the filers.

Example complaints

Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.

“My car is experiencing what is known onlline as the big hand syndrom . While driving, the accelerator pedal changes resistance and it feels like someone grabs the car and it dramatically slows. You then have to press harder on the accelerator pedal to maintain speed. Well one day, the car stopped working, no matter how hard I pressed on the pedal it would no accelerate. I was on the highway. I took my car in to the local authorized Toyota dealer and was told that the accelerator pedal was bad and needed to be replaced. …”

NHTSA complaint #11128777, filed 2018-09, 189,000 miles

“While coming down a steep mountain coasting, the vehicle electrical system showed a failure and I was able to resume after a tech told me to shut it down and restart. Additionally , when in stalled slow traffic the battery seemed to drain excessively on only one occasion. Neither of these events has recurred.”

NHTSA complaint #10121228, filed 2005-05, 80,000 miles

“Auxiliary battery on Toyota Prius 2001 and Toyota Prius 2004 fail if the car is not driven at least every 7-10 days. This prevents the car from starting. We purchased a 2001 Prius used march 2004, and a new 2004 Prius in june 2004. The auxiliary battery failed on the 2001 Prius twice, and we replaced it once. Recently the dealer service rep told us that it is a known problem that the battery will not hold a charge unless driven every 7-10 days, and should be disconnected if parked for prolonged time. …”

NHTSA complaint #10193389, filed 2007-06, 58,000 miles

“I own a 2001 Prius purchased july of 2001 my wife and I have had a near stall so many times we have lost count. The first time was in the first week of purchase 2001 and we have had the car checked and have been told they cannot find the problem since they can not recreate the problem. I guess we have been lucky our Prius does not stall completely just slows to 15-37 miles per then we have to stop and wait for the lights to clear. It has gotten to the point where this is happening almost daily. …”

NHTSA complaint #10154873, filed 2006-04, 400 miles

“I have had problems with my 2001 peius for the past year with the engine stoping at freeway and local highway speeds. My car has now set at stanger Toyota in st. George for the past month with no cure for the problem. The dealership has installed a new inverter, traced all wiring, reset codes and still we have the same problem of the car quiting or going into stelth mode. The car is no longer reliable on trips over one hour. The problem has happened in high and low temp. Conditions. …”

NHTSA complaint #10126948, filed 2005-06, 70,000 miles

Related service bulletins

Electrical system: other model years

YearComplaintsShare of year
2026233%
2025638%
2024415%
2023524%
2022625%
2021117%
2020214%
2019413%
201825%
20171112%
20162013%
20152716%
20143316%
20135213%
20125212%
20116813%
20101927%
20096012%
200823516%
200724812%
200615311%
200517817%
200417729%
20031313%
20021811%
20012716%

Other parts of the 2001 Toyota Prius

Steering
45 complaintsTires
27 complaintsVehicle speed control
25 complaintsEngine cooling
18 complaintsBrakes
16 complaintsFuel system
12 complaintsSuspension
9 complaintsOther or unknown
6 complaintsTransmission and drivetrain
5 complaintsEquipment
4 complaintsBody and structure
3 complaintsWheels
3 complaints

← All problems reported for the 2001 Toyota Prius

About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 30, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate.

To check a specific vehicle for open recalls, use its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. Methodology