2005 Toyota Prius Engine Problems
- Complaints
- 15about this part
- Share
- 1%of 1,051 total for the year
- Median mileage
- 120,000miles
- Trend
- FallingComplaints filed in the last 3 full calendar years are at least 25% lower than in the 3 years before.
NHTSA recorded 15 complaints about the engine of the 2005 Toyota Prius, 1% of the 1,051 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 120,000 miles. 1 of these say a crash was involved, according to the filers.
Example complaints
Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.
“My Prius dash keeps going black, the car won't shut off . Also had it in park engine revved and started to drive away. I jumped in and it wouldn't shut off I had to rip the key out. The rear taillights go out all the time. The doors and hatch locks won't unlock half the time. I had a new battery put in but it still happens.”
NHTSA complaint #10473291, filed 2012-09, 163,000 miles“I brought my car in for a recall on steering mechanism which resulted in a bolt replacement. The service adviser advised me I needed to replace water pump. This car already had one pump replaced on a recall, why was the other pump not recalled?”
NHTSA complaint #10548497, filed 2013-10, 113,000 miles“This is the first car we ever owned that ate oil. We are meticulous about servicing the car as recommended every 5000 miles. At the service for 100,000 miles which we did at 99,400 miles, there was no oil on the dipstick. At 103,000 miles the alarms went off 3 times to indicate there was no oil. We put in 2 quarts and took it to the shop for a diagnostic. Googling showed many other people with the same problem - no oil leak anywhere, but no oil in the car either. Toyota apparently knows of the problem and has informed service providers but will not acknowledge this problem to the car owners. …”
NHTSA complaint #10854586, filed 2016-04, 103,100 miles“Car started skidding on the road, couldn't take control because car started to speed up and then rammed into the concrete barrier, spun around and ended up facing oncoming traffic. Luckily, there wasn't any car right behind me and I managed to push open the driver's side door although it wouldn't open completely and opened just enough for me to squeeze through and ran out of the car. At no time did the airbag open up at all. I was lucky that I sustained no major injury except for a badly knocking my left knee on the dash. My question to Toyota would be why the airbad didn't open! …”
NHTSA complaint #10735053, filed 2015-07, 120,000 miles“While driving on the highway at 70 MPH, the following symptoms occurred on my 2005 Toyota Prius: (1) car would not accelerate, (2) engine light came on, (3) problem light came on, (4) battery went red, (5) car stalled and would not accelerate/drive any further. After turning off the car and restarting it, I was able to drive it back and the battery recharged itself to green. After taking it to the dealership and having this problem fixed , the exact same situation happened two more times, again 6 months later and then 2 weeks after that. …”
NHTSA complaint #10476570, filed 2012-09, 50,000 milesRelated service bulletins
- 11029893Feb 13, 2026This bulletin includes basic procedures for performing a rescue charge on Ni-MH high voltage (HV) batteries. This bulletin should be used in conjunction with the applicable model…
- 11029892Feb 13, 2026OBSOLETE NOTICE February 13, 2026: This bulletin is now obsolete. Please see T-SB-0009-26.
- 10179764Aug 11, 2020TSB: OBSOLETE NOTICE August 11, 2020: This bulletin is no longer applicable and is now obsolete.
- 10179720Aug 11, 2020TSB: OBSOLETE NOTICE August 11, 2020: This bulletin is no longer applicable and is now obsolete.
- 10179703Aug 8, 2020TSB: OBSOLETE NOTICE August 08, 2020: This bulletin is no longer applicable and is now obsolete.
- 10164330Jul 1, 2019TSB: REVISION NOTICE July 01, 2019 Rev2: ? Applicability has been updated to 2019 ? 2020 model year Toyota vehicles. ? The Techstream Preparation and Process Overview sections…
- 10149217Sep 14, 2016TSB: Supersession Notice. Flash reprogramming allows the ECU software to be updated without replacing the ECU. Flash calibration updates for specific vehicle models/ECUs are…
- 10134223Sep 15, 2015TT: The vehicle may be difficult to start or have an abnormally low or rough idle after the battery has been disconnected or power to the Engine ECM has been interrupted.
- 10096556Sep 15, 2015Tt: the vehicle may be difficult to start or have an abnormally low or rough idle after the battery has been disconnected or power to the engine ecm has been interrupted.
- 10132529Aug 24, 2015TechTip: Condition - The vehicle may be difficult to start or have an abnormally low or rough idle after the battery has been disconnected or power to the Engine ECM has been…
Engine: other model years
| Year | Complaints | Share of year |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 2 | 8% |
| 2021 | 2 | 33% |
| 2020 | 1 | 7% |
| 2019 | 6 | 20% |
| 2018 | 3 | 8% |
| 2017 | 12 | 13% |
| 2016 | 17 | 11% |
| 2015 | 8 | 5% |
| 2014 | 17 | 8% |
| 2013 | 37 | 9% |
| 2012 | 31 | 7% |
| 2011 | 47 | 9% |
| 2010 | 140 | 5% |
| 2009 | 19 | 4% |
| 2008 | 49 | 3% |
| 2007 | 37 | 2% |
| 2006 | 25 | 2% |
| 2005 | 15 | 1% |
| 2004 | 9 | 1% |
| 2001 | 2 | 1% |
Other parts of the 2005 Toyota Prius
346 complaintsBrakes
282 complaintsElectrical system
178 complaintsVehicle speed control
109 complaintsEngine cooling
64 complaintsOther or unknown
56 complaintsAir bags
44 complaintsTransmission and drivetrain
41 complaintsSteering
39 complaintsFuel system
28 complaintsElectronic stability control
20 complaintsVisibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors)
15 complaints
← All problems reported for the 2005 Toyota Prius
About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 27, 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