2007 Toyota Prius Transmission and drivetrain Problems
- Complaints
- 41about this part
- Share
- 2%of 2,004 total for the year
- Median mileage
- 54,317miles
- Trend
- FallingComplaints filed in the last 3 full calendar years are at least 25% lower than in the 3 years before.
NHTSA recorded 41 complaints about the transmission and drivetrain of the 2007 Toyota Prius, 2% of the 2,004 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 54,317 miles. 4 of these say a crash was involved and 1 a fire, according to the filers.
Example complaints
Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.
“My 2007 Toyota Prius will not stay in gear off an on. It will go into reverse or drive for a few seconds then pop into neutral. This has happened 9 times in the last 2 weeks and always on a hot day after being parked at work. I have to drive home while holding the shift lever in gear. Sometimes if this happens and I turn off the air conditioning it will stay in gear, but not always. Is this a gear shift lever problem?”
NHTSA complaint #10416305, filed 2011-07, 48,000 miles“I've complained -- with no response or help -- to a Toyota dealer about 2 concerns I have with my 2007 Prius that I've always believed were manufacturer/design defects: 1) the brakes skip when I hit a pothole, especially the one I traverse every weekday turning into my worksite. …”
NHTSA complaint #10306587, filed 2010-02, 300 miles“Our daughter was driving our 2007 Toyota Prius to work in the dark in rush hour on the highway, driving straight, at highway speed, in los angeles, and the instrument panel instantly blacked out, with the car completely dead and halted. It could not even be shifted into neutral! The car stopped right in the middle of the highway. She called 911, and a wrecker was dispatched to lift the car off the freeway. Thankfully she was not injured or killed! I then researched the likely cause and diagnosed it exactly. It was the hybrid water pump also known as the inverter pump, part #g9020-47031. …”
NHTSA complaint #11302378, filed 2020-01, 162,000 miles“Several near miss incidents due to no acceleration on slippery surfaces - wheels do not even spin to no traction is even possible. This is especially so when pulling into traffic on snowy days. Simply unable to get out of the way of oncoming traffic. Toyota dealer tells me this is normal. I am 63 and of all the vehicles I have owned, this Prius is the only one with this problem. I could be dead, or someone else could be dead.”
NHTSA complaint #10304812, filed 2010-02, 20,000 miles“I was driving about 35 MPH on a city street when the car suddenly shifted into neutral. I tried to put it back in drive, but it kept shifting back into neutral. Luckily there was enough distance between me and the car behind me was that it didn't result in an accident. I held the gearshift in drive with my right hand and steered with my left until I was able to turn off of the street into a parking lot. I could not put the car in park. I pressed the park button and nothing happened. I turned the car off, waited a minute and started it again. …”
NHTSA complaint #11003900, filed 2017-07, 100,600 milesRelated service bulletins
- 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…
- 10134454Aug 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…
- 10109403Oct 16, 2014TSB: World Standard (WS) Automatic Transmission Fluid (ATF) was introduced to reduce maintenance costs and increase the mileage between scheduled maintenance checks. Here are…
- 10133836Feb 20, 2013This bulletin contains general vehicle pulling diagnosis and repair procedures along with specific information to help correct pulling complaints.
Transmission and drivetrain: other model years
| Year | Complaints | Share of year |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2 | 13% |
| 2024 | 1 | 4% |
| 2023 | 3 | 14% |
| 2022 | 1 | 4% |
| 2020 | 1 | 7% |
| 2019 | 2 | 7% |
| 2018 | 2 | 5% |
| 2017 | 4 | 4% |
| 2016 | 15 | 10% |
| 2015 | 13 | 8% |
| 2014 | 6 | 3% |
| 2013 | 14 | 3% |
| 2012 | 21 | 5% |
| 2011 | 18 | 3% |
| 2010 | 79 | 3% |
| 2009 | 22 | 4% |
| 2008 | 54 | 4% |
| 2007 | 41 | 2% |
| 2006 | 22 | 2% |
| 2005 | 41 | 4% |
| 2004 | 34 | 6% |
| 2003 | 5 | 5% |
| 2002 | 9 | 5% |
| 2001 | 5 | 3% |
Other parts of the 2007 Toyota Prius
1,060 complaintsBrakes
331 complaintsElectrical system
248 complaintsBody and structure
184 complaintsVehicle speed control
124 complaintsOther or unknown
105 complaintsAir bags
50 complaintsLatches, locks and linkages
42 complaintsEngine
37 complaintsElectronic stability control
34 complaintsSteering
34 complaintsFuel system
28 complaints
← All problems reported for the 2007 Toyota Prius
About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 31, 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