2004 Toyota Prius: problems, recalls and reliability
6 recalls and 610 owner complaints on record; the weakest area is exterior lighting (29% of complaints); the 2002 and 2003 model years look more trouble-free.
Data updated weekly · latest recall Nov 2012
All counts are reports filed with NHTSA in the United States - US market only, not worldwide totals.
Common problems
Computed from 610 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for this exact model year.
“The odometer on my 2004 Prius stops at 299,999. This is a known problem in the 04-05 models that was corrected in 2006. Leaves me unable to track miles for maintenance and other uses. This also has the problem with the entire digital dash going dark which means no speedometer or gas gauge. Making the vehicle almost unable to be driven safely at this point. I have reached out to Toyota and they verify that it was an issue with this year range but because I have owned it too long they don't do anything about it”Owner report · Electrical System · Jul 2025
“The contact owns a 2004 Toyota Prius. The contact stated while driving 51 MPH, the vehicle experienced phantom braking and a loss of power steering assist with the engine overheating message displayed. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 154,079.”Owner report · Steering · Jun 2022
“Brake actuator went out and dealer said toyota used to cover it, but not anymore. I searched the internet and discovered this [part is bad in most prius vehicles and toyota extended the coverage on the 2010-2015 until august 31, 2021. Unfortunately my car is 2004 and does not get the benefit of the extension. The cost to repair is almost $4,000. Toyota knows of this issue and should repair my car as they are with the other years 2010-2015. This is a driver safety issue.”Owner report · Service Brakes · May 2021
Show 7 more owner reports
“My left headlight goes off but if I turn the headlights back off and back on it comes back on. The headlight is not burned out. This happens while on the freeway in the dark while raining. This happens intermittently and not all the time.”Owner report · Exterior Lighting · Nov 2020
“All the instrument cluster lights continue to go out on my 04 prius. I don't know how much fuel I have this could be a safety issue. I don't know how fast I'm going this could definitely be a safety issue. And zero warning lights come on this is definitely a safety issue. By looking on the internet I can tell thousands of priuses have this exact same issue with the instrument panel cluster going out. This should definitely be a recall.”Owner report · Electrical System · Nov 2020
“Headlights occasionally go out at random while driving. Began with driver side, very intermittent, became more frequent, now also includes passenger side. Both have gone out at the same time while driving at night twice. Turning all lights off briefly and back on will re-illuminate the headlights. Problem first occurred several months ago and has gotten progressively more frequent. Now, once light(s) goes out during a drive, it will continue to do so repeatedly every few minutes. Very dangerous.”Owner report · Electrical System · Apr 2020
“Combination meter is black 90% of the time. Restarting engine or disconnecting battery only works on occasion. Have safety concerns.”Owner report · Electrical System · Dec 2019
“Brake actuator assembly malfunctioned, and had to be replaced, just as predicted in toyota's warranty enhancement zg1. Toyota knows the part is defective, but they refused to replace it until it failed, and mine did not fail until after the extended warranty deadline. This failure happened on I-45 near madisonville and I had to pull off the road because a warning light brake light went on.”Owner report · Service Brakes · Aug 2019
“When driving down the road all of a sudden we tried to use the brakes and it felt like we only had 10% of our braking ability. The brake light came on and ABS light went on and the stability control light came on as well as a warning buzzer. It felt like we had manual brakes.”Owner report · Service Brakes · May 2019
“Tl* the contact owns a 2004 toyota prius. The contact stated that the power steering warning indicator illuminated. The vehicle was serviced per NHTSA campaign number: 12v537000 (steering) by balise toyota (1399 riverdale st, west springfield, ma 01089, (413) 306-3037), but the remedy failed to repair the vehicle. The contact mentioned that the power steering warning indicator illuminated after the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 138,000.”Owner report · Steering · Apr 2019
When filing, owners marked a crash in 38 of these complaints and injuries in 29 - self-reported to NHTSA, not verified accident statistics.
Recalls - 6 campaigns
TOYOTA IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2004-2010 PASSENGER VEHICLES. THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL CAN GET STUCK IN THE WIDE OPEN POSITION DUE TO ITS BEING TRAPPED BY AN UNSECURED OR INCOMPATIBLE DRIVER'S FLOOR MAT.
Remedy: TOYOTA FILED AN AMENDED DEFECT REPORT ON NOVEMBER 25, 2009, STATING THAT DEALERS WILL MODIFY THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL AND, ON CERTAIN VEHICLES, ALTER THE SHAPE OF THE FLOOR SURFACE UNDER THE PEDAL. THESE CHANGES ADDRESS THE RISK OF PEDAL ENTRAPMENT DUE TO INTERFERENCE WITH THE FLOOR MAT. REDESIGNED ACCELERATOR PEDALS WILL BECOME AVAILABLE BEGINNING IN APRIL 2010 AND DEALERS WILL REPLACE ANY MODIFIED PEDAL WITH THE NEW PEDAL IF DESIRED. ALSO, DEALERS WILL REPLACE ANY GENUINE TOYOTA OR LEXUS ALL-WEATHER FLOOR MATS WITH REDESIGNED ALL-WEATHER MATS, OR REPURCHASE THE PREVIOUS MATS FROM OWNERS WHO DO NOT WANT THE NEW ONES. ADDITIONALLY, SOFTWARE MODIFICATIONS WILL BE INSTALLED ON CAMRY, AVALON AND LEXUS ES 350, IS 350 AND IS 250 MODELS THAT WILL ENSURE THAT THE BRAKE OVERRIDES THE ACCELERATOR IN THE EVENT BOTH BRAKE AND ACCELERATOR PEDALS ARE APPLIED. TOYOTA WILL BEGIN MAILING LETTERS TO OWNERS ON DECEMBER 31, 2009. OWNERS MAY CONTACT TOYOTA AT 1-800-331-4331, LEXUS AT 1-800-255-3987.
Toyota is recalling certain model year 2004-2009 Prius vehicles manufactured August 6, 2003, through March 30, 2009 and FCHV-adv vehicles manufactured December 12, 2008, through September 13, 2011. During manufacturing, a scratch may have occurred inside of the electrically driven water pump at the coil wire. The coil wire may corrode at the scratched portion.
Remedy: Toyota will notify its owners, and dealers will replace the electric water pump, free of charge. The recall began on January 17, 2013. Owners may contact their Toyota dealer or the Toyota Customer Experience Center at 1-800-331-4331.
Toyota is recalling certain model year 2004-2009 Prius vehicles manufactured August 5, 2003, through March 30, 2009. The affected vehicles have a steering intermediate extension shaft assembly built with metal splines that complete the connection from the steering wheel to the steering gear. These splines may have been manufactured with an insufficient hardness.
Remedy: Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the extension shaft and replace it if it is one with insufficient hardness, free of charge. The recall began during December 2012. Owners may contact their Toyota dealer or the Toyota Customer Experience Center at 1-800-331-4331.
CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES MAY BE EQUIPPED WITH AN IMPROPERLY DESIGNED BRAKE LIGHT SWITCH. A SILICON OXIDE BUILD-UP OCCURS ON THE CONTACTS INSIDE THE BRAKE LIGHT SWITCH, WHICH CAN MAKE IT INOPERABLE.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE BRAKE LIGHT SWITCH. THE RECALL BEGAN DURING DECEMBER 2004. OWNERS SHOULD CONTACT TOYOTA AT 1-800-331-4331.
THE INTERMEDIATE SHAFT AND SLIDING YOKE IN THE ELECTRIC POWER STEERING SYSTEM CAN CRACK WHEN LARGE FORCES ARE APPLIED AND THE CONNECTION MAY SEPARATE OR THE SLEEVE MAY FRACTURE.
Remedy: TOYOTA WILL REPLACE THE STEERING INTERMEDIATE SHAFT AND INSPECT THE SLIDING YOKE AND REPLACE IT IF NECESSARY. THE RECALL BEGAN ON JUNE 9, 2006. OWNERS MAY CONTACT TOYOTA AT 1-800-331-4331.
ON CERTAIN VEHICLES, DUE TO IMPROPER ASSEMBLY OF THE AIR BAG INFLATOR, WHICH IS USED IN THE SIDE AIR BAG, THE CURTAIN SHIELD AIR BAG, AND THE KNEE AIR BAG ASSEMBLY, SOME INFLATORS WERE PRODUCED WITH AN INSUFFICIENT AMOUNT OF THE HEATING AGENTS NECESSARY FOR PROPER AIR BAG DEPLOYMENT. IN THIS CONDITION, THE EXPANSION FORCE OF THE GAS MAY BE INSUFFICIENT TO PROPERLY INFLATE THE AIR BAG WHEN THE SRS SYSTEM IS ACTIVATED DURING A CRASH.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE SPECIFIC SRS AIR BAG. THE RECALL BEGAN ON APRIL 6, 2006. OWNERS MAY CONTACT TOYOTA AT 1-888-270-9371, SCION AT 1-866-548-1851, OR LEXUS AT 1-800-255-3987.
Trouble codes owners mention
OBD-II codes that appear in NHTSA complaints about this car.
How other years compare
Check your exact Prius by VIN
Recalls and equipment differ between individual vehicles. Decode your VIN to see what applies to yours.
Open VIN decoderFrequently asked questions
Is the 2004 Toyota Prius reliable?
NHTSA has 610 owner complaints and 6 recall campaigns on record for the 2004 Toyota Prius. The most complained-about area is exterior lighting (29% of complaints).
At what mileage do 2004 Toyota Prius problems usually appear?
Half of the complaints that mention mileage were filed at 75,000 miles or less.
Does the 2004 Toyota Prius have open recalls?
6 recall campaigns have been issued, the latest concerning vehicle speed control:accelerator pedal. Check your specific vehicle by VIN - recall repairs are free at franchised dealers.
Source: NHTSA recall campaigns and owner complaints (public domain). Counts reflect reports on file and are not a defect rate.