Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (accelerator pedal, throttle, sudden acceleration, cruise control).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2007 Toyota Prius owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
Instrument panel cluster failure. Panel goes black while driving and lose power. Vehicle won't start or shut off. My vehicle was getting serviced at the dealership and they couldn't start the vehicle. I was told the instrument panel cluster was the problem. I contacted Toyota Customer Service, and was told they were aware of the issue. They had issued an extended warranty and sent out a letter to all owners this warranty has expired in 2016. If you purchased your vehicle after 2016 you would not have received any notice regarding this. While driving you can't see you speed, your gear selection, fuel level, lights and no warning lights. The warning is that your vehicle won't start or shut off.
instrument cluster panel goes completely out and blank, speedometer lost, and dash lights gone and causing other issues such as not being able to turn off vehicle, loss of cruise control, unable to open trunk, navigation screen unable to turn off, backup camera not functioning, front lights going on and off while driving at night.
On Tuesday, May 26, 2015 at 5:04 pm while traveling at about 57 MPH south on hi way 101 at about the mile post 255.5, my 2007 Toyota Prius suddenly and without any change in steering by me, veered to the right off the road and into the guardrail. There seemed to be no reaction to my frantic steering and braking in the attempt to return the car to the road. After the car hit the guardrail it traveled about 15 feet spun back out into the southbound lane and was hit on the rear right side by a car traveling in the southbound lane. This caused the car to be propelled across 2 northbound lanes of traffic and come to rest with rear of my car embedded into the far side guardrail. Miraculously no one was hurt. The police were called and my 61 year perfect driving record was ruined. My car was totaled by the insurance company...updated 08/27/15 update 9/15/15 updated 4/21/20
While backing slowly into a parking spot of an inner city supermarket in a busy residential area the car suddenly accelerated. It went over a 1 ft concrete curb limiter into the street and after a 180 degree loop in reverse I finally hit the e-brake hard while at the same time I ran over a pedestrian traffic light and hit a tree with the rear passenger side to a full stop. Air bags did not deploy. During all this period of probably less than 10 seconds the foot brake was not responding any more. After impact the engine did not start anymore and the car was towed from the scene.
Tl* the contact owns a 2007 Toyota Prius. The contact stated that while driving at low speeds, the vehicle experienced unintended acceleration which resulted in a crash in the garage. The failure occurred on two occasions. There were no injuries. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 79,626. Updated 01/21/16
1. My partner left work at @ 4 pm and started to drive home. It was a clear day with no precipitation. He was about a mile away from work proceeding west on nj state route 561 when he came to a stop 1-2 feet behind a truck at a stoplight. He had his foot on the brake. 2. He was caught off guard as the car accelerated forward into the truck ahead of him without his doing anything to the accelerator. Damage was caused to the trucks bumper and to the Prius' bumper and hood. We had never had this occur in the car and had no other problems prior to this incident. 3. In the split-second he had to react, he jammed his foot on the brake and tried to deploy the p button on the dash, but the p button did not engage nor light up as green. A police report was made and the car was driven home. …
The traction-control system in the Prius is, I believe, dangerous. When the slightest degree of wheel slip is detected, it essentially shuts off power to the wheels for a moment. On a number of occasions, when accelerating to merge in with traffic on a wet road, the system's reaction has slowed me down to what I believe is a dangerous extent. On a couple of occasions, I have ended up stuck in snow because the system is so eager to keep me from spinning wheels at all. I contacted Toyota, and their reply was to the effect that this system is designed to protect the drive train, and that they are not going to do anything to remedy what I see as a dangerous flaw. The only conceivable way such a system could be protecting the drive train would be by limiting engine RPM to a safe point; however, the system goes far beyond just keeping RPM down. …
Parking my Prius, my foot on the brake pedal, I hit a very small patch of black ice with the right front wheel. The car slanted briefly to the left--then there was a sudden surge of engine power. The car rushed over a mound of ice and snow, jumped the curb, rushed forward between a wall and a tree, narrowly missing it, and crashed into a parked Toyota truck facing outward from the curb. My Prius hit the heavy truck with enough force to knock it six feet for their north and three feet to the west. After impact, the engine continued to make a lot of noise, a sound I've never heard before in seven years of driving the car. It was attempting to surge past the truck, which I believe caused the most damage to the front left bumper of the car. I was stunned and didn't think to turn off the ignition before it quit on its own after perhaps ten seconds. …
On May 16, 2015, while driving my second-generation 2007 Toyota Prius on the freeway, I experienced a sudden loss of power, along with the illumination on the instrument panel of the malfunction indicator light, master warning light and hybrid warning light. I was able to maneuver the car to the side of the road and summon emergency help. A nearby Toyota dealership replaced the hybrid inverter water pump, which fixed the problem. However, the dealership did not advise me of a safety recall. Toyota customer experience center today stated that the original hybrid inverter water pump was replaced on April 7, 2011, under Toyota limited service notice a0n; hence, Toyota refused my phone request for reimbursement of my May, 2015, repair expense. …
Tl* the contact owns a 2007 Toyota Prius. The contact attempted to park the vehicle into the residence garage, driving at approximately 2 MPH. Suddenly, there was an unintended acceleration. The brakes were engaged and the vehicle continued to accelerate causing the vehicle to crash into a closet in the garage. The contact suffered injury to the neck area. The vehicle front bumper sustained damages. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer where the technician was unable to duplicate the failure. The identical failures occurred on two separate occasions with no injuries. In addition, the contact experienced malfunctions with the automatic ignition switch, windshield wipers, and the front driver and passenger side automatic window mechanism. The failures occurred sporadically. The vehicle had not been repaired at the time of the complaint. …
Related recalls
Vehicle speed control › Accelerator pedal
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.
Acceleration complaints in other Prius years
Frequently asked questions
How common are acceleration problems on the 2007 Toyota Prius?
NHTSA has 124 complaints about the speed control & acceleration of the 2007 Toyota Prius, 6% of the model year's 2,003 complaints. The component named most often is accelerator pedal (6 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2007 Toyota Prius acceleration problems?
Yes — NHTSA recall 09V-388 (accelerator pedal, Oct 5, 2009). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.
At what mileage do 2007 Toyota Prius acceleration problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 37,000 miles, and 33% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 40 crashes, 1 fire and 12 injuries and 1 death to speed control & acceleration problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.