Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (accessories, trailer hitches and other equipment).
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).
I was driving home from work on the morning of August 16th, 2008 when my 2007 Prius began to hydroplane. I struck the left guardrail , spun right and then the car catapulted across the interstate. I hit a concrete barrier and the car then rolled onto its left driver side and skidded maybe 100'. I chalked it up to the roads being wet but the odd thing was that the car accelerated once I hit the left guard rail and started to cross over the interstate. At this point, the brakes and steering would not work. I crashed head on into the concrete barrier on the right side of the interstate. My story sounds very much like some of the posts I have read. It is frightening that so many people have experienced the same ordeal and that Toyota continues to deny it and blame it on the floor mats!
Complaint is in regard to the Toyota Prius navigational system. It has a GPS system, but entries are blocked unless the car is stationary. I drive our nation's major highways and have to pull over to the shoulder to make an entry (nearest restaurant, hotel, tourist attraction, etc.). An officer pulled over and said that my constant pulling over is creating a safety hazard. I've seen other cars pulling over and stopped to talk to them and they are also trying to enter something in a Toyota vehicle GPS. I agree that blocking the driving from entering into the GPS is a prudent safety feature. But in all the cases I described, it was the passenger who was doing the navigation. I've read on the internet that a large number of people are trying to cut into the wiring of the car or change it's program by hacking into the service screens. All of these create potential safety hazards. …
I suspect the current Toyota recall is more than a floor mat malfunction. I own an '07 Prius. Ninety percent of the time the car shuts down immediately upon "firmly & briefly" depressing the power button, precisely as described in the owner's manual. However, about 10% of the time it does not shut down on the first push, and will move forward when I take my foot off the brake. I have to push the power button a second time to stop the engine. The dealer actually told me I should push the "park" button before pushing the power button to turn the car off. It says nothing about doing that in the manual. Now they're saying you should hold the power button 3 seconds to turn off the car? The manual says (p. …
The headlights on the 2007 Prius turn off by them self. If you turn them off and back on they will be back on and turn off again, this is how I know it is not a lose wire. I worked with a fleet of Prius and Lexus hybrid cars. The Prius has had this issue since 2006. Multiple cars wit the same symptoms. The Toyota dealership charges you up to $ 1,700 + to fix this issue. There are forums all over the net discussing this issue and many concern drivers on the road that do not know how to utilize the power of the internet. This is no longer a money issue, it has become a safety issue now. Police have ticketed me over 5 times and I have gone to Toyota and they charge me thousands. Last week I almost ran over a little girl on a bike at dusk ...when I stopped and asked if she was OK she replied " I didn't see your lights sir, I am sorry" .
This is not one incident, it happens whenever the road is slick (rain, or even sprinkler runoff!) or if I drive over a pothole--the power to the wheels is cut and the engine feels like it is going to stall. It is extremely difficult and nervewracking to drive while it is raining. The most dangerous times that this happens is when I am at a signal, making a right turn I need power to the engine to merge into traffic, and make sure that oncoming traffic is not interrupted. There have been times that I feel like my car won't "go" or hesitates when I need it to go! And if it's this bad in wet conditions, I would never even consider driving the Prius in snowy conditions. I have read that this is all due to a problem in the traction control system. Very unsafe!!
My 2007 Prius has the HID headlamps, which are too costly to repair and will randomly go out while driving at night...clearly dangerous. I try to have the bulbs replaced and Toyota dealer says its a 200.00 to 300.00 dollar job to repair (money that I do not have) while the car was still under warranty the las vegas dealer fixed the issue ( or I thought they did) but less then two years later I am having the same problem and now Toyota will not repair it cause it is not under warranty. This is wrong they tried and failed to fix now I guess I am no longer a good customer. Why will they not fix a danger situation. [redacted]
My 2007 Prius has the exact brake failure described in the news reports of the past few days. When I approach a stop sign on a rough road and apply the brakes, there are no brakes for a brief interval. I have not had an accident but a few close calls. I think the investigation should be expanded to all model years, not just the 2010 Prius. I thought maybe it was just an ABS issue but I had another car with ABS and never had this interval of no brakes.
Tl contact owns a 2007 Toyota Prius. While driving less than 1 MPH, the cd track menu will not display, however, the disc changer could be loaded and radio channels could be adjusted. The dealer stated that the visibility of the menu was hidden because NHTSA stated that viewing the menu while driving was a safety risk. The current mileage was 5,600 and failure mileage was 12. Updated 10/24/07
Two instances of runaway acceleration within the first month I owned my 2007 Prius (October - November 2006) poo pooed by the dealer. Said they knew nothing about any such problem. Googled it and it was all over the net even then. Still blaming it on the floor mats which they sold to me specifically for my car that were included in the purchase price. Glad this is now getting media attention.
The hatchback release latch of my 2007 Toyota Prius has degraded ("melted" almost). It no longer functions properly, and I am unable to open the back hatch door easily. Sometimes it requires considerable effort to get it open. I am concerned that in the case of an emergency, I will not be able to get the door open. This is a major cause for concern and it is a serious safety hazard.
Related recalls
Equipment › Other › Labels
Southeast Toyota is recalling certain model year 2005-2011 passenger vehicles for failing to comply with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 110, "tire selection and rims." these vehicles were sold without the requisite load carrying capacity modification labels.
Remedy: Dealers will mail to consumers the corrected label or the customer will have the option for dealers to install the label free of charge. The safety recall began on May 27, 2010.
Equipment complaints in other Prius years
Frequently asked questions
How common are equipment problems on the 2007 Toyota Prius?
NHTSA has 21 complaints about the equipment & accessories of the 2007 Toyota Prius, 1% of the model year's 2,003 complaints. The component named most often is electrical › navigational system(global positioning system) (1 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2007 Toyota Prius equipment problems?
Yes — NHTSA recall 10V-036 (labels, Feb 3, 2010). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.
At what mileage do 2007 Toyota Prius equipment problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 25,000 miles, and 50% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 1 crash, 0 fires and 1 injury to equipment & accessories 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.