IllustrationCOMPUTER FAILED. *JB
2003 Toyota Prius
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Similar to other model years
Owner complaints for the 2003 Toyota Prius do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 164.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Prius years →Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
All reported categories
Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
170–25K
1225–50K
1350–75K
1175–100K
19100–150K
9150K+
81 reports with mileage · 18 unknown
NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.
What to inspect
Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.
- Steering. Review the 39 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Electrical System. Review the 13 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Engine And Engine Cooling. Review the 11 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
5 crash reports0 fire reports5 injury reports
Electrical System complaints
13 reportsTOYOTA PRIUS HYBRID 1. TIRE BLOW OUT WITH THE RIGHT PSI AND CLEAR BEAUTIFUL DAY. DEALER WILL NOT WARRANTY OR CHANGE TIRE. 2. THE CAR STOP AND STARTED RUNNING ONLY ON ELECTRICAL SERVICE. CALL TOYOTA DEALER AND THEY ASK ME TO START THE CAR THREE TIMES AND IT WILL GO AWAY. I DID IT AND DROVE TO THE DEALER THEY EXPLAINED TO ME TH…
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TOYOTA PRIUS HYBRID 1. TIRE BLOW OUT WITH THE RIGHT PSI AND CLEAR BEAUTIFUL DAY. DEALER WILL NOT WARRANTY OR CHANGE TIRE. 2. THE CAR STOP AND STARTED RUNNING ONLY ON ELECTRICAL SERVICE. CALL TOYOTA DEALER AND THEY ASK ME TO START THE CAR THREE TIMES AND IT WILL GO AWAY. I DID IT AND DROVE TO THE DEALER THEY EXPLAINED TO ME THAT THE HUMIDITY WAS CAUSING THE PROBLEM. THIS HAD HAPPEN ABOUT FOUR TIMES AND EVERY TIME THE HUMIDITY WAS HIGH BUT THIS IS AND INCONVENIENCE NOT JUST TO ME BUT MY WIFE. ONE OF THIS DAYS THE EASY FIXING WILL NOT WORK THEM WHAT? *JB
2003 TOYOTA PRIUS GAS ENGINE STALLED, WARNING LIGHTS CAME ON ALL OVER THE SCREEN, AND IT WOULD ONLY DRIVE ON "BATTERY POWER." AFTER STOPPING, I TURNED THE CAR OFF BUT IT WOULD NOT RE-START IMMEDIATELY. AFTER A FEW TRIES AND THEN WAITING, THE GAS ENGINE STARTED WHEN I TURNED THE KEY. DURING THE TIME IT WAS RUNNING ON BATTERY, AIR…
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2003 TOYOTA PRIUS GAS ENGINE STALLED, WARNING LIGHTS CAME ON ALL OVER THE SCREEN, AND IT WOULD ONLY DRIVE ON "BATTERY POWER." AFTER STOPPING, I TURNED THE CAR OFF BUT IT WOULD NOT RE-START IMMEDIATELY. AFTER A FEW TRIES AND THEN WAITING, THE GAS ENGINE STARTED WHEN I TURNED THE KEY. DURING THE TIME IT WAS RUNNING ON BATTERY, AIR CONDITIONER WAS BLOWING HOT AIR. AFTER GAS ENGINE RE-STARTED, AIR CONDITIONER BLEW COLD AIR. TOYOTA SERVICE SAID THEY HAD NEVER SEEN ANYTHING LIKE WHAT WAS ON THE SCREEN THEY DIAGNOSED AND SAID IT WAS THE COMPUTER AND ORDERED PARTS. THEY WERE ALSO THINKING THE BATTERY HAD SOMETHING TO DO WITH IT. 1. THEY MAY NOT HAVE DIAGNOSED MY CAR CORRECTLY SINCE THEY DO NOT KNOW ABOUT THIS RECALL, AND MAY NOT FIX IT CORRECTLY (INCLUDING PUTTING GREASE ON CERTAIN WIRES). AND 2. THAT NEWS REPORTS IN THE U.S. SAY IT IS 2004 AND 2005 PRIUSES WHICH ARE AFFECTED, SO 2003 OWNERS MAY NOT GET LETTERS TO TAKE THEIR CAR IN ON THIS RECALL. THIS COULD RESULT IN PEOPLE BEING KILLED. I WANT SERVICE DEPT TO UNDERSTAND THAT PRIUS 2003 OWNERS MAY NOT BE NOTIFIED BECAUSE TOYOTA MAY NOT BE AWARE THAT THEY ALSO HAVE THE PROBLEM. THEY SHOULD INFORM TOYOTA THEY HAVE A 2003 IN FOR REPAIR WITH SAME PROBLEM AS 2004-2005 CARS. I AM CONCERNED THEY MAY NOT DO REPAIRS ON MY CAR IN ACCORDANCE WITH WHAT IS SPECIFIED ON THE RECALL EVEN IF I DID NOT GET A LETTER. THIS UPSETS ME AND IT ALSO SCARES ME. I AM SURE TOYOTA WOULD NOTIFY SERVICE & OWNERS IF THEY WERE AWARE IT ALSO AFFECTS 2003 PRIUS'. SO I WANT YOU TO MAKE THEM AWARE OF IT AND BE SURE THEY SEND THE 2003 OWNERS LETTERS TOO. *NM
Official recalls
111V304000 · Steering:electric Power Assist System
Jun 1, 2011
TOYOTA IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2001 THROUGH 2003 PRIUS PASSENGER CARS MANUFACTURED FROM JANUARY 28, 2000, THROUGH MAY 30, 2003. THE STEERING LINKAGE MAY LOOSEN, RESULTING IN REDUCED ELECTRIC STEERING ASSISTANCE WHEN MAKING A LEFT TURN.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: LOSS OF POWER STEERING, PARTICULARLY WHEN AN OPERATOR IS ACTIVELY INTENDING TO STEER THE VEHICLE, MAY INCREASE THE RISK OF A CRASH.
Remedy: TOYOTA WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE NUTS IN THE STEERING LINKAGE FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON JULY 8, 2011. OWNERS MAY CONTACT TOYOTA AT 1-800-331-4331.
Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗
NHTSA investigations
1DP22005 · Pedestrian Alert Sounds
Opened Jan 27, 2023 · Closed Aug 7, 2023
Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Electrical System:propulsion System
NHTSA received a petition on or about July 18, 2022, requesting that Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 141 be applied to all electric and hybrid vehicles operating in the United States. The petition can be reviewed at NHTSA.gov under ODI Number 11486072. FMVSS 141 establishes performance requirements for pedestrian alert sounds for motor vehicles. The standard applies to hybrid and electric vehicles that have a gross vehicle weight rating of 4,536 KG or less or are defined as low-speed vehicles. The standard became fully applicable to all such vehicles manufactured on or after March 1, 2021.On January 27, 2023, NHTSA opened Defect Petition (DP) 22-005 to evaluate the subject matter described in the petition. On June 24, 2023 and as supplemented on June 25, 2023, the petitioner notified NHTSA he was withdrawing his petition. The petitioner indicated that, based on his review of data, there is no justification for asserting potential benefits that could be derived from actions sought by my petition. Based on the petitioner's withdrawal, DP22-005 is closed. Closure of this DP does not represent a determination by NHTSA regarding the subject matter of the petition.