IllustrationABS BRAKE FAILS FOR A SHORT TIME WHEN SLOWING AND HITTING A BUMP. THIS HAS OCCURRED INTERMITTENTLY SINCE PURCHASE (NEW) IN 2003. *TR
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
Service Brakes, Electric complaints
3 reports2203 TOYOTA PRIUS CST BRAKE LIGHT GOES ON INTERMITTENTLY HAD BRAKES REPLACED BY DEALER. BRAKES DID NOT FEEL OK BUT TOLD THIS WAS NORMAL. BRAKE PEDAL WENT TO FLOOR INTERMITTENTLY BUT NO BRAKE LIGHT CAME ON. AFTER CAR SLID THRU RED LIGHT AT INTERSECTION, CAR WAS BROUGHT BACK TO DEALER. REPLACED MASTER CYLINDER. BRAKES STILL DID …
Read full complaint
2203 TOYOTA PRIUS CST BRAKE LIGHT GOES ON INTERMITTENTLY HAD BRAKES REPLACED BY DEALER. BRAKES DID NOT FEEL OK BUT TOLD THIS WAS NORMAL. BRAKE PEDAL WENT TO FLOOR INTERMITTENTLY BUT NO BRAKE LIGHT CAME ON. AFTER CAR SLID THRU RED LIGHT AT INTERSECTION, CAR WAS BROUGHT BACK TO DEALER. REPLACED MASTER CYLINDER. BRAKES STILL DID NOT WORK. DEALER SAID BRAKE HOSES WERE SOFT & SWOLLEN AND BRAKE CONTROLLER STICKING. REPLACED BRAKE HOSES, FLUSHED LINES CAP. BLEEDER PLUG ACTUATOR ASSY. CAR HAS 67,000 MILES. *TR
THE BRAKE SYSTEM IN MY CAR FAILED. IT WAS FOUND LATER THAT BOTH THE COMPUTER AND PUM/ENGINE SYSTEM FOR THE BRAKES FAILED SIMULTANEOUSLY. I WAS CHARGED $2000 FOR REPAIRS. *TR
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.