2004 Toyota Prius Recalls, Complaints & Specs

6 safety recalls list the 2004 Toyota Prius, and owners have filed 610 complaints with NHTSA. Check your own VIN below.

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6 safety recalls for the 2004 Toyota Prius

Most recent first. Recall repairs are free at any authorised dealer. Click a recall for the full defect, consequence and remedy text.

1. Inverter (hybrid propulsion system) and engine and engine cooling

   NHTSA 12V536000 Reported November 14, 2012 350,662 vehicles potentially affected Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing

   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…

   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…

2. Shaft sector (steering) and steering

   NHTSA 12V537000 Reported November 14, 2012 669,705 vehicles potentially affected Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing

   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…

   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…

3. Accelerator pedal (vehicle speed control)

   NHTSA 09V388000 Reported October 5, 2009 4,445,056 vehicles potentially affected TOYOTA MOTOR NORTH AMERICA, INC.

   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…

4. Electric power assist system (steering)

   NHTSA 06V188000 Reported May 31, 2006 170,856 vehicles potentially affected TOYOTA MOTOR NORTH AMERICA, INC.

   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.

5. Air bags

   NHTSA 06V096000 Reported April 3, 2006 133 vehicles potentially affected TOYOTA MOTOR NORTH AMERICA, INC.

   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…

   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.

6. Switch (exterior lighting)

   NHTSA 04V558000 Reported November 22, 2004 183,090 vehicles potentially affected TOYOTA MOTOR NORTH AMERICA, INC.

   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.

610 owner complaints filed with NHTSA

Owners of the 2004 Toyota Prius have filed 610 complaints with NHTSA; 38 describe a crash and 2 describe a fire. Reports cite 29 injuries and 0 deaths. The average mileage at failure in those reports is 76,788 miles. Complaints peaked in 2005 with 172 filed that year.

Most-reported components

• Exterior lighting164
• Electrical system153
• Vehicle speed control48
• Engine and engine cooling45
• Engine and engine cooling: engine29
• Service brakes, hydraulic24
• Service brakes21
• Power train18

What owners are reporting

“Codes C1256 and C1391 ACC low pressure and abnormal leak of ACC press”

Owner complaint to NHTSA, September 24, 2025 · Service brakes

“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 th”

Owner complaint to NHTSA, July 21, 2025 · Electrical system

Fuel economy and specs

EPA ratings for the 2004 Toyota Prius. Ranges cover every tested configuration.

Compare Toyota Prius model years

Recall and complaint counts for every Toyota Prius model year in NHTSA's database.

Checking a specific 2004 Toyota Prius

Other Toyota models

• Camry18,189 complaints
• Corolla11,739 complaints
• RAV49,385 complaints
• Sienna8,549 complaints
• Tacoma8,440 complaints
• Tundra6,922 complaints
• Highlander5,745 complaints
• 4Runner4,860 complaints

Source: NHTSA recall and complaint databases and EPA fuel economy data, October 2026. Complaint counts are owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects. Recall counts are safety campaigns that list this model year; whether a particular car was already repaired depends on its VIN. How this data is compiled.