2005 Toyota Prius Electrical System Problems
- 156
- Owner complaint records in our dataset
Records are owner complaints, not a measured failure rate.
Owner complaint recordsComplaint records reflect reports in our dataset and do not measure how frequently the problem occurs across all vehicles.
Among these 156 stored complaint records:
- 3 indicate a crash
- 4 indicate injury
- 2 indicate fire
What owners report
- combination meter · 12 records
- instrument panel · 9 records
- come back · 9 records
- both headlights · 9 records
- failure mileage · 7 records
- safety issue · 6 records
Mileage in stored records
| Band | Records |
|---|---|
| 100–150k mi | 36 |
| 150–400k mi | 32 |
| 1–30k mi | 30 |
| 60–100k mi | 23 |
| 30–60k mi | 14 |
Complaint records
Owner-submitted complaint content, presented as stored.
Electrical System · Exterior Lighting
Both of my prius headlights went off, for no apparent reason, while driving down a busy highway. Flicking them off and then back on brought them on again, but this is a dangerous situation. This has happened one more time since then. This could cause a serious accident. Toyota is unable to isolate the problem. The company wants to replace the bulbs, but this doesn't fix the problem, according to many other people…
ODI 10597093
Air Bags · Electrical System · Seat Belts
On 2/27/14 the srs indicator light in our vehicle lit up causing us to review the owner's manual, which recommended immediate service. Per technical service bulletin t-sb-0042-11, this issue was caused by failure of the wiring harness, which was diagnosed with scanner code b1826. According to the tsb, the design/material fault can occur in 2004-2009 priuses. The fault, according to a toyota service advisor, results…
ODI 10573627
Electrical System · Exterior Lighting
After a short period of time headlight flickers then goes out. Have to turn off then on, only to last a short time. Brand new bulbs. *tr
ODI 10560145
Electrical System
The dashboard screen goes blank. This has happened twice in the last couple of days. I can't tell how fast i'm going, how much gas is left, what gear i'm in, how much mileage is on the vehicle, whether or not the lights are on, etc. Toyota has a service notice about it, but my vehicle is just 2 months out of warranty. I didn't have this problem before while it was in warranty. It is extremely unsafe. *tr
ODI 10556333
Electrical System · Exterior Lighting · Visibility/Wiper
Intermittent failure of headlight (left and right, though not simultaneously). Problem can be temporarily corrected by turning headlights off, then on. This issue occurs while driving (twice within a one hour drive) and when the car has just been started. Fuses have been checked and headlight bulbs have been replaced with no resolution. *tr
ODI 10670298
Electrical System · Service Brakes
I had just had my oil changed and when i was leaving i started the car but the dashboard lights didn't come on. I drove on and still nothing. When i was at a stop light, the lights came on with the error message that my brakes were engaged. I tried multiple times to depress and release the emergency brake, but the same message. I couldn't move the vehicle because the front brakes were locked. I had it towed to the…
ODI 10541903
Electrical System
The headlights would shut off and not come back on during various speeds. It was extremely dangerous. While driving at night at 65mph a headlight ( randomly left or right) would shut off at night). I would have to pull over and turn the light switch off to reactivate the headlight!!! The headlight would come back on once the switch was turned off and on again, but several miles down the road, a headlight would go…
ODI 10552191
Electrical System · Exterior Lighting
Both hid headlights went out at the same time. I can toggle the light switch off and on and one or both lights came back on. Then went out again within a few seconds to a minute, over and over. Makes no difference if car is not moving at all or going 70 mph. I was able to drive the 15 miles home at night without incident. Went to dealer next day and they say all that is wrong is that the headlights are burned out.…
ODI 10521198
Electrical System
On my 2005 toyota prius the hid lights were replaced with toyota parts. Within a couple of weeks they started to go off and on at random. The dealer replaced them with aftermarket hid bulbs. After about 18 months one of the lights would go off and on at random. The dealer no longer carries aftermarket hid bulbs. They told me they could install the toyota bulbs which have issues or i could get aftermarket bulbs and…
ODI 10507319
Electrical System
Dashboard information suddenly turns blank -- no fuel level, speed, etc. , but headlights work (although no indicator on instrument panel) as well as turn signals, air-conditioning, and radio. I drove straight to the dealer thinking that it was probably a fuse. The service department reports that although they have rarely seen this, it's a problem with a component behind the power switch. The part is in short supply…
ODI 10502260
Electrical System · Power Train
I started up the car this morning, put it into reverse, and a second or two later, it shifted itself into neutral. The shift lever felt like there was more resistance to it than usual. This happened several times and also happened when i tried to put the car into drive. After about 15 minutes of turning the car on and off and trying to shift several times, the car finally stayed in gear. The problem is the same as…
ODI 10496047
Electrical System · Exterior Lighting
Front right headlight is intermittently going out. I can get it to go back on if i turn switch off and back on but it may fail again within 10 or 80 minutes. Replaced bulb, but still have problem. Dealer said it was the bulb but replacing it has not fixed the issue. *tr
ODI 10497683
Electrical System
Digital dashboard display is, from time to time, so dim as to be almost invisible. Sometimes it appears to be about 90% of brightness, other times at about 5% or less. This makes it almost impossible to read such information as speed, warning lights, etc. When it is visible, it is a major distraction, taking considerable time and effort. Toyota has extended the warranty for this problem, but my toyota dealer refuses…
ODI 10534130
Electrical System
The multi information display no longer shows the vehicle speed and other specs such as fuel gauge, warning lights, and such. The vehicle sometimes couldn't turn off, and it would require me to press and hold the power button for more than 5 seconds in order to turn off the vehicle. Driving is quite dangerous as i not even sure if the car is even "ready" or not, and what gear (d, n, r) it is in. Toyota is charging…
ODI 10502602
Electrical System · Power Train
Outside temperature approx 32 degrees f. Gear shifter on dashboard would not electrically seal-in or stay in position after going into reverse, the first time. Backed car out of driveway and shifted into drive, it immediately went back into neutral position and would not stay in drive - electrically. The only way to keep the car in gear was to physically hold the gear shifter into desired position. Physically held…
ODI 10488865
Electrical System · Engine
My 22-year-old son had a scary incident in which our 2005 prius stalled spontaneously on the bronx river parkway (valhalla, ny) with several dashboard warnings lighting up. The hybrid shifted to battery mode in traffic. Luckily he was able to get off highway. Car was towed to dealer. We're very concerned because the car never had problems and because, on an internet search, we see the failure was precisely like the…
ODI 10484011
Electrical System · Exterior Lighting
Headlights (one or both) will randomly turn off while driving. Turning the switch off and back on will turn them back on. *tr
ODI 10487160
Electrical System
I am sure that you won't believe this is true. On oct 25th 2012, i got home and turned off the car after work. I took the bag contained the key and left in the family room which is about 40 feet away from garage. After the dinner, i went to garage to throw trash. I smelled gas and heard music and car engine was on. Suddenly, it reminds me, in the morning when i turn off the car and left, the car started by itself…
ODI 10477962
Electrical System · Exterior Lighting
The left headlight unexpectedly goes out. If i turn the lights off and on again, the headlight comes back on, but soon repeats going out. *tr
ODI 10505929
Electrical System · Power Train
Tl* the contact owns a 2005 toyota prius. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to start. In order to start the vehicle, the emergency brake had to be engaged. The contact also stated that the headlights failed intermittently but would function normally after attempting to activated them several times. In addition while driving at various speeds, the transmission would erroneously shift into neutral and all of…
ODI 10491631
Electrical System · Engine
My prius dash keeps going black, the car won't shut off . Also had it in park engine revved and started to drive away. I jumped in and it wouldn't shut off i had to rip the key out. The rear taillights go out all the time. The doors and hatch locks won't unlock half the time. I had a new battery put in but it still happens. *tr
ODI 10473291
Electrical System · Exterior Lighting
The hid headlights fail and turn-off without warning. This leads to dangerous driving conditions especially at night. This is related to a hid headlight leveling sensor failure. Toyota reports this issue in their "technical service bulletin" number el004-06, dated 28th april 2006. Toyota recognizes the problem in the oem part and is providing replacement only on failed parts under 36months, 36,000 miles warranty.…
ODI 10453200
Electrical System · Engine · Fuel/Propulsion System
While driving on the highway at 70 mph, the following symptoms occurred on my 2005 toyota prius: (1) car would not accelerate, (2) engine light came on, (3) problem light came on, (4) battery went red, (5) car stalled and would not accelerate/drive any further. After turning off the car and restarting it, i was able to drive it back and the battery recharged itself to green. After taking it to the dealership and…
ODI 10476570
Electrical System · Exterior Lighting
The driver side headlight intermittently goes on and off without warning. This began over a year ago, but we cannot name the specific time. We initially thought it was just a light bulb, however, we learned that it can be reactivated by briefly turning the headlight switch off and on. This is a safety hazard if driving at night. It can happen several times during one trip or not at all. We have taken it to a few…
ODI 10499804
Electrical System · Engine And Engine Cooling · Power Train
We were driving on the highway at night and suddenly, without warning, the engine stalled completely, the car died, and all of the warning lights came on, including a red triangle, check engine, brake, and some others. The prius lost power and i had to turn on the hazard lights and coast to the shoulder. We called the aaa towing service and 911 (as the shoulder was very narrow and we could not get out of the car).…
ODI 10438520