2001 TOYOTA PRIUS Problems
Real NHTSA owner complaints for the 2001 Toyota Prius. This model year has 174 NHTSA complaints — top issue: Steering Defects.
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This page shows the model year's reputation. The VIN tells you about the specific car — accidents, title issues, odometer rollbacks, and open recalls.
Worst 2001 Toyota Prius Problems
Top 3 most-reported issues with average mileage at failure.
Steering Defects
Tire Issues
Electrical Faults
Considering a 2001 Toyota Prius?
This page shows the model year's reputation. The VIN tells you about this specific car — accidents, title issues, odometer fraud. Full report just $4.99 (vs. Carfax $44.99).
All Problems by Category
Every NHTSA complaint category for the 2001 Toyota Prius. A single complaint may appear in multiple categories.
| Component | Complaints | Crashes | Fires | Avg Mileage | Volume |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Steering Defects | 46 | 1 | — | — | |
| Tire Issues | 30 | 3 | — | — | |
| Electrical Faults | 27 | 3 | 3 | — | |
| Unintended Acceleration | 25 | 5 | — | — | |
| Engine Problems | 21 | 2 | — | — | |
| Brake System | 17 | 3 | — | — | |
| Fuel System | 10 | 1 | — | — | |
| Suspension Failures | 9 | 1 | — | — | |
| Gasoline | 9 | 1 | — | — | |
| Hydraulic | 8 | 1 | — | — | |
| Transmission / Drivetrain | 6 | 1 | — | — | |
| Uncategorized Issues | 6 | — | — | — | |
| Structural Problems | 4 | — | — | — | |
| Wheel Issues | 3 | 1 | — | — | |
| Electric | 3 | — | — | — | |
| Equipment | 3 | 1 | — | — | |
| Fuel/Propulsion System | 2 | — | — | — | |
| Airbag Malfunctions | 2 | 2 | — | — | |
| Headlight/Taillight Failures | 2 | — | — | — | |
| Hybrid Propulsion System | 1 | — | — | — | |
| Equipment Adaptive/Mobility | 1 | — | — | — | |
| Seat-Related Issues | 1 | — | — | — | |
| Other | 1 | — | — | — | |
| Air | 1 | — | — | — | |
| Child Seat | 1 | — | — | — | |
| Visibility | 1 | — | — | — |
Source: NHTSA Complaints Database. Complaint counts may exceed total complaints because one report can span multiple categories.
Search Owner Complaints
Read what owners actually reported to NHTSA for the 2001 Toyota Prius. Type a keyword (e.g. “transmission”, “stalling”, “brakes”) to filter.
Showing 174 most recent complaints
I WAS GETTING OFF THE FREEWAY AND DRIVING 40 MPH ON THE OFF RAMP, WHEN THE 2001 TOYOTA PRIUS DID A UNWANTED LEFT TURN OF THE STEERING WHEEL, I TRIED TO TURN THE STEERING WHEEL BACK TO CORRECT THE CAR ANGLE, BUT HE STEERING FORCE WAS TOO STRONG FOR ME TO CORRECT BACK TO STRAIGHT A…
STEERING RECALL I CALLED TOYOTA THEY SAID THEY COULDN'T DO IT AND IT SAYS ONLINE IT'S GOOD FOR 10 YEARS AFTER RECALL DATE.
THE CAR ACCELERATED WITHOUT WARNING AT HIGH SPEED ON IT'S OWN IN A PARKING LOT AND RAMMED ITSELF INTO THE WALL DEPLOYING AIRBAGS. MY MOTHER WAS DRIVING AND WAS SENT TO THE E.R. SHE WAS SLOWLY BACKING UP WHEN THE CAR ACCELERATED FIRST IN REVERSE HITTING A WALL AND THEN SWITCHED IN…
MY CAR IS EXPERIENCING WHAT IS KNOWN ONLLINE AS "THE BIG HAND SYNDROM". WHILE DRIVING, THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL CHANGES RESISTANCE AND IT FEELS LIKE SOMEONE GRABS THE CAR AND IT DRAMATICALLY SLOWS. YOU THEN HAVE TO PRESS HARDER ON THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL TO MAINTAIN SPEED. WELL ONE DA…
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 TOYOTA PRIUS. WHILE DRIVING 20 MPH, THE VEHICLE LOST COMPLETE POWER AND BRAKING ABILITY WITHOUT WARNING. AS A RESULT, THE CONTACT DROVE OVER THE MEDIAN AAND CRASHED INTO A POLE. THE AIR BAGS DEPLOYED. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THERE WERE NO INJURIES. …
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 TOYOTA PRIUS. WHILE DRIVING 65 MPH, THE STEERING WHEEL SHOOK VIOLENTLY WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE VIN WAS INVALID. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 143,000.
PS WARNING LIGHT DISPLAY, CAR WILL NOT START. PARKED IN HOME DRIVE WAY.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 TOYOTA PRIUS. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE STEERING WHEEL BECAME STIFF WHILE MAKING A LEFT TURN AND THE POWER STEERING LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE VIN WAS NOT INCLUD…
THE CAR SUDDENLY LOST POWER WITHOUT ANY WARNING WHILE DRIVING 65+ MPH ON THE FREEWAY. THE CHECK HYBRID WARNING LIGHT CAME ON. THE CAR BECAME DANGEROUSLY UNRESPONSIVE, LUCKILY WE WERE NEAR AN EXIT AND WERE ABLE TO COAST TO SAFETY. THE HYBRID SYSTEM WAS EXPECTING INFORMATION FROM T…
I HAVE STARTED HAVING AN INTERMITTENT POWER STEERING ISSUE. AS I AM DRIVING THE STEERING WHEEL BEGINS TO SHAKE AND I RECEIVE AN ERROR MESSAGE THAT THERE IS AN ISSUE WITH THE POWER STEERING SYSTEM. THEN THE ERROR CLEARS AND SAYS THE PROBLEM IS SOLVED. THIS ISSUE HAPPENS INTERMITTE…
COMPLETE BRAKE FAILURE, SHOP SAID IT WAS THE TURBO BRAKE BOOSTER. *TR
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 TOYOTA PRIUS. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 50 MPH, THE BREAKS FAILED WITHOUT WARNING. THE BREAKS PEDAL TRAVELED TO THE FLOORBOARD WITH NO RESPONSE. THE CONTACT THEN CRASHED INTO ANOTHER VEHICLE AND THE AIR BAG DID NOT DEPLOY. THERE …
2001 PRIUS WAS PARKED IN GARAGE ~6HRS, FIRE STARTED AND SMOLDERED, APPARENTLY USING UP OXYGEN INSIDE THE CAR. I WENT IN THE GARAGE FOR SOMETHING ELSE, NOTICED THE HEADLIGHTS WERE ON AND OPENED THE CAR DOOR TO TURN THEM OFF. WHEN THE DOOR WAS OPENED, ACRID SMOKE POURED OUT, AND …
A RENTER FROM RELAYRIDES.COM WAS DRIVING MY VEHICLE, THE BRAKE PEDAL WENT TO THE FLOOR AND THE ABS, TRACTION CONTROL AND BRAKE LIGHTS CAME ON. LUCKILY HE DIDN'T HAVE TO STOP IMMEDIATELY AND WAS ABLE TO SLOWLY GET THE CAR TO STOP WITH THE BARE LITTLE BRAKES LEFT. THERE WAS VERY LI…
CAR RAPIDLY ACCELERATED WITHOUT MY FOOT ON THE GAS PEDAL AND DID NOT SLOW DOWN UNTIL MY FOOT HIT THE BRAKE. BROUGHT THE VEHICLE TO MCGEE TOYOTA AND THEY REPLACED THE GAS PEDAL. IT WAS A $600.+ REPAIR. WITHIN THE YEAR THE NEWS REPORTED ABNORMAL ACCELERATION WITH THE PRIUS LINE …
IF THE PRIUS ENGINE DOES NOT START IMMEDIATELY WHEN THE COMPUTER TELLS IT TO, THE COMPUTER STOPS TRYING TO START IT AND LEAVES YOU WITH ONLY THE BATTERY POWER...VERY DANGEROUS WHEN THIS HAPPENS IN FAST TRAFFIC OR ON AN ON-RAMP. IT CAN BE RESTARTED IF ONE PULLS OFF THE ROAD AND …
2001 TOYOTA PRIUS. CONSUMER STATES PROBLEM WITH THE RACK AND PINION *TGW THE CONSUMER STATED NOT LONG AFTER SHE PURCHASED THE VEHICLE. SHE EXPERIENCED PROBLEMS WITH THE RACK AND PINION STEERING SYSTEM, INCLUDING STEERING WHEEL SHAKING AND LOSS OF POWER STEERING. THE CONSUMER TOO…
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 TOYOTA PRIUS. THE CONTACT RECEIVED THE RECALL NOTICE ASSOCIATED WITH NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER 11V304000 (STEERING:ELECTRIC POWER ASSIST SYSTEM). AN AUTHORIZED DEALER WAS NOTIFIED AND THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THEY WOULD INSPECT THE VEHICLE BEFORE P…
PRIUS, 2001 BOTH REAR AXLE HUB ASSEMBLIES REPLACED AFTER BEARING FAILURES WITH UNDER 90K MILES ON MY CAR, OWNED NEW SINCE JUNE 2001. THERE ARE NOT OPTIONS TO REPLACE THE FAILED BEARINGS, JUST THE COMPLETE REAR HUB ASSEMBLY THAT INCLUDES THE ATTACHED ABS SENSOR. FAILED ASSEMBLIES …
WHILE DRIVING INTO A FREEWAY OUR 2001 TOYOTA PRIUS EXPERIENCED A VIOLENT SHAKING OF THE STEERING WHEEL AND THE PS AND EXCLAMATION WARNING LIGHTS CAME ON. MY WIFE PULLED OVER AND SHUT THE VEHICLE OFF AND THE ERROR CLEARED. I DECIDED TO DRIVE THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER THE PREVIOUS …
Source: NHTSA Complaints Database. Real owner reports for the 2001 Toyota Prius.
Recalls for 2001 Toyota Prius
3 campaignsNHTSA recall campaigns for the 2001 Toyota Prius. Recalls are free to fix at any authorized dealer. Run a VIN check below to see if your specific vehicle has open recalls.
2001 Toyota Prius — FAQ
Answers based on real NHTSA complaint and recall data for this specific model year.
Is the 2001 Toyota Prius reliable?▾
Severe Issues. The 2001 Toyota Prius has 174 NHTSA owner complaints, 14 crash-related, and 3 recall campaigns. The most reported issue is Steering Defects (46 complaints). Source: NHTSA via VinSpector AI.
What are the most common problems with the 2001 Toyota Prius?▾
#1: Steering Defects (46 complaints). #2: Tire Issues (30 complaints). #3: Electrical Faults (27 complaints)
At what mileage do problems start on the 2001 Toyota Prius?▾
Mileage data is not available or insufficient for this model year.
How safe is the 2001 Toyota Prius?▾
The 2001 Toyota Prius has 14 crash-related complaints and 3 fire reports out of 174 total NHTSA complaints. 7 injuries were reported. For NCAP lab crash test star ratings, visit nhtsa.gov/ratings.
Does the 2001 Toyota Prius have any recalls?▾
Yes — 3 NHTSA recall campaigns affect the 2001 Toyota Prius. The largest issue: STEERING:ELECTRIC POWER ASSIST SYSTEM. Check nhtsa.gov/recalls or run a VIN check to see if your specific vehicle has open recalls.
Should I buy a 2001 Toyota Prius?▾
The 2001 Toyota Prius has severe issues — review the top problems before buying. Pay particular attention to Steering Defects issues. Always run a VIN check on the specific car you're considering to check for accident history, open recalls, and title brands.
Source: NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration) complaint and recall databases, aggregated by VinSpector AI.
Wider context: See the full Toyota Prius reliability report with year-by-year comparison.
Check Your Specific 2001 Toyota Prius
Real owner complaints tell you about the model. The VIN tells you about your specific car — accidents, title issues, odometer fraud. Full report just $4.99.