2006 Toyota Prius problems
Owners have filed 1,690 complaints about the 2006 Toyota Prius with NHTSA. Exterior lighting accounts for 56% of them, far more than any other system, ahead of electrical system at 9%.
Complaints1,690
Crashes110
Fires7
Injuries69
Deaths1
What owners report breaking
Exterior lighting 56.0% · 947
Electrical system 9.0% · 152
Service brakes, hydraulic 6.0% · 101
Vehicle speed control 5.0% · 84
Service brakes 4.3% · 73
Service brakes, electric 2.7% · 45
Air bags 1.9% · 32
Engine 1.5% · 25
Severity
Of those complaints, 110 describe a crash, 7 describe a fire, 69 report an injury and 1 report a death.
Reading the numbers
Across the 17 model years of the Toyota Prius in this data, 2006 sits 4th by complaint volume. 2010 draws the most.
Filings have fallen off, 17 in the last three years against 27 in the three before. That is normal as a generation leaves the road.
The median odometer reading at the time of complaint was 50,000 miles.
In owners' own words
The contact owns a 2006 Toyota Prius. While driving at 65 mph, the contact noticed that the driver side headlight was slightly dimmer than the passenger side headlight. The driver side headlight then failed. After turning the light switch on and off, the headlights resumed normal operation. The vehicle was not diagnosed by the dealer or repaired. The failure mileage was 42,000 and the current mileage was 45,000. Exterior lighting · reported at 42,000 miles
Headlamps flicker intermittently until one or the other remains off. This happens every time I drive my vehicle with the lights on. 11/6/2009 I was pulled over by local leo and provided a formal warning to have the issue resolved. If I turn the headlamps off and back on, both lights stay on -- for a while. Dealer says this is a known issue with 2006 Prius but will not repair because I'm ~2 months out of warranty. Exterior lighting · reported at 25,000 miles
I have an intermittent problem with passenger side hid light on my 2006 Toyota Prius. Several people have informed me that the light was out. When I checked the light it was back on and working. I find from the internet that this is a huge problem with the 2006-2008 Prius. I am attempting to get the Toyota dealer to solve the problem. It is a highway safety issue that Toyota needs to resolve with a recall. Exterior lighting · reported at 39,300 miles
Verbatim from NHTSA filings. Complaints are unverified owner reports.
Safety recalls
Checking NHTSA for open recalls…