The 2003 Toyota Prius has 1 NHTSA recall campaign affecting an estimated 52,377 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 123 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the steering. Last updated July 5, 2026.
Recall campaigns
STEERING11V3040002011-06-0152,377 affected
Defect
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
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.
Complaints by component
STEERING
32
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
12
1injuries
TIRES
8
1crashes1injuries
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC
6
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
5
1injuries
SERVICE BRAKES
5
STEERING:ELECTRIC POWER ASSIST SYSTEM
5
1crashes
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE
4
1injuries
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
4
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
3
Total complaints123
What owners report
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal
information removed.
“The contact owns a 2003 toyota prius. The contact stated that while driving at 65 mph, the steering wheel began to vibrate with an unknown message displayed on the instrument panel. As the failure persisted, the message disappeared, and the contact was able to drive to her destination. Upon…”
“For no apparent reason when driving, the emergency brake will engage, without pressing the e brake pedal. Also, intermittent once car is parked and doors locked, alarm will just start going off for nonreason.”
“For no apparent reason when driving, the emergency brake will engage, without pressing the e brake pedal. Also, intermittent once car is parked and doors locked, alarm will just start going off for nonreason.”
“It's mostly when I'm turning right the power steering warning light will come and there will be no power steering. I have see a lot of complaints with the same problem. Sometimes as I was driving in the city or just as I'm starting to drive”
“We purchased a 2003 toyota prius in june of 2018. It has approximately 140,000 miles on it. When the weather started getting colder in october of 2018, the car exhibited the following problem: car steering wheel shakes violently for several seconds while exiting the driveway usually as we are…”
“There is no thermostat gauge in a 2003 toyota prius , the car over heats and you don't know until your in the middle of traffic nearly getting killed. Toyota was contacted, but say not a recall and they don't honestly car cause car is old . That's not right , anything you still use from cars or…”
“There is no thermostat gauge in a 2003 toyota prius , the car over heats and you don't know until your in the middle of traffic nearly getting killed. Toyota was contacted, but say not a recall and they don't honestly car cause car is old . That's not right , anything you still use from cars or…”
“There is no thermostat gauge in a 2003 toyota prius , the car over heats and you don't know until your in the middle of traffic nearly getting killed. Toyota was contacted, but say not a recall and they don't honestly car cause car is old . That's not right , anything you still use from cars or…”
Defect investigations
InvestigationDP22005 Opened 2023-01-27 · closed 2023-08-07
Pedestrian alert sounds
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…
Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL,
FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 2003 Toyota Prius as of
July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page
contains ads and affiliate links. Full methodology.