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2003 Toyota Prius Recalls & Complaints

1

open safety recall on record

Serious

123 owner complaints filed · Severity Index 0.34 · updated 2026-08-07

The recalls

Serious11V304000

Steering:Electric Power Assist System

LOSS OF POWER STEERING, PARTICULARLY WHEN AN OPERATOR IS ACTIVELY INTENDING TO STEER THE VEHICLE, MAY raises the risk of A CRASH.

Remedy & full details

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.

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.

Complaint volume

123 this model-year 8 median, same year

Volume alone is not a fault rate — popular vehicles attract more reports. Read it next to the severity mix below.

What owners reported happened

5Crashes
0Fires
8Injuries
0Deaths

Across 123 complaints. Severity Index 0.34.

Severity Index weights each complaint's reported outcome (death ×10, injury ×4, fire ×3, crash ×2) and divides by total complaints. It measures how severe reports are, not how often faults occur.

What owners report most

Steering32 · 26%Electrical System12 · 10%Tires8 · 7%Service Brakes, Hydraulic6 · 5%Engine And Engine Cooling5 · 4%Steering · Electric Power…5 · 4%Service Brakes5 · 4%Vehicle Speed Control4 · 3%
  1. Steering — 32 reports
  2. Electrical System — 12 reports
  3. Tires — 8 reports
  4. Service Brakes, Hydraulic — 6 reports
  5. Engine And Engine Cooling — 5 reports
  6. Steering:Electric Power Assist System — 5 reports
  7. Service Brakes — 5 reports
  8. Vehicle Speed Control — 4 reports
  9. Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine — 4 reports
  10. Steering:Rack And Pinion — 3 reports

What to do

  1. Find your 17-character VIN on the driver's door jamb or the base of the windscreen.
  2. Check it against NHTSA's official lookup at nhtsa.gov/recalls — the authoritative record for your exact car.
  3. Book the repair with any franchised dealer. Safety recall work is free, with no time limit and regardless of who owns the car now.

Other model years

2000 · 2001 (3) · 2002 (2) · 2003 · 2004 (6) · 2005 (6) · 2006 (6) · 2007 (4) · 2008 (4) · 2009 (6) · 2010 (10) · 2011 (6) · 2012 (6) · 2013 (3) · 2014 (3) · 2015 (1) · 2016 (5) · 2017 (3) · 2018 (1) · 2019 (3) · 2020 · 2021 · 2022 (1) · 2023 (4) · 2024 (4) · 2025 (2) · 2026 (1)

Numbers in brackets are open recall campaigns for that year.

Questions

Does an open recall mean the car is unsafe to drive?

Not usually. NHTSA issues a "do not drive" or "park outside" advisory when a defect is dangerous enough to keep you out of the car — those are flagged Critical above. Everything else should be repaired promptly but is not an immediate stop-driving order.

Do I pay for recall repairs?

No. Federal law requires the manufacturer to fix a safety recall free of charge, including parts and labour, whether or not you are the original owner.

Why are there complaints but no recalls?

Complaints are unverified reports filed by owners. They can prompt an investigation, but many never become recalls — either the fault isn't safety-related or it isn't widespread.

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