The 2004 Toyota Prius has 9 recalls, the most serious being multiple steering defects that can cause partial or total loss of steering control, raising the risk of a crash.
Two distinct steering problems affect this vehicle, and both are serious. The intermediate shaft's metal splines can wear down over time, introducing looseness into the steering that worsens gradually until steering input no longer reliably reaches the wheels. Separately, the intermediate shaft connection or sleeve can crack or fracture outright under hard steering loads, which can cause the steering column to separate and leave the driver with no steering control at all. Prior repair attempts did not fully resolve the shaft cracking issue, and these concerns were addressed across multiple campaigns.
The hybrid drivetrain also has two related concerns. The electrically driven water pump that circulates coolant through the hybrid system can fail: a scratched coil wire inside the pump can corrode and break, stopping coolant flow. If the pump motor short-circuits rather than simply stopping, the entire hybrid system can shut down and the engine can stall. In either case, warning lights on the instrument panel will come on, but by that point the cooling function has already been lost.
On the throttle side, the driver's floor mat can shift out of position and trap the accelerator pedal in the wide-open position. A stuck accelerator causes the vehicle to accelerate to very high speeds and makes stopping difficult even with the brakes applied.
Two recalls covering the brake light switch round out the list. Oxide buildup on the contacts inside the switch can prevent current from reaching the brake lights, so the lights fail to illuminate when
