The 2002 Toyota Prius has 2 NHTSA recall campaigns affecting an estimated 87,148 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 201 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.
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING06V2660002006-07-1934,771 affected
Defect
ON CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES, DUE TO IMPROPER MOLDING OF THE RESIN BODY OF THE CRANKSHAFT POSITION SENOR INSTALLED ON THE ENGINE BLOCK, ENGINE OIL MAY PENETRATE THE SEAL AND ENTER THE SENSOR WIRING CONNECTOR. THE WIRE HARNESS CONNECTOR MAY NOT BE SUFFICIENTLY ATTACHED TO THE LOCKING TAB OF THE SENSOR WIRING…
Consequence
ENGINE OIL INSIDE THE SENSOR WIRING CONNECTOR COULD CAUSE EXPANSION DUE TO THE HEAT OF THE ENGINE AND COULD DEFORM THE SENSOR WIRING CONNECTOR. THE CONNECTOR MAY BECOME DISCONNECTED, WHICH COULD CAUSE THE ENGINE TO STALL WHILE DRIVING AND NOT BE ABLE TO BE RESTARTED INCREASING THE RISK OF A CRASH.
Remedy
DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE CRANKSHAFT POSITION SENSOR FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON JULY 26, 2006. OWNERS MAY CONTACT TOYOTA AT 1-800-331-4331.
Complaints by component
STEERING
57
1crashes1injuries
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
13
1crashes2fires
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC
13
2crashes
TIRES
12
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
10
6crashes2injuries
STEERING:ELECTRIC POWER ASSIST SYSTEM
8
STEERING:RACK AND PINION
8
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:12V/24V/48V BATTERY
5
1fires
SUSPENSION
5
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
4
Total complaints201
What owners report
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal
information removed.
“I was driving on the 91 freeway west exit ramp to merge into the 57 freeway in orange county ca. When suddenly I lost all power steering on the car . We managed to get out the freeway on the first exit”
“Anti-lock brake failure. Failing to pressurize.”
“Driving up and down a slight incline, power steering suddenly goes out. Only happened twice so far but I don't know what would prevent it from happening again. Probably going about 15-20mph uphill and maybe 20-25mph downhill. Happened on a city street.”
“Driving speed less than 25mph on familiar surface street with need to stop for a car about 75 feet (estimate) in front; should have been an easy stop; applied brakes but car accelerated (I think only electric motor); further brake pressure did not stop the car, continued to accelerate (estimate 30…”
“Driving speed less than 25mph on familiar surface street with need to stop for a car about 75 feet (estimate) in front; should have been an easy stop; applied brakes but car accelerated (I think only electric motor); further brake pressure did not stop the car, continued to accelerate (estimate 30…”
“I was driving on the highway and felt a jerking at my steering wheel a few months back, I thought ok maybe the steering wheel loose or something, I was going around 65 mph. Fast forward to two weeks ago and the steering wheel completely locks up on me driving to a dr appointment I had to go to. I…”
“The headlight lenses covers repeatedly clouds over to the point I can hardly see the roadway at night. Dealer have cleanse the lenses how has last for about a month. The dealer now says these need to be replace at a cost to me for $750. I believe this is manufacture's defect and it is a serious…”
“My steering wheel starts shaking violently when driving under 32 degrees outside and locks up the ability to steer which can be deadly on the highway which I don't drive much luckily and toyota has no open recalls even though I'm not the only one with this. I've has to hurt my hands wrestling with…”
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 2002 Toyota Prius as of
July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page
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