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Toyota Prius 2003

The 2003 Toyota Prius has a 1.5 L engine. It gets 41 MPG combined (42 city, 41 highway), per the EPA. 1 recall campaigns and 40 owner complaints are on record.

Compact Cars Front-wheel (FWD)
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Toyota Prius
Representative photo of the Prius. It may show a different year or version. Photo: TTTNIS · CC0 · Wikimedia Commons · resized and cropped

Specs

Engine
1,500 cc
4
Cylinders4
TransmissionCVT (continuously variable)
DrivetrainFront-wheel (FWD)
Dimensions (L × W × H)4,310 × 1,700 × 1,470 mm (169.7 × 66.9 × 57.9 in)
Wheelbase2,550 mm (100.4 in)
Curb weight1,255 kg (2,767 lb)
Body styleCompact Cars

Dimensions and weight: Canada's official specifications (NHTSA vPIC).

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Safety

Crash-test results across markets. They can vary by version and equipment.

NHTSA NCAP
Results · 2003 Toyota Prius 4-DR.
🇺🇸 Local data

Fuel economy (MPG)

🇺🇸 Local data
City
42 MPG
Highway
41 MPG
Combined
41 MPG
Emissions
135 g/km
COâ‚‚

Recalls

1 campaign🇺🇸 Local dataNHTSA
STEERING:ELECTRIC POWER ASSIST SYSTEM 11V304000 · 2011-06-01 · NHTSA
Consequence · Remedy

LOSS OF POWER STEERING, PARTICULARLY WHEN AN OPERATOR IS ACTIVELY INTENDING TO STEER THE VEHICLE, MAY INCREASE THE RISK OF A CRASH.

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.

Common problems

40 reports🇺🇸 Local data

Reported by owners to the source below. It is not a verdict on this car: it is what people wrote.

WHEELS,SERVICE BRAKES,ENGINE 2026-02-01 · NHTSA

Many things are happening to my truck that’s why I am contacting you people to see if I got any callback thank you so much

STEERING 2022-10-26 · NHTSA

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 restart of the vehicle, the…

SERVICE BRAKES 2020-08-31 · NHTSA

OCCASIONALLY, WHEN BRAKING, THE CAR WILL BEGIN TO BRAKE, THEN LURCH FORWARD A LITTLE, AND THEN BRAKE AGAIN PROPERLY. IT'S DISCONCERTING AT BEST AND SCARY AND DANGEROUS AT WORST. I'VE HAD THIS BRAKE PROBLEM FOR YEARS BUT FINALLY REALIZED THAT IT'S A SIGNIFICANT TOYOTA FLAW WITH THE ABS, AND THAT NEWER PRIUSES AND LEX…

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,SERVICE BRAKES 2020-07-10 · NHTSA

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.

STEERING 2020-01-26 · NHTSA

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

STEERING 2019-05-29 · NHTSA

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 TURNING THE STEERING W…

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 1 injured 2017-07-31 · NHTSA

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 EVEN MEDICINE HAVE LAT…

STEERING 2017-02-27 · NHTSA

THIS HAS HAPPENED SEVERAL TIMES INTERMITTENTLY; THE STEERING WHEEL SHAKES WHEN BACKING OUT OF THE GARAGE TURNING INTO THE "TURN-AROUND" SPOT, IT HAS ALSO HAPPENED WHILE TURNING INTO MY DRIVEWAY. MOSTLY AT SLOW SPEEDS, THERE IS A NOISE, GRINDING TYPE, COMING FROM THE STEERING COLUMN. THE DEALER SAID THE BRAKES COULD BE…

UNKNOWN OR OTHER 2016-07-01 · NHTSA

I HAVE NO VEHICLE PROBLEMS, BUT THE SAFERCAR.COM WEBSITE WON'T LET ME ENTER MY VIN [XXX] , SAYING THAT I HAD TO FOLLOW THE FORMAT, EVEN THOUGH A YEAR OR TWO AGO IT WORKED! WHAT CAN I DO??? INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

STEERING 2016-06-17 · NHTSA

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 TOYOTA PRIUS. WHILE DRIVING 10 MPH, AND MAKING A LEFT TURN, THE STEERING WHEEL SHOOK VIOLENTLY. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER, BUT THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE COULD NOT BE FOUND. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE VIN WAS INCLUDED IN NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 11V304000 (STEERING). THE MANUFA…

STEERING 2015-10-20 · NHTSA

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 TOYOTA PRIUS. WHILE DRIVING AT APPROXIMATELY 35 MPH, THE STEERING WHEEL SHOOK INTENSELY. THE VEHICLE WAS SERVICED UNDER NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 11V304000 (STEERING), BUT THE FAILURE PERSISTED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE VIN WAS NOT PROVIDED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE…

STEERING 2015-05-07 · NHTSA

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 TOYOTA PRIUS. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 35 MPH, AN UNKNOWN WARNING MESSAGE DISPLAYED AND THE STEERING WHEEL WAS VERY DIFFICULT TO TURN. THE VEHICLE WAS RESTARTED AND FUNCTIONED AS NORMAL. THE FAILURE OCCURRED MULTIPLE TIMES. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS …

All 40 reports, grouped by component

Questions

What engine does the 2003 Toyota Prius have?
The 2003 Toyota Prius has a 1.5 L engine.
What is the fuel economy of the 2003 Toyota Prius?
It gets 41 MPG combined (42 city, 41 highway), per the EPA.
Does the 2003 Toyota Prius have recalls?
1 recall campaigns are on record. The latest concerns Steering (2011-06-01).
What are the common problems of the 2003 Toyota Prius?
40 owners have filed complaints, most often about Steering.

Other years

Other models by Toyota

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