There are 13 owner-reported fuel system complaints for the 2006 Toyota Priusin NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
SMELL OF FUEL AFTER GETTING OUT OF VEHICLE. ALSO SOMETIMES WITH AC OR WINDOWS OPEN. DEALER SAYS DETERIORATION OF CONNECTIONS IN ENGINE COMPARTMENT. COULD POSSIBLY BE FIRE AND INJURY IF THIS GOT WORSE. CONSIDER THIS FOR RECALL. OTHER TOYOTA MODELS PROBABLY WITH SIMILAR SYSTEMS ARE RECALLED. WHY NOT THIS MODEL?
WHEN FUELING MY CAR THE PUMP CUTS OFF NOT ALLOWING ME TO FILL THE VEHICLE. IF I AM DOWN TO ONE DOT THAT WILL REQUIRE ME TO FILL THE TANK THE PUMP CUTS OFF AFTER ONLY FILLING TO 5 OR 6 GALLONS, NOT ALLOWING ME TO FILL THE TANK AND GET FULL GAS MILEAGE BENEFITS FROM THIS VEHICLE. I HAVE TRIED VARIOUS METHODS AND DIFFERENT GAS FACILITIES AND THE RESULTS ARE THE SAME THE PUMP CUTS OFF WHILE FUELING THE CAR AND WILL NOT LET ME FILL THE TANK. I HAVE READ ONLINE THAT OTHER OWNERS ARE HAVING THE SAME PROBLEM AND WAS ADVISED BY A CAR MAINTENANCE CENTER TO CONTACT NHTSA TO FILE A REPORT. I HAVE TRIED CONTACTING MY LOCAL DEALERSHIP AND THEY HAVE NOT RETURNED MY CALL.
RAN OUT OF GAS WITH INDICATOR LIGHT READING APPROXIMATELY 1/4 TANK REMAINING
THE PRIUS WAS BEING DRIVEN UP A HILL WHEN IT SUDDENLY STALLED AND THE GASOLINE ENGINE DIED. IT WAS VERY DIFFICULT TO SAFELY MOVE THE VEHICLE OUT OF TRAFFIC, SINCE THE ELECTRIC MODE WAS NOT CAPABLE OF MOVING THE VEHICLE FORWARD UP THE HILL. THE VEHICLE'S FUEL METER ON THE DASH DISPLAYED 3 BARS REMAINING (INDICATING THERE SHOULD HAVE BEEN OVER 1/4 TANK OF FUEL REMAINING). THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A TOYOTA DEALER, WHO SAID A SOFTWARE RELOAD AND CLEANING THE THROTTLE BOTTLE FIXED IT. A LITTLE OVER A WEEK LATER, THE VEHICLE WAS BEING DRIVEN ON INTERSTATE, AND THE DRIVER WAS PASSING A SEMI-TRAILER. WHILE IN THE PASSING LANE, THE VEHICLE STALLED AGAIN, AND CAUSED GREAT DANGER AS IT HAD VERY LITTLE ELECTRIC POWER TO LIMP TO SAFETY. THE GAS ENGINE WOULD NOT RUN OR START AGAIN, WITH THE EXACT SAME SYMPTOMS AS BEFORE. AGAIN THE FUEL METER SHOWED 3 BARS REMAINING. HOWEVER, IT WAS FOUND THAT IT TOOK OVER 11 GALLONS OF GASOLINE TO THEN FILL THE TANK, AND THE TOTAL TANK CAPACITY IS IN THE 11 GALLON RANGE. A SEARCH OF THE INTERNET RESULTED IN OTHER SIMILAR COMPLAINTS, WITH ONE ENTRY CITING A TOYOTA TECHNICAL MANUAL THAT INCLUDED THE STATEMENT REGARDING THE FUEL GAUGE, "THE INCLINOMETER MUST BE RESET IF THE CUSTOMER COMPLAINS THAT THEY CAN ONLY PUMP A FEW GALLONS OF GAS INTO THEIR TANK OR THAT THEY RUN OUT OF GAS WITH THREE OR FOUR BARS LEFT ON THE FUEL METER." IT IS VERY CONCERNING & FRUSTRATING THAT TOYOTA APPARENTLY IS AWARE THAT THEIR VEHICLES CAN RUN OUT OF GAS UNEXPECTEDLY DUE TO A FAULTY FUEL GAUGE, AND IT CAN PLACE THE OPERATOR AND PASSENGERS IN GREAT DANGER. I HAVE CONTACTED THE TOYOTA DEALER ABOUT THE EXPENSIVE REPAIR BILL ($300) THAT DID NOTHING TO ADDRESS THE CAUSE OF THE PROBLEM. THEY ARE WILLING TO LOOK AT THE CAR AGAIN, NOW THAT THEY UNDERSTAND IT IS LIKELY A BAD FUEL GAUGE SYSTEM, BUT THIS IS A VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION THAT TOYOTA HAS APPARENTLY KNOWN ABOUT. *TR
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 TOYOTA PRIUS. WHILE DRIVING AT AN UNKNOWN SPEED, THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY SHUT OFF WITHOUT WARNING. THE CONTACT DISCOVERED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS OUT OF FUEL ALTHOUGH THE FUEL GAUGE INDICATED THAT 1/4 TANK OF FUEL WAS IN THE FUEL TANK. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER, WHO DIAGNOSED THAT A FAULTY FUEL BLADDER CAUSED A FALSE FUEL GAUGE READING. THE COMPUTER WAS RESET, BUT THE VEHICLE CONTINUED TO EXPERIENCE THE FAILURE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 100,000.
2006 PRIUS GASOLINE TANKS HAS ERRATIC BEHAVIOR, BASED ON TEMPERATURE. FILL UP CAPACITY RANGES FROM 6 TO 10 GALLONS, ON A 10.9 GALLONS TANK. *TR
2006 PRIUS WAS ARRIVING AT WORK AND PULLING INTO A PARKING SPACE. MY FOOT WAS REMOVED FROM GAS, BUT ACCELERATOR STUCK OPEN. THE CAR BOUNCED OVER THE CONCRETE CURB, OVER A SNOW BANK AND OVER A SECOND CURB INTO THE UNIVERSITY DRIVEWAY. CAR SUSTAINED $3800+ IN BODY DAMAGE AND ANOTHER $370 IN SERVICE REPAIRS FOR BRAKES, TIRES, SUSPENSION AND DASH WARNING SYSTEMS THAT ERUPTED. VEHICLE WAS RECENTLY REPAIRED. LOCAL DEALER WOULD NOT ACCEPT ANY RESPONSIBILITY OR ACKNOWLEDGE ANY PROBLEMS WITH THE CAR. FINAL REPAIR INVOICE STATES THE VEHICLE FLOOR-MATS, ABS AND PEDAL STROKE SENSORS WERE ALL WORKING PROPERLY. CLAIM WAS MADE TO OUR INSURANCE COMPANY [ERIE INSURANCE]. *TR
PASSENGER SIDE HID HEADLIGHT GOES OUT EVERY 3-4 MONTHS. AT FIRST IT IS INTERMITTENT, AND DIFFICULT TO SAY WHEN FAILURE OCCURS. OVER TIME THE PERIOD FOR FAILURE GETS SHORTER. DEALER SAYS IT IS MY PROBLEM. COST OF CONTINUAL REPAIR IS OVER $300. PER LIGHT. ALSO, FUEL GAUGE SAY ADD FUEL WHEN TANK PARTIALLY EMPTY. *TR
HARD TIME GETTING GAS IN THE VEHICLE. FOR EXAMPLE, I WAS TOLD BY THE DEALERSHIP TO LET THE GAS GAUGE GET DOWN TO 1/4 TANK OR LESS AND FILL THE TANK SLOWLY AS THERE MAY BE AIR BEHIND THE BLADDER THAT IS IN THE GAS TANK ON THE PRIUS. ABOUT 2 MILES FROM THE GAS TANK THE "ADD FUEL" WARNING CAME ON IN THE VEHICLE. UPON PULLING INTO THE GAS STATION AND ADDING GAS INTO THE VEHICLE I WAS ONLY ABLE TO GET SLIGHTLY OVER 4 GALLONS INTO THE TANK. THE PRIUS HAD AN 11.9 GALLON GAS TANK. SO IF THE GAS WAS REALLY BELOW 1/4 TANK, WHY AM I ONLY GETTING 4 GALLONS IN THE TANK. EVEN IF THE 1/4 TANK MEANS THERE ARE 3 GALLONS LEFT IN THE TANK, THOSE 3 PLUS THE 4 THAT I GOT IN THE TANK STILL ONLY ADD UP TO 7 GALLONS. WHAT HAPPENED TO THE OTHER 4+ GALLONS THAT I SHOULD HAVE BEEN ABLE TO PUT IN THE TANK? THIS HAPPENS EVERY TIME I PUT GAS IN THE VEHICLE. SO FAR THE DEALERSHIP HAS TOLD ME ITS BECAUSE ITS COLD OUTSIDE THAT THIS HAPPENS... WELL HOW DO THEY EXPLAIN IT IN SUMMER? IT WAS OVER 60 DEGREES WHEN I GOT GAS LAST THURSDAY. THE HAVE TOLD ME THAT I HAVE TO PUT THE GAS IN SLOWLY, AND THEY HAVE RE-SET THE GAS GAUGE. *TR
ON SEPTEMBER 23, 2007, I WAS TRAVELING ON I-70 RETURNING FROM BLOOMINGTON INDIANA TO WEBSTER GROVES MISSOURI. AS I WAS DRIVING THE ADD FUEL LIGHT CAME ON. BASED ON MY PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE, I KNEW I HAD AT LEAST 40 MILES. ALL OF A SUDDEN, ALL OF THE WARNING LIGHTS CAME ON AND THE CAR LOST POWER. LUCKILY I WAS ABLE TO MANEUVER TO THE SHOULDER. I GOT THE CAR TO GO A LITTLE FURTHER BEFORE IT DIED ON THE RAMP OF THE NEXT EXIT. THE TOTAL MILES TRAVELED FROM THE TIME THE ADD FUEL LIGHT CAME ON UNTIL THE CAR COMPLETELY DIED WAS 18 MILES. I NOTIFIED TOYOTA AND THEIR RESPONSE WAS THAT I RAN OUT OF GAS. THEY TOLD ME I SHOULD HAVE 50 MILES OR SO FROM WHEN THE ADD FUEL LIGHT CAME ON BEFORE RUNNING OUT OF GAS. THEY COULD NOT EXPLAIN WHY I ONLY GOT 18 MILES. I TOLD THEM THAT I BELIEVE THERE IS SOMETHING WRONG WITH THE FUEL SENSOR AND THAT THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE SINCE MY CAR DIED WHILE TRAVELING ON AN INTERSTATE. TOYOTA SAID IT WAS NOT A SAFETY ISSUE SINCE THEY HAVE NOT HAD MANY COMPLAINTS ABOUT THIS. FOR WHAT IT IS WORTH, IT WAS A VERY HOT DAY AND I HAD BEEN TRAVELING ABOUT 3 HOURS OR SO. MY GUESS IS THAT THE FUEL SENSOR IS NOT ACCURATE UNDER THESE CONDITIONS. I ASKED TOYOTA WHY I ONLY GOT 18 MILES AFTER THE ADD FUEL LIGHT CAME ON. THE REPRESENTATIVE COULD OFFER NO EXPLANATION. AT NO TIME DID TOYOTA CHECK THE FUEL SENSOR. *TR
TWICE IN ONE WEEK, ON THE HIGHWAY, WITH ONE LED SEGMENT REMAINING ON THE FUEL GAUGE, THE CAR QUIT DEAD AND ROLLED OUT LUCKILY TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. OUT OF FUEL. LOW LEVEL LIGHT CAME ON EACH TIME. GENUINE HASSLES GETTING TO A GAS STATION ON FOOT ON THE INTERSTATE TO GET A CONTAINER OF GAS TO GET RUNNING AGAIN. TWO DIFFERENT TOYOTA SERVICE MANAGERS INSISTED NOTHING IS WRONG WITH THE MEASURING SYSTEM AND THAT ONE SHOULD NEVER TRUST A GAUGE OR ALLOW THE LEVEL TO GET NEAR ZERO. NOT EVEN ONE SEGMENT LOW! NEVER, IN ALL MY YEARS OF DRIVING HAVE I HAD A CAR RUN OUT OF GAS WITH FUEL INDICATED ON THE GAUGE. WE ADDITIONALLY OWN ANOTHER PRIUS (2005) WHICH CAN RUN SAFELY AND NOT QUIT SHORTLY AFTER THE LOW FUEL WARNING COMES ON OR ALL SEGMENTS VANISH. THIS IS UNSAFE AS ONE IS FORCED TO DO EMERGENCY EVASIVE ACTION TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD, THEN RISK LIFE WALKING ON THE INTERSTATE. OUR SOLUTION THE LAST FEW YEAR IS NEVER DO WE LET FUEL LEVEL GET BELOW 2 LED SEGMENTS SINCE. *TR
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 TOYOTA PRIUS. WHILE DRIVING 70 MPH, ALL OF THE WARNING LIGHTS ILLUMINATED AND THE VEHICLE LOST POWER AND SHUT DOWN. ON JUNE 25, 2007, THE DEALER STATED THAT NO FAILURE COULD BE IDENTIFIED. ON SEPTEMBER 26, 2007, THE DEALER STATED THAT THERE WAS A LOOSE WIRE. ON NOVEMBER 13, 2007, THE DEALER STATED THAT THE FUEL TANK AND PUMP NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE DEALER REPAIRED THE VEHICLE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 24,001 AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 35,000. UPDATED 07/10/08.*LJ TOYOTA BOUGHT THE VEHICLE BACK FROM THE CONSUMER. UPDATED
GAS TANK GAUGE SAYS ITS COMPLETELY FULL NO MATTER HOW MUCH FUEL IS IN THE TANK. AS OF THIS WRITING I HAVE DRIVEN APPROX. 120 MILES ON THIS TANK OF GAS AND THE GAUGE STILL SHOWS THE TANK AS FULL. IT HAS NOT YET BEEN FIXED. *NM
Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA. A high complaint count may reflect vehicle popularity, not defect severity. Data sourced from NHTSA public records.
Data synced from NHTSA on May 4, 2026