Intermittent failure of driver's side headlight. The light will come back on if the light switch is turned off and then back on, and will remain on for a an unpredictable period of time, some times as long two weeks before failing again. Toyota has advise me to bring the vehicle to a service facility when the light is out, but the light fails on weekends, holidays, or late at night when the dealership is not open. An internet search disclosed that this headlight failure is a fairly common defect in 2007 prius.
2007 Toyota Prius electrical complaints
Page 9 of 9: complaints 221 to 248 of 248, newest first, as owners wrote them.
I bought a 2007 toyota prius on august 1, 2007. I didn't have any issues with my car until august of 2008 when I started having issues with my headlights and tail lights (they would go off and then when I turned the lights off and flipped back on, they would come back on again). Twice while driving at night, all of my lights went out (headlights, tail lights and dash board lights)! I brought car into dealer and they didn't know what was wrong but replaced the headlights (to the tune of $1200 a piece). I didn't have trouble with my headlights after than until this year (august of 2009). My passenger headlight is going out and then flipping back on for a bit (although the bulb seems dull) when I turn lights off and then back on again. The problem is they won't stay on and it seems insane to pay $2400 a year for what obviously seems to be a vehicle defect; not to mention the safety issue of only having 1 headlight that works or tail light and dashboard lights going out while driving at night!
Tl* the contact owns a 2007 toyota pruis. The contact stated that intermittently while driving the head lights fail; which reduces visibility. An impairment of visibility while driving increases the risk of vehicle crash. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for inspection. He is in the process of having the head lights replaced at an expense of $800.00. The failure mileage was 30,000. The current mileage was 53,000. Updated 10/20/09
My head lights in my 2007 toyota prius turn off for no reason. Sometimes it is just the right headlight but more recently it is both headlights. The dealer said that the original lights were faulty and that there is a new bulb (2nd generation) that will fix the problem. They want $587 to fix a problem that they admitted that was faulty. I have had it into repair shops that tell me the headlights are not the problem its the computer and the dealer tells me its not the computer. This started in early 2008.
While driving across country boston to seattle in june, the right headlight on my 2007 prius flickered and went out. The next day it was working ok, but the following day I noticed it went out again, during the day. I stopped in duluth to get an oil change, (kolar todayota invoice 210740) and asked them to check the headlights. They reported "headlights are working at the time." thereafter the headlight went out several times intermittently. Cycling the power would sometimes bring it back on. When I got back to seattle, I took the car in and had the headlight replaced at a cost of $288 (toyota of believe invoice ocs561092) at 48,260 miles. Shortly thereafter the left headlight started acting up in the same manner, and I was recently pulled over by the police for driving with one headlight out.
Vehicle has 70,000 miles, 2007 prius. Both headlights go off at random. Turning them off and back on will correct the problem temporarily until they go out again. Dealer says its the bulb shorting out $600 will correct the problem. I'm waiting to get the car home to keep the lights on while at a stand still to disprove theory of bumps in the road causing short.
I have a 2007 prius and the headlights are blinking out. The dealership wanted 500+ dollars for the repair, saying they had to take the bumper off. I have since found out its just the bumper cover, not the bumper. The problem is in the electrical system, and this seems to be a prevalent problem with the priuses.
I was driving down a familiar road when my headlights went out. My car is a 2007 prius. In talking to a repairman at the shop I discovered that high intensity (and high heat) bulbs would stop working without any warning if the bulbs became too hot. If they were turned off for a few seconds they would cool off and work again. As a result I have no way of knowing when the bulbs are going to go off. I took the car into the toyota dealer and was told that although both bulbs appeared to be working, the fact that they had both stopped working indicated that they must have an internal short and should be replaced by the same type of bulb, with the same problem at a cost of $807.00. The only reason I am alive to report this incident is because I was on a straight stretch of a familiar road, and there were other cars around. I turned my lights for 30 seconds and then turned them back on. At least one of the headlights came back on so I could continue home. I requested headlights that would not go off and on without warning however so far toyota has only offered to replace the headlights with the same unreliable headlights.
2007 toyota prius with 47k miles. It lost power while driving on the highway. The car barely made it to the side of the road. After a little while, it restarted. The warning lights indicated there was no gas but the tank was full. The screen also showed that the battery was dead. This is the second time this happened. The dealer says the car checks out.
2007 toyota prius - diver side headlamp goes out intermittently while driving. If the headlight switch is turned off and then on again then the lights go on again. Failure repeats itself. *tr updated 06/01/09.
On multiple occasions one or both of the headlights on my 2007 toyota prius have gone out without warning. The lights come back on when I turn the light control completely off and then turn it back on. The lights will then work for awhile before turning off again. There is no alarm or notice the headlights have gone off. I reported the problem to toyota (800‑331‑4331) two weeks ago. When and if they return my calls, it's typically right before the person calls goes home for the day. On multiple occasions, I have called and there have been "communications errors" on the toyota end. They tell me someone will call within 24-72 hours and we start all over again. In my opinion, they are avoiding me.
The passenger side headlight turns off intermittently at night. Comes on and goes off randomly, even when on a flat surface or sitting still. Recently I was driving on a dark, winding road and it went out presenting an extremely dangerous condition. According to the discussion boards, this is a very common indication and very expensive remediation item which will prevent many from fixing during out current economic crisis. I am very worried about my wife driving at night in this car don't want my children in it at night. This is a very serious issue in that the driver could hit something resulting in injury to the occupants, or another car could become confused by the headlight failure resulting in an incident. Again, the message boards are loaded with discussion on this item.
Hid headlamps on my 2007 toyota prius do not function properly. For the past several months they have flickered off and on. Turning the light off and then on, while driving corrected the problem for a while. Now one lamp only stays on for 1 minute or less. The other still goes off and will turn back on if the lights are turned off and then back on. Toyota's response is to want to charge me $350 for a new bulb or over $1000 for a controller board for the computer. From what I have read on line my car is not the only prius with this problem. We need a recall now before some one's lights fail at night and they die!
Tl*the contact owns a 2007 toyota prius. The contact stated that the high intensity (hid) headlights would become inoperable intermittently. The dealer stated that there was a wire defect that caused the shortage in the headlights. The front driver's side headlight was replaced for $400 at the contact's expense. Less than six months later, the passenger side headlight was replaced. In addition, the entire lighting assembly was replaced for $350 at the contact's expense. The VIN was unknown. The failure mileage was 30,000 and current mileage was less than 48,000. Updated 04-17-09 updated 04/21/09.
At 4:45 pm on 2/5/2009 , I drove my 2007 toyota prius west on sw andover st. In seattle wa. I slowed as I made a right turn to park perpendicular to the street with a 6 foot high chain-link fence in front of me on top of a retaining wall. The bottom of the wall is 6 feet below street level on a paved parking area. As the prius approached the fence, I braked to stop, but the car did not slow ,so I floored the brake. The car hit a fence post, pulling it out of its mount and then the car moved over the top of the wall pushing the pole and fence over its hood & roof,. The front of the prius dropped to the area below the wall while the rear remained on the top. The fence mesh stretched but slowed the prius's forward movement and kept the rear from going over the wall.. The dashboard was still lit and I lowered the electrical windows and yelled for help. The first arrival told me to "turn off the car". This is significant because the only way he could have known the car was running was if he heard the sound of the prius's gasoline engine that only kicks in at higher speeds. I opened the door and jumped down to the pavement. The police came and made a report. I did not receive a citation. The prius was extracted by a tow company and hauled away. Fortunately I received no physical injury. The chain link fence was truly a safety net. On 2./12/ 2009, my insurance company , usaa, declared my prius "totaled" and made a settlement payment. I thought perhaps my brakes had failed. I had my prius receive a routine 25,000 mile check at the toyota dealership just eight days before the accident. From articles on www.consumersafety.com I learned that similar accidents with the prius have happened to other people. After reading their experiences, I now believe that "unintended acceleration" was the more likely cause of my accident.
I owned a 2007 prius and lately it has these problems. The left head light goes out while driving more often than the right headlight. On several occasion, both headlights went out on it's own during driving. This is a serious problem that can lead to death if drivers were nears hazardous road such as california hwy 1 where drivers can fall off the cliff on turns with sudden headlights went out. To reset the lights by turn off and on again but the problem repeat with one light goes out every 5 minutes while driving. I think toyota needs to issue a recall before someone got serious injury from this clearly a flaw in design. Steve
I've been having issues with my right headlight going out intermittently. If I cycle the power the headlight usually comes back on. The dealer says there's nothing wrong. I've been pulled over once for an equipment violation already. Last night the headlight went out leaving me with limited visibility. As I rounded a corner I almost hit a deer standing on the shoulder as I couldn't see him/her due to the limited visibility.
I have a 2007 toyota prius with about 40,000 miles on it now. At about 37,000 miles, my driver's side hid headlight would periodically go out while driving. Soon afterwards, the passenger side headlight would go out, an once both went out. The lights would come back on if the switch was turned off and then back on. I had the car checked by toyota and had to replace the driver's side bulb for about $400. Now, the passenger side bulb is starting to go off more frequently and will have to be replaced. I was shocked that these hid bulbs did not have a longer life, failed so suddenly and at their high cost of replacement. It is a serious danger to be driving at night and have your headlights fail, particularly when replacement is not a simple or inexpensive task. The bulbs are not easily accessible. Public forums show that this is a common occurrence in the toyota prius, the replacements are from a different manufacturer and have no reported problems, yet no recall was made.
I own and operate a 2007 toyota prius. To date I have been extremely satisfied with the vehicle. However, recently I have been experiencing intermittent failure of my passenger headlight and occasionally the brake light on the passenger side. This is a safety concern because I do not know when the light is on or off. The other day I was pulled over by the police and received a repair order. The cost from the dealer to replace the bulb is $535.00, apparently this is maintenance and a non warranty item. Personally I think there is a design flaw if it requires a mechanic to change a lightbulb. I am posting a message here in hopes that this will convert into a safety recall. I am going to work with the dealer and toyota to try and get this repair covered. Wish me luck!
Started noticing my passenger side head light going out sporadically. Just as the others, by turning them off, then on, the lights come back on. Was actually stopped by a va state trooper, who advised his father-in-law had the same problem & that this was a manufacturer error. So, I took this issue to my dealer due to having an extended warranty. They called my warranty company before starting work to fix this $500 issue (which, all they did was replace the bulb). It then started occurring on my driver side. When I took it in to have this fixed / looked at, was advised the warranty company had denied the charge with the dealer & the dealer had comp'd the charge as a courtesy. Based on these reports, I just called the dealer to advise them of these issues & am hoping for a resolution to this issue.
I have a 2007 prius, starting around 39,000 miles, I noticed my right headlight was out, but the next time I started my car it was working. After a few weeks I noticed both the left and right headlights would randomly go out. I took my car into the dealer multiple times, but when I was at the dealership they could not duplicate the problem. I was told to bring my car back when the problem existed. I took my car in to the dealer and at that time both lights were out, at the same time. The tech that wrote up my ticket saw both lights out, the reached in the drivers side window and turned the lights off, then back on. Both lights worked, they kept the car overnight and could not duplicate the problem. I have since taken in the car and duplicated the problem, the service manager was made aware of this problem. They checked my car out and suggested to change both hid lights and the computer that controls each light, one for each side. The cost of this repair will be over $1,500. Lately this failure occurs consistently everytime I start the car. I drive to work at 5:00am in the morning so this problem poses a hazard as now both lights will go out at the same time. I have had cars flash their lights when I have not notice both lights have gone off. The lights now seem to dim, then go out so I do not notice when the street lights are bright. I have read on priuschat.com/forums, that this is a problem that many people have written in to complain.
Vehicle does not achieve advertised fuel consumption performance. I have complained about this since the first service visit. Today a factory technician got unachievable results suggesting that our real world experience after 29,000 miles with the vehicle is normal. He claimed to have gotten 66.984 mpg after a 42.2 miles of 55 MPH highway and "in town" driving, noting only that an out of fuel fault had never been cleared.
On a 2007 prius gas gauge showed 2 bars and was driving across a bridge in california when the gas engine stopped. Looked at the gas gauge and it still showed 2 bars. Was fortunate enough to be on a section of the bridge with a breakdown lane. 1/2 mile further on and we would have been stuck in one of the traffic lanes. The vsc, check engine, and hybrid system failure indicators where on - but not the low fuel!!! Got towed to a dealer. Service manager told us that the car was out of gas and that the "gas gauge was stuck" that's why it didn't show empty. He blamed it on the bladder design of the fuel tank and said it was "a design defect" that toyota new about. This is a significant safety issue - we could have been killed.
Tl*the contact owns a 2007 toyota prius. He stated that he was unable to start the vehicle. The dealer stated that the battery died because the vehicle sat for more than ten days. The dealer charged the battery and there had been no further occurrences. The manufacturer stated that the battery cables should be disconnected when the vehicle sits for 7-10 days in order to prevent the failure. The contact felt that the remedy was unsafe. The current and failure mileages were 5,800.
1. Sitting in traffic only rt. 287 n. The battery level dropped quickly and significantly to the point of my being unable to engage the electric engine which is the initial method of sending power to the wheels. 2. Consequences: bumper to bumper traffic had to be directed around me which caused more traffic and put me in danger of becoming involved in an accident. 3. Investigated possible recall but none was documented.
All late model toyota gas electric autos. I find them very dangerous in parking lots, as they can and do backup with no noise. I was almost run over by one on a foggy day last week. The driver never turned on light and didn't see me when backing out of parking spot. I was able to get out of the way that time. Suppose I had been blind? Not a sound to let me know the car was there. I really think the car company should install a backup alarm of some sort on all these autos.
2007 toyota prius only high beam headlights worked. Consumer states that the switch works and the light on the dashboard for the high beams work but the headlights will not switch from high to low. *kb the dealer stated the fuse box needed to be replaced.
Indicator lights flashed. Malfunction indicator lamp stayed on. At 2,644 miles, 12 v. Battery dead & replaced. I was told to keep the gas tank half or a quarter full or the reserve gas tank would cause the car to run on battery. The battery might have died because the car sat too long before it was sold/at 8,879 miles, I went in. After filling the gas tank & taking out the nozzle, gas spewed & bubbled out. The car stalled while driving slowly & while in park. Indicator lights flashed. The malfunction indicator lamp and master warning lights stayed on. It took 5 min. To turn off the car. I started the car. Those lights stayed on. I was told I left the "trunk door" open & ran down the battery. (not true.) there is a gasket around the access hole and if a person "is a little bit off," the gas will regurgitate. (I was not " off" & did not top off the tank.) they reprogrammed the computer. The gas tank had not been filled so I knew they did not fill the gas tank and try to recreate the situation as they said they would. I bought gas at a different pump. I stopped at a stop light. I could feel a loss of power in the car. When I pushed the gas pedal, the car would not move. I turned the car off and on 3 times before it would move. It crept slowly through the intersection as the traffic signal turned red. I took the car in at 8,936 miles. I was told if my problem is associated with the battery that was taken out of my car, it is not at repair person's responsibility because he did not touch my battery. When a battery is disconnected for a certain amount of time, if something is not reset, it could cause problems. Then, he said no trouble found/my car stalled and/or had a loss of power. I took it in at 9,014 miles. No trouble found. I was told that my problems could have been caused by a faulty gas pump overfilling my tank. The gas station is new. The manager said the pumps were inspected. If there were a faulty pump, everyone would have problems.
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