This morning when I started my car the dash panel lights would not come on. I drove seven miles to top off the gas(I could not tell how much I had because of the dash being off.)I then could not shut the car off. I drove for about a half hour and my dash lights just came on. When I got to my destination I was able to shut the car off and the dash lights are fine now. This happened once before about six months ago. I see on line that several people have had this same problem.
2008 Toyota Prius electrical complaints
Page 7 of 9: complaints 161 to 190 of 235, newest first, as owners wrote them.
High density headlight on passenger side burned out quickly, after only 2+ years of driving. Dealer garage replaced at no cost - since it was still under the full extended warranty. High density headlight on driver side went out while driving. It went back on later that day, and has been intermittent since, but mostly not working. Just started researching replacement bulb prices when I found out how many people have been having this same issue. Passenger side tail light went out. Wiggling the bulb, socket and wiring got the light working again.
Recently purchased used 2008 prius. When driving at night I noticed that the headlights shut off intermittently. They go back on by turning lights off and on. This happened three times when driving for 10 minutes on a dark road. Very dangerous!
When starting the vehicle the dashboard lights that regulate speed, gas level, oil, odometer, etc do not light up. During this time, the odometer reading is also disabled and not calculated. The dashboard area is completely dark. The back up camera is also disabled and the information for mpg, electrical engine also do not work. Took it to the dealer to have the issue checked but the problem could not be recreated. The current work around that I discovered is to turn on the light switch before turning on the vehicle. This situation is very dangerous since you are unable to determine your speed, gas, and oil level as well as any other potential problems. After some online research I determined that many other consumers have been affected by the same issue.
My vehicle is having the same problems at described in the toyota warranty enhancement - ztv for the combination meter, where the display panel won't light up when the car is started in the morning. The car will also not power down when the power button is pushed. The car can be driven, but since you can't see the speed, mileage, or fuel levels it's not safe to drive the car. Eventually after several miles of driving the car can be powered off and the panel will light up after starting the car again. My car calls within the 2004-2009 years listed, but my specific VIN is not part of the recalled cars. Toyota said I would have to pay for any repairs myself.
On 20 may 2010 at 11,966 miles every brake/stability warning light came on (including the warning for the parking/emergency brake which was not engaged), regenerative braking appeared to have failed, and hydraulic/friction brakes behaved as if ABS was acting at a very slow pulse rate, approximately a 5-second cycle. For about 2 seconds during the "off" portion of this cycle the brakes were effectively inoperative, with the parking/emergency brake the only source of braking. This behavior persisted after shutting down and restarting the car. The dealer's service department reported that three errors had been logged: c1247 - stroke sensor c1300 - ABS ecu malfunction c2318 - low voltage error resetting the computers cleared the warning indications and restored normal brake system behavior. At my behest, the dealer worked with toyota engineering to identify why a low voltage would cause a computer failure which could cause substantial loss of braking ability. They kept the car for 8 days but did not appear to complete any sort of root cause analysis of the failure. On 17 december 2012 at 27,324 miles the brakes again failed with the same set of warning lights illuminated. This time, ABS does not appear to be active at all. For the first 2-5 cm of brake pedal travel, in the regime where regenerative braking would be active, no braking is evident. As the pedal is further depressed, the hydraulic/friction brakes abruptly engage. Pressing harder does result in increased braking though braking is rough. No pulsation as might be expected from ABS was noticed. No attempt was made to brake hard enough to lock up the brakes. The vehicle is currently at the dealer.
The right headlight on my 2008 prius went out while driving. I noticed the next morning that it was back on. I figured out that if I turn the light off then on again, it will come back on, for a while. I eventually had it replaced, to the tune of $120 parts and $40 labor. But after a couple of weeks it's doing it again. Not only that, but now the left headlight is doing the same thing. I'm very concerned about driving at night because changing the bulbs doesn't fix the problem, so it seems like it's only a matter of time before they both go out at the same time!
Multiple occurrences over the past 3 years of headlights (one or at times both) going out unexpectedly without warning. You go into partial lighting or total darkness. After a few minutes you can turn the headlights back on and they may stay lit for few minutes or several hours. I have had dealerships look at the car and say that it is just the bulbs failing (bulbs that are suppose to last 10 times longer than conventional bulbs). The car is now 4 years old and I have had to replace the bulbs yearly. Dealership costs that was originally $350 plus installation per bulb. Toyota has now dropped their price to $150 per bulb. Aftermarket bulbs now available but you still only get a life of 7 months to a year per bulb lots of talk from dealers but no solution. I went to after market bulbs thinking that the problem was toyota bulbs. The same problem occurs. The problem is not the bulbs, the problem is in the vehicle wiring. This is a severe problem that must be looked into in that it putting a lot of prius owners along with others on the highway at risk.
When the headlights are first turned on, both work. In a few minutes the driver's side hid light dims and then goes out. This happens repeatedly. If I turn the lights off and then turn them on again, the same thing happens, both are lit, the driver's side dims and then goes out again in a few minutes.
Turned on car and no dash lights came on. No speedometer, no odometer, no fuel gauge, no gear shift indicator. Broken combination meter. Toyota has issued a tsb - t-sb-0172-09 but will not repair under warranty.
2008 toyota prius. The right hid headlight turns off intermittently without warning. When I turn off the lights and turn them back on, the headlight lights up again but sometimes turns off a few minutes later. I paid over $500 to replace both lights, but the problem is still occurring. I contacted the dealer and they said they can't help me, other than to replace the entire headlight system, presumably at a cost of a few thousand dollars. I notified the manufacturer and they told me to contact a local dealer. I believe this to be a manufacturer defect that should be recalled and corrected by the manufacturer. This is a serious problem that can cause injury to me and others on the road.
The front headlights intermittently shut off. Sometimes it's the left and or right headlight separately and sometimes they shut off together. If I toggle the lights on and off, they may or may not turn back on. It was very dangerous driving at night on the highway.
While driving at any speed, the hid headlights intermittently cut off. This usually happens one at a time, and mostly on the passengers side. I am unable to tell when they go off until either I get pulled over and warned which has happened once already or I pull up and see reflection off back of another car. The lights will work for short periods then off again then on again. This appears to be a known issue with this make/model and the manufacturer (toyota) is not taking responsibility and charging upwards of $600 for repair. In my opinion this is a big safety issue which I believe toyota should take responsibility for an obvious defect. I have also read this has occurred to many owners of this vehicle. After a further lengthy research my understanding is there is actually a class action lawsuit for this, of which I would rather see the federal safety agency take action and have toyota make good on these defects, and recall to resolve this problem. Thank you
Our prius headlights go out intermittently. Usually one at a time, but several times they have both gone out at the same time almost causing a crash. I took it to the toyota dealer it was purchased from while still under warranty, they claimed it was a light bulb "going" out, that was 3 years ago and the bulb still isn't out.
While parked at the local post office the vehicle suddenly started to roll back. It rolled approximately 4-5 ca lengths. The vehicle drug me but came to a stop. The vehicle had to be "engaged" into drive in order to move the car. Not sure if this is an electrical problem or not but obviously the parking did not stay engaged.
The screen has stopped responding properly. It is mostly the left side of the screen that doesn't respond at all, but at times its the entire screen. This screen is necessary to control the air/heater; telephone, sound, etc. I have seen several complaints all over the internet discussing the exact same problem but yet toyota will not make a recall of the problem equipment.
I had been driving the car for less than 10 minutes when the "red triangle" red problem light came on the screen. I immediately looked for a safe place to pull over when the car made a series of short dinging sounds and the car was automatically put in neutral and the brake engaged--in the middle of a busy intersection! I was forced to flee the vehicle as there were oncoming cars that didn't look like they were going to stop. When the signal changed, I went back to the car and put on the emergency flashers. Then I tried to put the car back in drive and it would not budge from neutral. I then switched the car off and back on and was able to drive it out of the intersection safely. If this had occurred even 5 minutes later, my 9-year-old daughter would have been in the vehicle with me and we would not have been able to react as quickly as I did. The car has been towed to my personal mechanic by aaa for diagnosis, but at this time it does not appear that this was an error, but a design flaw that put my safety in critical danger.
My headlights turned them self off on any given time either one on a time or both at the same time same thing happens if the highbeams are on day or night to correct this problem temporarily you have to turn the lights on and off quickly and you have no guarantee how long it will stay on I spoke to the toyota corporation and they will not help because my car has 90,000 miles my car is 2008 to fix this problem the dealership is charging $1200 I have extended warranty on the car but electrical is not covered.
The car warnings went on and displayed the symbol for brake systems failure. The car brakes went out and then the car sped up slightly until the brakes re-engaged. I was driving slowly and was near my home, so no one was hurt thankfully. We had to have it towed because the car manual said not to drive it more than 3 MPH when you have a brake systems failure. It was determined that the defective parts were the electric water pump and the mechanical water pump. Toyota has recalled 2003-2007 electric water pumps for the prius. My concern is that this could have been a tragic accident if we were going faster. My question is whether the 2008 electric water pump for the prius need to be recalled?
On 09jul2012 4:00 p.m while driving my prius 2008 hybrid, heading home on i15n, the electric power on the vehicle shutdown without any previous warning, or alert. I immediately maneuvered the vehicle to the right shoulder of the highway. Immediately called aaa for a towing into toyota of escondido, located on 231 lincoln parkway, escondido, ca 92026 ph# (760) 746-0674. Today 09/01/2012 - currently experiencing problems with intermittent hid headlight operation: I've got a package 6 2006 prius. One of the headlights keeps going out. I can't really tell when or how it goes out since I can't see it. I'll notice it when I see the reflection in the back of another car. If I turn the bright lights on and off it has no effect, but when I turn them all the way off and back on the light comes back. Request a safety recall for toyota to take care of the electrical corrective actions.
Around 4:30pm on saturday afternoon, we opened the car door to run some errands and were startled by a piercing noise. The dashboard was lighting up (ABS & vsc) and although the car started, the dashboard remained lit and the beeping continued. When driving the car to the dealership, the brakes did not brake fully. After a $58 diagnostic test, we were told that acc pressure sensor needed to be cleared and if we returned with the same problem, we may need to replace a "brake actuator part" (cost = $2,560). Before this incident, on saturday afternoon, we drove the car on the interstate for about 150 miles. For the last 15 minutes of our trip, we were driving through heavy rains on the interstate and on side roads. We did not experience any problems when driving the car in the rain, but are wondering whether or not the water affected the brakes.
Tl* the contact owns a 2008 toyota prius. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the headlights stopped illuminating. The contact mentioned that he was able to turn them back on by engaging the switch several times. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 62,000 and the current mileage was 65,000. Updated 09/05/12*lj the consumer stated after driving for about 10 minutes with the headlights on, one light would go out. By turning the headlight switch off then back on, the failed light would come back on. After about five minutes, the other light would go out. Updated 09/111/12
My headlights will go out for no reason while I am driving or they will go dim while driving. I have been pulled over by the highway patrol on 2 different occassions because they though I was driving unsafely without 1 working headlight and each time I was able to turn the lights off and then turn them back on and both lights would then work. The highway patrol said that they are becomming aware of this problem because they are seeing this problem more often. I reported this to the toyota dealer and they had no answer other than to replace lights that at the time were working just fine. This is a major safety problem. The federal safety agency must do something... Investigate and/or recall of the prius for defective headlight electrical systems before people are injured or killed.
My prius headlights are very erratic and unsafe. While driving, one or the other and sometimes both go off. No bumps or other incidents have occurred. They just go off. By turning the lights off and then back on, they always correct themselves, until the next occurrence, which may be in minutes, or days. This condition is entirely intolerable and is not due to loose connections or bad bulbs or any other cause. It obviously is a defective firmware or hardware sensor problem. It is very unsafe, as it has happened to me at night while traveling through an intersection. I have looked at reviews on the internet and it appears that many prius owners are experiencing the exact same problem. Thanks and I hope enough complaints come your way to cause a corrective action of some sort!
For several weeks, I've been having intermittent lowering of dashboard lights, or complete lack of them. On this car, that means I suddenly will have no speedometer, no gas gauge, which can be very dangerous (particularly the speedometer!). When I brought it to my mechanic, I was told that this was a common problem, but that toyota had not issued a recall for the part which requires the replacement of the entire instrument panel. There are no issues with the actual bulbs; it's a computer issue, from what I'm told. This is not an age issue of the car; this is a serious safety malfunction!.
Vehicle insturment cluster failure. Vehicle will not power down.
Intermittent headlamp failure.
In early 2010 (estimate), the rear driver side door lock of our 2008 toyota prius would not unlock with key faub or driver side door lock/unlock button. I took vehicle into poway toyota (poway, ca) and they stated door lock actuator failed, which they replaced at my cost. By the summer of 2010 (estimate), the other three door locks have failed. I must use the key to open the front driver's door and reach over to open the passenger side doors while passengers wait outside the vehicle. It is not safe for passengers to wait to enter vehicle. To have all four door locks fail within three years of the car construction, indicates to me there could be a defect with this part of the toyota prius. I request you investigate this matter.
My passenger headlight will sporadically go out. Shutting off and turning back on works, but the light dims and then goes off completely. I don't know how long it's been this way, but it is a recent occurrence. It happens whether the car is parked or in motion- no certain speed causes it to happen.
In august 2011, a princeton, nj, police office stopped me to report that my right headlight was not working. On september 1, 2011, I paid lawrence toyota $281.84 to replace the right side headlight. Later that month, when I drove home, I noticed that the right light was not shinging against the garage door. When I got out of the car, I saw the headlight was not working. Early in october, the front end of the car was damaged by another vehicle, including both headlights. The body shop replaced the headlights. Shortly after I took the car home, I notice both the left and right headlights failed randomly. While driving, I notice the light would not be uniform along the pavement. When traffic was stopped at a light, one light would reflect from the car in front of me. When I took the car back to the body shop, they confirmed that the lights would go on and off spontaneously. They replaced both lights and the "modulator" that governs the headlights. The problem persisted. They took the car to freehold toyota who "adjusted" the lights and modulator. When I drove the car away from the body shop, I light was higher than expected; reflecting off tree branches well above the car. A few days later, I drove the car to a store and noticed the right light was not shining against the wall of the building. A person the car that pulled in before me commented that the left leadlight was aimed so high that it blinded him, making his rearview mirror unusable.
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