2008 Toyota Prius lights problems

Filed Jan 21, 2024 · Electrical, Engine · MD

Hello. My 2008 Toyota Prius had a malfunction with the "combination meter" which caused the vehicle dashboard to turn off completely, and we could not turn off the engine at times when stopped and parked. The dealer fixed the problem at a cost of $1580, and both the dealer and Toyota corporate through their brand engagement advocate acknowledged a long term problem with the combination meter. They had extended the warranty coverage for owners for this specific problem for about 10 years but not for owners like me with a vehicle 15 years old. I believe Toyota should cover and reimburse owners for this problem, which is potentially dangerous, no matter the age of the vehicle, especially for long term, loyal owners. There are many of these vehicles still on the road. Thank you. [XXX] [XXX] [XXX] . INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Filed Jun 2, 2023 · Lights · WA

On June 1st yesterday this issue happened again but it was the taillights. The uploaded document is from the most recent repair shop bill for the front headlight (under warranty since it stopped working so close to the previous repair) Intermittently without cause the front right head light goes out (seems like every 3-6 months). And every 12-18 months the tail lights go out (the brake lights still work). The mechanics can't tel if it's a circuit board issue (possible lack of cooling/fan), loos connections and or just poor design. No matter what it is dangerous as I I unexpectedly had to drive on hwys in the dark not knowing my lights all of a sudden aren't working. Thank you very much.

Filed Dec 20, 2022 · Acceleration, Electrical · NJ

I am currently having this issue with Combination Meter, which means the Prius dash board will not show any speed, fuel, P, R, D label and many more important information is not shown on display. I had complained to Toyota, CASE[XXX] on 19Dec2022, I have spoken to Danial N and manager Alex S from Toyota. They both have denied solving this issue from Toyota as the Warranty Extension ZTV has expired. Even I had provided them proof that Toyota knew about this problem, please see [XXX] from Toyota regarding this. My Prius has 258000 miles, and it is 2008, It is high mileage as per their documents this will accrue in high mileage Prius with cold weather. I live in NJ, and it is getting cold and my car as high miles. Toyota refuse to take care of the problem and I as a consumer will have to pay over $1200 to get it fix as this is only done at Toyota dealership. Currently I am thinking of getting it fix at Paul Miller Toyota of West Caldwell, 1155 Bloomfield Ave, West Caldwell, NJ 07006, 973‑287‑4050. What's sad is Toyota used to rank at the top of best customer service. I'm guessing most of the problems are just after the 9 years, calculated to guarantee fixing the problem to as few people as possible. THERE'S NO EXTENSION AND TOYOTA WON'T HELP. I TRIED AND WAS TOLD ALL DEALS EXPIRED AND TO HELP ONE WOULD MEAN THEY'D HAVE TO HELP ALL. WE'RE ON OUR OWN. Hoping that Toyota has released a solution to the dangerous and consumer related problem related to the failing Combination Meter. The previous ext. Warranty was only good for 9 years from date of first use which did not help many drivers. Super negligent and ripe situation for class action lawsuits not to mention many potentially fatal accidents on the roads. Toyota has denied fixing this problem even Toyota knows this is on going problem. As a government official please try to help me resolve this issue as this is a major concern for many millions of drivers which Toyota need to resolve this. Please INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (

Filed Jun 3, 2022 · Lights · TN

Headlights go out randomly. Have to turn them off and back on to resume normal operation.

Filed May 13, 2022 · Lights · OR

I had purchased this 2008 Prius touring model used on 4/8/22. The first time I drove it at night I was on the freeway traveling at 55 mph and suddenly had almost no visibility due to loss of headlights. It was terrifying and pure luck that I made it off and home. The headlights turn off one at a time. I took the car to Atomic Auto in Portland, Oregon and they said the type of bulbs in the car often do this when they are failing and need to be replaced. This shop put new bulbs in yesterday, May 12th. It was raining heavily when I left the shop and I turned the headlights on. They failed again in the same way. I had no idea there was a problem like this with any car. I have searched online and now know that this has been a problem with Toyota Prius.

Filed Mar 22, 2022 · Acceleration, Electrical · OH

Dashboard speedometer, fuel gauge, headlight indicators, transmission status, cruise control do not show, are not lit up. Backup camera does not work nor do the back-up lights. This occured after the auxiliary battery was replaced and the dashboard lights and backup camera will occassionally spontaneously return when the car has not been driven for a week or longer but then will go out next time the car is turned off. There are problems with the car turning off consistently and at times the start button needs to be manually depressed for 5+ seconds to shut down.

Filed Sep 10, 2021 · Lights · UT

This model car is equipped with HID headlights. The car has had numerous problems with the bulb not lighting on one side. The light could be cycled off/on and this would allow the lamp to stay lit for an unpredictable amount of time. Sometimes this cycling would allow the lamp to stay on for an entire trip and sometimes the headlights would have to be cycled off/on again. Replaced the lamps today with brand new bulbs. Both lit during the initial testing. Later in the day the left lamp does not light even when cycled off then on. The headlights on this car are unreliable. The trouble in changing the lights would have been fixed with traditional halogen lights but now further troubleshooting is required or replacement of the igniter or bulbs. Headlights on cars in the 21st century should be completely reliable especially after replacing both lamps with brand new bulbs. This is a safety concern while driving at night.

Filed Mar 19, 2021 · Lights · 198,000 miles · MA

Right side headlight goes out intermittently without a traceable cause. People have noticed the light out while at motion on a residential street at low speed, on a highway at 50 MPH and at rest.

Filed Feb 10, 2021 · Lights · 190,000 miles · CO

Primary headlights randomly go out while both parked and driving down the road. Sometimes both at the same time. Turning them off and on again manually resets them to work again. This seems like a huge design flaw and major safety hazard, since it leads to driving in the dark without headlights. Repair shops want $100s per bulb to replace hid bulbs that seem to not actually be burned out. The design choice for hid bulbs that exhibit this temporary failure mode seems to be a fundamentally flawed engineering choice compared to other, more reliable technology such as leds. No existing recalls were found when searching the dot.gov website for this issue.

Filed Oct 17, 2020 · Lights · 261,000 miles · MI

The driver's side headlight on my 2008 prius goes out periodically when driving but, to date, not when stationary. I recently drove to texas and back and this didn't occur on the highway or country roads. It seems to only happen in city stop-and-go driving, but I can't be sure. If noticed, by turning the lights off and on it comes back on but it's not always noticeable. Information online indicates that costly hid bulb and ballast replacements, and/or other costly repairs, do not solve the problem. This poses a potentially serious safety risk and has gotten me pulled over by the police. The problem seems to be common with 2006-2009 prius's which would indicate a design/manufacturing flaw that toyota should address and correct. Please look into this matter and advise me on how to proceed to correct the problem. Thank-you, [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6).