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2008 Toyota Prius lights complaints

Page 13 of 21: complaints 341 to 370 of 583, newest first, as owners wrote them.

See the summary of 2008 Toyota Prius lights problems: which part fails, at what mileage and related recalls.

Filed Feb 15, 2011 · Lights · 29,000 miles · CA

Headlights for 2008 prius keep burning out, toyota dealership replaced the bottom pair of lights last year and passenger side lights keep going off certain days. Toyota is refusing to fix it, they want me to pay large amount of sum for new lights.

Filed Feb 8, 2011 · Lights · 76,000 miles · IL

Tl* the contact owns a 2008 toyota prius. The contact stated that whenever he would drive 35 MPH or above, both headlights would intermittently fluctuate on and off. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who informed her that the failure was common for her year, make and model therefore, the dealer was willing to take the liability for fifty percent of the repair cost. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 76,000. Updated 03/03/11 *bf upated 1/4/11

Filed Jan 26, 2011 · Lights · 41,173 miles · OH

2008 toyota prius passenger side hid xenon headlamp going on an off randomly. Went to toyota dealer they said it was the bulb and when replacing the bulb the mechanic found out the headlamp connector was corroded. I paid for a new bulb and connector. My problem is how a vehicle with only 40,000 miles could have corroded wire connectors already. The bill was $353.

Filed Jan 24, 2011 · Lights · 70,000 miles · TX

Right headlight goes out and you have to turn light switch off and back on for it to come back on. The time range on the light going off varies from time to time. It can happen as fast as every 2-3 minutes. The ballast and bulb has been replaced and this did not correct the problem.

Filed Jan 13, 2011 · Lights · 54,475 miles · KY

2008 toyota prius driver side hid headlight went out prematurely.

Filed Jan 10, 2011 · Lights, Locks · 57,820 miles · CA

There were no distinguishing events that LED up to the total failure of my 2008 toyota prius driver side headlight and door lock assembly (front). They both no longer worked within a 1 day period and required replacement. Noticing 2 or more other vehicles of the same make and model there for light replacement caused me to inquire what caused their light malfunctions. In the matter of minutes of my calling in, roughly an hour into the dealerships opening, I was told the lights were available, by the time arrived, within 5 minutes, enough autos had arrived also with the "hid" headlamps out that the dealerships entire stock of lights had been used up, and required my having to return after another shipment of lights were received, as well. I did not request the old part.

Filed Jan 10, 2011 · Lights · 80,000 miles · VA

Hid headlights on 2008 prius failing without a known fix from toyota. Each bulb costs over $150.00.

Filed Jan 10, 2011 · Lights · 42,000 miles · CA

The hid headlights on my 2008 prius have begun to fail. Either one may not turn on, or they may turn off individually by themselves.

Filed Jan 7, 2011 · Lights · 62,571 miles · NJ

The passenger side hid headlight went out suddenly, flickered back, and then went out permanently.

Filed Jan 6, 2011 · Lights · 88,000 miles · CA

The complaint is for the hid headlight system on a 2008 toyota prius. The driver's side headlight initially failed randomly and eventually failed completely. The problem would occur randomly while driving where the headlight would fail. The only way the light would turn back on would be to cycle the power to the headlights. More recently, this problem is now occurring with the passenger side headlight. The car now has 88k miles and continues to be a problem. To correct the failure, I brought the car in to a toyota dealer for repair. I was told that the driver's side headlight bulb was bad. I have not addressed the passenger side headlight at this time.

Filed Jan 3, 2011 · Lights · 30,000 miles · NH

Both front headlights go out without warning. The high beams work but one or both of the regular hit lights go out intermittently. The issue has been happening sine approx. 30,000 miles (the car is currently at 61000 miles).

Filed Dec 26, 2010 · Lights · 30,000 miles · FL

Toyota prius 2008 touring model with hid headlights. Currently have about 80,000 miles on car issue started after around 30,000 miles. The drivers side head light sporadically shuts off. I am able to turn lights off then back on and it will work again however this happens in a 30 min drive as often as about 15 times and seems to get more frequent the longer the drive. I ride with myself my husband and 3 kids and do not feel safe driving at night in my car. I do not feel this is the light itself because I am able to turn them off and back on again. If it was the light it would not turn back on.

Filed Dec 20, 2010 · Lights · 30,000 miles · CA

2008 toyota prius with approx. 60,000 miles on it. Right (passenger) hid headlamp turns off intermittently while driving. Replacing with a new bulb does not solve the issue and toyota will not look at the car even though I have a record of this issue happening before the warranty was up. Now the driver's side hid headlamp is turning on and off as well. This is extremely dangerous to drive at night or even during the day while it is raining, etc... Was driving home in the rain last night and both headlamps turned off. Extremely unsafe and irresponsible for toyota to not take any responsibility.

Filed Dec 20, 2010 · Lights · 34,000 miles · MN

Hid headlamps began to randomly turn off on their own at around 34k miles. Driver's side or passenger side; one or the other. Paid for and replaced both hid lamps, but not controller computer. At 42k miles, problem returns. One time while driving at night, both headlights blinked off without warning. Turning headlight controls off, then on again resolves the problem until problem recurs. Lights may stay on for duration of trip, or turn off again after just a few minutes.

Filed Dec 20, 2010 · Lights · 27,554 miles · CA

I was driving to work in the dark. As I was turning left onto the fry. Ramp my lights went out! I couldn't turn around so I tried to guess where I was by the taillights on the fry. Then they came back on. This continued , on-off for ten miles. Toyota said they would fix it that day. Chg. $556.59. Car has 27,554 miles.

Filed Dec 16, 2010 · Lights · 43,000 miles · NJ

Front right hid headlight went out. Comes on intermittently. Cannot operate vehicle safely at night. Known defect by manufacturer on 2004-2008 prius.

Filed Dec 12, 2010 · Lights · 90,000 miles · WI

Left front hid headlamp flickered and then went out. I turned the headlights off and then on quickly, restoring the headlight. It repeated itself repeatedly for several weeks until I was able to get the headlight replaced at the outrageous cost of $469.80. That price included replacing both headlights, as I did not want to take the chance of having the other one fail in the same manner. It is clear from research I have done, that toyota is gouging the public on the replacement of these headlights and also refuses to acknowledge that they have put a defective product on the road. This is clearly a safety recall item.

Filed Dec 7, 2010 · Lights · 39,000 miles · AR

At 39,000 miles my 2008 toyota prius headlights failed. Just driving down the road at night and they just go out. After a few minutes they came back on enough to drive home. I took it to dealer the next day and they said the bulbs needed replaced for 400 dollars. I asked them why and they said was normal wear and tear. These lights were supposed to last much longer than normal lights but it doesn't seem that way. They never worked right as far as being able to see any distance at all and now all of a sudden they go out. Makes one afraid to drive after dark not knowing now when this will happen again for another 400 dollars.

Filed Dec 5, 2010 · Lights · 40,000 miles · MD

Intermittent hid headlights on my 2008 prius. The headlights suddenly go off, then after turning them off and back on, they are good for a while once again. This is happening to both the left and right sides. I understand the bulbs are $150 each plus labor to replace. I only have 40,000 miles on my prius. This is extremely dangerous.

Filed Dec 2, 2010 · Lights · 51,300 miles · NJ

Both head lights come on for a second or 2 then turn off. Turning them on and off repeatedly sometimes they will stay on for up to 1 minute then turn off. Toyota dealership that sold us car claims they never heard of this problem. Reported problem 12/2/2010.

Filed Nov 30, 2010 · Lights · 37,000 miles · IL

At approximately 37,000 miles my drivers side headlight, which is an hid bulb, started to flicker and turn off. Most the time it would happen within the first few minutes of starting the car. If the lights were turned off and back on it would work again. Approximately 1,000 miles later I noticed a new symptom where both headlights would turn off simultaneously, this would happen rarely. I brought the vehicle to the dealer and was told that the issue was my bulbs(which when I was sold the vehicle was told would last 100k miles) and that I would need to replace them. I explained that if both bulbs are turning off at the same time how can it possibly be the bulbs especially if it has happened more than once. They insisted that it was the bulbs. I refused to replace them until further researching and since then I've found many similar cases. Many owners have complained of very early bulb failure and issues with ballasts that require replacing. Today I have 42k miles on the vehicle and at the drivers side bulb fails every time I drive the car, and both bulbs fail about once a week. For bulbs that are being described to last the life of the car, 40,000 miles seems rather short lived.

Filed Nov 18, 2010 · Electrical, Lights · 43,000 miles · CT

Headlight goes on, then goes off. Won't stay on. I was informed the other one could go out at any time, so I should replace both, at great expense. I was told by toyota that the hid headlights were covered under the regular warranty, but not the extended warranty. Bulbs (especailly those costing $300) should not burn out or randomly flicker on a two year old vehicle. To prevent future/additional problems, I had to replace both headlights, including the one that was working. This is a definitlely safety issue...I check bulbs regularly, and all are working when I turn the car on. Obviously, I can't check while I'm in motion - which is when they flash off - and was fortunate that both bulbs didn't burn out at the same time, which could have resulted in a crash, injury or accident (or worse) that I would have been liable for.

Filed Nov 15, 2010 · Lights · 68,850 miles · NJ

Hid headlight system failure. Driver side intermittent failure for about a week. On 11/15/2010 passenger side also failed at 7:15 pm leaving us with no operating headlights on a winding country road. Had to return back to house with no headlights, luckilly only 5 minutes into our trip.

Filed Nov 13, 2010 · Lights · 33,000 miles · MA

2008 toyota prius with 33,000 miles experiences intermittent headlight failure. Both left and right side headlights go out at random while driving in any conditions - hot or cold, wet or dry, etc. Turning lights off then on sometimes resolves problem for a short period of time.

Filed Nov 13, 2010 · Lights · IN

Toyota prius headlight defect. The light intermittently shut off. At times it would begin working by turning the lights off and on again, other times it would come on without doing anything and at times it wouldn't come back on at all.

Filed Nov 12, 2010 · Lights · 62,000 miles · OR

Tl*the contact owns a 2008 toyota prius. The contact stated that the headlights malfunctioned upon start-up. The dealer stated that the contact would be responsible for the cost for a new bulb. The vehicle had not been repaired. The current and failure mileages were approximately 62,000.

Filed Nov 10, 2010 · Lights · CA

Toyota prius headlight problem.

Filed Nov 4, 2010 · Lights · 32,001 miles · CA

Toyota prius hid headlamp goes out after turning on and warming up. Issue and concern is that the lamp appears functional at first and then goes out after some random period of time without any indication to the driver. Seems to be a common issue with the prius hid lamps. Fixed by replacing bulb.

Filed Oct 27, 2010 · Lights · 65,000 miles · OH

Right headlight on 2008 toyota prius go out and to get it back on, the lights must be turned off and then on. This may happen several times during a drive.

Filed Oct 26, 2010 · Lights · 68,500 miles · CA

At random times the hid headlights on my 08 toyota prius will turn off. It happens to both lights but it has never happened to both lights at the same time, which may have caused an accident. The headlights will turn back on if I turn the power switch off and then back on. I have read on the internet that this same problem is happening with alot of prius models.

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