The headlights have repeatedly burned out since the car warranty expired. The don't just slowly dim like other headlights. They go completely out of a sudden. I have had to replace headlights five times.
2008 Toyota Prius lights complaints
Page 8 of 21: complaints 191 to 220 of 583, newest first, as owners wrote them.
Since shortly after purchasing a new 2008 prius I have had issues w/ 1 headlight going out while driving. If I pull over, shut the car off & restart it, the light usually comes back on. Sometimes I have to do this several times to get the light back on.the problem has escalated to both headlights going out at the same time. I was driving alone on a dark curvy road at 10pm going 35 & suddenly both of my headlights went off! I couldn't see a thing & was now driving in the pitch dark on a curvy road! I pulled over as quickly as I could & actually hit a mailbox because I couldn't see anything. If someone was walking their dog I would have run over them while trying to pull over.after continuously turning the car on & off, turning the lights on & off, turning the high beams on & off, I finally got the lights to go back on. While driving the rest of the way home,1 headlight went out.this is very dangerous.not only are you left driving in the dark & no one else or other cars can see you but it causes panic as it is totally unexpected & how a driver reacts when this happens can cause an accident (if not having headlights doesn't do it). A new driver or older person driving when both headlights go out would certainly cause them to panic. I have been pulled over by police for having a light out. This problem started when the car was only a few months old; toyota replaced the bulb under warranty; this did not solve the problem as the lights have continued to go out. Having 1 light out is bad but having both go out while driving is asking for an accident & for someone to get killed. If I can be ticketed for having a light out because the car is considered unsafe than a safety recall s/b issued. These cars are getting older; please re-open this investigation so that we don't have another gm ignition issue where people have died & we find out the problem was known about for years.
I was leaving a store parking lot when the driver in front of me stopped and told me my driver's side headlight was out. It was getting dark so I had to postpone my plans and go straight home. When I arrived home the headlights were both on, but then on parking in the garage I noticed the passenger side headlight was off. The next morning I drove to my mechanic and the headlights were both on when I left, but on arriving there they were both off. I as shocked when my mechanic said to go to the dealer because this was a known problem with my vehicle and toyota was sued for it. He said the dealer needed to report it to toyota, however, the dealer denied knowing anything about the issue or that there was a lawsuit until I showed it to them online and then they admitted it. When I asked them if toyota has changed anything about the headlight problem they said "no!" the estimate was $485. I called toyota and complained because many people with this problem said replacing the bulbs doesn't fix the problem and that it may recur or more expensive repairs might be necessary. The toyota customer service said they would cover the cost to replace the headlamp bulbs just this time only because I've been a toyota customer for 17 years and not because of any negligence on their part. And like the dealer, basically lied and refused to admit they knew anything about the issue or the lawsuit but at the same time mentioned the 50,000 mile/5 year extended warranty from lawsuit for same issue, which excludes me. I do not feel safe driving this car anymore. My headlights could go off again while I'm driving at night and I could be involved in an accident. It's irresponsible and totally unacceptable to ignore dangerous safety issue like this and lie to cover it up, not only by toyota but any government agency paid by taxpayers to look out for the safety of the public.
Headlight will go off when driving, sometimes one only. Then the other. There is no set pattern. Headlights will come back on when the on/off switch is turned off then back on, then will go off again. Three oem bulbs have been replaced in one and a half years. I understand that I am not the only person that is having this problem. Toyota does not acknowledge that there is a problem. They say that it is just a bad bulb and just replace the bulb only to have the same thing happen. This is a safety issue as we cannot predict when bulbs will go out!
I was driving my 2008 toyota prius and the hid left headlight suddenly went out. While driving in the dark, I had to turn off my headlights and turn them back on. When I did this, both lights came back on. This issue happened several times over the course of an hour.
Tl* the contact owns a 2008 toyota prius. The contact stated that the driver's side headlight would continuously fail without warning. The contact mentioned that he was able to turn the head light back on immediately after the failure. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the technician stated that the headlight needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The VIN was not available. The failure mileage was 115,000 and the current mileage was 137,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2008 toyota prius. The contact stated while driving at night the headlights shut off intermittently. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the light bulbs needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 50,000 and the current mileage was 55,000.
Every few weeks (even several times in the same week), the dashboard lights on the car go completely dark, without warning (no, the dimmer switch is not turned to "low" or "off"-- that is the first thing we tried). Simultaneously, or sometimes at different times, the car refuses to turn off, even when the "off" switch is pressed constantly or intermittently, for up to a half-hour. Obviously, it is extremely dangerous to leave a car running, so one cannot leave the car; when driving, the loss of all the dashboard information is terrifying, especially at night when it is so distracting as to be potentially crash-causing. The toyota dealer first claimed it was the 12-volt battery, so we replaced it. This did not fix it. At the dealer's request, we left the car with them for a long weekend, and they claimed that since they weren't able to reenact the situation, they could not help us. After some back-and-forth, they agreed to replace a "combination meter," which toyota had apparently found troublesome enough to offer free "out-of-warranty" repairs of. However, the dealer first said toyota would not pay for it unless the dealer was able to independently verify the trouble, and they were not able to recreate the distressing situation. As if we would lie in order to receive a new combination meter! We just want to car to work and be safe. Now we are waiting five-plus days for the part to come in, and not even sure if it will fix our problem. There's plenty of discussion of this exact same issue all across the internet. Why has the company not figured this out, and trained its mechanics accordingly?
I purchased my prius new. I have had a chronic & constant issue with my head lights & tail lights not working properly. I have had this issue checked by mechanics and have been told this is a "toyota electrical issue". There is no problem with the bulbs or components that can be found by mechanics. This is a dangerous problem, and occurs randomly without notice. My head lights or tail lights just "go out"...any time, anywhere! I have spoken with other toyota prius owners (other years too), and they have the same problems.
Purchased car used. I noticed immediately that the right light was flickering. In a few days, it started going out. Came back on later, then went out again back and forth. After having bulb replaced, with in 2 days, it did the same thing. Left hid light is now doing the same flickering, though not going out totally yet that I have noticed. Turning lights on and off make them work again until the next time they randomly go out. They will randomly go out or on even if sitting still. After researching, I am finding that people are spending 1000s of dollars and still not getting this fixed.
The hid headlamps on this vehicle were part of a class action suit several years ago alleging the lamps failed prematurely. Toyota settled the suit by acknowledging the defective parts and extending the warranty to 5 years or 50,000 miles. I was forced to have both headlamps replaced right at 50,000 as one had gone out and almost immediately the other started going on and off intermittently. It created a significant safety hazard at the time. On friday february 28, 2014 I had another headlamp go out while on a dark stretch of rural highway in central missouri. I was fortunate enough to get home, but was forced to have the lamp replaced at significant cost ($247.38) the next day. This headlamp lasted approximately 45,000 miles. Toyota has refused to accept responsibility for this item which I feel is creating a very significant safety hazard. While I was fortunate enough to be in a dark area at the time of the failure that made the issue quite obvious, drivers in a more urban environment would have easily never noticed. Even for those who did notice most drivers would be unaware of the proclivity for these lamps to fail and the imminent danger they are in driving at night on a single lamp with these particular lamps. Unfortunately headlamps have been such a reliable part that most drivers will feel it's a once in a blue moon event and there is no urgency for the replacement. It appears that while they said as part of the suit settlement that they had resolved the issue with the lamps failing prematurely they quite clearly have not. They are most definitely putting drivers in danger. It is my hope that the federal safety agency will look into this issue.
When I was on the freeway, one of my headlights just went out. I had the same exact headlight replaced only one year ago. A few days later, both of my headlights had the same problem. They would flicker and then just go out while I am driving at high speeds. If I turn the light switch on and off while I am driving they sometimes come back on. Sometimes I have to pull over and restart the car for them to come back on. This issue is not safe! Please help.
The headlight turns off suddenly. Most of the time it is the left head light and some time right head light.the head light comes back on after turning off and on. It is dangerous when all of a sudden the light went out at night. Mechanic find no problem. Hwever, the head light cuts off suddenly.
The exterior headlights continue to malfunction. They turn off randomly, and you much switch them on and off again to get them to continue to work. They at times malfunction at the same time, and the cost of the replacement bulb is astronomical at approx. $200 per bulb. Malfunction continues to happen, even after bulb replacement.
Although the investigation of hid headlight failure on 2006-09 on the toyota prius was closed in 2009, I wanted to add my complaint to your file. I just paid to replace my drivers' side headlight for the third time. It was replaced once under warranty, comped a second time by the dealer and now I had to pay $1,022.24 to replace it after the company refused to. There is clearly an issue with this headlight and the cost of replacing it is obscene, making it a safety threat.
I was driving down the highway at night at approx. 70 MPH and both headlights turned off. I then slowed down and shut the headlights off manually and then turned them back on. Both headlights turned on and worked properly. Within that week I brought the car to a shop and had him replace both headlights at a crazy cost. Thinking that this fixed the problem I continued to drive the car, I have had one other time that both headlights went out but have had multiple times where one head light would go out. I have been pulled over by the authorities at least twice by having the headlight out. In order to fix the lights I have to shut them off and then turn them back on. This is very unsafe, my life, my family members life, and possible other lives are at risk!!!
One or both headlights shut off intermittently while driving. Usually come back on when switch is turned off, then on. May happen repeatedly.
The lights just turn off by themselves. One will go out, then the other. Many times both will go out at he same time it is really scary. The lights have been replaced and it still happens.
Driving down 4 lane, undivided highway at night and both headlights went dark.
My head lights will all of a sudden go out while driving. I've had to click them off and on again, but it keeps happening and is quite scary while driving at night. Since I work until 10:00pm every night, I am constantly driving at night. I have also been stopped by our local police department and issued a warning for having a headlight out. I have been to my local toyota dealer and was told by them that since my warranty has expired, it would cost me about $350.00 per headlight to replace. I have also been researching and noticed that this is an ongoing problem with this type of car. I also understand that there was a class action suit involving this model, but we have never been notified of anything to do with this problem. Why hasn't the federal safety agency notified owners of this ongoing defect? When this happens it is quite scary.
Pulling away from home after starting car, I noticed dashboard lights were out, no speedometer, etc. Although blinker lights worked. Later, backing up, I noticed the camera image did not work. Big problem was when I got to work and car would not turn off. I tried for 20 minutes including that I made the mistake of putting smart key into slot thinking that would help only to realize that key could not be removed without car being off. I absolutely had to go to my office; had to leave car unattended in downtown. When returned a few hours later to go to dealer, I tried it again and it turned off.
In july of 2013, while driving, the drivers side headlight went out. I bought a new headlight hid bulb and had it installed a few days later. In december of 2013 the light went out again. I was able to get it to work intermittently by toggling the on/off switch. The light would stay on for 1-2 minutes before going out again. I had the lightbulb removed and will have to purchase another bulb to be installed. Each bulb costs nearly $175. I have been quoted $120 by a toyota dealer for labor.
Head lights shut off while driving usually on passenger side I turn them off and back on and they work then it may or may not happen again some times it is on the drivers side as well getting worse taken it by dealer ship they say they don't know what's causing it yet this is a common problem with this car I believe it is a flaw in manufacturing and designee.
Left head light goes out while driving. I can turn head lights off and back on and it starts working again. The dealer says I need a new bulb at the rate of $330.00 dollars plus tax and $50.00 to install. I asked if it was guaranteed they said no once it is installed there is no guarantee. I was born at night but not last night!! I think they have another problem and don't have a clue what it is! At $400.00 a light bulb-good money if you can get it.
While driving my car the headlight go off without any warning. This is extremely dangerous. I have already filled one complaint. I thought I had fixed the problem when I replaced my headlights but that only worked for about a month and the same thing started to happen again, now I cant drive at night with out my headlights going out.
I was driving home at night when both my headlights on my toyota prius suddenly completely went off for no reason. I had an issue a few weeks before, and had noticed that sometimes the front right headlight would just blink off, and a friend of mine had pointed out that I had a headlight out. But when I turned on my car the next time both lights were working... Soon I realized that if the light blinked off, and if I turned the lights off and back on again they would both come one; sometimes for a few minutes or longer, but sometimes only for a second and then blink back off... I was about to look into getting that checked out when suddenly this time last week both lights went off, on my curvy street in malibu in the dark where there are no street lights as I live in the mountain 2 miles away from the pch and it is a very dark and dangerously curvy road... Luckily my reflexes kicked in and I quickly flicked the lights off and on as I had done before and the lights came back on, but I could have easily flown off the cliff here... If my wife was driving my car and not known about flicking the lights on and off she could have died. I will not let her drive my car at night until this is fixed. It was completely pitch black for a second there and the average person who had not discovered this yet could have had a fatal death in that moment. Imagine if I had not known that I needed to flick my lights back on and off which I had luckily just found worked only weeks before with the singly headlight going out... I contacted toyota and they said they will not fix this on their own, and that have to pay in full for replacing the bulbs. I have now done research on this and found countless complaints online about this, and I can't believe this is not a simple recall issue and that toyota is not taking responsibility... Absolutely ludicrous. What can be done?
The drivers side headlight goes out intermittently. We replaced the bulb, but we are still having the problem.
I was driving about 70mph on sept. 25, 2013 when I noticed my rt. Front headlight went off on a dark road. Later it came back on. When I stopped to pull over, it was out completely. I continued traveling and it came back on. Since then, I've noticed both rt. And left headlight intermittently turn off by themselves and go back on by themselves while driving. Recently it's become more frequent and the left front flickers occasionally. It's a safety hazard. My address is: [xxx]driver license #:[xxx]/ ss#: [xxx]VIN: [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6).
Head lights suddenly went out for about 5 seconds at night! They came back on by themselves. I was told by dealer hard to find intermittent problems. Of course it was working when at dealer. Told I needed both hid head lights @$265. Each. Also possible head light assembly and computer. Approx another $2200. My passenger side headlight has been intermittent for a while, but this is the first time both have gone out and left me blind!! Many other complaints from others I have talked to. Should be recalled.
Most recently I was driving at night and the left headlight was not working at all. The next day I took the car to my local mechanic and both lights were working fine so they were unable to do anything. Two days later I was driving home late and again the lights worked fine. This has been a constant problem. Sometimes the lights (one or both) work and sometimes they don't. Two months ago I was driving on a dark winding rode with only the fog lights working, both of the headlights were out. You never know when it's going to happen and it's extremely dangerous. Is it a problem with the hid lights or a circuit issue? My toyota dealer was unaware of the problem despite what appears to be several complaints having been logged. My car only has 66k miles and I don't drive at night very often.
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