2008 Toyota Prius ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,EXTERIOR LIGHTING

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. *TR

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! *TR

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. *TR

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. *TR

MY HEADLIGHT KEEPS GOING OUT. I KNOW ITS A KNOWN PROBLEM BUT THERE HAS NOT BEEN RECALL AND IT DID NOT OCCUR UNTIL RECENTLY, SO IT DOES NOT FIT IN WITH THE TOYOTA 50,000 MILES AND UNDER RULE. HOWEVER, I HAVE BEEN STOPPED A COUPLE TIMES AND ITS HAPPENING MORE AND MORE EVERY DAY. THIS SHOULD BE RECALLED! *TR

WHILE DRIVING HOME, FRIENDS WHO WERE FOLLOWING ME PASSED ME THEN CALLEDTO LET ME KNOW THAT MY CAR'S RIGHT FRONT LIGHT AND LEFT REAR LIGHT WAS NOT WORKING. FOR THE LAST WEEK OR SO PEOPLE COMING TOWARDS ME BLINKED THEIR LIGHTS .. I HAVE REGULAR CHECKUPS AT THE TOYOTA PLACE, SO I IGNORED IT. LOOKING BACK ON IT, THEY WERE PROBABLY TRYING TO TELL ME ABOUT THE HEADLIGHT. I TOOK MY 2008 PRIUS TO THE TOYOTA DEALER TO REPLACE THE BULBS. THE REPAIR REPRESENTATIVE SAID THAT THE FRONT LIGHTS WERE WORKING BUT THE LEFT REAR LIGHT WASN'T . WHEN I TOLD HIM BOTH LIGHTS WERE DEFINITELY NOT WORKING THE PREVIOUS NIGHT, HE SAID IF I WANTED, THEY COULD REPLACE THE REAR LIGHT WITH A BULB, BUT THE RIGHT HEADLIGHT WAS MORE DIFFICULT DUE TO REMOVING THE BUMPER AND CHANGING THE LIGHT ASSEMBLY (NOT JUST A BULB!). THIS WOULD COST ME ABOUT $300. I THOUGHT THAT A BULB REPLACEMENT WOULD DO IT BUT NOT SO, THIS CAR HAS BLUE LIGHTS THAT REQUIRE BUMPER REMOVAL TO EVEN GET TO THE LIGHT. SINCE THE LIGHT WAS WORKING AT THAT TIME AND $300 IS A LOT FOR A RETIRED SINGLE WOMAN , I TOLD HIM I WOULD THINK ABOUT IT. NOT KNOWING IF THE LIGHT WILL WORK OR NOT, I QUIT DRIVING AFTER DARK. HOWEVER, UNEXPECTED RAIN STORMS FORCED ME TO TURN THE LIGHTS ON A COUPLE DAYS AGO. IT WORKED. HOWEVER, THE PROBLEM IS I AM NOT SURE IF THEY WILL COME ON OR NOT. MAYBE THE LEFT HEADLIGHT IS DOING THE SAME THING: GOING OFF AND ON WHEN I HAVE NO INDICATION THAT THIS IS HAPPENING. I BOUGHT THE PRIUS TO SAVE MONEY ON GAS AND CALLED IT MY "LAST" CAR AND HAVE TAKEN CARE OF IT AS PRESCRIBED. NOW I DON'T FEEL SAFE TO DRIVE IT AT NIGHT OR WHEN IT RAINS. *TR

LEFT HID HEADLIGHT FLICKERS ON AND OFF, THEN TURNS OFF. IF I TURN THE HEADLIGHTS OFF AND THEN BACK ON AGAIN, THE LIGHT WILL STAY ON FOR A BIT, BUT THEN WILL EVENTUALLY FLICKER OUT AGAIN. ALSO, THE BULB IS VERY DIFFICULT TO ACCESS AND REPLACE, AND TOYOTA REPORTEDLY CHARGES A LOT TO REPLACE AND INSTALL THESE BULBS. *TR

INTERMITTENT HEADLIGHT FAILURE. HEADLIGHT WILL GO OUT. USUALLY, IF LIGHTS ARE TURNED OFF AND BACK ON, HEADLIGHT WILL COME BACK ON. SOMETIMES THE HEADLIGHT WILL TURN ON, SOMETIMES IT WON'T. THIS HAS HAPPENED SEVERAL TIMES (3 OR 4) SINCE I HAVE NOTICED THE FAILURE TWO MONTHS AGO. *TR

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. *TR

ALL LIGHTS SUDDENLY WENT BLACK, FRONT, BACK EVERYTHING. I WAS GOING 50 MPH ON A MOUNTAIN ROAD AND WAS ON A STRAIGHT ROAD SECTION OUT OF THE CURVES WHEN EVERYTHING WENT BLACK. IT WAS NIGHT-TIME AT ABOUT 9:30 PM SO VERY DARK. I WENT INTO SHOCK IMMEDIATELY SLAMMED ON BRAKES, JUST GLAD NO ONE IN BACK OF ME AND CAREFULLY TRIED TO FEEL TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. THIS IS A ROAD WITH ALOT OF 18 WHEELERS AS IT IS A MAJOR ROUTE. ALSO VERY CURVY, AND I WAS LUCKY NOT TO GET KILLED!!!!! *TR

BOTH HEADLIGHTS GO OUT WITHOUT WARNING, I CAN TURN THE HEADLIGHTS BACK ON BY TURNING SWITCH OFF AND THEN BACK ON. IN DOING RESEARCH I HAVE FOUND THIS IS A COMMON DEFECT WITH THE TOYOTA PRIUS YEARS 2006-2009. WHY ISN'T THIS A RECALL? WHEN GETTING AN ESTIMATE TO FIX IS UP TO A $1,000. I FEEL LIKE TOYOTA NEEDS TO STEP UP BEFORE SOMEONE IS HURT OR DEAD FROM AN ACCIDENT PERTAINING TO THIS ISSUE. *TR

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. *TR

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. *TR

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! *TR

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. *TR

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. *TR

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. *TR

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. *TR

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! *TR

INTERMITTENT HEADLAMP FAILURE. *TR

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! *TR

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. NHTSA MUST DO SOMETHING... INVESTIGATE AND/OR RECALL OF THE PRIUS FOR DEFECTIVE HEADLIGHT ELECTRICAL SYSTEMS BEFORE PEOPLE ARE INJURED OR KILLED. *TR

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. *TR

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 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. *TR