2008 Toyota Prius ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,EXTERIOR LIGHTING

RIGHT HID HEADLIGHT KEEPS GOING OUT DURING SHORT OR LONG TRIPS. IT IT'S NOW OCTOBER 2019. THIS SAME LIGHT WAS REPLACED FOR SAME PROBLEM IN JULY 2018 AND I WAS TOLD BY MY MECHANIC THAT MY BALLAST AND ELECTRICAL CONNECTION IS FINE. IT SHOULD NOT BE BURNED OUT BY NOW. I ONLY USE THE LIGHTS AT NIGHT OR DURING RAIN. I HAVE READ ON SEVERAL ONLINE FORUMS WITH SIMILAR COMPLAINTS FROM PRIUS OWNERS. THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE.

THE DIM HEADLIGHT ONLY, NOT THE BRIGHT, ONLY ON THE DRIVERS SIDE FRONT GOES OUT 4 OR 5 TIMES A YEAR. THE FRONT BRIGHTS ARE NOT AFFECTED AND HAVE NEVER GONE OUT NOR HAS THE DIM HEADLIGHT ON THE PASSENGER SIDE FRONT EVER GONE OUT. THE CAR IS DRIVEN DAILY USUALLY AND ON CITY STREETS ONLY.

HEADLIGHT WILL UNEXPECTEDLY TURN OFF, DESPITE WORKING BULB. THIS HAPPENS WITHOUT WARNING WHEN DRIVING. BOTH HEADLIGHTS WILL WORK FINE FOR A WHILE AND THEN ONE WILL TURN OFF, EVEN THOUGH THE HEADLIGHT BULBS ARE OK. WE BOUGHT THE CAR USED AROUND 2014 AND HAS HAPPENED ABOUT 4 TIMES A YEAR SINCE THEN. NO OTHER PROBLEMS WITH CAR.

THE HEADLIGHTS GO DIM AND /OR SHUT OFF AS I AM DRIVING. THIS PROBLEM USUALLY STARTS WITH THE RIGHT HEADLIGHT SHUTTING OFF AND SOMETIMES BOTH WILL GO DIM OR SHUT OFF COMPLETELY. BOTH LIGHTS WORK INITIALLY ON STARTUP AND SHINE BRIGHT AT FIRST BUT IMMEDIATELY DIM TO A LOWER LEVEL AND THEN AS I DRIVE THEY WILL DIM OR THE RIGHT LIGHT WILL TURN OFF OR SOMETIMES BOTH TURN OFF ALL TOGETHER. THEY WILL COME BACK ON IF I TURN OFF AND BACK ON THE HEADLIGHT SWITCH.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 TOYOTA PRIUS. WHILE STATIONARY AND DRIVING VARIOUS SPEEDS, ALL OF THE INSTRUMENT PANEL INDICATORS FAILED TO ILLUMINATE. SOUTH DADE TOYOTA IN HOMESTEAD, FLORIDA WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE AND STATED THAT IT WAS A FACTORY DEFECT. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE AND STATED THAT THERE WAS NO RECALL. THE CONTACT WAS REFERRED TO NHTSA. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 75,000.

TWO PROBLEMS 1. IN COLD OR COOLER WEATHER, MY DASH DOES NOT DISPLAY. AFTER SOMETIMES 1 HOUR, IT WILL SUDDENLY TURN ON. ALSO, WHEN THE DASH DOES NOT DISPLAY THE CAR DOES NOT TURN OFF, UNLESS I HOLD THE START BUTTON FOR A LONG TIME. ALSO THE REAR VIEW CAMERA DOES NOT WORK. ALSO MY SMART KEY DOES NOT START THE CAR, UNLESS INSERTED. 2. SOMETIMES MY HEADLIGHTS AND RUNNING LIGHTS DO NOT WORK. IT ALWAYS HAPPENS IN AN ALTERNATING MANNER. IF MY FRONT RIGHT HEAD LIGHT IS NOT WORKING, THEN MY REAR LEFT RUNNING LIGHT IS NOT WORKING OR VICE A VERSA. THIS PROBLEM ALSO APPEARS AND GOES AWAY AT RANDOM INTERVALS. I HAVE CHECKED AND THERE WAS A RECALL FOR THE COMBINATION METER, BUT WHEN I CALLED TOYOTA CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE CENTER, THEY TOLD ME THAT THE RECALL EXPIRED. I WAS NOT INFORMED OF THE RECALL AND EVEN WHEN I SEARCHED ON LINE, NO RECALLS SHOW UP. WHAT DO I DO? CAN I STILL HAVE TOYOTA FIX THIS PROBLEM? THE LIGHTING ISSUE SEEMS TO BE RELATED TO A FAULTY HID COMPUTER. AGAIN, NO RECALL SHOWS UP, CAN I GET THIS FIXED? I HAVE BEEN PULLED OVER ONE TIME BY POLICE, AND AM AFRAID OF DRIVING AT NIGHT BECAUSE OF THIS PROBLEM. THIS HAS BEEN ONGOING, INTERMITTENTLY, SINCE LAST WINTER.

THE HID HEADLIGHTS GO OUT WHILE DRIVING EVERY COUPLE OF MONTHS AND NEED TO BE REPLACED. THIS IS A KNOWN ISSUE TO TOYOTA WHO HAS MADE NO ATTEMPT TO FIX IT. CONSUMERS ARE BEING TOLD BY DEALERS THAT THEY NEED A NEW HID COMPUTER AT THEIR EXPENSE ($1800). IT IS DANGEROUS TO BE DRIVING AT NIGHT AND HAVE YOUR HEADLIGHTS GO OUT! THE ONLY "FIX" BESIDES SPENDING A TON OF MONEY ON THE NEW COMPUTER IS TO REPLACE THE BULBS EVERY 3 MONTHS, WHICH IS CRAZY.

PASDANGER HEADLIGHT GOES ON AND OFF WITHOUT CAUSE AND AT WILL

DRIVING AT 35 MILES PER HOUR ON A RURAL PAVED ROAD BOTH HEADLIGHTS FAILED SIMULTANEOUSLY NEARLY CAUSING MYSELF AND MY SON GO OFF THE ROAD DOWN AN EMBANKMENT WHILE TRYING TO GET THE LIGHTS TO COME BACK ON AT NIGHT. THE HID HEADLIGHTS HAVE BEEN AN ISSUE IN THE PAST WITH A CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT BEING PAID. I NEED TO GET THIS REPAIRED AND WANT TOYOTA TO COVER THE RECALL WARRANTY WORK.

PROBLEMS STARTED IN 2010 DRIVER HEAD LIGHT WOULD GO OFF, REPLACED THE RELAY WITH NO EFFECT, JUST LIVED WITH IT WOULD TURN THE LIGHTS OFF AND BACK ON AND WOULD THEN WORK. NOW AT 72,500 MILES BOTH HEAD LIGHTS AND ALL RUNNING LIGHTS GO OUT WHILE DRIVING! YOU CAN'T SEE ANYTHING AND OTHER DRIVERS CAN'T SEE YOU! VERY DANGEROUS! WATER PUMP WENT OUT SHOULD HAVE BEEN COVERED WITH A RECALL A YEAR LATER BUT TOYOTA WOULD NOT REIMBURSE THE PART.

LEFT HEADLIGHT GOES OUT WHILE SETTING STILL AND WHILE DRIVING. ON A TEN MILE TRIP THE LIGHT WILL GO OUT 6 - 10 TIMES. TURNING THE LIGHT OFF AND BACK ON MAKES THE LIGHT TO BURN AGAIN. I HAVE BEEN STOPPED BY THE POLICE FOR THIS. WHEN I STOP I ,TURN THE HEADLAMPS OFF, WHEN THEY TELL ME WHY I WAS PULLED OVER FOR I PLAY DUMB AND THEY INSTRUCT ME TO TURN ON MY LIGHTS AND DIM THEM OR PUT ON HIGH BEAM. THEY ARE LEFT SCRATCHING THERE HEAD AND I'M ON MY WAY. THIS HAPPENS EVERY TIME THE VEHICLE IS DRIVEN AT NIGHT. ALSO HAPPENS SETTING STILL.

HEADLIGHTS SHORT OUT INTERMITTENTLY. BOTH HEADLIGHTS HAVE GONE OUT, THE LEFT HAS GONE OUT, THE RIGHT HAS GONE OUT. IF I TURN OFF THE LIGHTS AND FLIP THEM BACK ON, THEY OCCASSIONALLY BOTH COME BACK ON, OR ONE COMES BACK ON OR NEITHER COME BACK ON. THIS IS EXTREMELY DANGEROUS AT NIGHT. IT HAS TO BE ELECTRICAL. THERE'S NO WAY IT'S THE BULBS, I'VE OWNED THE CAR FOR A YEAR AND HAVE BLOWN THROUGH MANY BULBS ALREADY. THIS IS GETTING EXPENSIVE BESIDES DANGEROUS. THIS HAPPENS ON BUMPY ROADS, SMOOTH ROADS, TURNING, GOING STRAIGHT. I HAVEN'T FOUND A CERTAIN THING THAT MAKES THEM TURN OFF. THIS HAS BEEN HAPPENING FOR A LONG TIME, BUT I CAN ONLY CHOOSE ONE DATE BELOW.

DRIVING AT NIGHT I NOTICED MY HEADLIGHTS DIMMING. I TURNED ON MY HIGH BEAMS AND MY HEADLIGHTS WENT OUT COMPLETELY AND I WAS IN THE DARK. I TURNED THE HEADLIGHTS OFF AND THEN BACK ON AGAIN AND THEY CAME BACK ON AT FULL LIGHT. I PULLED TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AND HAD MY PASSENGER CHECK THE HEADLIGHTS OUTSIDE. THE RIGHT FRONT LIGHT WAS OUT AND THE DRIVERS SIDE WAS ON. THIS HAD HAPPENED ONE TIME PREVIOUSLY. I TOOK MY CAR INTO TOYOTA AND THEY RAN A CHECK AND TOLD ME THAT MY RIGHT HID BULB WAS OUT, BUT THAT THE LEFT WAS STILL WORKING. THEY REPLACED BOTH BULBS AND SAID I WAS GOOD TO GO. I WORRY, FROM READING ALL OF THE COMPLAINTS ON 2006-2009 PRIUS HEADLIGHTS THAT THIS MAY OR MAY NOT SOLVE THE PROBLEM. I CONSIDER THIS A SAFETY HAZARD - LOSING LIGHTS AT NIGHT. I HAVE READ THERE WAS A CLASS ACTION SUIT FILED AGAINST TOYOTA IN 2011, BUT STILL, NOTHING HAS BEEN DONE BY TOYOTA TO FIX THIS PROBLEM. THE SUIT HAS ENDED AND I AM NOT ABLE TO CLAIM ANYTHING. STILL, I AM WORRIED THAT THIS WILL LEAD EVENTUALLY TO SOMEONE'S ACCIDENT. THIS NEEDS TO BE INVESTIGATED AND SOLVED. THERE ARE TOO MANY COMPLAINTS DEALING WITH THIS PROBLEM.

DRIVERS SIDE HEADLIGHT WILL DIM THEN GO OUT OUT AFTER A FEW SECONDS OF OPERATION. IF THE LIGHTS ARE TURNED OFF AND THEN ON AGAIN THE HEADLIGHT WILL WORK FOR A FEW MORE SECONDS THEN DIM AND GO OUT. THE BULB HAS BEEN CHANGED BUT THAT DID NOT RESOLVE THE PROBLEM. UPDATED 12/21/2015 *JS

HEADLIGHTS FLICKER, DIM, AND EVENTUALLY GO OUT ALTOGETHER WHILE DRIVING. I HAVE REPLACED THE 12V BATTERY AND IT STILL OCCURS. CONCERNED FOR SAFETY OF MYSELF AND MY FAMILY.

THE LEFT HEADLIGHT KEEPS TURNING ITSELF OFF WHEN DRIVING OR NOT. WHEN BUMPED NEXT TO THE HEADLIGHT COVER IT COMES BACK ON. THE BULB AND CONNECTOR ARE FINE. THIS IS A SAFETY HAZARD, THAT IF THE RIGHT ONE STARTS DOING THE SAME THIN AT NIGHT, IT WOULD PUT ME INTO A DANGEROUS AND LIFE THREATENING SITUATION. I THINK TOYOTA SHOULD HAVE A RECALL ON THIS PROBLEM. *TR

INTERMITTENT HEADLAMP FAILURE. FLICKING LIGHTS ON AND OFF WILL TEMPORARILY REMEDY ONLY TO FAIL AGAIN DURING THE SAME DRIVE. NEAR ACCIDENT ON PITCH BLACK MOUNTAIN ROAD WHEN BOTH LIGHTS FAILED. BULBS HAVE BEEN REPLACED MULTIPLE TIMES BY DEALER AND PROBLEM CONTINUES. I'VE BEEN PULLED OVER BY LAW ENFORCEMENT AND GIVEN WARNINGS. WE HAVE TWO YOUNG CHILDREN AND CANNOT SAFELY DRIVE OUR CAR DURING THE NIGHT OR FOR TRAVEL. THERE IS CLEARLY A PROBLEM...WHY IS THERE NO ACCOUNTABILITY? MUST THERE BE DEATHS OR INJURIES TO GET THIS RESOLVED? *TR

INITIALLY THE PASSENGER SIDE HEADLIGHT BEGAN TO FLICKER. THEN IT WENT OUT. WHEN I TURNED THE LIGHTS OFF AND ON AGAIN IT CAME BACK ON. SINCE THEN COMPLETELY RANDOMLY ONE LIGHT OR THE OTHER, BUT MORE COMMONLY THE PASSNEGER SIDE WILL FLICKER AND DIM, AND THEN LATER GO OUT. TURNING THE LIGHTS OFF AND BACK ON WILL USUALLY RESTORE THE LIGHT BUT MORE THAN HALF THE TIME ONLY TO A DIMMED OR FLICKERING CONDITION. SOMETIMES BOTH LIGHTS JUST GO OUT RANDOMLY AND WITHOUT WARNING.

PURCHASED USED IN OCT 2013, FIRST HAD TO REPLACE HEADLIGHT IN DEC 2013. HAVE REPLACED RIGHT HEADLIGHT 6 TIMES AND BALLAST ONCE. PROBLEM ONLY TEMPORARILY RESOLVED. THIS MONTH HEADLIGHT WENT OUT AGAIN. HAVE REPLACED BALLAST AND BULB WITH NO SUCCESS. HEADLIGHT WILL NOT STAY ON LONGER THAN 30 SEC BEFORE GOING BACK OUT. *TR

THE FIRST TIME BOTH LIGHTS WENT OUT, WE WERE TRAVELING SOUTH ON I-95 NEAR RICHMOND, VA. PRIOR TO THIS, WE THOUGHT THE LIGHTS HAD DIMMED A COUPLE TIMES, BUT WHEN WE CHECKED THEM, THEY WERE FINE. THERE IS NO MISTAKE WHEN YOU LOOSE BOTH HEADLIGHTS WHILE ON HIGH BEAM, THERE ARE NO FOG LIGHTS, SO IT GETS VERY DARK. I THINK GOING TO LOW BEAM GAVE US SOME LIGHT (THE FOG LIGHTS) BUT DO NOT REMEMBER, I THEN TURNED THE LIGHT SWITCH OFF AND BACK ON IMMEDIATELY, WHICH TURNED THE LIGHTS BACK ON. SINCE THAT FIRST INCIDENT OF THEM BOTH GOING OUT, WE HAVE SEEN BOTH THE DRIVER'S SIDE HEADLIGHT ALONE, THE PASSENGER SIDE HEADLIGHT ALONE, AND AT LEAST HALF A DOZEN TIMES BOTH LIGHTS GO OUT AT THE SAME TIME. ALL BUT ONCE, TURNING THE LIGHT SWITCH OFF AND THEN ON TURNED THE LIGHTS BACK ON. THE LAST TIME BOTH WENT OUT, I HAD TO TURN THE SWITCH OFF AND BACK ON SEVERAL TIMES TO GET THE LIGHTS BACK ON. WITH A COST OF OVER $200 PER LIGHT, I DECIDED TO CHANGE THE PASSENGER SIDE LIGHT AND SEE IF THAT LIGHT WOULD STAY ON. IT MADE NO DIFFERENCE. I FOUND IN THE USER'S MANUAL THAT LOW VOLTAGE COULD CAUSE THE HIGH INTENSITY DISCHARGE (HID) LIGHTS TO GO OUT, SO I HAD AAA CHECK THE ENGINE BATTERY. THE TEST SHOWED THE BATTERY WAS GOOD, BUT IT ONLY HAD 364 COLD CRANKING AMPS SO I HAD A NEW BATTERY PUT IN. WE WERE TOLD BY TWO OTHER SOURCES THAT THE RIGHT BATTERY HAD 450 COLD CRANK AMPS SO I THOUGHT THAT MIGHT ACCOUNT FOR THE HID LIGHT PROBLEM. THAT WAS JUST A FEW DAYS AGO, AND THE PASSENGER SIDE HEADLIGHT HAS STILL GONE OUT SEVERAL TIMES SINCE THE BULB AND BATTERY WERE REPLACED. SO FAR, WE HAVE NOT HAD BOTH LIGHTS GO OUT AGAIN. *TR

THE HEADLIGHT ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE CAR GOES OUT WHILE DRIVING. IT COMES BACK ON WHEN I TURN THE HEADLIGHT OFF AND TURN THEM BACK ON AGAIN. THE HEADLIGHT WILL GO OFF AGAIN AT DIFFERENT SPEEDS. THE HEADLIGHT MAY GO OFF MULTIPLE TIMES WHEN DRIVING. THIS IS A VERY LARGE SAFETY CONCERN. *TR

RIGHT HEAD LIGHT WOULD GO OFF ON IT'S OWN. LIGHT WAS REPLACED BY DEALER ABOUT A YEAR AGO. NOW BOTH HEADLIGHTS GO OUT!!!!!! *TR

LOW BEAM HEADLIGHTS HAVE FAILED . DRIVERS RIGHT HEADLIGHT FAILS MOSTLY, BUT LEFT HEADLIGHT FAILS ABOUT 33% OF THE TIME. I HAVE LOST BOTH HEADLIGHTS AFTER A WHILE AND IS EXTREMELY DANGEROUS AT NIGHT! WE HAVE HAD TO STOP DRIVING AT NIGHT BECAUSE HEADLIGHTS WILL NOT STAY ON PAST 5 MINS. I HAVE LOOKED INTO THE CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT AND AT 60000 MILES I DO NOT QUALIFY FOR THE SETTLEMENT. I AM VERY CONCERNED WITH THE SAFETY OF MY FAMILY. I HOPE TOYOTA FINDS A REAL FIX FOR THIS PROBLEM, OR THE 1000+ DOLLAR FIX WILL BE FOR NOTHING. AT THIS POINT I HAVE LOST FAITH IN TOYOTA AND I HOPE THIS ISSUE IS ADDRESSED PROPERLY. *TR

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!!! *TR

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. *TR