2008 Toyota Prius Exterior Lighting

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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). *TR

08 PRIUS HEADLIGHTS INTERMITTENTLY AND WITHOUT WARNING GO OUT FOR UP TO ABOUT 1/2 HOUR AT A TIME. EITHER ONE WILL DO IT ALMOST EVERY TIME THEY ARE USED AND SO FAR, ONLY ONE AT A TIME. UNTRUSTWORTHY AND VERY DANGEROUS.

HEADLIGHTS ARE DEFECTIVE. I HAVE CHANGED THE RELAY SWITCH, COMPUTER HID AND HEADLIGHTS AND THEY STILL ARE NOT WORKING. I'VE ALSO HAD TO PAY A TICKET AS A RESULT.

THE PASSENGER SIDE HEADLIGHT TURNS OFF UNPREDICTABLY, USUALLY WITHIN 10 MINUTES OF DRIVING TIME. TURNING THE LIGHTS OFF AND BACK ON SOMETIMES GETS THE HEADLIGHT TO TURN BACK ON, BUT NOT ALWAYS. THEN WITHIN 10 MINUTES IT WILL TURN OFF AGAIN. NOT ONLY IS THIS A SAFETY ISSUE AND DRIVING VIOLATION, I ALSO CANNOT SELL THE CAR WITH NON-FUNCTIONING HEADLIGHTS.

THE HEADLIGHTS WILL SUDDENLY FAIL, EITHER ONE AT A TIME, OR MORE RECENTLY BOTH AT THE SAME TIME WHEN NIGHT DRIVING. I AM ABLE TO FLIP THE SWITCH TO TURN ONE BACK ON BUT NOW THE PASSENGER LIGHT WILL NOT COME BACK ON AT ALL. I AM DRIVING AT NIGHT WHEN I NOTICE THIS HAPPENING BUT IT PROBABLY ALSO HAPPENS IN DAY LIGHT.

WHILE DRIVING DURING THE DAY OR NIGHT, THROUGHOUT THE YEAR (NON-SEASONAL), BOTH HEADLIGHTS (HID) FLICKER, AND THE PASSENGER SIDE HEADLIGHT GOES OFF COMPLETELY AND INTERMITTENTLY. SOMETIMES IT COMES BACK ON IF I TURN THE LIGHTS OFF AND ON AGAIN, BUT MOST OF THE TIME IT DOESN'T. WE HAVE BEEN PULLED OVER TWICE FOR THIS AND RECEIVED TWO TICKETS FROM POLICE. IT DOESN'T WORK TO EXCHANGE OR REPLACE BULBS. I KNOW I'M NOT THE ONLY 2008 PRIUS OWNER WITH THIS PROBLEM AND I BELIEVE TOYOTA NEEDS TO PAY TO HAVE IT REPAIRED.

WHILE DRIVING AT NIGHT, LEFT HEADLIGHT GOES OUT INTERMITTENTLY (ABOUT EVERY 3 MINUTES). I HAVE TO TURN LIGHTS COMPLETELY OFF THEN ON AGAIN TO RESET. THIS IS ONGOING AND APPEARS TO BE HAPPENING MORE FREQUENTLY WITH TIME.

HEADLIGHTS TURN OFF OR FLICKER WHILE DRIVING. IT HAPPENS INTERMITTENTLY. IT IS A MAJOR SAFETY ISSUE WHEN DRIVING AT NIGHT AS IT NEARLY CAUSED AN ACCIDENT. USING THE HIGH BEAMS HELPS FOR A SHORT PERIOD BUT THE HEADLIGHTS STILL TURN OFF ON THEIR OWN. TURNING THEM OFF AND ON BRINGS THEM BACK ON MOST OF THE TIME BUT ONLY FOR A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME.

HEADLIGHTS SHUT OFF WHILE DRIVING AT NIGHT. I RECEIVED TWO WARNING TICKETS FROM HIGHWAY PATROL AS I WAS DRIVING BACK FROM FT. WORTH TO NACOGDOCHES, BUT WHEN I STOPPED, BOTH HEADLIGHTS WERE WORKING. THEN AS I WAS DRIVING, BOTH HEADLIGHTS (WITH BRIGHT LIGHTS ON) TURNED OFF. HAD TO PULL OVER AND THEN THEY STARTED WORKING AGAIN.

THE LIGHTING SYSTEM HAS ELECTRICAL MARKINGS ON THE RELAY AND FUSE BLOCKS FOR DAYTIME RUNNING LIGHTS, WITH NO DAYTIME RUNNING LIGHTS INSTALLED. HEADLIGHT AND LICENSE PLATE LIGHT SYSTEMS WORKS INTERMITTENTLY. CAUSING BULBS TO FAIL.

I BOUGHT MY 2008 PRIUS USED IN 2016, THE HEADLIGHTS WORKED FOR A LITTLE WHILE, THEN THEY STARTED TO RANDOMLY SHUT OFF. SOMETIMES JUST ONE, SOMETIMES BOTH AT THE SAME TIME. I HAVE REPLACED THE HEADLIGHTS TWICE AND IT IS STILL HAPPENING. I HAVE GOOGLED THIS PROBLEM AND THERE ARE SEVERAL PEOPLE SAYING THEIR PRIUS' ARE HAVING THE SAME PROBLEM. TOYOTA REFUSES TO FIX THE ISSUE.

THE RIGHT HEADLIGHT INTERMITTENTLY GOES OUT. SOMETIMES IT TAKES REPEATED ATTEMPTS TURNING OFF AND ON TO GET IT BACK ON. BOTH BALLASTS AND HID LAMPS HAVE BEEN REPLACED, YET THIS INTERMITTENT PROBLEM PERSISTS. I KNOW OF MANY COMPLAINTS BUT DO NOT KNOW IF TOYOTA HAS AN OPEN RECALL ON THIS IMPORTANT SAFETY ISSUE.

THE HEADLIGHTS TURN OFF RANDOMLY AS I'M DRIVING. IT HAPPENS AT ANY SPEED (EVEN WHEN I'M STOPPED) AND ON ANY ROAD, IN ANY CONDITION, IN ANY WEATHER. SOMETIMES JUST ONE, SOMETIMES BOTH AT THE SAME TIME. IT MAKES DRIVING AT NIGHT BOTH A HASSLE AND HAZARDOUS.

HEADLIGHT HIGH BEAMS AND LOW BEAMS SPORADICALLY STOP FUNCTIONING WHILE DRIVING. TOYOTA HAS KNOWN ABOUT THIS PROBLEM FOR YEARS AND FAILED TO REMEDIATE PROBLEM OR NOTIFY OWNERS. PROBLEM STEMS FROM A FAULTY BALLAST IN HEADLIGHT ASSEMBLY.

THE HID HEADLAMPS FLICKER AND TURN OFF BY THEMSELVES RANDOMLY WHILE DRIVING. SOMETIMES ONLY THE DRIVERS SIDE TURNS OFF AND THEN LATER THE PASSENGER SIDE, BUT SOMETIMES BOTH SIDES TURN OFF AT THE SAME TIME WHILE THE VEHICLE IS MOVING AT VARIOUS SPEEDS. THIS IS VERY DANGEROUS ESPECIALLY WHEN IT HAPPENS WHILE DRIVING AT NIGHT AT HIGH SPEEDS ON A DARK ROAD. IT HAPPENED AT SPEEDS OF 60MPH WHILE ON A 2 LANE HIGHWAY LATE AT NIGHT AND AT LOWER SPEEDS SUCH AS 30-45MPH ON CITY STREETS. THE HEADLAMPS ALSO FLICKER AND RANDOMLY TURN OFF WHILE THE VEHICLE IS PARKED WITH HEADLIGHTS ON. THE ONLY REMEDY IS TO COMPLETELY SHUT OFF AND TURN BACK ON THE HEADLAMPS AND THEN THEY WORK FOR A FEW MINUTES THEN TURN OFF RANDOMLY AGAIN. THIS IS A RECURRING ISSUE. THESE CARS SHOULD BE ISSUED A RECALL FOR THIS PROBLEM. THIS IS A SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE.

HIGHLIGHTS GO OUT INTERMITTENTLY. USUALLY CAN RESET BY TURNING ON AND OFF. DEFINITELY A HAZARD. MAY HAVE CAUSED AN ACCIDENT. REGULARLY GETTING TOLD LIGHT IS OUT. STOPPED BY POLICE FOR LIGHTS OUT. DOES NOT APPEAR TO BE LOOSE CONNECTION OR BAD BULB.

THE RIGHT HEADLIGHT GOES OFF WHILE I AM RIDING. I TOOK IT TO THE DEALER AND THEY CAN'T FIND ANYTHING WRONG. WHEN THE LIGHT GOES OUT AND I TURN THE LIGHT SWITCH OFF AND THEN TURN IT BACK ON. THE LIGHT COMES ON. THEN IT WILL GO OUT AGAIN AFTER DRIVING FOR A WHILE. I HAVE BEEN STOPPED BY THE POLICE. I EXPLAINED TO THE OFFICER AND HE TOLD ME THAT I HAD TO GET IT FIXED OR DON'T DRIVE THE CAR AT NIGHT. I CAN'T TELL IF THE LIGHT IS ON OR OFF WHILE DRIVING UNLESS I COME UP BEHIND ANOTHER CAR AND SEE THE REFLECTION. I ALWAYS CHECK THE LIGHT WHEN I START MY TRIPS AND IT IS ALWAYS ON. I HEARD THAT ONE GENTLEMAN PAID UP TO $2600.00 FOR REPAIRS DO TO THE SAME THING. HE STILL HAS THE PROBLEM. CAN SOME ONE PLEASE HELP ME AND OTHER TOYOTA OWNERS. I CAN'T AFFORD TO PAY AA DEALER TO EXPERIMENT WITH THE CAR AND I CAN'T AFFORD ANOTHER CAR AT THIS TIME. I'M 71 YEARS OLD AND RETIRED ON A FIXED INCOME.

HEADLIGHTS HAVE BEEN REPLACED MORE THAN ONCE AND NOW ARE FLICKERING AGAIN AND HAVE GONE OUT COMPLETELY. THIS HAS BEEN AN ONGOING PROBLEM SINCE IT WAS NEW. DEALER HAS NOT RESOLVED THE PROBLEM NOR GIVEN US A REASON WHY.THIS IS BECOMING A VERY EXPENSIVE PROBLEM, WE WERE TOLD THAT THERE WAS A RECALL BUT WE WERE NOT NOTIFIED. WE LOVE THE PRIUS EXCEPT FOR THIS,

ONE HEADLIGHT OR THE OTHER OR BOTH GO OUT RANDOMLY.