Problems with 2007 Toyota Prius ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

Headlight and tail light on the passenger side of our 2007 toyota prius goes on and then off. we can't depend on the lights to stay on. *tr

For some time i have been telling the dealer that i have been informed that one of my headlights is out but when they look at it at a later time they are working. i suspect that they have been doing this for a long time. now it appears that there is a progression. both headlights unexpectedly turned off plunging me into total darkness while driving at 70 miles per hour on an interstate highway at 5:00 in the morning. i found myself hurtling along in total darkness. i turned the light switch to the off position and turned it back on and the lights came on again but they went off again a few miles later and i went through the same process to get them to come on. the situation happened at least 5-6 more times before i reached my destination.

The passenger side hid headlight on our 2007 toyota prius goes on and off while driving. toyota has sent us a letter advising us that they are aware of the problem and are willing to repair the problem by offering us the bulb at half price, approximately $150. however, after doing some research i have read that the bulb may not be the problem and repairs could total $2000. since the problem occurs without warning i am concerned that at some point the other headlight could fail and cause total loss of vision at night resulting in an accident. *tr

Headlights go off for no reason. we have a 2007 toyota prius with 58k miles on it. over the past few weeks, we've noticed the head lamps going off and coming back on. this is happening on both sides intermittently. my wife was driving to work in the dark the other morning and both headlights went out at once. she was able to turn off the light and turn them back on to restore her road vision. they stayed on for a few minutes and then the left one went out shortly afterwards. the car is now at courtesy toyota in brandon, fl and i'm being told the "ballasts" and the head light bulbs need replacing. this repair is costing us over 400.00. toyota claims it is not covered by warranty and there are no existing recalls. *tr

The headlights keep going out. this happens at any speed and in any climate. flickering them off and on alleviates the problem. been happening for close to 2 years now. *tr

Was driving at 30mph in residential area. no prior warnings of failure. 1. car turned off - not the power but the ability to drive or put in gear or run. car was non-drivable or movable in any way for next 3 hours. 2. never happened before, problem unknown as the car works perfectly. 3. dealer said they had no explanation toyota prius 2007 stalled and would not start - had car towed to dealer and problem disappeared after 12 hours. they had no explanation. *tr

The headlights on this car have intermittently worked since the car had about 30,000 miles. the lights randomly turn off. usually one at a time but sometimes both go out. turning the lights off and back on fixes the problem, but only temporarily. i read that this is a problem with the bulbs going bad but i can attest that it is a clear defect. replaced the bulbs and it still happens periodically. *tr

2007 prius (69k miles). driving on highway, all caution lights came on. towed to dealer and diagnosed with a 12-volt battery issue. $280 to replace the batter. three weeks later, same cautions lights. got most to clear with a restart with the exception of the "master caution" and the "engine check" lights. dealer showed code of "p0a93" and stated inverter coolant pump needed to be replaced for another $486. check online shows toyota knows about the pre-2006 issues and that many 2007 and beyond owners are running into the same issue at various miles. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2007 toyota prius. the contact stated that without warning all of the warning lights come on including the brake light comes and the vehicle stalled. the dealer was not able to determine what caused the failure to occur. toyota stated that they will have the vehicle towed in order to perform an inspection. the vin was not available. the failure mileage was 35000. the current mileage was 38000.

The headlights on my 2007 prius come and go. the problem is a defect in the headlights and the fix is more than $500. for the headlights. this is really dangerous because i think there is a problem and i look they are okay. then someone tells me my headlight is off and it is but when i look at it later, they are working. i suspect that they have been doing this a long time but i did not realize it. this is dangerous. i want a recall!! this is worse than the pedal problem. *tr

Summary: my car began accelerating while i was in park. i own a 2007 toyota prius. two days ago, i drove to my destination, pulled into a parking spot, and turned off the car. i was early, so i turned the car back on (so i could listen to the radio while i waited). the car was in park and i did not have my feet on any pedals. the car was on for less than a minute when it began to drive forward. i both heard the sound of the motor engaging and visually processed that the car was moving. i immediately stepped on the brake hard and the car immediately came to a stop. my 4-year-old was distressed because the rolling and hard stop made a big jolt. the car was still in park. i released the brake pedal and the car stayed still. i do not know if this is related, but my car headlights randomly turn off while i am driving. if i toggle the switch off and back on, they always come back on. i took it to the local dealer, where the repair guy told me they frequently see this problem, and all they do is replace the headlights (which made no sense to me, because the bulbs aren't burned out). i would say this problem happens about once a week. *tr

My 2007 prius started having right headlight failure when i would drive on a rough road it would turn off then back on some 6 months ago. my husband checked the wiring and it came back on. the car had 45000 miles on it at this time. about 3 weeks ago both of them started turning on and off and 2 nights ago while driving home i had to turn them on and off 22 times and they would come back on and then get dim and then turn off. i took it to them at the dealership and they stated the left light was bad and the light and ballast were replaced for the tune of 614 dollars. they did nothing for the right light. i called and opened a case with toyota who will not pay for ay of it. this should be in a recall! *tr

Intermittent headlight operation on hid headlights 2007 toyota prius. both headlights went out at the same time while traveling on i75 last night. after almost wrecking, we pulled to the side of the road. after turning lights off for a while they came back on and started working again. this seems to be a frequent occurrence according to blogs on the internet. i contacted the dealer and they said if they had to replace the unit it would be in the thousands of dollars!!!!! ($1100 for headlight computer, $500- $600+ for headlight bulbs and another $1100 for light kits) i think that is completely ridiculous to expect someone to pay that much just to be able to drive there car safely! none of this was revealed when the car was purchased! how could anyone expect to pay that kind of money to keep there headlights working? please help, we cannot afford to drive safely now! *tr

Since two years old the headlights have occasionally flickered, and the pass. side has gone out. turning them off momentarily and back on solved the problem. lately it's gotten worse, and i finally had my mechanic replace the pass. side bulb. the new bulb ($85) was worse and now i'm told the "ballast" needs replacement for hundreds of dollars. of course the safety issue at night is primary, but toyota was derelict in their duty not to advise customers of this highly unusual, potential cost when selling me the car. i've never paid more than $15 for a headlight and have always replaced them myself. also, the owners manual suggests an easy replacement. my mechanic had to partially remove the headlight assembly. that was another misrepresentation. *tr

1) two times my car has accelerated on its own, and i had to feather the gas pedal to get it to stop accelerating, which took under a minute to correct. 2)when braking the car, if you hit sand or a bump which causes the slippery light to come on, the car transistions from generating power, to all brakes, at which point the car accelerates as there is an interruption and a short period of time where there is no breaks. 3)when you are coming to a stop such as at a bank drive-thru,when placing the car in park while only the electric system was running,if the motor turns on while still in park, the entire car launches forward 1-2 feet, extremely dangerous. *tr

I own a 2007 prius and noticed this problem for several months already. march 7, 2010 was a raining day in san diego. at about noon, i drove my wife to the market with the prius. i needed to turn on the warm air to defrost the windshield for better visibility. what i got was the cold air from the a/c. i checked the a/c indicator and it wasn't on. i touched the indicator to turn it on then off but nothing changed. the air was still cold. after shopping at the market, we started the prius again to drive home. the air then changed to warm. what we learned was only a total turn off could change the 'stuck' condition in the prius. this was not a dangerous incident but it could relate to the electronics malfunction in another serious accident. *tr

The headlamps on my 2007 toyota prius intermittently fail. they periodically flicker. the headlamps operate after being turned off for some time. no crash yet! dangerous situation! *tr

2007 toyota prius with tire failure and brakes grabbing. *kb the battery and headlights failed. the consumer stated toyota has since removed this particular type of bulb and assembly from production. when the vehicle was 1 year old the consumer was stopped by the police and given a warning for the headlight being out. however, when the consumer and her husband exited the vehicle, they along with the police officer found both headlights were working and he let them go without a citation. the consumer has since discovered that one headlight or the other will just go out on occasion during every drive. the brightness of the headlights began to dim when the vehicle was only a year old. toyota recommended using the headlights less and they further recommended not using the highly touted feature that allows the lights to automatically turn off after the vehicle has been turned off. last month, the consumer received a letter from toyota regarding information about a problem with the hid headlights. the letter stated the customer support program would reimburse for some cost relative to the defective headlights. however the local dealer did not agree and the cost far exceeded anything mentioned in the letter. the dealer informed the consumer the cost of installation for new bulbs would be $245 in labor for each headlight replacement, that was in addition to the exorbitant cost of the bulbs themselves. *jb

2007 toyota prius rear hatch handle failure. rubber cover melts into electric switch making it inoperable.the back latch of my 2007 toyota prius first degraded ("melted" almost) over the course of several months/years. it no longer functioned properly, and i was unable to open the back hatch door easily. sometimes it required considerable effort and perseverance to get it open. the malfunctioning handle started to get loose until eventually if just fall off and it's just hanging by the electrical wires. i had to tape it until it gets fixed i am concerned that in the case of an emergency, i will not be able to get the door open. this is a major cause for concern and it is a serious safety hazard.this is a safety hazard because the trunk is the only way to access the spare, any of my repair tools, emergency kit, flares, jumpers, etc. there is no alternative internal method for opening the hatchback/trunk. toyota needs a recall of this defective part as the cost to repair it is exorbitant, quoted to me over $200 for the part alone. i called toyota customer service and they won't fixed their faulty parts until the government forces them to. it's sad that it might take some injuries or death for this issue to be fixed. *tr

Within 15000 miles, the passenger side hid headlamp began flickering and would randomly go off. this was replaced by the dealer free of charge. at about 30,000 miles, the drivers side hid headlamp began randomly shutting off. this has become more frequent and is becoming a safety hazard.*cw

2007 intermittent left headlight failure. i sent it to a toyota dealer because i have a "bumper-to-bumper warranty" on 23 dec 09. they told me that it would cost me over $400 to replace two bulbs. i don't believe it's a bulb problem because i can re-cycle the switch to get it back. on 29 dec it failed again at night during a snow storm, nearly causing a freeway accident. *tr

I own a 2007 toyota prius, for two years when the car is not garaged the electronics acts up by not displaying anything! no displays will illuminate. if you drive it a while, the next time you turn it off it might correct itself. this occurred sporadically the main factor was i wasn't at home to have it garaged. now what is happening is besides just the display, it also will not shut off! i had to leave it running and go to work, my husband came and kept pressing the power button until it would respond. i have talked to another 2007 prius owner and this has happen to them also. now i hear that the cause of toyota woes maybe the main electronic program, which is what the toyota dealer mechanic told me would need to be replace to stop my problem! *tr

On december 26, 2009, when our car was put in reverse to back out of our garage, my husband noticed the car did not have the usual beeping when backing up. less than a block from our home, he noticed the display panel with the speedometer, fuel gauge, shift indicator, etc. was black. the dimmer switch would not bring the dashboard lights back on. however, the display in the center for climate control, mpg, etc. was working. he turned around and returned home. when home he was unable to turn the car off. after many tries, we were eventually able to turn the car off by holding down the power button for an extended time--much longer than usually needed. when we restarted the car, everything appeared to be functioning properly. on december 28, 2009 i brought the car to the dealer. i was told to bring the car back if it happened again, and it was unlikely they would find what went wrong when the car was functioning properly. i was told not to turn off the car when it malfunctioned. i expressed my concern about driving the car when i was unable to see the speedometer and when it was obvious the electronics was not performing properly. i was told i could have the car towed if necessary. i asked to have my incident included in our file. on february 4 after hearing about the recalls, i decided to call our dealer to make sure they had a record of our incident. i was told the incident was not on record. i was told that if i had a problem, i should bring the car in and they would fix it. i asked that for now, i would just like to have our incident documented in our file. the toyota representative refused to put the information in our file. i suggested they just say the customer reported the incident and they could not verify it. again, he said he would not do that. if i had a problem with the car, i should bring it in and they would fix it. how can they find a fix when they will not document problems? *tw

My 07 prius which i rarely drive at night is suffering from spontaneous outage of the hid headlamps with less than 65000 miles on it. worse, i am told the 100,000 mile platinum warranty will not cover the repair, which might cost me up to $1000 for both lamps. this is absurd. this is a hidden defect, and clearly a safety issue. *tr

Experienced black out on freeway, lights both shut off. at times driver side will turn on off, followed by the passenger side, you have to flicker on the lights to turn them on again. this needs to be recalled by toyota. *tr

We have repeatedly had problems with all of the electronic components on the dash not working especially when it is cold. this is a safety hazard as we have no speedometer, gas gauge or gear indicator when this happens. this happens often when it is cold or raining but there is no predictor other than a cold temperature. it has often happened at night, and we have had to drive home with the interior of the car dark. t has happened repeatedly since we bought the car new. we have had it at the dealer 5 times for repairs and still continue to have the same problem. we have are very unhappy with our toyota and will not buy another toyota. *tr

The rubber on the rear hatch release has deteriorated causing difficulty or impossibility of opening the rear hatch. this could pose a safety issue in an emergency. *tr

2007 prius, touring model-right headlamp went out while driving-only 26,000 miles on car so far. next operation, light working again. poses very big safety hazard. told that my platinum certified warranty and extended 100,000 mile warranty would not cover this $400 + repair--and i have only owned the car less than 2 months. *tr

Both headlamps went out in the the middle of a roadtrip at night. had to pull over right away. turned the headlight switch off and back on the lights came back on. this has happened several times already. sometimes this happens with just one headlight and sometime both which is real scary. i never know when this failure is going to happen. please help with a recall on this dangerous situation. i have a 2007 toyota prius which i purchased brand new. *tr thank you,

I own a 2007 prius, and have enjoyed the car ...however, sometime in october,2009, i was driving to a wedding shower and the car suddenly accelerated when i was entering a multi-lane expressway.. it would not decelerate when i eased off the accelerator..and i had to veer across lanes to avoid hitting a truck in front of me. simple braking did not stop the acceleration, only very hard and continued and panicked braking. on the way back, on an area of interstate that was free of vehicles, i was able to recreate the acceleration by 'stomping" on the accelerator. again, it would not stop accelerating when i took my foot off the accelerator..and only after stomping the brake a lot did it return to regular responsiveness. i have not "tried" that again, and my husband did try, but could not duplicate my experience. we contacted our local toyota dealer (greentree in clarksville, in) and they were not responsive. later in the fall, after the recall about floor mats, we were told to take the floor mat away on drivers side, and a "fix" would be developed. i am now fearful of the car. i am reporting now because i do not believe that the prius problem is a simple floor mat issue (never did, but am a woman and certainly not "knowledgeable" so as to refute toyota's engineers..). *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2007 toyota prius. the contact was driving approximately 40 mph, approaching a traffic light. when the brake pedal was engaged, the brakes failed to respond in a timely manner. additionally, the electrical system failed without warning. the vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic. the vehicle was in the process of being repaired when the complaint was filed. the failure mileage was 23,406. the current mileage was 30,000.

2007 toyota prius, the headlights dim intermittently, the drivers side headlight started not coming on at all, when i would turn the switch off and back on it would come on, now it is out completely. *tr

Intermittent failure of driver's side headlight. the light will come back on if the light switch is turned off and then back on, and will remain on for a an unpredictable period of time, some times as long two weeks before failing again. toyota has advise me to bring the vehicle to a service facility when the light is out, but the light fails on weekends, holidays, or late at night when the dealership is not open. an internet search disclosed that this headlight failure is a fairly common defect in 2007 prius. *tr

When the car is first started, the driver side headlight usually goes out within the first few minutes of driving. it is almost always the driver side but it has happened a few times with the passenger side. when i turn the headlights off and then back on both headlights function, although the light that had been out initially is not as bright as the other. this happens intermittently for the first 10-20 minutes of driving and then both headlights seem to function properly. i recently drove at night for nearly 5 hours and only had this problem during the first 20 minutes of driving. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2007 toyota prius. the contact stated the headlights would intermittently fail without warning and would often flicker from on to off repeatedly. the headlights were replaced by the contact yet the failure persisted. the contact stated the headlight was replaced three times within one year. the manufacturer advised there was not a recall for the failure and disregarded the failure as a safety issue. the manufacturer would not provide any assistance. the failure mileage was approximately 80,000 and the current mileage was approximately 108,000. updated 10/21/10.*lj the consumer also stated the brake and taillights failed as well. updated 10/25/10 updated 11/15/10 * bf the consumer stated she will be contacting toyota again, as the headlights are not performing as they should. while on her way home, the headlights started blinking on and off, until finally they went completely went out. updated 11/26/10. *jb updated 01/06/11 *bf updated 03/02/11

I have a 2007 prius and the headlights are blinking out. the dealership wanted 500+ dollars for the repair, saying they had to take the bumper off. i have since found out its just the bumper cover, not the bumper. the problem is in the electrical system, and this seems to be a prevalent problem with the priuses. *tr

I was driving down a familiar road when my headlights went out. my car is a 2007 prius. in talking to a repairman at the shop i discovered that high intensity (and high heat) bulbs would stop working without any warning if the bulbs became too hot. if they were turned off for a few seconds they would cool off and work again. as a result i have no way of knowing when the bulbs are going to go off. i took the car into the toyota dealer and was told that although both bulbs appeared to be working, the fact that they had both stopped working indicated that they must have an internal short and should be replaced by the same type of bulb, with the same problem at a cost of $807.00. the only reason i am alive to report this incident is because i was on a straight stretch of a familiar road, and there were other cars around. i turned my lights for 30 seconds and then turned them back on. at least one of the headlights came back on so i could continue home. i requested headlights that would not go off and on without warning however so far toyota has only offered to replace the headlights with the same unreliable headlights. *tr

Vehicle has 70,000 miles, 2007 prius. both headlights go off at random. turning them off and back on will correct the problem temporarily until they go out again. dealer says its the bulb shorting out $600 will correct the problem. i'm waiting to get the car home to keep the lights on while at a stand still to disprove theory of bumps in the road causing short. *tr

While driving across country boston to seattle in june, the right headlight on my 2007 prius flickered and went out. the next day it was working ok, but the following day i noticed it went out again, during the day. i stopped in duluth to get an oil change, (kolar todayota invoice 210740) and asked them to check the headlights. they reported "headlights are working at the time." thereafter the headlight went out several times intermittently. cycling the power would sometimes bring it back on. when i got back to seattle, i took the car in and had the headlight replaced at a cost of $288 (toyota of believe invoice ocs561092) at 48,260 miles. shortly thereafter the left headlight started acting up in the same manner, and i was recently pulled over by the police for driving with one headlight out. *tr

2007 toyota prius with 47k miles. it lost power while driving on the highway. the car barely made it to the side of the road. after a little while, it restarted. the warning lights indicated there was no gas but the tank was full. the screen also showed that the battery was dead. this is the second time this happened. the dealer says the car checks out. *tr

2007 toyota prius - diver side headlamp goes out intermittently while driving. if the headlight switch is turned off and then on again then the lights go on again. failure repeats itself. *tr updated 06/01/09.*jb

Toyota prius loss of electical power, loss of steering resulting in crash in may 2009 while driving in a residental neighborhood at low speeds, prius lost all power resulting in loss of steering and loss of brakes resulting in crash into a high curb. i had prius towed to toyota dealership and filed complaint with dealership as well as with main california complaint center. they said that it would take them 4 months to investigate complaint. they recommended my storing car at dealership for four months if i wanted an investigation. they would not investigate otherwise. they told me there was no cause for concern and that the power loss must of resulted after the crash. they said that toyota had no safety complaints about power loss or steering or brake loss. i went on line and found same year model recall in australia. they told me the products were dissimilar and not a cause for concern. i disagreed. my routine mechanic at merchants tire and auto could find nothing wrong. i repaired the structural damage and sold the car since toyota assured me there was nothing wrong. toyota corporation's methodology of investigation appears to be designed to stifle any meaningful determination of baseline safety fault. the requirement to store a car for months at owners expense and for driver to have no access for transportation would appear to discourage any meaningful investigation of safety concern. given the current finding of brake and other safety defects in toyota products, i am concerned that the power loss may have been under-reported because of their unethical business practices. i report it to help you determine if there is a pattern of power loss, loss of steering and loss of braking in the prius. *cn

2007 toyota prius hid failure passenger side as of 04/21/09 @ 39,163 miles. *tr

On multiple occasions one or both of the headlights on my 2007 toyota prius have gone out without warning. the lights come back on when i turn the light control completely off and then turn it back on. the lights will then work for awhile before turning off again. there is no alarm or notice the headlights have gone off. i reported the problem to toyota (800-331-4331) two weeks ago. when and if they return my calls, it's typically right before the person calls goes home for the day. on multiple occasions, i have called and there have been "communications errors" on the toyota end. they tell me someone will call within 24-72 hours and we start all over again. in my opinion, they are avoiding me. *tr

The passenger side headlight turns off intermittently at night. comes on and goes off randomly, even when on a flat surface or sitting still. recently i was driving on a dark, winding road and it went out presenting an extremely dangerous condition. according to the discussion boards, this is a very common indication and very expensive remediation item which will prevent many from fixing during out current economic crisis. i am very worried about my wife driving at night in this car don't want my children in it at night. this is a very serious issue in that the driver could hit something resulting in injury to the occupants, or another car could become confused by the headlight failure resulting in an incident. again, the message boards are loaded with discussion on this item. *tr

I have a 2007 toyota prius, and the driver's side headlight has been giving me problems for about the last 20k miles(50-70k). toyota dealer said it would cost over $400 to replace the bulb, but i can turn the lights on and off to make it light up again. seems like this is an electrical problem and not the bulb. when searching for a cheaper alternative, i ran across how many of the prius are having the same problem. i live in a very rural area with curvy winding roads getting home in the evening. when that light cuts out i can hardly see the road. i don't know how this isn't a safety issue, especially when it could happen to both as i read has happened with others. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2007 toyota prius. the contact stated that while driving at 48 mph, the brakes suddenly locked up and swayed to the left side when he depressed the brake pedal. the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealership for diagnosis. the dealer repaired the axle and driver side body but it was unknown if the dealer repaired the brake system. the contact believed that the rain was a factor in the failure as it caused the computer chip for the brake pedal to malfunction. the braking system for the vehicle failed periodically in rainy weather. the vin was unavailable at the time of the complaint. the failure mileage was approximately 35,000. the current mileage was approximately 60,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2007 toyota pruis. the contact stated that intermittently while driving the head lights fail; which reduces visibility. an impairment of visibility while driving increases the risk of vehicle crash. the vehicle was taken to the dealer for inspection. he is in the process of having the head lights replaced at an expense of $800.00. the failure mileage was 30,000. the current mileage was 53,000. updated 10/20/09*jb

At 4:45 pm on 2/5/2009 , i drove my 2007 toyota prius west on sw andover st. in seattle wa. i slowed as i made a right turn to park perpendicular to the street with a 6 foot high chain-link fence in front of me on top of a retaining wall. the bottom of the wall is 6 feet below street level on a paved parking area. as the prius approached the fence, i braked to stop, but the car did not slow ,so i floored the brake. the car hit a fence post, pulling it out of its mount and then the car moved over the top of the wall pushing the pole and fence over its hood & roof,. the front of the prius dropped to the area below the wall while the rear remained on the top. the fence mesh stretched but slowed the prius's forward movement and kept the rear from going over the wall.. the dashboard was still lit and i lowered the electrical windows and yelled for help. the first arrival told me to "turn off the car". this is significant because the only way he could have known the car was running was if he heard the sound of the prius's gasoline engine that only kicks in at higher speeds. i opened the door and jumped down to the pavement. the police came and made a report. i did not receive a citation. the prius was extracted by a tow company and hauled away. fortunately i received no physical injury. the chain link fence was truly a safety net. on 2./12/ 2009, my insurance company , usaa, declared my prius "totaled" and made a settlement payment. i thought perhaps my brakes had failed. i had my prius receive a routine 25,000 mile check at the toyota dealership just eight days before the accident. from articles on www.consumersafety.com i learned that similar accidents with the prius have happened to other people. after reading their experiences, i now believe that "unintended acceleration" was the more likely cause of my accident. *tr

Hid headlamps on my 2007 toyota prius do not function properly. for the past several months they have flickered off and on. turning the light off and then on, while driving corrected the problem for a while. now one lamp only stays on for 1 minute or less. the other still goes off and will turn back on if the lights are turned off and then back on. toyota's response is to want to charge me $350 for a new bulb or over $1000 for a controller board for the computer. from what i have read on line my car is not the only prius with this problem. we need a recall now before some one's lights fail at night and they die! *tr