Problems with 2008 Toyota Prius ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

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

I rear-ended the car in front of me in a very low speed accident, listed on my ticket as 1+ mph by the police officer who witnessed my accident while at the scene attending to an already-occurred accident. when i was 2-3 car lengths behind the car in front of me, going approx. 5-10 mph, i saw their brake lights go on, and i pushed the brake pedal and nothing happened. i pumped the brakes, and nothing happened. when i realized that my car's momentum was not slowing in the slightest, and that i was going to hit the car in front of me, i tried to maneuver into the vacant right lane, but the failure of the car to even slow down made accident avoidance not possible. when i struck the car in front of me, the blow was primarily with the left front corner of my car contacting the center of their bumper. my car was totaled; their car need a new rear bumper but only for cosmetic purposes. i will testify under oath in a court of law that the brakes in my 2008 toyota prius failed, and that is why i had this wreck. *tr

This happened when i was driving in sfo city on an uphill street. it was bumper to bumper traffic and the car was going just fine (stop-and-go), and at one point it just stopped on the uphill and won't pull up. i had half+ tank of gas, battery was showing 4 bars, the car was on (all electrics okay) but won't pull up even when pressing hard on the gas. there was a emergency warning light that came (system malfunction or something). i even restarted the car, but no help. finally aaa came and towed the car and brought it back to the normal road and it started running fine?? not sure what caused this? i strongly suspect that this has something to do with the hybrid switching. my car service (dealer) says the 12v battery (not the hybrid one) could be dead/low. *tr

Rear hatch release cover melts off switch. my prius rear hatch release rubber cover became sticky a year or so ago. then started melting off the switch this year. i left the car sit for a week in high 90 temps and the rubber cover was nearly melted to my license plate. it was no longer attached to the electric switch. i researched on line and found several people complaining about this issue. toyota wants $200 plus for the switch. this should not breakdown like this. would like to have toyota fix the problem since it has a hard time keeping this part in stock. that shows it's a problem. *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

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

Rear hatch button rubber has melted. causes electrical hatch opening mechanism to fail completely. rubber remains sticky in hot weather, transfers tarry residue to fingers. in cold weather button will not function at all. safety issue because rear hatch is not accessible. can not access spare tire. there is no hatch release available at driver's seat in front. there is no mechanical only alternative. child trapped in trunk would have no way out. despite numerous and well documented cases reported online toyota will not fix problem voluntarily. *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

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

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

Rear switch that allows lift gate to be open, fails. rubber breaks down and becomes like glue, making it hard for individual opening lift gate to remove hand as normally expected, inducing strain on individual back and creating unexpected twisting motion causing injury and damaging trim on car. toyota has issued recall in japan but not us [https://toyota.jp/recall/kaisyu/121107.html] [not sure of exact date, this is second report toyota claim 1512-2317-10]

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

My car had hesitation issues since shortly after i bought it. it would bog down, and almost die in traffic. i would lose speed on the hwy/road & nearly get hit. previously, the dealer replaced the gas tank because its "bladder" was bad @ 54,057 miles on 08/05/2011. the factory split the cost on this repair (which appears to occur more than they are admitting). the performance improved for a little while, but there has always been funny noises coming from my vehicle and the car would not power on at times. other times, it would freeze or power off. the maintenance warning lights would come on and then turn off. infrequently, air would come through the backseat vents like it is supposed to. frequently, i would smell unusual smells after stopping my car. my car ate up the inside of a new set of tires very quickly despite being properly aligned. the hvac blower motor was cutting on and off at times and making funny noises. many times when it would cut off, i could open and slam the hood and the hvac blower motor would engage, as if there was an electrical short in it. when the hvac blower motor quit altogether, i took my car to the dealer. the dealer said that the mower had gone out. there was an actual problem with the hv electric water pump as well as a factory recall. interestingly, the dealer discovered tat the engine motor water pump was also leaking. what a coincidence! now that all of these components have been replaced, my car appears to work normal again like it has not worked since i first bought the car. *tr

The driver headlamp turns off after approx 5 minutes of use. can turn lights off then on again to restart headlamp. i first took to dealer after purchasing used because of this problem and they did not mention what i have recently learned is a known defect. this has been occurring for the last two years. changing bulb fixes problem for a while but problem re-occurs. this issue is a major safety issue, and toyota is charging exorbitant rates to replace the headlamps. i am afraid to drive my car at night or for long distances. this problem needs a permanent fix! *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

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

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

On three separate occasions i started my prius by using the electric start button without the key. the car starts and runs but the instrument panel does not light up. once i arrived at my destination the car will not shut off. it take approx. 1 hr of running before it will turn off. my dealership indicated they had not heard of this issue but after a diagnostic test, discovered that a computer chip communicating with the start button was the issue. the part is not available for 4 to 6 weeks and they will not release my car to me since they consider it a safety issue. they indicated its part of a recall issue..never heard of it! hummm. no cost for the fix since it is part of the recall and toyota has provided me with a rental car. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2008 toyota prius. the contact stated that the instrument cluster failed to function and the warning indicators did not illuminate. the failure occurred randomly more than five times since the contact purchased the vehicle. the dealer was notified of the failure, inspected the vehicle, and was not able to replicate and diagnose the failure. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the contact was to check to determine if they could provide further testing to diagnose the failure. the vin and failure mileage were not available.

Turned on car and no dash lights came on. no speedometer, no odometer, no fuel gauge, no gear shift indicator. broken combination meter. toyota has issued a tsb - t-sb-0172-09 but will not repair under warranty. *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

While driving at any speed, the hid headlights intermittently cut off. this usually happens one at a time, and mostly on the passengers side. i am unable to tell when they go off until either i get pulled over and warned which has happened once already or i pull up and see reflection off back of another car. the lights will work for short periods then off again then on again. this appears to be a known issue with this make/model and the manufacturer (toyota) is not taking responsibility and charging upwards of $600 for repair. in my opinion this is a big safety issue which i believe toyota should take responsibility for an obvious defect. i have also read this has occurred to many owners of this vehicle. after a further lengthy research my understanding is there is actually a class action lawsuit for this, of which i would rather see the nhtsa take action and have toyota make good on these defects, and recall to resolve this problem. thank you *tr

While parked at the local post office the vehicle suddenly started to roll back. it rolled approximately 4-5 ca lengths. the vehicle drug me but came to a stop. the vehicle had to be "engaged" into drive in order to move the car. not sure if this is an electrical problem or not but obviously the parking did not stay engaged. *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

I had been driving the car for less than 10 minutes when the "red triangle" red problem light came on the screen. i immediately looked for a safe place to pull over when the car made a series of short dinging sounds and the car was automatically put in neutral and the brake engaged--in the middle of a busy intersection! i was forced to flee the vehicle as there were oncoming cars that didn't look like they were going to stop. when the signal changed, i went back to the car and put on the emergency flashers. then i tried to put the car back in drive and it would not budge from neutral. i then switched the car off and back on and was able to drive it out of the intersection safely. if this had occurred even 5 minutes later, my 9-year-old daughter would have been in the vehicle with me and we would not have been able to react as quickly as i did. the car has been towed to my personal mechanic by aaa for diagnosis, but at this time it does not appear that this was an error, but a design flaw that put my safety in critical danger. *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

The car warnings went on and displayed the symbol for brake systems failure. the car brakes went out and then the car sped up slightly until the brakes re-engaged. i was driving slowly and was near my home, so no one was hurt thankfully. we had to have it towed because the car manual said not to drive it more than 3 mph when you have a brake systems failure. it was determined that the defective parts were the electric water pump and the mechanical water pump. toyota has recalled 2003-2007 electric water pumps for the prius. my concern is that this could have been a tragic accident if we were going faster. my question is whether the 2008 electric water pump for the prius need to be recalled? *tr

Around 4:30pm on saturday afternoon, we opened the car door to run some errands and were startled by a piercing noise. the dashboard was lighting up (abs & vsc) and although the car started, the dashboard remained lit and the beeping continued. when driving the car to the dealership, the brakes did not brake fully. after a $58 diagnostic test, we were told that acc pressure sensor needed to be cleared and if we returned with the same problem, we may need to replace a "brake actuator part" (cost = $2,560). before this incident, on saturday afternoon, we drove the car on the interstate for about 150 miles. for the last 15 minutes of our trip, we were driving through heavy rains on the interstate and on side roads. we did not experience any problems when driving the car in the rain, but are wondering whether or not the water affected the brakes. *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

The screen has stopped responding properly. it is mostly the left side of the screen that doesn't respond at all, but at times its the entire screen. this screen is necessary to control the air/heater; telephone, sound, etc. i have seen several complaints all over the internet discussing the exact same problem but yet toyota will not make a recall of the problem equipment. *tr

On 09jul2012 4:00 p.m while driving my prius 2008 hybrid, heading home on i15n, the electric power on the vehicle shutdown without any previous warning, or alert. i immediately maneuvered the vehicle to the right shoulder of the highway. immediately called aaa for a towing into toyota of escondido, located on 231 lincoln parkway, escondido, ca 92026 ph# (760) 746-0674. today 09/01/2012 - currently experiencing problems with intermittent hid headlight operation: i've got a package 6 2006 prius. one of the headlights keeps going out. i can't really tell when or how it goes out since i can't see it. i'll notice it when i see the reflection in the back of another car. if i turn the bright lights on and off it has no effect, but when i turn them all the way off and back on the light comes back. request a safety recall for toyota to take care of the electrical corrective actions. *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

Tl* the contact owns a 2008 toyota prius. the contact stated that the vehicle failed to start unless a particular warning light was cleared by disconnecting and reconnecting the battery. the contact was unsure of what light illuminated. in addition, the vehicle stalled when speeds exceeded 50 mph. the contact also stated that the failure may be due to the engine plug-in battery add-on kit that he personally installed. the vehicle was taken to the dealer where the contact was informed that there was a low battery indicator problem that caused the failure. the technician informed the contact that once the add-on was removed, the failure ceased. the failure mileage was 60,000 and the current mileage was 70,000. updated 02/12/13*lj the consumer stated his complaint was against the makers and distributors of the phev conversion kit, he had installed in his vehicle. the battery kit was used to provide additional electrical battery power to the built in battery of the hybrid. the consumer stated occasionally, the phev kit would cause the engine to shut down while driving on the highway at speeds of 45 -65 mph. when the incident occurred, there was a warning beep and the general warning triangle would appear on the dashboard. once it happened, the consumer was unable to re-start the vehicle, until the general warning triangle was cleared. he had to clear it, by disconnecting the 12 volt battery for a minute and the re-connecting the 12 volt battery. the consumer stated after the engine shut down for a third time, he removed the phev battery kit. updated 02/13/13

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

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

Trunk hatch release rubber piece started going soft; it is now melted and completely disintegrated into the latch locking mechanism. *tr

This is in regards to the electrical fuel pump that is already being recalled. i had my vehicle shut off while driving in traffic. i had it towed to the toyota dealership at the time and they replaced the electric water pump, the water pump, and the battery. my invoice came out to $1213. i sent this to toyota for a refund when the recall notice came out. they refunded me a mere $428 (this is for only the electric water pump) claiming that they do not have anything that shows the battery or the other water pump could be effected by the recall condition. it seems strange that i brought my vehicle in when i experienced exactly the same condition described in the recall and ended up needing multiple parts replaced when toyota claims only the electrical water pump may be effected. i had no other issues with my vehicle leading up to this so it seems highly unlikely that the water pump and battery just went bad at the very same moment the electrical water pump stopped. *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

When starting the vehicle the dashboard lights that regulate speed, gas level, oil, odometer, etc do not light up. during this time, the odometer reading is also disabled and not calculated. the dashboard area is completely dark. the back up camera is also disabled and the information for mpg, electrical engine also do not work. took it to the dealer to have the issue checked but the problem could not be recreated. the current work around that i discovered is to turn on the light switch before turning on the vehicle. this situation is very dangerous since you are unable to determine your speed, gas, and oil level as well as any other potential problems. after some online research i determined that many other consumers have been affected by the same issue. *tr

For several weeks, i've been having intermittent lowering of dashboard lights, or complete lack of them. on this car, that means i suddenly will have no speedometer, no gas gauge, which can be very dangerous (particularly the speedometer!). when i brought it to my mechanic, i was told that this was a common problem, but that toyota had not issued a recall for the part which requires the replacement of the entire instrument panel. there are no issues with the actual bulbs; it's a computer issue, from what i'm told. this is not an age issue of the car; this is a serious safety malfunction!. *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

My vehicle is having the same problems at described in the toyota warranty enhancement - ztv for the combination meter, where the display panel won't light up when the car is started in the morning. the car will also not power down when the power button is pushed. the car can be driven, but since you can't see the speed, mileage, or fuel levels it's not safe to drive the car. eventually after several miles of driving the car can be powered off and the panel will light up after starting the car again. my car calls within the 2004-2009 years listed, but my specific vin is not part of the recalled cars. toyota said i would have to pay for any repairs myself. *tr

Vehicle insturment cluster failure. vehicle will not power down. *tr

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

Rear hatchback locking/unlocking button gummy and inability to unlock truck manually and electrically. unable to access trunk where emergency/safety equipment located. *tr

Around or just after 40,000 miles the right headlight on my 2008 toyota prius started turning off while driving. turning the lights off then on corrects the problem -- but this is annoying and dangerous when driving at night. *tr

Intermittent headlamp failure. *tr

In august 2011, a princeton, nj, police office stopped me to report that my right headlight was not working. on september 1, 2011, i paid lawrence toyota $281.84 to replace the right side headlight. later that month, when i drove home, i noticed that the right light was not shinging against the garage door. when i got out of the car, i saw the headlight was not working. early in october, the front end of the car was damaged by another vehicle, including both headlights. the body shop replaced the headlights. shortly after i took the car home, i notice both the left and right headlights failed randomly. while driving, i notice the light would not be uniform along the pavement. when traffic was stopped at a light, one light would reflect from the car in front of me. when i took the car back to the body shop, they confirmed that the lights would go on and off spontaneously. they replaced both lights and the "modulator" that governs the headlights. the problem persisted. they took the car to freehold toyota who "adjusted" the lights and modulator. when i drove the car away from the body shop, i light was higher than expected; reflecting off tree branches well above the car. a few days later, i drove the car to a store and noticed the right light was not shining against the wall of the building. a person the car that pulled in before me commented that the left leadlight was aimed so high that it blinded him, making his rearview mirror unusable. *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

My headlights turned them self off on any given time either one on a time or both at the same time same thing happens if the highbeams are on day or night to correct this problem temporarily you have to turn the lights on and off quickly and you have no guarantee how long it will stay on i spoke to the toyota corporation and they will not help because my car has 90,000 miles my car is 2008 to fix this problem the dealership is charging $1200 i have extended warranty on the car but electrical is not covered. *tr