Problems with 2008 Toyota Prius EXTERIOR LIGHTING

2008 toyota prius. hid headlight dims or goes out. turning lights off and back on restores headlight. there are numerous reports of this problem on priuschat.com as well as other places. this is a safety issue for night driving. *tr

2008 toyota prius hid headlight failure. vehicle was purchased new 2nd week of april 2008 and has less than 7,500 mi on odometer. driver side hid headlight failed on the evening below without warning while on highway. worked intermittently but dim, between june 22nd till replaced on 6/29 under warranty. *tr

Headlight failure, had to have replaced. the part was covered by warranty but labor for $700 was not. *tr

2008 toyota prius both headlights went out @29,000 miles. was able to replace under warranty. 6 months later @44,000 miles, left headlight went out. this should be a recall. its terrible that a hid lightbulb costs $150 and not including labor! in this economy, we don't have $200 laying around to replace the bulb. on top of that, you get pulled over by the police and you get a ticket and you are forced to replace the bulb when you don't have the money. these high priced bulbs should last for the life of the car not replace them every 6 months or so. please make toyota recall these lights. *tr

Both front headlamps intermittently fail. turning the lights on and off fixes it for a short while. it is dangerous to drive without knowing if the lights are on at night. *tr

Drivers side hid headlight flickers and dies. can cycle power and comes on for 5 sec and dies. *tr

My 2008 toyota prius headlights go out intermittently while driving. sometimes one light, sometimes both. i will turn the lights off and turn them back on and they will both work for varying periods of time before one or both go out again. extremely difficult to duplicate for the service personnel. *tr

About 33k on my new beloved '08 prius my left headlight went out as i was pulling into my garage. the next morning it came on just fine. i noticed a decline from there. a few days later the right one went out and on a sunday trip about 2 months later both headlights flickered. i found that in the interim turning them off and then back on again helped sometimes. now the lights are out and i cannot drive at night or in the rain! the first dealership said they couldn't replicate the problem, so they couldn't fix it under warranty. they said they could replace the headlight, but at my cost. it doesn't seem like the light itself is the problem (why would it then come on after turning it off and on again?) *tr

2008 toyota prius driver's side headlight goes out unexpectedly while driving. the headlight comes back on if the headlights are turned off and back on again. this has been occurring nearly daily since may 2009. problem occurs on both smooth and bumpy roads and at different speeds. *tr

2008 toyota prius headlamp keeps going out. replaced both hid headlamps as toyota corporate told me to do and problem consists. safety hazard while driving at night with children in car and busy pedestrians on dark roads with strollers and babies not counting deer or other animals. toyota has refused to recall issue. im tired! *tr

Nothing leading up to the event of the failure of the headlamps going off while driving. i will be driving my vehicle on the road, and the lights will turn off; both headlamps, and while i can turn the switch off, then on again to make them operational again, they just turn right back off at random. this now occurs every time i use the vehicle. this is very dangerous. this is an accident waiting to happen, and manufacture does not warranty what the dealer claims is a faulty computer. the vehicle is currently at the dealer as i am in contact with toyota to cover expenses as i cannot afford $1000.00 in replacement repairs. *tr

I have a 2008 toyota prius and the headlights do not work properly. they go out, then turn back on. this is a safety issue that toyota needs to take care of. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2008 toyota prius. in november of 2008, the passenger side headlight bulb blew out. the bulb was replaced. in april of 2009, the driver's side headlight bulb blew out and was also replaced. currently, both headlights are working, but the contact believes that the failures could recur. the failure mileage was 25,000. updated 06/09/09 *bf updated 06/09/09.*jb

I own a 2008 toyota prius. i have, within the past two days, experienced the failure of one of the hid headlights. it is my understanding that the prius has been experiencing premature failure of the hid lights. my car is just over a year old with 44,000 miles on it. i believe the headlights going out, not staying on, or failing prematurely is certainly a safety issue. i drive home from work each night in the dark and have decide the prius is now a 'daytime' only vehicle since it cannot be trusted to keep headlights on a dark, wooded highway at night. this is an accident waiting to happen. i believe it is time to have toyota own up to their problem with the premature failure of these bulbs. hid are expected to last somewhere in the vicinity of 3000-5000 hours, even with my high mileage, my hid have less than 1000 hours on them. there is obviously something more to this than just bulb failure and it is plainly dangerous and should not wait for someone to be injured! *tr

Left headlight goes out, usually after the car has been on for a minute. usually it stays out for the entire time the car is on. the right headlight also went out once, requiring me to drive with just the dim flood lights, but it came back on a day later and has stayed on. this is a major safety issue when even one light goes out, and is intermittent, but to have both lights go out while driving at night is very dangerous. since it is intermittent, i would have to say this is a defect and not just the bulb burning out. *tr

2008 toyota prius headlight(s) turn off without warning. over the past three months, the passenger headlight turns off anytime from 2-30 minutes after being turned on. sometimes the driver headlight will turn off. on one occasion, the remaining light turned off, leaving me in the dark! luckily, i was in a 30mph zone with street lights. that's when i discovered that turning the lights off and on somehow resets them. internet reports indicate that this is a common problem with hid headlights on the prius. it's a safety issue, as my local police have twice informed me. *tr

In the 2008 toyota prius "touring edition", the hid (high intensity discharge) lamps fail at a more rapid pace than their standard halogen counterparts. when they do fail, they fail without warning and can be turned on intermittently, giving the impression of a loose bulb or wire and delaying repair. if the headlights are outside of their extremely short warranty period (only 36,000 miles), toyota also wants over $500 in parts and labor to repair these nigh-impossible-to-replace light bulbs, per bulb, even though the bulbs only cost about $123 each from a third-party supplier ($215 through toyota). because of the false sense of security caused by the appearance of a loose wire or bulb, and the reluctance to shell out $500 for repair, many drivers will choose to wait on repairs. shortly after the first bulb fails, less than 2000 miles in my case, the other bulb will fail, most likely because of an imbalance in the high-voltage hid system.should this happen at night, it could pose an extreme safety risk to the occupants of the vehicle. i recommend that a recall, or possibly a warranty extension on the headlights, be issued with all haste. *tr

My 2008 prius passenger headlamp intermittently fails to light. it is usually not working, but sometimes after turning the on/off switch a few times, it works for a period. when it fails, my headlights do not illuminate the road correctly, causing a very unsafe situation. i have received a warning from local police. i have not attempted to fix this yet, but after reading through this, http://www.hybridcars.com/forums/replacing-headlight-bulb-t910.html , forum, i decided to file a complaint. *tr

Head lamps went out with only 30k mile and both went out within a week of each other costing me 1k to repair. *tr

Premature headlamp failure on toyota prius and extremely expensive replacement. *tr

Recurring hid headlight /computer failure on 2008 toyota prius. my hid headlight/computer has failed on my 2008 prius costing $600 to replace. i frequently encounter other prius vehicles on the road with one headlight out which leads me to believe there is a manufacturing defect in the computer. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2008 toyota prius. the contact stated that the headlights worked intermittently. the manufacturer stated that the warranty would not cover the repairs for the vehicle. the failure and current mileages were less than 38,000.

I own a 2008 toyota prius, package 6, with 40600 miles on it. the hid headlights started to go out while driving. it started with the drivers side, then the passenger side light was affected. i could turn the lights off then back on and they would work again for a period of time. twice, while driving at night they both went out. luckily i was able to turn them off and back on and it stayed on. this problem shouldn't occur on a new vehicle with 40k miles. i was cited by a police officer on 18mar09 for driving with 1 operating headlight. *tr

Passenger headlight went out on our 2008 prius in march 2009. since the car is still under warranty, the dealership replaced the headlight. the service manager told us that if we see even a "flicker" to come back in and have it replaced again before our warranty runs out. on may 26, 2009, the driver side light went out. we will be taking it in to have it replaced as well. *tr

2008 toyota prius both headlights went out this morning and i was able to get them to come back on for about 5 minutes total while driving to work. i drive 70 miles on freeway each way in the dark. driver side bright light would come on briefly then go out again. passenger side bright light did not. i drove to work with the fog lights on only. *tr

I have a 2008 toyota prius with high intensity discharge headlamps, and more often than not they both go out randomly, i have to turn them off then on again to get them to work as many as 5 times an hour of driving (commuter), this problem really started to be an issue back in march when the left headlamp consistently kept going out. now i brought it in for service and toyota will cover it this time but although my car is 1 year and 11 months old i have almost reached the 36,000 mile limitation. after which this repair will cost me approximately $1000.00. i do have toyota extra care warranty for 8 years or 125,000 miles and the will not cover such issues even if they are due to defects. i am concerned that if this becomes a consistent problem it may cause an accident. i commute daily approximately 50 miles and i always return from work at night. i will get the old set of lamps back from the dealer for analysis if needed. i really think that this concern should be of utmost importance because it has the potential to cause serious injury if it is not corrected. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2008 toyota prius. the contact stated that two years ago, the headlights began illuminating intermittently. the headlights were replaced by an authorized dealer yet the failure continuously recurred. both the dealer and manufacturer advised the contact that the headlight failure was due to production and that they were able to repair the failure, but at her expense. the vehicle was not further repaired. the current mileage was 55,000 and the failure mileage was 26,000.

2008 toyota prius pkg 6...lost power at 65mph...engine shut down and i lost control of car...pulled over...lights said there was no fuel but i had refueled earlier that morning. took to dealer...could not find a problem. also, hid headlights intermittently don't work...very unsafe...has caused trouble with police...i am beyond irritated with toyota. *tr

2008 prius with hid headlights. both intermittently fail. can be corrected by switching lights off/on. safety issue because never can tell when they will fail. *tr

My 2008 pruis head lights have been going off at night. it is very dangerous because there is no warning at all. after turning the light control on and off they will come back on. the dealership told me i needed new bulbs at 259.00 each. i told them the bulbs were working and on and will come back on. after i told him reading about all the problems on the internet he told me to contact toyota. haven't heard from the as of yet. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2008 toyota prius. the contact stated that the headlights on the right side of the vehicle kept failing and turning off. they were replaced twice. the contact called the manufacturer who replaced the headlights the first time at no expense to him. the contact then received a letter stating the second pair of headlamps would be replaced at a reduced rate. the failure mileage was approximately 20,000. the current mileage was approximately 30,000.

2008 toyota prius hid bulbs have failed intermittent take it to the dealer and they replaced the ecu for the hid's 2x but will not warranty bulb, they want $349.99 for bulb and 1 hr labor this is a safety issue as both can go off together if i turn headlights on then off they work i have been given warnings by the police 3x already and try to explain so back to the dealer for the same run around i purchased 2 bulbs from my local parts store for a fraction at $149ea but still this is outrageous...nhtsa should force toyota into a safety recall which this is one. you need lights to drive at night? i do think so. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2008 toyota prius. while driving at an unknown speed, the headlights failed unexpectedly. the failure occurs mostly in dark conditions. the dealer stated that they would investigate the issue. the contact found numerous complaints regarding the headlights and believes that this is a serious defect and safety issue. the failure occurred four times and the dealer recommended turning the headlights on and off until they remain illuminated. the failure mileage was 52,000 and current mileage was 54,000.

I have a 2008 toyota prius, package 6 model that i bought december 27, 2008. the car has about 23,000 miles on it. beginning in mid-february 2009, the left headlamp started going on and off. about two weeks ago, the right headlamp began doing the same thing. when i start the car, both headlamps will be on and on most drives, one of the headlamps will go out. if i turn the lights off and then back on, the headlamp will usually come back on for a bit (though sometimes it looks very weak) before going out again. sometimes the headlamp will come back on by itself when i am driving. on some drives (usually short ones) neither headlamp will go out. the left (driver side) headlamp does this much more frequently than the right. i'm concerned about being stopped for having a headlight out and that both lights may go out at the same time (they haven't yet). since the headlamp keeps coming back on, i don't think that replacing it will fix this issue. *tr

Hid headlights turn off intermittently. problem first occurred in early 2009 and a toyota dealer replaced both headlights (one had stopped working and dealer stated the other had issues). problem recurred late 2011, with either light sometimes not working, but then re-lighting by itself. usually, turning the headlights off and back on manually will resolve the issue for a time. also, both of the tail lights will sometimes stop working. usually, if i take the cover off from the inside and turn the light socket (where it snaps into the plastic molding) the light will turn back on. unfortunately, i can't tell how often i am driving with one or both tail lights not functioning, as i don't look at the back of the car often. i have found them non-functioning 3 times in the last 3 months, and each time the bulb was fine and began working when i turned the socket back and forth. *tr

Hid bulb went out on front left of car when it was just out of warranty. *tr

I burn my headlights in the daytime. a friend saw me driving, phoned me and said that i had a headlight out (left). after i arrived at my destination, i turned off the lights, then back on, and the headlight worked again. if this were to happen at night, it would of course, be more of a hazard. *tr

The headlight of my 2008 toyota prius stopped working so i when i had it replaced the dealership charged me $350.00 for the bulb. after i paid for the replacement of the bulb, the service manager game me a customer service number to call and complain about the price of the bulb. no one answered. i went home and checked the various blogs on the internet and found that this has been an on going problem with the toyota prius. the headlights seem to be defective. excluding the inflated cost of a light bulb, this has to be a safety concern for toyota. the bottom line is i paid just over $401.00 to replace a $10.00 light bulb. that is just plain wrong and someone should hold toyota responsible. thank you for your time in this matter. dennis bennett *tr

2008 toyota prius (non-touring) -- hid headlamp auto turn off noticed that upon arrival at home one evening from work, that only my passenger headlamp was working. however i went to replace the bulb the following weekend, the driver bulb was clearly on and working properly. since then and in seemingly increasing frequency, i have been keeping notice of this matter and it has now gotten to the point where the driver hid headlamp turns off at least every other trip home from work during the evening. turning all lights off and immediately back on corrects the issue unless done too fast. and after doing so the driver side is not as bright for some 5-10 minute period of time. however, after the hids have been off over night and during most of the day (while parked) they both turn on and appear to be at nearly the same brightness until the driver hid headlamp just up and turns off when it wants to. the turn off is rarely associated with a major bump or other road obstruction but the lamp rarely stays on when encountering such things (rocks, bumps, chipped road surface, etc), but in general it just turns off when it wants to without any detectable reason. first noticed on or around nov 20, 2008 but in the past year the problem has grown in frequency to maybe once every 4-5 weeks to now once every 2-3 days. i travel approx. 65 miles eachday round trip to work and it is generally dusk or nightfall when i return home. *tr

Premature hid headlamp failure. my car is barely 40k miles. headlamps intermittently goes out. it would come back on if i turn the headlamps off and then on. *tr

The passenger side headlight suddenly went out. *tr

We own a 2008 toyota prius with hid headlamps. on numerous occasions over the past 18 - 20 months, either headlamp will turn off. this has happened to both driver and passenger side. turning the switch off and back on restores normal function. we reported the issue to the dealer we purchased the car from and was told they could do nothing except replace headlamps at our expense. the headlamps turn off with alarming regularity, to the point we do not feel safe driving the vehicle after dark. *tr

The headlights on my 2008 toyota prius work intermittently which cause real safety issues when driving. the headlights are hid (high intensity discharge) and the toyota dealer has tried repairing the problem but the problem returns. this recurring problem has been noted by many owners but toyota does not cover the problem if it is out of their 3yr / 36kmile warranty. this is a safety issue that should be covered under warranty by toyota regardless of mileage. they probably don't want to cover this under warranty as the bulb costs ~$300 (~$400 installed). *tr

Have a 2008 toyota prius. headlights operate intermittently. i understand this has been a problem with prius for a few years and has bilked alot of money from owners unfairly. who is our advocate. exorbitant prices are being charged for parts and labor. please help us. thank you. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2008 toyota prius. the contact was driving 30 mph when the drivers side headlights failed to illuminate. the vehicle was taken to the dealer who confirmed the bulb needed to be replaced. the failure occurred on three previous occasions. the manufacturer was not notified, but the vehicle was repaired. the failure mileage was 10,000 and the current mileage was 100,000.

My 2008 toyota prius headlights keep going out, the bulbs are fine, but i have to turn off and turn on the light many time on highway to make them stay on. that is not safety way ever. if i forgot to turn it off and on again, i can cause an accident or police officer will give pull me over. *tr

I have a 2008 prius and the hid headlights go out in the first 5 miles after starting up, both sides will go out, but if i click the switch they come back one. i' m a line haul courier and drive 423 miles a night so i have the pattern of the lights going out one side then the other for about 5 to 10 mins. hitting the switch to prime them back on then they stay one for an hour or even two. if i stop at 7-11 or gas, they'll act up for about another 10 mins, then they stay on. once in a great while one of them will go off, but i drive with my running lights on so i'll have light to catch when they go off. i started to complain after a month or so, but the gal said that it would cost $800.00 or more, (i've heard it's higher. i 've asked a couple of times and was told 'it's electrical! i can't afford that kind of scratch for something that's should be all working, for $26,000! i just figure that it should work and if it don't, why should i pay for something that should come with this high tech vehicle!! any way i love it except from the intermittent high light failure...i hope my chp doesn't blow a fuse if something happens and they test it and toyota was at fault as it should provide a safe car for california highways... *tr

Hid head light goes off while driving in toyota prius 08. *tr

Headlight failure on the prius seems to be an on going issue from year to year for the models that have the hid type. i lost the drivers side light about the first of sept. 08 and the passenger side this morning. doing a search and reading of the problem is why i am filing a complaint. *tr

I have a 2007 prius headlights go off 1 at a time then both sometimes,they come on when i flip on off switch; this has been happening at least 10 times per week dealer tells me bulbs for $509 plus tax does not make sense since bulbs work fine most of the time other people indicate that changing bulbs does not solve problem. *tr