Problems with 2008 Toyota Prius EXTERIOR LIGHTING

The headlight turns off suddenly. most of the time it is the left head light and some time right head light.the head light comes back on after turning off and on. it is dangerous when all of a sudden the light went out at night. mechanic find no problem. hwever, the head light cuts off suddenly. *tr

Purchased car used. i noticed immediately that the right light was flickering. in a few days, it started going out. came back on later, then went out again back and forth. after having bulb replaced, with in 2 days, it did the same thing. left hid light is now doing the same flickering, though not going out totally yet that i have noticed. turning lights on and off make them work again until the next time they randomly go out. they will randomly go out or on even if sitting still. after researching, i am finding that people are spending 1000s of dollars and still not getting this fixed. *tr

Driving down 4 lane, undivided highway at night and both headlights went dark. *tr

Right headlight started working intermittently around 50,000 miles, then finally failed. replacing the bulb did not fix the problem. then left headlight completely failed around 63,000 miles. it was definitely annoying to have one functioning headlight, and now it's just plain unsafe not to have any at all. *tr

For years the driver side hid headlight goes off every few minutes. i have to turn the headlights off then on again for both to relight. the driver side light then stays lit for only 2 to 5 minutes. this problem poses a serious risk to me as well as other motorists. this problem needs to result in a formal nhtsa recall.

Pulling away from home after starting car, i noticed dashboard lights were out, no speedometer, etc. although blinker lights worked. later, backing up, i noticed the camera image did not work. big problem was when i got to work and car would not turn off. i tried for 20 minutes including that i made the mistake of putting smart key into slot thinking that would help only to realize that key could not be removed without car being off. i absolutely had to go to my office; had to leave car unattended in downtown. when returned a few hours later to go to dealer, i tried it again and it turned off. *tr

Purchased used in oct 2013, first had to replace headlight in dec 2013. have replaced right headlight 6 times and ballast once. problem only temporarily resolved. this month headlight went out again. have replaced ballast and bulb with no success. headlight will not stay on longer than 30 sec before going back out. *tr

I was driving home at night when both my headlights on my toyota prius suddenly completely went off for no reason. i had an issue a few weeks before, and had noticed that sometimes the front right headlight would just blink off, and a friend of mine had pointed out that i had a headlight out. but when i turned on my car the next time both lights were working... soon i realized that if the light blinked off, and if i turned the lights off and back on again they would both come one; sometimes for a few minutes or longer, but sometimes only for a second and then blink back off... i was about to look into getting that checked out when suddenly this time last week both lights went off, on my curvy street in malibu in the dark where there are no street lights as i live in the mountain 2 miles away from the pch and it is a very dark and dangerously curvy road... luckily my reflexes kicked in and i quickly flicked the lights off and on as i had done before and the lights came back on, but i could have easily flown off the cliff here... if my wife was driving my car and not known about flicking the lights on and off she could have died. i will not let her drive my car at night until this is fixed. it was completely pitch black for a second there and the average person who had not discovered this yet could have had a fatal death in that moment. imagine if i had not known that i needed to flick my lights back on and off which i had luckily just found worked only weeks before with the singly headlight going out... i contacted toyota and they said they will not fix this on their own, and that have to pay in full for replacing the bulbs. i have now done research on this and found countless complaints online about this, and i can't believe this is not a simple recall issue and that toyota is not taking responsibility... absolutely ludicrous. what can be done? *tr

The exterior headlights continue to malfunction. they turn off randomly, and you much switch them on and off again to get them to continue to work. they at times malfunction at the same time, and the cost of the replacement bulb is astronomical at approx. $200 per bulb. malfunction continues to happen, even after bulb replacement. *tr

Head lights suddenly went out for about 5 seconds at night! they came back on by themselves. i was told by dealer hard to find intermittent problems. of course it was working when at dealer. told i needed both hid head lights @$265. each. also possible head light assembly and computer. approx another $2200. my passenger side headlight has been intermittent for a while, but this is the first time both have gone out and left me blind!! many other complaints from others i have talked to. should be recalled. *tr

Most recently i was driving at night and the left headlight was not working at all. the next day i took the car to my local mechanic and both lights were working fine so they were unable to do anything. two days later i was driving home late and again the lights worked fine. this has been a constant problem. sometimes the lights (one or both) work and sometimes they don't. two months ago i was driving on a dark winding rode with only the fog lights working, both of the headlights were out. you never know when it's going to happen and it's extremely dangerous. is it a problem with the hid lights or a circuit issue? my toyota dealer was unaware of the problem despite what appears to be several complaints having been logged. my car only has 66k miles and i don't drive at night very often. *tr

Intermittent headlamp failure. flicking lights on and off will temporarily remedy only to fail again during the same drive. near accident on pitch black mountain road when both lights failed. bulbs have been replaced multiple times by dealer and problem continues. i've been pulled over by law enforcement and given warnings. we have two young children and cannot safely drive our car during the night or for travel. there is clearly a problem...why is there no accountability? must there be deaths or injuries to get this resolved? *tr

Every few weeks (even several times in the same week), the dashboard lights on the car go completely dark, without warning (no, the dimmer switch is not turned to "low" or "off"-- that is the first thing we tried). simultaneously, or sometimes at different times, the car refuses to turn off, even when the "off" switch is pressed constantly or intermittently, for up to a half-hour. obviously, it is extremely dangerous to leave a car running, so one cannot leave the car; when driving, the loss of all the dashboard information is terrifying, especially at night when it is so distracting as to be potentially crash-causing. the toyota dealer first claimed it was the 12-volt battery, so we replaced it. this did not fix it. at the dealer's request, we left the car with them for a long weekend, and they claimed that since they weren't able to reenact the situation, they could not help us. after some back-and-forth, they agreed to replace a "combination meter," which toyota had apparently found troublesome enough to offer free "out-of-warranty" repairs of. however, the dealer first said toyota would not pay for it unless the dealer was able to independently verify the trouble, and they were not able to recreate the distressing situation. as if we would lie in order to receive a new combination meter! we just want to car to work and be safe. now we are waiting five-plus days for the part to come in, and not even sure if it will fix our problem. there's plenty of discussion of this exact same issue all across the internet. why has the company not figured this out, and trained its mechanics accordingly? *tr

The drivers side headlight goes out intermittently. we replaced the bulb, but we are still having the problem. *tr

Intermittent hid headlight operation this has been recurring over the last 5 years. always mentioned during the maintenance check-ups never corrected. *tr

Drivers headlights goes on and off randomly. bulbs will not fix it and there is no factory fix for this problem. if they both go out at the same time very unsafe. for a fairly new car. *tr

Both headlights intermittently fail and recover when switch is cycled. cannot drive vehicle at night. *tr

2008 prius headlamps intermittent hid problem. this is a known and common problem with toyota prius 2004-2009. no recall for it that i am aware of, however they light will go out randomly. the cost of repair can been extreme. toyota was sued for this, but did not make an official recall (http://www.girardgibbs.com/toyota-prius/). when driving my lights will go out for no reason. turn the switch off and back on will sometimes correct the issue, but others times i have to wait a bit and retry. this is a danger and safety issue. i have read where repairs can run from 300 - 1100 per side to repair. in addition, the rear lift gate latch rubber is becoming very sticky. i have again read numerous complaints that it eventually melts and again toyota has not put a recall in place for this. lastly the mpg is horrible. in the city i get 27 to 36 randomly changes, there is no stability in the mpg. it is all over the board. i am the only driver. this vehicle was purchased at tustin toyota in tustin california. they have refused all calls from me. they have not called back after 4 messages and two internet chat messages. *tr

I was driving about 70mph on sept. 25, 2013 when i noticed my rt. front headlight went off on a dark road. later it came back on. when i stopped to pull over, it was out completely. i continued traveling and it came back on. since then, i've noticed both rt. and left headlight intermittently turn off by themselves and go back on by themselves while driving. recently it's become more frequent and the left front flickers occasionally. it's a safety hazard. my address is: [xxx]driver license #:[xxx]/ ss#: [xxx]vin: [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6). *tr

My head lights will all of a sudden go out while driving. i've had to click them off and on again, but it keeps happening and is quite scary while driving at night. since i work until 10:00pm every night, i am constantly driving at night. i have also been stopped by our local police department and issued a warning for having a headlight out. i have been to my local toyota dealer and was told by them that since my warranty has expired, it would cost me about $350.00 per headlight to replace. i have also been researching and noticed that this is an ongoing problem with this type of car. i also understand that there was a class action suit involving this model, but we have never been notified of anything to do with this problem. why hasn't the nhtsa notified owners of this ongoing defect? when this happens it is quite scary. *tr

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

One, the other, or both headlight turn off unexpectedly while driving. rotating the headlight control stalk to off position and then back to on position will relight the headlights. the problem is getting progressively worse. there are now multiple incidents even during short trips. *tr

Intermittent hid headlight failure. headlights - passenger and/or driver side headlight goes out. turning off the headlights and turning them back on restored the light, however, the lights will again intermittently failed on a longer/shorter trip, this has been occurring repeatedly and i don't feel comfortable driving during night time. it is dangerous and terrifying. there needs to be a recall again asap. i understand there was a recall in the past for similar reasons but not sure what is the status now. i bought this car privately from original owner (who bought brand new from dealer) and they mentioned that this problem was brought to attention of toyota dealer in danvers, ma (ira toyota) but they could not diagnose the cause. i looked around and found that this problem is known to toyota but wondering how dealer didn't know about it. the information can be found at link http://articles.latimes.com/2011/jan/19/business/la-fi-0120-toyota-prius-20110120 i am looking forward to hear back from toyota or somebody who could help me fix this problem and help me drive my vehicle safely. *tr

This has happened a number of times before. we were driving at night about 11:00 p.m. and the headlights were working fine. suddenly, both headlights went out. i slowed the car and turned the headlights off and turned them back on again very quickly. no problem the rest of the way home. sometimes the lights would dim and i was not sure if they were on or not and would shut them off again and then on again. sometimes other drivers would signal me that the headlights were not working and i would turn them off and then on again and they would both be lit. but often when there is still ambient light as on a city street or lots of other cars, i would not be aware that they were off until i hit a dark section of road. i went to toyota yesterday and the replaced both bulbs. this happened a couple of years ago and i became aware of it because i was following my son in law in his car and he said that i had no lights. very scary. i did the same thing then and turned them off and on again. *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

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

In july of 2013, while driving, the drivers side headlight went out. i bought a new headlight hid bulb and had it installed a few days later. in december of 2013 the light went out again. i was able to get it to work intermittently by toggling the on/off switch. the light would stay on for 1-2 minutes before going out again. i had the lightbulb removed and will have to purchase another bulb to be installed. each bulb costs nearly $175. i have been quoted $120 by a toyota dealer for labor. *tr

Following the purchase of my 2008 toyota prius, we visited a friend who told us our passenger side headlight was out. when we turned off the lights and turned them back on it came on. we have had the dealer we purchased the car from and our mechanic try to find the problem but the lights still go out, sometimes passenger side, sometimes driver side, and a few times they have both gone out. when the switch is shut off and on they come back on. i'm afraid my lights may fail and be the cause of an accident. we, my husband and i, took the car to a toyota dealer to fix the safety recalls on the vehicle and specifically asked them to check the headlights and described our problems to them. they failed to check our lights but gave us a checklist of other maintenance suggestions. *tr

Starting in june 2013 our prius headlights would intermittently and unpredictably go out. it's difficult to tell at times but mostly this occurred on the left headlight. in january 2014 the problem was occurring regularly rather than sporadically so i had both hid lights replaced at a cost of $389.30. this seemed to temporarily resolve the problem but it has started again this time with both headlights turning off randomly. this is a definite safety hazard as it requires me to turn the light switch off then back on again to get the lights to turn back on. i have recently had to do this several times on a drive of 10' duration. i have read that this is a problem with many prius vehicles with the hid lights. *tr

I was driving the vehicle when the driver side headlight went out. the vehicle continued to drive fine, while on the freeway all the lights turned off. i was able to turn the switch off and then on again. when doing so the passenger side light turned back on. approximately 7-10 minutes later the lights went out again. again i flipped the switch off then on again and the lights turned back on. this happened about 3-4 times over a 32 minute drive. when i got home, i turned the lights on in my driveway and they were both working. as i backed out of the driveway the left head light went out again. *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

Driving down the highway and the head lights just stopped working , turned them off and back on and worked for about 25 miles and did it again this time i had the fog lights on and it wasn't as bad but again turned them off and then back on worked till i got home .. *tr

There is condensation in driver side headlight. toyota and also their extra care platinum policy are not willing to take care of problem. toyota dealer said "it is a common problem for prius" , but there is no repair sealing, they say the entire housing needs to be changed, moisture is a danger to the electrical system! they say, total price around $600. why should i be responsible for their manufacturing defect, and also be in danger if lights would go off when driving. i am a 67 year old female keep my car in perfect order and it would be very dangerous for me if any light failure was to happen when i am driving at night. *tr

Light will turn off, i will turn the switch and they come back on but don't stay on, i have been using the high beams but now they will not work. the regular beams are staying on a little longer but have to do the same thing, turn the switch and on again, the dealer can't seem to find the problem at a cost of $1100, and now replacing the light bulbs at $350 is a bit much. i do a lot of driving during dawn hours and night. why is toyota not cover the cost of this problem. this is an issue with many of the prius from 2005 to 2008 it should be a recall to have the control module replaced on all hid lights d2r. *tr

The headlight will go out,i turn my lights off than on again the light will come on again. this keeps happening over and over again

Both headlights turned off randomly while driving on the freeway late night.. it was extremely dark because there were not many other cars around at the time. *tr

I was driving on the highway when both my lights started to flicker and then both went out. then after turning the headlights off then my right headlight stayed off and my left headlight came back on and i continued on the road, after about 5 mins down the road the left went out again but came back on. and didn't have problems with it again. then 3 weeks ago i got my right bulb replaced and it worked with no problems. then after 2 weeks my bulb blew again. then last night i was coming home on my way from my barn and the left headlight flickered 1 time and then i had no headlights and took my car down into a field because i couldn't see after i came to a stop my lights came back on with me turning the lights on and off. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2008 toyota prius. the contact stated while driving at night the headlights shut off intermittently. the vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the light bulbs needed to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 50,000 and the current mileage was 55,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2008 toyota prius. the contact stated that the driver's side headlight would continuously fail without warning. the contact mentioned that he was able to turn the head light back on immediately after the failure. the vehicle was taken to the dealer where the technician stated that the headlight needed to be replaced. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. the vehicle was not repaired. the vin was not available. the failure mileage was 115,000 and the current mileage was 137,000.

Left head light goes out while driving. i can turn head lights off and back on and it starts working again. the dealer says i need a new bulb at the rate of $330.00 dollars plus tax and $50.00 to install. i asked if it was guaranteed they said no once it is installed there is no guarantee. i was born at night but not last night!! i think they have another problem and don't have a clue what it is! at $400.00 a light bulb-good money if you can get it. *tr

When i started the car, the lights on the dash didn't come on so i could see how fast i was going or how much gas i had. i called the dealership and they said it's due to cold weather. after 15 minutes, the dash lights came on. toyota suggested i could get the issue fixed for $1500 but it wouldn't be easy to get the part. could take 30 days or more and may not 100% solve the issue. *tr

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

The headlights have intermittent operation. function does not seem to be based on time, weather, or speed. it poses a safety threat when driving on the highway at night. the bulbs have been repetitively changed but the problem persists. *tr

Although the investigation of hid headlight failure on 2006-09 on the toyota prius was closed in 2009, i wanted to add my complaint to your file. i just paid to replace my drivers' side headlight for the third time. it was replaced once under warranty, comped a second time by the dealer and now i had to pay $1,022.24 to replace it after the company refused to. there is clearly an issue with this headlight and the cost of replacing it is obscene, making it a safety threat. *tr

One or both headlights shut off intermittently while driving. usually come back on when switch is turned off, then on. may happen repeatedly. *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

While driving my 2008 prius at night, i had my headlights on. driving at approx 50 - 60 mph my hid front lights went out. i was in complete darkness. i can not understand why this not a safety recall by now because i understand that this is happening with regularity.

Tl* the contact owns a 2008 toyota prius. while driving at night with the headlights activated, the headlights flickered before shutting off. the failure occurred intermittently. the dealer stated that the high intensity discharge head lamps needed to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the failure mileage was 87,000.