Problems with 2008 Toyota Prius EXTERIOR LIGHTING

Front right hid headlight went out. comes on intermittently. cannot operate vehicle safely at night. known defect by manufacturer on 2004-2008 prius.

Intermittent hid headlights on my 2008 prius. the headlights suddenly go off, then after turning them off and back on, they are good for a while once again. this is happening to both the left and right sides. i understand the bulbs are $150 each plus labor to replace. i only have 40,000 miles on my prius. this is extremely dangerous. *tr

Both head lights come on for a second or 2 then turn off. turning them on and off repeatedly sometimes they will stay on for up to 1 minute then turn off. toyota dealership that sold us car claims they never heard of this problem. reported problem 12/2/2010.

Left front hid headlamp flickered and then went out. i turned the headlights off and then on quickly, restoring the headlight. it repeated itself repeatedly for several weeks until i was able to get the headlight replaced at the outrageous cost of $469.80. that price included replacing both headlights, as i did not want to take the chance of having the other one fail in the same manner. it is clear from research i have done, that toyota is gouging the public on the replacement of these headlights and also refuses to acknowledge that they have put a defective product on the road. this is clearly a safety recall item.

Hid headlight system failure. driver side intermittent failure for about a week. on 11/15/2010 passenger side also failed at 7:15 pm leaving us with no operating headlights on a winding country road. had to return back to house with no headlights, luckilly only 5 minutes into our trip.

Headlight goes on, then goes off. won't stay on. i was informed the other one could go out at any time, so i should replace both, at great expense. i was told by toyota that the hid headlights were covered under the regular warranty, but not the extended warranty. bulbs (especailly those costing $300) should not burn out or randomly flicker on a two year old vehicle. to prevent future/additional problems, i had to replace both headlights, including the one that was working. this is a definitlely safety issue...i check bulbs regularly, and all are working when i turn the car on. obviously, i can't check while i'm in motion - which is when they flash off - and was fortunate that both bulbs didn't burn out at the same time, which could have resulted in a crash, injury or accident (or worse) that i would have been liable for.

2008 toyota prius, vin [xxx], both driver side and passenger side headlight go on and off while in the on position. started nov. 2010 with both headlights going out on a trip out of town. then for about 5 months no problems. now since april 2011 the drives side headlight occasionally goes off, but the passenger side constantly goes off. i will turn on my light to drive at nigh and the passenger light will be on at first then within a few minutes it will go out. i can get it to come back on if i switch the headlight switch off and back on, this turns off all the lights momentarily and then it will come on again for a few more minutes, then have to constantly repeat the process over and over. i have gone online and found forums where there are hundreds if not thousands of the same complaints and toyota has done nothing to remedy the problem all but to charge outrageous prices to temporarily fix the problem that will just start all over. i have gone to our local dealer who gave us a quote and said it was a problem that they were not aware of. come on, they are sweeping it under the rug and ripping off pruis owners. i certainly hope it doesn't take someone dying to get toyota or someone to realize what a major problem there is and that it needs to be addressed immediately. i do not feet this is an issue with the bulb itself, as the bulb works, it has to be something wrong with the electrical, as many others have replaced the bulbs to only have the same problem return in a short period of time. your help in this matter would be greatly appreciated. information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6). *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2008 toyota prius. the contact stated that the headlights malfunctioned upon start-up. the dealer stated that the contact would be responsible for the cost for a new bulb. the vehicle had not been repaired. the current and failure mileages were approximately 62,000.

Toyota prius headlight problem. *tr

Vehicle headlights dim as well as interior, nearly causing a critical accident as driver 's vision , headlights were not providing adequate lighting to make turn at night. this problem continues to-date and am afraid that if toyota is not held accountable for their defective product or a recall is not conducted we are driving in an unsafe vehicle. please advise as we cannot afford to buy new or different car.( or a repair of 1700$ this is a safety hazard to us and others please do something to protect the public and us.my understanding is that you are responsible for vehicle, passer safety and there fore our safety is in your hands i acn be reached at[xxx] additional information or assistance please keep us and others safe. information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6). *tr

Toyota prius hid headlamp goes out after turning on and warming up. issue and concern is that the lamp appears functional at first and then goes out after some random period of time without any indication to the driver. seems to be a common issue with the prius hid lamps. fixed by replacing bulb. *tr

One of our headlamps began to fail intermittently without any apparent cause. the failure occurred on a frequent basis (25-75% of the time) but could not be caused. the dealer recommended we replace both bulbs due to the expense of removing the bumper which is required. the dealer claimed that it is normal for this type of hid bulb to fail at this time in the life of the vehicle. *tr

In january 2010 i began to suspect that the passenger-side high-intensity-discharge(hid) headlight of my 2008 toyota prius was not working properly. when driving at night, it seemed like my headlights were not evenly illuminating the road ahead of me. on several occasions i checked my headlights by turning on my vehicle and headlights, but saw both headlights illuminated properly. in early september 2010, i discovered the passengers-side headlight stopped illuminating approximately 5 minutes after turning on the headlights. as the weeks went on, the passenger-side headlight stopped illuminating more quickly. after i discovered the headlight malfunction, i did some online research and found hundreds of people experiencing the same thing. i learned nhtsa looked into the issue and decided not to issue a safety recall. as a result, i decided to wait until my 30,000 check-up to have the dealer look at my headlight. on oct 21, 2010 i was driving on interstate 238 at night in the pouring rain. i was traveling approximately 60 mph when both headlights simultaneously stopped illuminating. unable to see the road ahead of me due to the lack of headlights, i could not pull over. i slowed down to 50 mph, turned off the headlights then turned them back on. this caused both headlights to re-illuminate. the passenger side headlight stopped illuminating after about 60 seconds. it is a miracle i did not drive off the road and kill myself or someone else. my vehicle is still under warranty and toyota is replacing both headlights. *tr

Both of the front headlights on our 2008 toyota prius went out ,simultaneously, while driving at night. although quite frightening, fortunately, the incident happened on a well lit street at a slow speed and we were able to reach our destination safely. if this had occurred on a curvy road, darker area, etc. the results may have been deadly. since both headlights went out, our assumption was that the issue was electrical or perhaps a blown fuse. we took the vehicle to a toyota dealership where we were told, without inspection, that this was a known problem and that the headlights were defective. furthermore, we were told that the problem is not covered under our extended warranty and we are expected to pay for the replacement bulbs, estimated at ~$500. it is extremely disappointing that toyota is aware of this issue, has not notified its customers of the hazard, and has not recalled the part. at this point, we have no choice but to replace the bulbs immediately and at our expense, as we understand it is not safe to drive without headlights. *tr

2008 toyota prius with 33,000 miles experiences intermittent headlight failure. both left and right side headlights go out at random while driving in any conditions - hot or cold, wet or dry, etc. turning lights off then on sometimes resolves problem for a short period of time. *tr

In september, 2010, i purchased a 2008 prius from power toyota of tempe, arizona. when i made the purchase, the car had just over 55,000 miles on it. shortly afterward, i noticed that the passenger side headlight would periodically go out, and i would have to turn the lights off and on again in order to have it come back on. a month or so into my ownership, i received a notice from toyota, concerning a recall that perfectly described the problem i was having. i called power toyota, gave them my information, and advised i wanted to bring my car in for the recall work. they made the appointment. when i brought the car in, i was told i was ineligible for the work, because my car had more than 55k miles on it, and all they would be doing was changing the bulb. they wanted to charge me over 300 dollars for recall work, because they were too cheap or lazy to fix what was a known issue before selling me the car. i am writing to find out what recourse i have. i understand that time has passed, but i am still experiencing the same issue. if it were as simple as the bulb, it certainly would have burned out by now. i reuse to pay hundreds of dollars for something that was supposed to either be fixed before i bought the car, or once the i received the recall notice. the 55,000 mile requirement seems like an unfairly arbitrary limit, and i disagree with it. please advise how i can get the original recall honored. *tr

The driver side hid headlight on my 2008 prius began flickering at 70,000 miles. the flicker would begin after 15 min of driving and then headlight would go out. passenger side headlight was fine. i ordered a replacement bulb from internet because repair cost through dealer was over $200. i was driving home at night last thursday and suddenly both headlights went out. there was never any flicker with passenger side headlight. i was plunged into complete darkness driving 55 mph on a dark country road. it was scary. i have never had a car do this. dealer ship advises it will be nearly $500 to repair both headlights which i can not afford. i ordered another bulb through internet. i will not be able to drive my car at night until bulbs are replaced. *tr

High density headlight on passenger side burned out quickly, after only 2+ years of driving. dealer garage replaced at no cost - since it was still under the full extended warranty. high density headlight on driver side went out while driving. it went back on later that day, and has been intermittent since, but mostly not working. just started researching replacement bulb prices when i found out how many people have been having this same issue. passenger side tail light went out. wiggling the bulb, socket and wiring got the light working again. *tr

Passenger side headlight is not working on our 2008 toyota prius. it takes the very expensive hid bulbs. i do not know how long the bulb has not been working as it works for a minute then goes out. the vehicle has 38000 miles on it. a dealership has recommended replacing both bulbs at the same time to save money. *tr

We have had problems with passenger side headlight it will go off by its self with out us knowing but we could turn lights off then turn them back on and it will stay on for awhile we had toyota replace light last year and it was fine for approx. 6 months and then started doin same thing again finally last week it went out and will not come on at all i know of several other prius owners with same problem would greatly appreciate your help! *tr

Right headlight on 2008 toyota prius go out and to get it back on, the lights must be turned off and then on. this may happen several times during a drive. *tr

We have a 2008 toyota prius purchased in october 2007 and have had intermittent problems with the headlights going off during operation. we have had this problem for the past 6 months. when contacting toyota they have not helped at all saying that they extended the warranty to 50,000 miles for this and we are over that mileage mile stone which is very convenient for toyota. the cost to put in two new headlights is over $600 which i cant afford. with all the complaints i'm reading about its amazing that a recall is not in affect or that the department of transportation isn't ordering a recall. *tr

At random times the hid headlights on my 08 toyota prius will turn off. it happens to both lights but it has never happened to both lights at the same time, which may have caused an accident. the headlights will turn back on if i turn the power switch off and then back on. i have read on the internet that this same problem is happening with alot of prius models. *tr

2008 toyota prius. left headlight goes out, turn off then on lite comes on for a few minutes. now right headlight is going out, with both lights going off @ night i have a serious safety problem. these are the hid headlights which are very expensive to replace,($300 to $500). checking on line it seems that this is becoming a major safety problem.. *tr

2008 prius driver side headlight does not function properly. bulb has been replaced but the light still works only intermittently. *tr

The headlights on our 2008 toyota prius turned off suddenly while we are driving after dark on the highway doing 55 mph. the headlights would not come back on. we had to turn on our fog light to get home this is dangerous during night time driving. according to the internet, this headlight failure problem has been reported many times to your agency. *tr

During normal driving, driver's side (hid) headlight begin failing after a few minutes every time the lights were turned on. after a few days, both headlights began to fail after initially turning on. turning the lights off and back on returns them to operation, but after a few minutes they fail again. *tr

I purchased a new 2008 toyota prius in feb. 2008. it has the xenon high-intensity discharge (hid) headlights. in oct. 2009, the drivers side headlight went out and i took it to my dealer who replaced the bulb and computer sub-assy all under warranty. dealer said good thing under warranty as bulb alone cost $300 (i was shocked). dealer said bulb should not have gone out that quick (i have never had a vehicle have a bulb go out that quick. my mom has a tahoe that is 10 yrs old, leaves lights on all the time when driving and has never had to replace the bulb). they replaced computer sub-assy as well to be safe. weekend of sept 17, 2010, passenger light started flickering and would be out sometimes and sometimes not. i took to dealer on 9/27/10 and had to have that bulb replaced. car was out of warranty by 7,000 miles so it cost me $216. thankfully the price of the bulbs had dropped from $300 to $150, though cost still ridiculous. dealer did not replace computer part this time as they did in oct. 2009. i got on web and noticed others have had this problem. headlight bulbs going out in such a short time. i called toyota, and of course was told nothing they could due since car out of warranty. said to hold onto paperwork in case there was a recall. decided to file complaint in hopes gov't will look into this issue that is a problem with a sizable number of prius owners. *tr

The hid headlights on my 2008 prius have begun to fail. either one may not turn on, or they may turn off individually by themselves. *tr

I have a 2008 prius and have had to replace both the left and right hid lamps. approximate cost is $150 per replacement. i feel that the hid failure is a hazard, both of the hid lights came on and went out periodically over time before eventually failing, finally. the hids should last longer than 2 years and intermittent outages should not be a part of a critical night time operating system. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2008 toyota prius. while driving 35 mph at night, both headlights flickered on and off. the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer but the failure could not be duplicated. the contact called the manufacturer who stated that they offer no assistance if the dealer could not duplicate the problem. the failure mileage was 15,000.

Hid headlamp replacement for the toyota prius. after 21,000 the left bulb started to flicker and then goes out. can be restarted by turning switch off and then on again. headlights go out with no notice. could be very dangerous driving at night on a dark road. dealer wants anywhere from $350 to $1000 to change the lamps. say the front bumper needs to be removed. owners manual has instructions but to me not totally accurate. following the instructions still does not fix the access problem. bulbs apparently are only available from the toyota dealer. price stats at $175. besides the price of the bulb and the unnecessary labor this is a very unsafe situation on the road should they go out all of a sudden. *tr

2008 prius passenger side headlight is intermittent and for no apparent reason goes off for extended periods and then comes back on. i have been stopped and warned by the police regarding this issue but when i try to check it out it seems to work fine. i have tapped the light and wiggled the wires but to no effect. the internet is full of similar complaints which need to be reviewed and resolved by the manufacturer. *tr

2008 toyota prius high intensity discharge (hid) light flickers and is on intermittently. you never know when it goes out. a call to the local toyota dealer indicates minimum of $500 to replace 2 headlight bulbs. *tr

Driver's side headlight goes on/off intermittently. every time i take it in to get looked at or replaced, it works. will go out after driving a few miles, but will turn back on when i turn off/on headlights. then it will dim and go out again after a few miles. i never got a recall notice in the mail from toyota for this, but when i took my car to the dealer to get the accelerator recall fixed, they told me that toyota would cover if i had less than 50,000 miles. i have been dealing with this off and on issue for a long time because the light works part of the time and i only know that it is out when someone tells me they saw me in town with a headlight out. toyota quoted me $150 for the bulb and additional $105 for labor to install because i am over the 50,000 miles. this should be a warranty covered by toyota as it is a known problem with these cars. toyota should have notified owners of this potential problem. *tr

2008 prius with hid headlights. driver side headlight goes out after 1-3 minutes. turning off headlight switch and turning back on restores headlight for another 1-3 minutes. *tr

2008 toyota prius headlamp on the passenger side fails intermittently while driving at night. sometimes turning the lights off and back on solves the problem although this is not good to do at night. this seems like a safety issue that toyota should have a recall on, but toyota does not. they recommend a $300 replacement of both bulbs. i am worried that if both bulbs fail there will be a wreck. it seems like there are many complaints about this problem online that toyota does not admit having a problem with. *tr

The headlights on my 2008 toyota prius just go out randomly. sometimes it is just the driver side or the passenger side headlight, but at times it has been both. i have to turn the headlights off and then back on to get them to work. but this isn't a permanent solution because it will happen again the next time i start the car. it has even happened 2+ times on the same trip. this is a safety hazard because i generally don't know when one or the other light has turned off unless i happen to see it in the back bumper of the car in front of me. and it would definitely be a hazard if both lights go out and the on/off trick doesn't get them working again. the car is almost 3 yrs old and has 45000 miles. toyota service department claimed to have not heard of any issues with the lights and i was told they could not see anything wrong and could not replicate the problem while they had my car. *tr

This car is fairly new and has hid headlights. last week the right headlight went out. by turning the lights off and on, i was able to get it to come on. i took it to the dealer and they said they checked it out thoroughly and could find no problem. yesterday, the right headlight was again out, and turning it off and on got it to light up, but dimmer than the left. i believe there is a safety defect in these hid headlights that toyota is not recognizing. *tr

Started driving 2008 prius home and the drivers side headlight went out then both lights. turned them off and then on again and they worked for a few minutes off again. *tr

I have a 2008 toyota prius and the hid headlights go out after being turned on for about 20 minutes. i can turn the headlights off and back on an the headlights will work for another 20 minutes until one will go out again. i do not leave the lights on all of the time while driving. the replacement bulbs are $150 at toyota and they say it is not covered by the extended warranty. i do not think the bulbs should stop working so soon. *tr

The headlight or headlights go out intermittently on my 2008 toyota prius hybrid. *tr

I have just had my left front headlamp go out on my 2008 prius. there is 46,000 miles on my car and the cost of replacing one headlamp was $254 with labor charge through the dealership where i bought it. this is ludicrous. i can replace a normal headlamp myself for about $15. according to jd power, the expected lifespan of an hid bulb is "3,000 hours (about 90,000 miles for the average driver.)" i don't see how or why the bulb should cost so much to replace and why toyota does not cover the bulbs for longer. i purchased an extended warranty, only to find out that the extensions are not covered by toyota but by the individual dealership. *tr

Driving to work again in the early a.m., my driver's side headlight went out again, but didn't know it until i was stopped by police. after the officer told me one of my headlights was out, i turned them off, then back on and the officer told me that both lights came back on. he also told me that they have had to stop numerous prius vehicles with this problem, which supports my contention that this is a serious issue that nhtsa or toyota needs to address and have fixed w/o having the consumer pay for it, or be hurt if this causes an accident. i have filed several safety complaints now with the nhtsa and have never gotten a response. i would appreciate knowing if these reports are being evaluated or simply ignored, but please do your job and address this situation before someone gets hurt. *tr

The hid headlamps on the 2008 toyota prius keep turning off while i'm driving. sometimes the left one, sometimes the right one, and sometimes both. i have to turn the headlamp switch off and them back on again to get them the work. sometimes several times during a 15 min. trip. my car is only 2 years old with 47,000 miles. i have never had headlamp fail within 2 years. this is very dangerous. these lamps are suppose to last twice as long a regular bulbs and they appear to last half as long. they seem to be over-powered. got a letter from toyota that said they would do me a favor and reduce the cost of a new bulb from $300 to $150 (plus labor). the letter also said "try not to use the headlamps". now that is the way to solve a problem. "if the headlamps turn off when you use them, don't use them and they won't turn off!" brilliant!!!??? *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2008 toyota prius. while driving 40 mph the contact noticed that the headlights suddenly shut off without warning, within a few seconds, the contact activated the headlights switch and they began to function normally. the failure was not diagnosed and there were no prior warnings. the current and failure mileages was 56000.

Hid headlight malfunction - driver side headlamp goes out randomly but comes back on when turned off then back on. *tr

Noticed driver side hid headlight was out on freeway. after stopping and starting car, it worked again. later noticed that it turns on for a second and turns off on its own and must turn off and on again a few times before it stays on ... for how long? 42,000 miles on vehicle. this is dangerous in that it performs sporadically. *tr

Driving to work in the early a.m., my driver's side headlight went out again. i turned off my headlights, then back on and both lights came back on. i had been driving for probably 20 minutes with just one headlight, and didn't know it, which was very dangerous. there must be something wrong with the electrical system supporting the lighting. this is a safety hazard and it has me worried every time i get on the road that both lights could go out at any time pre-dawn, dusk or night. it is likely making all prius owners focus too much on their headlights rather than concentrating on their driving, which is also very dangerous. *tr

I have toyota prius 2008 with 52000 miles and both hid lights need replacing costing over $500.00. was told they have never had problem at dealer and yet was able to find many incidents that indicate is common and a defect in the lights. toyota gave me a case number, but would take no responsibility. *tr