This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.
So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.
2007 Toyota Prius - the headlights go off intermittently with no warning, rhyme or reason. Turning the switch off and then on temporarily fixes the problem but not completely. Toyota dealer says the bulbs are burned out and wants $1000 to replace them. If the bulbs were burned out, why do they come back on?
When driving at night my wife told me her right head light would go out. When I check the car it was working!! so after several months of this of her telling me this story we started leaving the lights on during the day and checking to see what was going on. Finally we noticed that not only does the right head light go out but they both go out.so I took the car to the dealer with the lights on and by the time I got there both head lights failed. My car has 34,890 miles on it and it is 2years into the basic 3 year warranty. The dealer replaced both bulbs and told me to come back if it happens again and they will replace some other electronic part. They seem to know there is a problem or defect in lighting system in the car.
2007 Toyota Prius - passenger side head-light has stopped working with only 42,000 miles on the vehicle. Checked the internet and find that this is not a unique issue, there are quite a few others with the same concern. This is the third Toyota I have owned and I've never had a complaint about any of my previous automobiles.
Random failure of either or both headlights. Headlights go off and will come back on when the switch is turned off and back on, but likely will go off again. This is a well known defect on the 2007 Toyota Prius, Toyota will not pay to fix this problem, instead choosing to charge 200 to 1000 dollars to repair with no guarantee that it will not recur.
I have owned a 2007 Toyota Prius since new (3 years). I noticed about 3 months ago that, when I turned on my headlights, the right lamp was starting out at full brightness but gradually dimming until it completely went out altogether. Switching the lights off and on again would restore the light to full brightness, but then the light would gradually begin to dim again. This is a very serious safety issue, as I do not know that the light has gone out while I am driving (as I said, it is very gradual and obviously cannot be seen from the drivers seat). The dealership recommends changing both hid bulbs, with a quoted cost of $553 including parts and labor. Apparently lightbulbs are not covered, even under extended warranty. After researching this issue further, I have learned that this is an extremely common problem with the 2007 Prius. In light of that fact, Toyota should absolutely conduct a recall of what is obviously a significant defect, and a very serious safety issue as well. It is extremely unfair to sell us a faulty product and then ask us to pay for the repairs, or else endanger our safety by driving with faulty headlights.
- San Diego, CA, USA
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2007 Prius with 36K miles, hid headlights. Stopped by police who told us that we had both a headlight and a tail-light out. This was only a couple of weeks after the car passed state inspection. Upon returning home, found that both headlights were working but that taillight was out. My wife mentioned that other people had been telling her for a couple of months that there was a taillight out on the car, but it was always working when we checked. The next day after the police stopped us, I noted that all lights on the car were working. Took car to dealer, where they claimed that they thought it was a bulb issue and could replace if I wanted. I countered that a bulb should either work or not, and that this intermittent operation seemed to indicate an electrical or wiring problem, but the dealer didn't agree. The dealer checked all the lights, and found them all to be working. Just after returning from the dealer, I discovered that the passenger headlight was out.
I own a 2007 Toyota Prius (touring edition) with hid headlights. My headlights continue to flicker as if they are going out, and quite often I notice that one or the other bulbs isn't working. Once I even had both headlights go out without any notice on the dash board, and only noticed they were both off when entering an unlit street.
I own a 2007 Prius touring vehicle. The hid headlamps frequently fail. Typically what happens is that I am driving and notice one of the headlamps flicker quickly then turn off. Often times the remedy is to simply turn the headlight switch off, then turn it back on. Typically, the headlight will stay on a few minutes to many hours. I have contacted my dealer on the issue, but the total fix costs nearly $1000. After reading about complaints, many owners experience the same issue months or years after the fix. I feel Toyota should take on the responsibility to fix this issue because they are aware that many of their vehicles with hid headlamps experience the same problems. It is not due to overuse, neglect, or abuse on my part. It is a defect my Prius was likely to experience the moment they sold the vehicle to me.
Headlights, both driver and passenger sides fail. Can be corrected temporarily by turning off and then turning back on. Already stopped by police with a warning. Has been occurring for a month or more. Happens in all conditions, sun, rain, cloudy, etc.
Both headlights on our 2007 Toyota Prius have begun either to flicker and dim, or else fail completely, and apparently at random, whilst the vehicle is in operation. The passenger-side has suffered the problem for the last several months, again sporadically, but only recently has the driver-side begun to show similar troubles. It has proved very difficult to operate the vehicle at night, when the lamps can suddenly and unexpectedly fail, and leave the driver entirely at the mercy of his own, unilluminated, sight. The dealership has quoted a replacement cost of over $800 for both lights, and claims them not covered under the company warranty.
The hid bulbs on my 2007 Prius have been failing since last fall and continue to do so at some point almost every time I drive the car at night. If I turn the lights completely off, then back on, this seems to "reboot" the lights.
The headlight is physically going out. I noticed it when I pulled into my driveway last night and had only the driver's side headlight shining against the garage door. I did the same thing I have done before, I turned the lights off then back on again and it again came on. This is typically how I have noticed the light has gone out, with what should be two lights shining against the back of an SUV, van, truck, garage door etc.. like last night, last week it was doing it frequently enough that I would see the light pop off while driving in the rain. Otherwise it hasn't been very noticeable when it has happened while I'm driving it. Always when I pull up to something.
A second incidence of the same problem. See ODI number 10285154. On the original complaint, the driver's side headlamp on a 2007 Toyota Prius was intermittent.(date of incidence was 9/16/09). The headlamp was replaced. On 10/27/09, the same problem occurred with the passenger side headlamp. The lamp goes off. To reactivate, the headlamp switch is turned off and then turned back on. Headlamp is to be replaced on 10/30/09. NHTSA closed action with Toyota a couple of months ago on this problem because it was stated that both bulbs would not go out at the same time. As a former automotive industry professional, I say that this second occurrence indicates that both bulbs could go out simultaneously and that this case with Toyota should be reopened. Since I do not know the root cause of the problem, I do not know if the problem has been solved on the replacement lamps.
2007 Toyota Prius headlamps cut off while driving. First the passenger side. Now recently both driver and passenger headlamps cut off. Turning light off then back on makes headlamps work for a period of time. Cuts off about 5-10 minutes into running the car.
Headlights randomly fail while driving. The issue is not the bulb as the headlights will turn back on if you flick the lights off and on again. Toyota dealership claims it's just the bulb, wants $800 to repair. This is clearly a safety defect since hid bulbs are supposed to last significantly longer than regular bulbs and since the bulbs can fail at random times, yet work fine at random times as well.
On several occasions I have taken my 2007 back to the dealer for intermittent headlight failure, while driving! one light would go out, or both would go to while driving the vehicle creating a potential life threatening situation. The dealer could not identify the problem, then on October 23 2009, they were finally able to replicate the problem and said I needed two new headlight units at the cost of $400 each (parts and labor). I decided to document this potential life threatening problem to the NHTSA, so you could add my complaint to the complaints that you have already received in order to pressure Toyota motors to take corrective action.
For some time the headlights on our 2007 Toyota Prius have been behaving strangely, with one or the other going out intermittently, then later coming back on. Last weekend while driving at night on dark, narrow, twisty mountain roads, they both suddenly went out. The car can not be driven at night due to the risk of headlamp failure and crash. Toyota dealers quote $1000-plus cost to repair an obvious design flaw with serious safety implications.
When driving with the headlamps on, one headlamp (usually the driver's side but it has occurred which the passenger side as well) will go out. If I turn the lights off and turn them back on the both lights will work again. This is intermittent and I can't make it happen. At my last service they could not reproduce the problem and looked at me like I was nuts. I live in the country and do a lot of night driving. I am beginning to notice this happening on a weekly basis.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Dallas, TX, USA