10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
1 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
62,672 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

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.

2008 Toyota Prius lights problems

lights problem

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2008 Toyota Prius Owner Comments (Page 3 of 28)

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problem #513

May 182018

Prius

  • 81,105 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Driver's side headlight goes off after driving a few minutes. Turning off the lights and turning them back on resets the headlight back on, for a short time, and then goes off again. This is a serious safety hazard and Toyota should fess up to the design flaw and recall all the affected cars and fix the problem.

- Mission Viejo, CA, USA

problem #512

May 062018

Prius

  • 126,000 miles
Driver side headlight randomly shuts off while the vehicle is in motion. Have replaced the bulb and fuses, but the problem persists.

- Mandeville, LA, USA

problem #511

Mar 222018

Prius

  • 141,160 miles
My mother has a 2008 Prius that has two serious issues that Toyota has acknowledged and even offered to fix under what they call a support program. Sounds great right" here's the problem. 1. she never received a letter notifying her of the problem and that it needed to be fixed (and only now that the issues have become her issues is she aware there was a recall and 2. Toyota set a time frame to fix these issues which she is now past. Again, sounds like they tried to do the right thing" the first issue is an internal leak causing her brake booster to malfunction (which is a Toyota issue, not an age or wear and tear issue) and the second issue is that there are no lights on her dash board(combination meter) which means that for a Prius, there is no way to tell your speed or gas levels. So take that in. She has a car, that has two major issues, one of which Toyota fixed up until Dec of 2017 and the other Dec of 2016 and are caused by faulty parts and labor by Toyota, and they will no longer fix these. The break issue cost $2400 and the dash $800. For an issue that is caused by Toyota not the driver or wear and tear and is a serious safety issue. This is the kind of company Toyota really is. Several years ago my mom received about 14 letters stating she needed to come in and replace her floor matts because they were part of a recall. Floor mats! she's received recall issues on her door lock among other things that she promptly had fixed. She took her car to the Toyota dealership many times and no one ever mentioned these issues or "support programs". but breaks and dashboards aren't as important as floor mats or door locks. I would love for Toyota to explain to me and everyone else, how something they acknowledge is a Toyota issue, has an expiration date to get fixed by them.

- Palm City, FL, USA

problem #510

Jan 012013

Prius

  • 120,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

My headlights are constantly going out usually the driver side but I'm replacing headlights every six months about. After the second time replacing the headlights I've been very careful only using at night. The lights at not last but a fraction of the time they should be last I G and I've been buying the best on the market insuing I get a quality product with the best visibility. I feel there's some faulty wiring or something causing a surge prompting the headlights to fail prematurely. I've seen several other complaints about headlights letting me know this is not a one off issue.

- El Mirage, AZ, USA

problem #509

Jan 022018

Prius

  • 120,000 miles
Headlight will unexpectedly turn off, despite working bulb. This happens without warning when driving. Both headlights will work fine for a while and then one will turn off, even though the headlight bulbs are ok. We bought the car used around 2014 and has happened about 4 times a year since then. No other problems with car.

- St Johns, FL, USA

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problem #508

Feb 012018

Prius

  • 100,900 miles
Both headlamps will intermittently shut off while driving. First started with the right side headlamp turning off then progressively both are now turning off while driving at night creating an unsafe driving situation.

- Turlock, CA, USA

problem #507

Dec 012017

Prius

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Headlight high beams and low beams sporadically stop functioning while driving. Toyota has known about this problem for years and failed to remediate problem or notify owners. Problem stems from a faulty ballast in headlight assembly.

- Creola, AL, USA

problem #506

Jun 062016

Prius

  • 75,000 miles
The right headlight goes off while I am riding. I took it to the dealer and they can't find anything wrong. When the light goes out and I turn the light switch off and then turn it back on. The light comes on. Then it will go out again after driving for a while. I have been stopped by the police. I explained to the officer and he told me that I had to get it fixed or don't drive the car at night. I can't tell if the light is on or off while driving unless I come up behind another car and see the reflection. I always check the light when I start my trips and it is always on. I heard that one gentleman paid up to $2600 for repairs do to the same thing. He still has the problem. Can some one please help me and other Toyota owners. I can't afford to pay aa dealer to experiment with the car and I can't afford another car at this time. I'm 71 years old and retired on a fixed income.

- Pine Hill, NJ, USA

problem #505

Jan 122018

Prius

  • 130,000 miles
Headlights intermittently go out when driving at night. The vehicle is in motion on an interstate or even a 2 way highway. I am able to use light switch to turn off and turn on again, but will happen again while driving. Have not repaired as of yet, but have read about several issues of this sort with this model. Have stopped driving at night because of these issues. This has been getting worse every time I drive this vehicle. Started with 1 headlight, now it is both.

- Ridgway, IL, USA

problem #504

Jul 122017

Prius

  • 106,000 miles
I have three major problems with my 2008 Prius. #1 the engine intermittently, will not turn off when parking the car. #2 the dash lights also intermittently will not come on, affecting my ability to see how fast I am going on the highway or streets, it also prevents me from seeing how much gas is left in the tank. #3 the outside air and air conditioner, also will not work, intermittently.

- Pomona, CA, USA

problem #503

Dec 182017

Prius

  • 80,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The headlights go dim and /or shut off as I am driving. This problem usually starts with the right headlight shutting off and sometimes both will go dim or shut off completely. Both lights work initially on startup and shine bright at first but immediately dim to a lower level and then as I drive they will dim or the right light will turn off or sometimes both turn off all together. They will come back on if I turn off and back on the headlight switch.

- Alameda, CA, USA

problem #502

Feb 012015

Prius

  • 75,000 miles
The contact owns a 2008 Toyota Prius. While stationary and driving various speeds, all of the instrument panel indicators failed to illuminate. South dade Toyota in homestead, Florida was made aware of the failure and stated that it was a factory defect. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and stated that there was no recall. The contact was referred to NHTSA. The failure mileage was 75,000.

- Homestead, FL, USA

problem #501

Jan 252017

Prius

  • 163,000 miles
Two problems 1. in cold or cooler weather, my dash does not display. After sometimes 1 hour, it will suddenly turn on. Also, when the dash does not display the car does not turn off, unless I hold the start button for a long time. Also the rear view camera does not work. Also my smart key does not start the car, unless inserted. 2. sometimes my headlights and running lights do not work. It always happens in an alternating manner. If my front right head light is not working, then my rear left running light is not working or vice a versa. This problem also appears and goes away at random intervals. I have checked and there was a recall for the combination meter, but when I called Toyota customer experience center, they told me that the recall expired. I was not informed of the recall and even when I searched on line, no recalls show up. What do I do" can I still have Toyota fix this problem? the lighting issue seems to be related to a faulty hid computer. Again, no recall shows up, can I get this fixed" I have been pulled over one time by police, and am afraid of driving at night because of this problem. This has been ongoing, intermittently, since last winter.

- Chicago, IL, USA

problem #500

Nov 142017

Prius

  • miles
For over a year now we have had major issues with our Prius headlights going out while driving at night on freeway, local streets and sitting parked. You can turn the lights off and back on and the lights will work again. The lights at this point will go out about every other minute or two. This is a serious and dangerous problem that needs to be recalled by Toyota.

- Asheville, NC, USA

problem #499

Nov 132017

Prius

  • 48,000 miles
The passenger headlight turned off and refused to go on so I removed it and put it back. It worked for a month longer, then blew up. I just put in a brand new bulb which turns on, then immediately goes out. After checking online, this appears to be an ongoing issue which Toyota hasn't addressed. I don't know what to do.

- Bristol, CT, USA

problem #498

Nov 072017

Prius

  • miles
Had a blown right side headlight. I had it replaced and now headlight comes on and turns off and sometimes stays off. Only one dose it.

- Woodbine, MD, USA

problem #497

Sep 302017

Prius

  • 147,000 miles
I had the dealer check driver side light, said it was good. After very recently purchasing my pre-owned Prius I did a night test drive. The driver side headlight would dim then go out. During a nighttime emergency, all the lights went out while traveling a back country road, I flipped the switch and they came back on, only to go off again while traveling the highway, flipped switch again to turn on again. Upon investigating the problem, I found this is an ongoing problem. Why is there no recall"?????" this is extremely dangerous and scary!!!!!!!! this is happening every time headlights are on and in motion!!!!!!!! recall now!!!!!!!

- Sweet Valley, PA, USA

problem #496

Oct 012017

Prius

  • 120,000 miles
Replaced the headlight, after a few months the new headlight shuts itself off. Have to turn the headlights off and back on to get the headlight to come back on. This happens while driving and you never know when the light shuts it's self off.

- Charleston, TN, USA

problem #495

Sep 172017

Prius

  • 55,000 miles
Right front light began failing sometimes recently, apparent at night, occasional. Left front light quit for awhile yesterday, then relit and worked for awhile. Both are unreliable and replacement is complicated, expensive, and does not work often it appears. We will try replacement of bulbs, it is unreliable and headlights are required at night to work, always! pure scam it seems, by Toyota and us governance, both for sale, so sad. Let us buyers beware.

- Lake Stevens, WA, USA

problem #494

Feb 012017

Prius

  • 178,000 miles
The drivers side headlight will go out while driving the car. This happens without warning and with no apparent resaon. Toyota fixed the problem under warranty in 2009, however the problem is still happening. This is a true safety defect with this car!! Toyota knows about it but has not offered to fixed the problem beyond their warranty extension of five years and 60K miles. I must say it's quite uncomfortable to be driving at night on ther highway and other un-lit roads and have one of your headlights go out. This safety defect is expensive to fix. $800 to $2400. Depending on how may defective parts need to be replaced!! I contacted the local Toyota dealer and the national Toyota customer service center. I opened a case with them (171-0041862). However Toyota did not offere to fix the safety defect on my car.

- Wasilla, AK, USA

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