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.
Both of my Prius headlights went off, for no apparent reason, while driving down a busy highway. Flicking them off and then back on brought them on again, but this is a dangerous situation. This has happened one more time since then. This could cause a serious accident. Toyota is unable to isolate the problem. The company wants to replace the bulbs, but this doesn't fix the problem, according to many other people who have had this problem. Replacing the bulbs or adjacent parts can cost hundreds of dollars, which is not sustainable. It seems that a recall is in order.
The headlight operation became erratic. Sometimes one would work and sometimes the other one would be the only one to function. Sometimes neither headlight would come on. Repeated operation of the headlight switch eventually would get one or both headlights turned on. The light bulbs were replaced in 2012 and again in 2013. There was little or no change in performance. When I have asked my Toyota dealer's service department about it, they simply said they weren't aware of any problem. I cannot believe that is true. This is a much discussed and not uncommon problem. We are always concerned that the headlights might fail while we were driving. This has not happened yet, but I have no confidence in the headlight reliability.
Entering I-25 southbound on dark night and the head lamps went out. Turned the switch off and then on, they came back on and then went right off. Re-tried the switch and they came back on.. failed again about five miles further South on the I-25 highway. Turned them off and back on and they came back on and stayed until I got back home. The bulbs must be good for them to come back on. Possible bad switch or computer chip that controls the automatic circuitry. This was very scary because we had high speed traffic that couldn't see us because we had no lights visible. There was construction in the area which made it all the more tense note:the vehicle make name box above does not pull down.
My drivers side headlight flickers then goes out. I was able to get it on again by manually turning the switch on and off. Then it will happen again. I replaced the headlight ($175 for the part alone) in may of 2012. It is now March of 2014 and the same light began doing it again, flickering. I was able to get it to go on by manually switching it on. Now it is out again.
- Las Vegas, NV, USA
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I have replaced my headlights 6 times in the past 2 years. The headlights go out with no warning. The first few times I thought it was possibly bad aftermarket bulbs but there is obviously a problem. This is a safety issue since there is no warning as to when they go out.
12/20/2010 left head light replaced not working. 8/30/2011 right headlight replaced not working. 10/30/12 left headlight not working. When start car light would turn on flicker then go out, replaced headlight at time (second replacement) worked for several months then went to flicker mode then off when car lights turned on. Left headlight still not working, light goes on when car started but flicks off in 30 seconds. 1/14/2014 right headlight not working, replaced. New bulb placed light works 50% time. No flicker either it will go on or not. Both headlights replaced twice so far. Returning to mechanic again.
Around 105,000 we started getting intermittent headlight loss. It usually comes back on if we turn the lights off then back on. It only did it on the passenger side for about a year but now it does it on both sides.
My vehicle lights spontaneously go out. It used to be one headlight, then I had a mechanic take it out to diagnose and he said it may be the ballast. After that, it is now both headlights go out spontaneously, and therefore sometimes at the same time, leaving in the dark at night on the road. Flicking them off and back on usually fixes it on the first try, but sometimes it takes a couple of tries.
For several months, the driver's side head light of my 2005 Toyota Prius would spontaneously blink out. Because it was blinking out and coming back on, I told the dealer I suspected some kind of wiring problem, but was assured that this was a common problem with the Prius head lamps. I was then told that we had the "special" hid lamps that cost $150 apiece, plus $75+ in labor because of how complicated they were to replace. When I asked how long it would take for this labor intensive $75+ repair, I was told 15 minutes (in other words, I would be charged $300/hour for labor). After being reassured again that replacing the head lamp would solve the problem, I agreed to move forward with the repair. Fast forward 2 weeks, and the driver's headlamp was once again blinking on and off. The dealership seemed completely unsurprised by the persistence of this problem, and agreed to a "courtesy recheck." They then informed me that since the $225 head lamp repair they talked me into didn't solve the problem, the cause of the blinking was "definitely" the ECU (the computer that controls the head lamp), and it would cost ~$700 to replace this component. At no point did the dealer acknowledge that the hid lamps and associated ecus have been defective in hundreds of thousands of Prius cars, as I quickly learned online.
Initially it was the drivers side headlight that went out. Turning the switch off and on reset the headlight to illuminate again. I took the vehicle to my mechanic to replace the driver side headlight. The mechanic said the headlights worked fine and to continue to drive until it failed or other issue reported. After a couple weeks the issue progressed to both headlights going out. Turning off and on would restore illumination. This would happen randomly sometimes recurring again after 5-10minutes. Finally the passenger side headlight went out completely and would not illuminate. I took the vehicle to my mechanic and had the passenger side headlight replace. A few days later the drivers side headlight started turning off again. My next step is to take the vehicle into the dealership and see if they can fix the issue. I've researched the issue and have seen plenty of complaints regarding this issue. I'm concerned this is a persistent defect, light shutting off randomly, will have a devastating effect once my luck runs out.
The hid headlights will occasionally go out. Over time I realized that by turning the lights off and on, the lights came back on. While driving at night, this event can happen as often as every couple minutes. Sometimes it may not occur for an hour. But there is no rhyme or reason as to the frequency of losing the light. Maybe 3 or 4 times over the last 2 years both headlights turned off at once. Had I been on an interstate at the time or in inclement weather, it would have been much more dangerous and life threatening. Losing the light from a bulb can occur to either headlight. Although it seems to occur with one bulb or the other for a period of time. In other words, on a night's drive, it's usually one bulb that will often go out on that night. The next evening it may be the other headlight. The local Toyota service garage charges about $175 each for the hid lightbulbs and another $95 for the installation. Looking at opinions on line concerning this Prius headlight problem, is the view that replacing the bulb is not the issue. The problem is within the computer system of the car. The price of replacing the bulbs combined with the possibility that light replacement may not solve the problem, keeps me from spending the money and instead keeps me flicking the lights off and on when needed. Given the extreme potential danger of this defect, it seems that Toyota owes it to their customers to get to the bottom of this problem. And create a fix.
While crossing the bridge of the gods, cascade locks, Oregon at about 9pm the toll collector told me my drivers side headlight was out. I turned on my high beams and had two lights on. On low beam only one light...driving with high beams at night is dangerous to other drivers on the road; driving with one or no headlights at night is also dangerous. The next day I turned on the lights (low beam) and they were both on again....I checked priuschat.com forum and read 56 pages of Prius owners with the same problem...that either one or both headlights will turn off intermittently and randomly, often at night. I called Toyota customer service and [xxx] the service rep I talked to looked up my car and said there is no remedy Toyota recommends other than take it to a dealer and have it "repaired" for approximately $800-1200 dollars. Further, reading about the Prius owners headlight experiences posted on the forum suggests that more than often this very dangerous vehicle defect is not "repaired" by what the dealer service department does and the lights continue to turn off randomly..as a retired police officer I consider this product design defect to be extremely dangerous and that Toyota Corp. Will not stand behind their product. Information redacted pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).
Driver headlamp turning on and off while driving. Lamp will turn on if I switched control off and turned it on again, but will turn off again within 10 minutes. Replaced both lights bulbs, then passenger headlight started doing the same thing with in a month of replacement. I replaced bulb again in the passenger headlight and with in 5 days light started again doing same thing. Headlight turns on if I switch control on and off. Found similar complains about Prius 2005 on line.
While driving at night I noticed that my headlights were dim. I later found that the left light had gone out. I found that turning the lights off and on again the light went on for a while. The problem persists and Toyota says they can do nothing. I must pay for a new light $300 +.
The contact owns a 2005 Toyota Prius. The contact stated that the driver's side headlight intermittently failed. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the failure could not be diagnosed. The manufacturer was contacted about the failure. The failure mileage was not available.
The right headlamp works intermittently and has been for some time and lately the left is joining in. I have asked about this numerous times over the past couple of years when in the dealership for other services. It isn't a problem any time I have been in their presence; but they noted it in my file. Likewise, as I cross my fingers yearly, they have both been working during inspection. Thought I was crazy until I see tons of complaints on the internet as well as info that you had an investigation but closed it saying this isn't a safety issue. Just want it to go on record with you as well because if something happens, you and Toyota will be sued. This is obviously a problem with upwards of 2K people (that you know of) and see no safety issue in something as important as lighting" cars do not pass inspection with inadequate lighting and require replacement; but, you see no validity in a lighting issue that the consumer is unable to solve by replacement of the lighting unit?" just like the government, makes no sense!
My hid headlight turns off, it can be turned back on by toggling the light switch. I had previously replaced the bulb, however it cost over $400 to get it fixed. It is dangerous to drive like this, Toyota does not seem to assume responsibility that there is a defect. There was a cash support but only for 2006 to 2009 models. There should be an investigation into this problem.
Last Friday night both right and left headlights burned out within five minutes of one another. Thankfully I could limp home with the help of street lights. I discovered today at Toyota dealership that the cost of two new hid osram xenarc D2R 35 w 66050 ($ 175/bulb) and labor ($ 113/hr) plus sales tax was $ $467.31. I checked the cost of the hid bulbs online. Amazon offers a pair of these bulbs for $ $159.99 plus free shipping. Toyota's genuine part mark up is an astounding 217% in this comparison. Further, the Toyota parts/service said that they need to take off the bumper - unlike the owner's manual instructions from the side of the headlights - to replace the bulbs. Toyota headlights can be dangerous if they burn out simultaneously and replacement cost is ridiculous at the dealership!
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Newark, DE, USA