We were driving along the interstate at 70mph when our headlights both decided to go out. Fog lights worked and got us home, but they were really much too dim to drive by. Headlights going out is a serious safety hazard, and getting the bulbs replaced doesn't do anything to help. The issue is internal to the car, so we're potentially talking thousands for a potential fix. Toyota really needs to handle this, but so far, not recall. Really bad business. May be my last Toyota.
Toyota has been aware of this headlight problem for years. Toyota pretended to not know what was going on with my car's lights randomly going out while driving in the dark. Now that it is out of warranty, they "miraculously" know the problem and want to charge me $500.00 to replace the faulty bulbs. I have previously purchased bulbs for the headlights and it is a constant charge that I must incur because of a defect in the Prius. I missed the class action lawsuit because I was never notified. I am pissed.
Intermittent headlamp failure is a serious safety hazard. On this car headlamps go dark and come back on randomly, sometimes both at the same time. Replacing the bulb does not fix the problem. THERE SHOULD BE A NHTSB RECALL. TOYOTA IS STONEWALLING THE SAFETY ISSUE!
I had a left front headlight that would turn off while driving. Now it is not working and the left headlight will turn off. I took the vehicle into the dealership and they said the bulbs were going bad and they wanted to replace them for $515. They did tell me that that might not be the problem and they would replace them to see if it worked. I replaced the bulb myself and the light still doesn't work. The right headlight still turns off while driving but I can turn the headlights off and then on again. I then got online and saw that there was a problem with the headlights on the Prius from 2006-2009. I just need to know how to get my headlight fixed without spending a couple of thousand dollars.
- Gregory M.,
Collinsville, OK, US
Search CarComplaints.com for these popular complaint phrases...
Frightening situation -- no cars ahead, a number behind, some coming in opposite direction, but several hundred yards away, no street lighting, state highway, & no pull-off area.
Pure luck, turned lights off/on and they came on, with me already sliding into the on-coming lane.
At a minimum, a warning should have been issued by Toyota of this possible problem.
I was pulled over and cited for this issue. I have had to take time off work to deal with it. The dealer I called said that they recommend replacing the bulb and quoted 30 mins-4 hours if I wanted them to run an electrical diagnostic, which they will charge for.
The right front headlight goes out at random intervals, but usually after the car has been driven for a while. Never seems to be a problem when I take it for service, though.
I khow this happened today but it has happened since I bought the car new. Repeatedly took it back to dealer and all they did was replace the head light once, it would not fail when in their shop, of course. It has gotten worse to the point both headlights now go off from time to time.
I can't believe the factory has not addressed this as a recall option.
Ever since purchasing this vehicle used the passenger side headlight has intermittently gone off for no apparent reason. Recently the problem has gotten worse and now both lights go off intermittently. By turning them off and back on, I can manage to stay on the road. Not a good thing. Cost to replace bulbs - if that is really the problem - is $527!!! Can't believe this cost is REAL or that this is actually the solution to the problem.
The problem occurred in 2011 in the left headlight. Toyota charged $394 to fix it. As part of class action suit, Toyota later reimbursed me the full amount. During 2012, the same thing happened to the right headlight. Toyota won't admit the light is defective and take responsibility for the defect. They charged $304 to fix the right headlight. I will file another complaint with the federal and state governments.
Bought Prius new in June of 2007, Starting in January of 2008, 1 of the headlights would not work. This has happened 30-50 times over the last few years. Sometimes hitting the headlight fixes it and sometimes it doesn't. I then have to replace the bulb. We are constantly getting pulled over by the Police for 1 headlight out.
With all I have read, they seem to believe that higher mileage cars are fine and don't need to be repaired, because it doesn't happen. It does. Spoke to the Main Toyota people and they told me sorry but I was past their warranty. I bought my car for many reasons but the main reason is the commute to/from work ~ 100+ miles daily. I happened to lose both lights when I was in town and the driver next to me at the stop light told me to "turn on my headlights". Problem was, they were already were turned on, I thought. The roads I drive on a regular basis to/from work would be a HUGE problem with no lights. They do not have street lights. I truly hope somebody will help me. I haven't found that money tree yet.
I did have the driver-side replaced when that started having the random turn-off problem--really expensive. When the passenger-side started, I just used the "turn-off, turn-on" solution. When I was stopped by a State Trooper last night on a high-speed, very dark road because the headlight was out, I have had enough!!!!! Toyota's problem, but my massive expense!!!! Why wasn't there ever a recall?
The passenger side headlight began intermittently failing and I had it replace in 2009. It was not covered under warranty and cost about $400? to repair. After a complaint to Toyota I was finally refunded the cost of the bulb about $250? Don't remember the exact details. About two years ago I began having the same problem with the driver side headlight. I have requested the Toyota dealer service department check it on several occasions but they say that there is nothing wrong with it. I continues to intermittently fail and I have to turn the lights off and back on while driving.
I find it hard to believe that a so called honest car manufacturer like toyota would allow it's customers to operate unsafe vehicles for the sole sake of profits. The least they could do is take a problem such as this which is being reported by many of its customers over a long period of time in many different parts of the country and treat it as a very important problem that needs to be rectified at no expense to the customer. You toyota want customer loyalty....They show US..the ones that keep you in business,that you care.Now I have grandchildren that ride in my car from time to time. I don't feel safe. I have been pulled over by law enforcement many times and the only reason I was not fined was because I was able to show that by turning off the headlights and then turning them back on they both worked but only for a few minutes.So come on, do the right thing for a loyal customer.......FIX MY CAR! Right now my Prius has 194,455 original miles on it. I will soon be n the market for a new car. I'm giving other car companies a second look.
The left front headlight goes on when started then goes off after a short drive. Usually it will stay off till restarted again. Seems like it should be a recall.
I have read that someone concluded the problem mainly occurs between 20,000 and 50,000 miles.... I cannot imagine why the problem would suddenly go away after 50,000 miles...
The court should not have let Toyota off after 50,000 miles...
I took over the car from my mom at around 40,000 miles.... I only recently became aware of the issue when someone told me I had a headlight out.... I then began noticing other Prius' with only one headlight....
I drive with my lights on in the day time.... Now when I check my lights as I am waiting behind traffic at a light.... I will almost always find one headlight out in the course of 60 minutes of driving... Of course, so far, cycling the switch does bring both lights back on temporarily..... but then a few minutes later one or the other headlight can go out again...
Toyota has sold the courts a load of crap in their explanation for this problem.... It is nothing but a completely flawed design..... Thousands of vehicles do not have the same problem, varying between headlights, recurring constantly, and even returning after hundreds of dollars of "fixing" expense..... based on individual mechanical failures or parts wearing out....
I have only just discovered this site.... otherwise I could have filled out one of these complaints EVERY DAY for the last three months....
What a way to start the Thanksgiving holiday - being pulled over by state trooper. The proverbial question - Do you know why you were pulled over? No I do not, I said pensively. Well, he says, Your left headlight is out. I flipped the lights off and on again. The headlight came on. He let me continue.
6-9 months ago the passenger headlamp went out and stayed out after less than 40000 miles on it. For comparison, my Sport Trac has over 150000 miles and has the original bulbs. After hearing of the ridiculous costs to change these bulbs I elected to give it a go. After all, it's only a headlamp right?. Well, you have to tear the front end apart to get to the bulb. While I was at it I replaced both bulbs.
Tonight the wife comes home and both headlights are out (low beams only) as well as the passenger side tail light. Everything else appears to be working properly. The fuses are intact. Turning the switch and/or the engine off and on hasn't helped. Just over 45000 miles on it.
Tomorrow I guess I'll head over to the Toyota dealer and see what kind of excuses they come up with to avoid the fix per their lawsuit.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
We were driving along the interstate at 70mph when our headlights both decided to go out. Fog lights worked and got us home, but they were really much too dim to drive by. Headlights going out is a serious safety hazard, and getting the bulbs replaced doesn't do anything to help. The issue is internal to the car, so we're potentially talking thousands for a potential fix. Toyota really needs to handle this, but so far, not recall. Really bad business. May be my last Toyota.
- meesterguyperson, Louisville, KY, US