Left headlight turns off intermittently- I have to turn lights completely off then on again to reset. So far it's just the one light- but it doesn't seem very safe and I wouldn't want to be caught driving at night and have the other go out. I live in the country where the only light at night is the moon and stars-- not enough to drive by!
The problem started last summer (2018) with the driver headlight going off mid drive. I flicked the light switch and the light would come back on. Sometimes it would stay on, other times it would go off again and I have to flick the switch again. Then I would go months and nothing happened and it would reoccur again. Last week it started with the passenger light and suddenly both went while I was driving at night. The passenger light has not come back on. Is Toyota still covering the recall or have they set a cut off date? If I have to get it fixed myself what is the real problem and what do I need the mechanic to actually do to fix the problem or is it fixable?
This problem is not only very annoying but a safety hazard! Plus I am in fear every time I drive at night of getting a ticket.
Toyota needs to fess up to their design flaw and recall all the cars with this problem and fix them.
Toyota is a big rich, successful company and needs to stand behind the design, and defects, of their product.
Update from Aug 8, 2018: Update: There are so many complaints about this problem that I got tired of reading them. They all say the same thing about the same problem and Toyota won't fix their problem! There are so many Prius' on the road that there have to be thousands of them with this issue and it looks like the NHTSA is either not reading these complaints, or is ignoring the problem. Same with Toyota, a very big, rich company, shame on you!! I love this car and have had other Toyota cars and am extremely disappointed that they won't own up to the problem and fix it. I do not want to pay hundreds, or thousands of dollars only to find out the problem is still there! I won't be buying another vehicle from a company that won't stand behind their product.
Come on NHTSA, or Toyota, DO something about this serious, dangerous problem! I can't believe NHTSA isn't demanding Toyota come up with a fix, and that they are allowing Toyota to get away with just ignoring the problem.
As I'm driving the lights will cut out constantly, sometimes one at a time, sometimes both at the same time. It's extremely frustrating and it makes driving at night hazardous. It's a manufacturing issue and Toyota should do something about it.
I HAVE REPLACED THE BULBS WITH NO EFFECT ON PROBLEM! This is a ballast problem apparently. Toyota knows about the problem and has known about it for some time and has not notified owners and recalled the headlights with defective ballasts. They want over $400 EACH to replace the headlight assemblies. They told me they had extended the warranty from 30K to 50K miles, but did not tell us about the problem. By the time it occurred, the warranty was long expired. BTW I also have a 2010 Prius doing the same thing. Love our Priuses but this has got to be fixed.
either head light will go out at random. I turn headlights off and on and both headlights come back on. This random loss of either headlight happens all the time.
I have just purchased my pre-owned 2008 Prius, only to find out by test driving at night that the driver side headlight kept going out. Upon an emergency, while driving at night all lights went out on a back road, NOT JUST ONCE, I flipped the switch and they came on only to go out after reaching the highway!!! DANGEROUS AND SCARY!!!!!! Again, I have had this car less than 3 weeks, WHY IS THERE NO RECALL???????
Problem started with one light going out but switched right back on and didn't happen again for a while so thought nothing of it. I didn't drive a lot at night so really didn't discover extent of problem until the following year. Then the one light would go out more often, now both lights go out at same time and it happens quite often. I find myself not driving at night because I can't afford to fix the problem. Toyota should fix this problem for everyone as it is dangerous and a flaw. If it was happening at 100,000 miles that might be different but that's not the case. With fall and winter coming it is going to get dark sooner and I worry about getting into an accident. I am going to call dealership and see what they say but from what I've seen online it looks like there is no hope for getting any help repairing this problem.
We bought this used and have had multiple headlights replaced. Constantly have to worry if we will get pulled over. This is a known issue and there is no reason a headlight needs to be replaced 1x per year. Dealership says once a year is normal but we've never had that problem and our other current car is a Toyota as well.
I was going to fix it by replacing the headlight until I realized the headlight isn't the problem. When I turned the car off, and then back on... the light would come back on only to go off later. Before replacing the headlight I decided to Google the problem and found out it's a serious problem with my year of Prius, and others.
DRIVING WITH INTERMITTENT LIGHTS WHILE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY AT 60-80 MILES/PER HR IS UNSAFE. IT JUST HAPPENED AGAIN AND I WAS PULLED OVER BY THE POLICE AND MADE AWARE OF IT BEING COMPLETELY OUT! ANOTHER $175 in just over one year!
The head lights will just intermittently turn off. Sometimes one of them, sometimes both. I've almost gotten into an accident because it was nighttime and I didn't realize my headlights had turned off (the highway I was on had street lights).
Usually turning the lights off and on again will fix it, at least for a while. I can't figure out a pattern and it's been happening for a long time now. I ask the dealer to replace the headlights, they charge me, but it doesn't fix the problem. I'm at my wits end. I don't know what to do.
The passenger headlight randomly will turn off and has been doing this for a couple of months. In the last two weeks both headlights have randomly turned off while my daughter has been driving. It has scared her and she is nervous to drive at night now.
This problem started a few days ago, then had no issues yesterday. Tonight, the left headlight turned off, and I got it to turn on manually. Miles down the road, both headlights went out and again, I had to manually turn them back on.
I was driving down the highway and my lights seemed dim when i arrived home i got out and found the drivers side light was off. I turned the lights off then on again and the light came back on.
The lights went out and I went ahead and replaced the bulbs (which were quite expensive) thinking that was all that was required to fix the issue. Since then, they randomly flicker off and on or completely go out! This is a dangerous problem.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
Left headlight turns off intermittently- I have to turn lights completely off then on again to reset. So far it's just the one light- but it doesn't seem very safe and I wouldn't want to be caught driving at night and have the other go out. I live in the country where the only light at night is the moon and stars-- not enough to drive by!
- Jill R., Mariposa, CA, US