general problems of the 2004 Toyota Prius

All the instrument cluster lights continue to go out on my 04 Prius. I don't know how much fuel I have this could be a safety issue. I don't know how fast I'm going this could definitely be a safety issue. And zero warning lights come on this is definitely a safety issue. By looking on the internet I can tell thousands of Priuses have this exact same issue with the instrument panel cluster going out. This should definitely be a recall.

About 1. 5 years ago during a vacation. My car decided to not shut off. I drove to the nearest dealership that was about the close. They assisted and said to hold the power button down until it shuts off then turn it back on. This was a dealership in georgia. The mechanic had heard of the problem before. I recently had the front dash light go completely out. I did not have an instrument panel at all. The was not a way to see mph, gas gauge, warning lights, nothing. The center monitor stayed on. It took 2 days but it came back on. A week later it happened again and again came back on. Warning lights came on and I drove to dealership. It was the 2nd water pump going out. As I was leaving my dash lights went out again. I took it back into the Prius dealership. They had paperwork stating there had been issues with the metered dash before. Is there a recall on it or not? I had to have a car and was allowed to leave with the dash not working. I drove to a gas station. After filling with gas the dash lights came on again. I had to pay for the metered dash part to be ordered up front because the mechanic said it may come back on. There should be a recall on this as it is an ongoing issue. The mechanic even called it a short. Due tot he paperwork the desk representative had, it appears there have been several reports before on the metered dash shorting. Please help. I need the car and cannot afford these ridiculous prices for manufacturer mistakes.

My car head lights are turning off, at first it was one not turning on and then it was the other one, now they take turns. It is a safety issue which almost had make me crash more than 2 times. To the point that I am unable to use the car during the night. This happens if the car is parked or running.

Speedometer & other control information display went blank. Pulled over to side of road but unable to turn off engine. Contacted Toyota & was told problem is known & warranty extend to 9 years & unlimited miles. However, my vehicle is older than nine years, so I must pay estimate $1400 to fix & car will be unavailable for estimate 2 weeks. The vehicle is unsafe to drive, prior to this known problem occurring car was operating perfectly ( averaging 50 mpg per tank of gas, documented). This appears to be a safety problem that was known by the manufacturer, however they seems to be trying to hide this by making the statistical estimate that by extending the warranty the majority of these cars would be off the road and their lawyers & legal insurance would cost less than the few humans kills after this arbitrary 9 year risk period. I could have been killed as a result of this failure! fortunately I was not, however I am left with a vehicle that is undriveable (with no warning!) and can only be repaired by Toyota at a cost I am not able to afford!.

Passenger headlamp goes out while car is being driven. Driver side headlamp remains on (illuminated). Turning headlamp switch off and on causes passenger and driver side headlamp to illuminate. On re-illumination, passenger side headlamp sometimes appears normal and at other times appears to be dimmer, more yellowish. Dealer quoted replacement hid bulb and labor to replace will cost $225. 00 total.

Recently, vehicle has started intermittent outages of hid headlamps. Usually on the driver side, but sometimes on the passenger side. Apparently this is the result of a computer called the hid ballast or something. Toyota is quoting outrageous sums to fix the problem. This vehicle should be recalled and the problem fixed for free.

Random failure of lights, began with driver?s side and continues to occur randomly with greater frequency. Passenger side also turns off randomly, though with less frequency. Many occasions, I have had both lights turn off while driving.

I was driving at night on a narrow country road, lined with trees, at 55 mph. Suddenly , both head lamps shut off. It is a miracle that I didn't wreck, I could not see a thing, and braked blindly. As I was coming to a stop I turned the light switch on and off and the lights came back on. Before I could get home, the lights went off 2 more times!.

The headlamps keep switching off intermittently on my 2004 Toyota Prius. This has been happening fairly regularly over the last year, but last night (8-2-20110) both headlamps failed at the same time when on a dark, windy road causing me to almost crash into a tree (I couldn't see anything without the lights). When I switch the headlamp control on and off, the headlamps come on again, so it is unlikely to be the bulbs. Sometimes only one lamp goes out, sometimes both; but they are failing very frequently and causing me a major safety concern. I have researched this issue online and there seem to be many consumers that have the same issue. Please help.

Unsafe nighttime headlamp lighting due to failure of height sensor, p/n 8940847010, 2004 Toyota Prius. Failure of height sensor caused headlamps to point down.

Hid headlamps repeatedly flicker, then go out. Switching off lights and switching back on brings them back on for an intermittent period of time, then they go out again. I have had to replace both front headlamps at considerable expense. The most recent cost $436 for the lamp alone and $137 in labor.

Headlamps turn off intermittently.

On my 2004 Toyota Prius, the lights go out randomly. Of course, at night. I took it to two Toyota dealerships, and the first couldn't replicate the problem. The second dealership said the fix for one light would be an astonishing $850 because it's a defective electronic controller. Since my lights worked intermittently or after being turned on and off. . . And after searching the internet and discovering this defect is common. I'm thinking lights cutting out while driving, is quite dangerous, and it's a potential hazard for both drivers and pedestrians. Many Prius owners believe this is a product defect in need of a recall from Toyota before someone gets hurt.

Right front headlamp operating intermittently. Dealer repair quote was over $500. Online advice suggested that Toyota should/would repair at no cost. Initially dealer service manager wanted owner to pay labor, over $300, and dealer would supply part. Owner stated that since this was a safety and defect matter, Toyota should pay full cost. After 24 hours, dealer agreed to replace headlamp at no cost. Both headlamps were replaced at no cost to owner. Owner is 30 year customer of this dealership. Service manager stated that Toyota will probably post a recall notice on this matter.

Both head lamps go for no apparent reason. By turning off lights and relighting they come back on, but then after a short period of time they go out again. The bulbs are not burned out the hid electrical system is defective.

Intermittent hid bulb goes out. There is no particular event that takes place when the lights stop working. When turned on they always come on and at some point they will sometimes stop working. When I see they have stopped I will turn the lights off and back on and they work and will usually stay working the rest of the trip, but not always. I have been looking online and this seems to be a common problem. I was just at my Toyota dealer and they said it is probably the bulb and then under his breath he unofficially said it is a crap shoot for solving the problem.

Driver's side high intensity discharge headlamp began switching off about a month ago. Last weekend while traveling at night, the headlamp went out about 15 times in 3 hours. Each time turning the headlamp switch off and back on temporarily solved the problem. I brought the car to the dealer and they replaced the hid bulb for $355. I had the same problem with the passenger side headlamp six months ago and replacing the bulb has solved the problem (to date). This is a disconcerting issue. I have not received an explanation as to why this occurs as opposed to a normal headlamp just burning out and then being able to replace it for twenty bucks.

Front lights went dim. Able to turn back on with switch. Front lights continue to go out or get dim intermittently and I must turn switch on and off to get them back on. I have paid Toyota for several new bulbs and diagnostics with no fix.

Hid lights fail in my 2004 Prius and have for several years now - intermittently with no warning. At times, both lights fail at the same time, leaving me on a dark road unexpectedly. I have one replaced at the dealer, only to have it fail again. This is clearly a safety issue. Hundreds of these have been reported.