Hazard Flashing Warning Light Unit problems of the 2007 Toyota Prius

The instrument panel combination meter on my 2007 Prius causes the instrument panel lights to fail to illuminate when starting . This happens haphazardly with lights not functioning for multiple startups and then suddenly functioning as normal. The lights work one minute then then they don't. The lights will fail at the starting of the car and remain off for the entire drive during each occurrence. While in this disconnect mode the car will fail to shut off when stopped and the start/off button is pushed. You must hold button down for a few seconds as you would with a computer that wouldn't shut off normally and it will shut the engine off while still leaving you in accessory mode then you must tap twice quickly to shut off completely and that some times won't work so I 'll need to leave the car for as short a period as I can and pray nobody steals it. I know this problem is common with some Prius years and there has been an extended warrantee of 9 years established to help somewhat with this problem. I believe this was initiated by Toyota to stave off a possible and more costly recall. Why hasn't there been a recall for such a dangerous faulty part as the combination meter? the dangers are apparent : driving with no speedometer or warning lights , automobile failing to turn off correctly. Correcting this problem is very costly repair $800 plus. The 9 year warrantee helps some and I believe a calculated move to avoid helping others such as myself . When I reported my problem I had owned my car 9yrs. And 5 mos. The dashboard lights are not something you'd expect to lose unless you might have to replace a fuse to repair it. If this repair costs $800 then Toyota's technology is faulty and inefficient . Big question : why was this problem treated to an extended warrantee instead of rectified for all concerned by a recall ?.

I was returning home from a trip with a friend and driving on major freeway late at night, very dark with little visibility in a rural, unlit area. . All lights in vehicle shut down while driving 70-75 mph. We could not see anything even the road, was like driving blind and very frightening trying to navigate the Prius off the road safely without getting hit by other vehicles. Once I stopped the vehicle off the side of the road in the far left lane we turned the vehicle off, but left the hazard lights on and let the vehicle sit for a few minutes. We started again, lights came on, and I drove the vehicle another 100 miles without any incident until we entered the city. I had a similar problem driving the 12 remaining miles home, but the front yellow lights worked and I had the hazard and brake lights working. The city lights improved visibility. I took the vehicle in and the only problem they could find was with one of the headlights. I was told I needed to replace both. I can't emphasize how dangerous and frightening this experience was for my friend and I, still unsure how we avoided a tragedy. I would like the NHTSA to investigate and make a recommendation to have some type of warning in the vehicle.

The head lights turn off, while driving, when turned off, and on again it comes back on. Toyota will not replace the lights because we are over 50000 miles. This is an ongoing problem with the Prius high intensity head lights, and the whole component should be replaced with a better version. They want to charge us 450 dollars for replacing the light bulb, which according to research will stop working again, after a period of time. Please have Toyota recall this light system and replace it with a better system. Its a great hazard when your lights go off while you are driving at night. Thank you for your consideration.