general problems of the 2008 Toyota Prius - part 2

The driver headlamp turns off after approx 5 minutes of use. Can turn lights off then on again to restart headlamp. I first took to dealer after purchasing used because of this problem and they did not mention what I have recently learned is a known defect. This has been occurring for the last two years. Changing bulb fixes problem for a while but problem re-occurs. This issue is a major safety issue, and Toyota is charging exorbitant rates to replace the headlamps. I am afraid to drive my car at night or for long distances. This problem needs a permanent fix!.

The lights just turn off by themselves. One will go out, then the other. Many times both will go out at he same time it is really scary. The lights have been replaced and it still happens.

This morning when I started my car the dash panel lights would not come on. I drove seven miles to top off the gas(I could not tell how much I had because of the dash being off. )I then could not shut the car off. I drove for about a half hour and my dash lights just came on. When I got to my destination I was able to shut the car off and the dash lights are fine now. This happened once before about six months ago. I see on line that several people have had this same problem.

We were pulled over by a policeman and was notified that our passenger side head light was out. We shut the lights off and then turned them back on , they stay on for a few seconds or minutes and then they turn off. We understand that is a real problem with the Prius. We have had 3 Priuses and this is the first time we had a problem. If you have to have a dealer put in your light it can be $300. 00 to $500. 00 . ( for changing a light bulb that is not even funny).

Head lights shut off while driving usually on passenger side I turn them off and back on and they work then it may or may not happen again some times it is on the drivers side as well getting worse taken it by dealer ship they say they don't know what's causing it yet this is a common problem with this car I believe it is a flaw in manufacturing and designee.

Each headlite goes out everytime youdrive now both headlites go out been doing it sometime dealer says 3200. 00 to fix really the car only worth 4,000.

I have had a recurring problem with the hid headlamps on my 08 Prius. I have replaced one ecm module in the light do to moisture from an improperly sealed headlamp unit. Since that time the same headlamp has begun to flicker on and off, working about 90% of the time in the beginning and now only working about 10% of the time. I thought that it might be related to the ecm that was replaced but just the other day the other headlamp began to flicker on and off as well. There are an abundance of Prius owners who are blogging and commenting on forums about having the same problem. One website prompts users to report this incident to your site so that this safety problem will be resolved.

Passenger side head light went out in November, 2011, tried to replace bulb myself, took to dealer who replaced it "free, under warranty!" now driver-side head light went out, called dealer, told no longer covered under warranty and referred to lawsuit which had Toyota not taking blame or doing a recall but extended warranty to 5 years, 50,000 miles. But my car was at 60,000 miles in November. Called dealer again and told that they did it as a "courtesy". Huh? why? if they told me it wasn't covered but they were doing it as a courtesy, I would still be singing their praises. But instead, I feel I was lied to. So I took it to another dealer, repair cost $211. For about 5 minutes of work. From the lawsuit, I read that this can happen over and over again. My bf says that sometimes when I'm following him in my car, my light would randomly go out! definitely an expensive & dangerous problem w/ these great cars!!.

Hid bulbs turn off randomly while driving. The cost was over $700 to replace.

Intermittent headlamp failure.

Headlamp went off and on while driving. Driver's side headlamp was replaced and now the passenger's side is doing the same thing only a couple months later.

Hid headlamp intermittent, replaced under warranty but has failed again @ 76,000 mi.

Problems started in 2010 driver head light would go off, replaced the relay with no effect, just lived with it would turn the lights off and back on and would then work. Now at 72,500 miles both head lights and all running lights go out while driving! you can't see anything and other drivers can't see you! very dangerous! water pump went out should have been covered with a recall a year later but Toyota would not reimburse the part.

I was driving to work in the dark. As I was turning left onto the fry. Ramp my lights went out! I couldn't turn around so I tried to guess where I was by the taillights on the fry. Then they came back on. This continued , on-off for ten miles. Toyota said they would fix it that day. Chg. $556. 59. Car has 27,554 miles.

Both head lights come on for a second or 2 then turn off. Turning them on and off repeatedly sometimes they will stay on for up to 1 minute then turn off. Toyota dealership that sold us car claims they never heard of this problem. Reported problem 12/2/2010.

Toyota Prius hid headlamp goes out after turning on and warming up. Issue and concern is that the lamp appears functional at first and then goes out after some random period of time without any indication to the driver. Seems to be a common issue with the Prius hid lamps. Fixed by replacing bulb.

One of our headlamps began to fail intermittently without any apparent cause. The failure occurred on a frequent basis (25-75% of the time) but could not be caused. The dealer recommended we replace both bulbs due to the expense of removing the bumper which is required. The dealer claimed that it is normal for this type of hid bulb to fail at this time in the life of the vehicle.

I have a 2008 Prius and have had to replace both the left and right hid lamps. Approximate cost is $150 per replacement. I feel that the hid failure is a hazard, both of the hid lights came on and went out periodically over time before eventually failing, finally. The hids should last longer than 2 years and intermittnent outages should not be a part of a critical nightitme operating system.

2008 Toyota Prius headlamp on the passenger side fails intermittently while driving at night. Sometimes turning the lights off and back on solves the problem although this is not good to do at night. This seems like a safety issue that Toyota should have a recall on, but Toyota does not. They recommend a $300 replacement of both bulbs. I am worried that if both bulbs fail there will be a wreck. It seems like there are many complaints about this problem online that Toyota does not admit having a problem with.

I have just had my left front headlamp go out on my 2008 Prius. There is 46,000 miles on my car and the cost of replacing one headlamp was $254 with labor charge through the dealership where I bought it. This is ludicrous. I can replace a normal headlamp myself for about $15. According to jd power, the expected lifespan of an hid bulb is "3,000 hours (about 90,000 miles for the average driver. )" I don't see how or why the bulb should cost so much to replace and why Toyota does not cover the bulbs for longer. I purchased an extended warranty, only to find out that the extensions are not covered by Toyota but by the individual dealership.

The hid headlamps on the 2008 Toyota Prius keep turning off while I'm driving. Sometimes the left one, sometimes the right one, and sometimes both. I have to turn the headlamp switch off and them back on again to get them the work. Sometimes several times during a 15 min. Trip. My car is only 2 years old with 47,000 miles. I have never had headlamp fail within 2 years. This is very dangerous. These lamps are suppose to last twice as long a regular bulbs and they appear to last half as long. They seem to be over-powered. Got a letter from Toyota that said they would do me a favor and reduce the cost of a new bulb from $300 to $150 (plus labor). The letter also said "try not to use the headlamps". Now that is the way to solve a problem. "if the headlamps turn off when you use them, don't use them and they won't turn off!" brilliant!!!???.

I have Toyota Prius 2008 with 52000 miles and both hid lights need replacing costing over $500. 00. Was told they have never had problem at dealer and yet was able to find many incidents that indicate is common and a defect in the lights. Toyota gave me a case number, but would take no responsibility.

2008 Toyota Prius hid lights go out at night. Started to happen around 50k miles. I replaced the passenger side hid twice. The first time, it fixed the problem for several months. Now, after about 10 minutes, it turns off. Turning the lights off then on will bring the light back on, sometimes for minutes, often for seconds.

I own a 2008 Toyota Prius and on two separate occasions the hid lightbulbs have flickered and gone out while driving. The replacement cost of the lightbulbs is in excess of $200.

My 2008 Toyota Prius had a problem around may 2009 with it's hid headlamp - the headlamp will turn off without warning while I am driving the car - Toyota replaced the passenger side hid headlamp. Same problem I am experiencing with the driver side hid headlamp - light turns off while driving the Prius.

2008 Toyota Prius hid headlamps are intermittent while driving. Public and personal safety hazard! replaced hid bulbs with the proper type, and the intermittent continue to occur. Phillips d4r hid bulbs are the recommended replacement bulbs. Hid headlamps wink off at random, when the brakes are applied. I think that the internal mechanism of the headlamp beam adjuster (which consists of a weighted, damped and movable subreflector) may be hitting the bulbs and causing them to prematurely fail, or the bulbs and ballast are faulty. Phillips d4r hid bulbs are extremely expensive, and are extremely difficult to replace because the access to the back of the headlamp assembly is very cramped and confined.

The hid headlamp of my 2008 Toyota Prius was working intermittently and I got a traffic ticket for it. Since I was unaware that the lamp was out, the ticket was only a warning. I had the lamp replaced at my expense at 36300 miles and $300!.

I noticed the passenger side headline on my 2008 Prius start flickering, my car has 44k miles. According to my dealership, the fixture is overheating and will fail soon. Total cost to replace and install new bulb will be over $400 for a light bulb. I believe that this part or design is defective.

Toyota Prius - 2. 5 years old, under full parts & labor factory warranty head lights hid bulbs work intermittently. Dealership response: pay $771. 43+tax for bulbs - got written quote.

Premature failure of hid light bulb on 2008 Toyota Prius with 49,000 miles on it . Then being told by the dealer it will cost 250. 00 to replace it. I understand this a really common failure on Prius with hid light bulbs and it happens alot. .

The driver's side hid headlamp intermittently fails while the car is in operation. I have brought this to the Toyota dealers several times, only to be told the problem cannot be recreated.

2008 Toyota Prius hid headlamp has gone out on the drivers side. . . Dealership in asheville only says its past the 36,000 miles and out of warranty. Going to have the dealership check out the light and what is wrong. Saw all the complaints with other owners and this is a problem, and a safety issue. There should be a recall on this or a lemon law put on it so Toyota will handle the costs. I am just wondering how much it will cost. The light alone is about $150. 00 each.

I purchased a 2008 Prius with hid bulbs and they both started going out a couple weeks after owning it while I was driving home at night. In just a matter of minutes, I had no lights at all! I was in a urban area, so the street lights were there so that I could see. But if I were in the country, as I usually am about once a week, I would have been in big trouble.

Prius 2008 headlamp: both the passenger and driver side headlamps, one at a time, intermittently turn off. If I turn the lights of for a few seconds, the light comes back on and stays on, sometimes for a short while and sometimes for a longer period. I have not had both go out at the same time. This has been going on for at least one month.

I have a 08 Prius. Several days ago someone told me that one day-time running light was out. Two nights ago I checked and both lights were working so I thought I was ok. Last night after driving about an hour, both head lights went out. I turned the switch off and on again and the lights came back on. About a minute later the right light went off. After another hour of driving the left light went out and I repeated the turn on cycle and it stayed another coupler hours. (I drove home with the flasher as this would have enabled me to see the road a little is case the light went out again. , ) I made it home ok and am contacting my dealer today.