Headlight Switch problems of the 2008 Toyota Prius - part 2

The non hid headlights on my car intermittently turn off. I've had both headlights go out twice while I was driving after dark - I have no idea how many times it might happen during the day. I've had at one headlight go out as well once, perhaps twice. I've switched the lights off and then back on again and that fixes the problem. . . Until it happens again. I'm very hesitant now to drive this car after dark for fear that something will happen again.

Both headlights went out. This was my first experience about 1 year ago. For the past several months, one or both headlights will go out at least a couple of times each morning during my one hour commute. Recovery is to turn the headlight switch off and then on quickly. Fortunately, my car has fog lamps which I now keep on continuously to avoid being completely in the dark. I have checked online reports and understand this is a known problem. Toyota dealer doesn't think there is a problem since the lights work fine when the car is in their service area. Seems the car must be moving to cause the issue.

I was driving to work on highway 327 north of highway us 20 and traveling along at 45 mph and all of a sudden both headlights went out. It was dark. I slowed down immediately and turn the headlights off and on again and they came on. I have noticed that at times one headlight turns off or the other. People have told me that I have headlight out and I might get a ticket, but when I check them and one is out I just simply turn the switch off and on again and they usually come on. I thought about changing the headlights but saw a video online that says that is not the problem and there should be a recall. So please check into this before someone is killed.

The headlights of my pruis suddenly went out at night. They came back on after I turned the light switch off and then back on again. This happens 10 or more times an hour for the last several months. Almost collided with a bike rider because they suddenly turned off and I couldn't see the person crossing the street.

Passenger side headlight turned off. When light switch was toggled headlight turned on again. Over the course of a year the driver side headlight exhibited the same problem, sometimes both headlights have gone out (including on a secluded road at night) without warning. There is no warning light to indicate either bulb is malfunctioning. Currently passenger side light does not function at all, and now the driver side light does not stay on more than 30 seconds at a time.

As I was driving, one of my headlights went out. I bought a replacement bulb, but the next time I turned my car on, the bulb was no longer out. After the first incident, I noticed the lights went out more and more frequently. Many times, both lights went out simultaneously. If I turn the light switch off then back on again, both light work. However, it is temporary and after about three minutes, one or both of the lights go out again. It is creating hazardous driving conditions because it is unpredictable.

The contact owns a 2008 Toyota Prius. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the headlights stopped illuminating. The contact mentioned that he was able to turn them back on by engaging the switch several times. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 62,000 and the current mileage was 65,000. Updated 09/05/lj.

Headlights go on and off at random while driving. Sometimes they wont come back on until I turn the switch off and back on. Sometimes only one light will go off and not come back on until I turn the switch off and back on several times.

As I was driving from work at 2:00 a. M. , the driver's side headlamp went dark. I'm on a two-lane road, not that heavily traveled when this happened. I was able to rotate the headlamp switch off then back on and the headlight was restored. For the balance of my 60 mile ride, this happened 2 more times. As time progressed the failures happened more often and closer together. Eventually, the lamp wouldn't stay on for more than a minute. I went to an auto parts store to get a replacement bulb and they told me it was a "dealer only" item. I called the dealer and they told me a replacement bulb was $300. 00 and it was $300 to install it. That's preposterous! I found a "youtube" video and purchased a bulb on amazon for $50 and installed it myself. This has happened 3 more times. Toyota knows there's a design or component flaw and they refuse to fix it. Thanks Toyota.

Both headlights go out without warning, I can turn the headlights back on by turning switch off and then back on. In doing research I have found this is a common defect with the Toyota Prius years 2006-2009. Why isn't this a recall? when getting an estimate to fix is up to a $1,000. I feel like Toyota needs to step up before someone is hurt or dead from an accident pertaining to this issue.

While driving at night, the drivers side headlight will intermittently dim and then turn off. Turning the light switch off and then back on will allow the lights to come back on but the drivers side headlight will immediately dim and then without warning turn off again.

I have had intermittent trouble with headlights on either side of the car going out spontaneously while driving. I have been able to correct it by turning the switch off and then back on again and they come back on. I have now had an instant where both headlights went out at the same time. This is quite scary when you are traveling at 65 miles an hour with limited street lights.

My 2008 Toyota Prius headlights work intermitently. Sometimes one side goes out, flickers or both go out. This occurred while driving at night on the freeway several times. I turned the light switch off and back on and the lights work again. It is extremely dangerous. I have contacted Toyota and they say there is nothing they can do but replace the bulbs at a big cost. I looked on a blog and many are experiencing the same problem. This is a safety hazard. What can I do?.

Both headlights and inside lights failed, suddenly and without warning, while traveling on a dark stretch of interstate highway at night. For the past two months, the right headlight failed suddenly on occasion, but it could be turned back on my switching off the headlights and then turning them back on. This is the first time all lights failed, and it almost caused a crash.

Passenger side headlamp goes out and come back on intermittling-had to hold headlight switch manually to have headlight stay on.

2008 Prius; headlights go off randomly, and can be turned back on by recycling the off-on switch. This is very dangerous, as it has happened with my 15 year old son driving and he panicked when the lights went out. Was told by dealer the would need to replace the bulbs (even though they still work) for $560, and that may not solve the problem. Next step is to replace the computer which controls the lights for $1200. So, possibly $1,760 for headlights! this is a crime, and I feel like Toyota and their dealer have raped me. I am totally disgusted.

Purchased new 2008 Prius August 13, 2008. Has hid headlights. Present mileage 45000. Around January 15, 2011, first noticed headlights appeared to not be on in early evening. Check switch, turned it off-on, headlights came on. 2nd time, 2 days later, lights again seemed to not be one, checked switch, which was on. Turned switch off then on, lights came on. Subsequent times, problem with driver side headlight intermittently turning off. Sometimes turns on without doing anything, other times must turn switch off, then on. No noticed problem with passenger side headlight. Dangerous when headlight switches off at night. Noticed on websites that others experiencing same problem. Contacted dealer from whom purchased vehicle. Told that since car out of warranty, would have to pay for any diagnostic and repair costs (estimated $300-$500 cost). Indicated problem is most likely bulb going bad, but couldn't guarantee repair work would fix problem. Asked dealer why hid bulb goes bad after only 30 months of operation (have original headlights in 2004 chevy cavalier and 1976 GMC pickup). Was told that should only expect 24 months of life with hid bulbs which contradicts what was told by dealer when car purchased that bulbs should last lifetime of car. Toyota implies that issue is my problem to solve.

2008 Toyota Prius, VIN jtdkb20u683298159, both driver side and passenger side headlight go on and off while in the on position. Started Nov. 2010 with both headlights going out on a trip out of town. Then for about 5 months no problems. Now since April 2011 the drives side headlight occassionally goes off, but the passenger side constantly goes off. I will turn on my light to drive at nigh and the passenger light will be on at first then wihin a few minutes it will go out. I can get it to come back on if I switch the headlight switch off and back on, this turns off all the lights momentarily and then it will come on again for a few more minutes, then have to constantly repeat the process over and over. I have gone online and found forums where there are hundreds if not thousands of the same complaints and Toyota has done nothing to remedy the problem all but to charge outrageous prices to temporarliy fix the problem that will just start all over. I have gone to our local dealer who gave us a quote and said it was a problem that they were not aware of. Come on, they are sweeping it under the rug and ripping off pruis owners. I certainly hope it doesn't take someone dying to get Toyota or someone to realize what a major problem there is and that it needs to be addressed immediately. I do not feet this is an issue with the bulb itself, as the bulb works, it has to be something wrong with the electrical, as many others have replaced the bulbs to only have the same problem return in a short period of time. Your help in this matter would be greatly appreciated.

At random times the hid headlights on my 08 Toyota Prius will turn off. It happens to both lights but it has never happened to both lights at the same time, which may have caused an accident. The headlights will turn back on if I turn the power switch off and then back on. I have read on the internet that this same problem is happening with alot of Prius models.

Hid headlamp replacement for the Toyota Prius. After 21,000 the left bulb started to flicker and then goes out. Can be restarted by turning switch off and then on again. Headlights go out with no notice. Could be very dangerous driving at night on a dark road. Dealer wants anywhere from $350 to $1000 to change the lamps. Say the front bumper needs to be removed. Owners manual has instructions but to me not totally accurate. Following the instructions still does not fix the access problem. Bulbs apparently are only available from the Toyota dealer. Price stats at $175. Besides the price of the bulb and the unnecessary labor this is a very unsafe situation on the road should they go out all of a sudden.

2008 Prius with hid headlights. Driver side headlight goes out after 1-3 minutes. Turning off headlight switch and turning back on restores headlight for another 1-3 minutes.

A number of times since we purchased our new Prius in September of 2007, I've questioned in my mind whether our hid headlights were bright enough. I would normally put the thought out of my mind since I wear glassed to read, and I figured that maybe I just need regular glasses. About a month ago things changed while my wife and I were driving from atlanta, GA. , to pensacola, fla. To visit family. About 15 minutes from our destination, a sheriff pulled us over, informed, us that one of our headlights was out and almost gave us a ticket. Since we obviously had no idea that one of our lights was out, he gave us a warning instead. The next morning I opened the hood to see if there was a loose connection. When I turned the lights on to test them, they were working and I was not able to duplicate the issue. Every time that I started our Prius while we were in florida I checked the lights and they were both on. There were a couple of times, after we had been driving for 30 minutes or so that I would check the lights before turning the car off and the passenger side headlight was out. I tried turning the light-switch off and then on and some times the passenger headlight would turn on and other times it would stay off. Since that time, I have checked our headlights on a regular basis and found either the passenger headlight was out or the driver's side headlight was out. Turning the switch off and then back on would sometimes cause the light to come back on but other times it would cause that light to come back on and the other headlight to turn off. Other times, by turning the light-switch off and then back on, both lights would turn off. This is frustrating for me and worries me greatly since my wife is the primary driver of our Prius. I hate to think what would happen if both headlights would turn off while my wife was driving at night on a dark street or highway. This is a gravely important safety issue for my wife and I.

I was driving to the airport one night and the headlights on my 2008 Prius turned off. I was able to turn them back on by reseting the light switch. This happen several times during my trip to and from the airport. I took the vehicle into dublin (CA) Toyota but they were unable to accurately diagnose the problem. Everything checked out ok to them even though the lights were turning on and off in their service bay. They suggested changing both lights for $600 which they said was a discount from Toyota. However they could not guarantee this would correct the problem. I decided to order the bulbs and change them myself. I understand this is a fairly common problem with the Prius. Need your help to force Toyota to find the root cause of the failure.

Right headlight goes out and you have to turn light switch off and back on for it to come back on. The time range on the light going off varies from time to time. It can happen as fast as every 2-3 minutes. The ballast and bulb has been replaced and this did not correct the problem.

Hid headlights go out when driving. Sometimes can be turned on again by turn off headlight and turning the switch back on. The headlights go out one at a time.

I own a 2008 Toyota Prius. Given the already many complaints, I would like to add my comments on this Prius. First this car is very unsafe due to poor visibility. You can not see out of this car. Second, I had the headlight failures that these cars have. I have had both headlights replaced in this car. The headlights would go out while driving in the dark. Many times I had to turn the switch off and back on while driving in the dark to get the headlights to come back on. This is not safe and many, many Prius's have this problem. The dealer replaced the headlights but not without a struggle on my part. Last point I would like to make is that this 2008 Prius has the same exact issues with brakes and stopping that the 2010 does according the accounts I have read. For example, I went over a railroad track recently which when it hits an uneven surface it is very hard to stop! I almost hit a car that was turning just past these tracks because it feels like the car does not have a good "grip" to the road. It happens also with even a small cluster of small pot holes. This car is not safe in my opinion. I do not understand how the headlights alone did not make a recall. It is an ongoing unsafe situation. The car not stopping however is something that needs to be recalled and not just limited to the 2010 Prius.

While driving, the driver's side headlight will fail (turn off) for no apparent reason. Turning the headlight switch off then on will restore the headlights functioning. I have been stopped by the police once for this, and have noticed it now on my own many times since; almost every time I drive.

Toyota Prius headlights intermittently fail. When driving with the headlights on, one or both headlights will fail. Upon turning the lights off and back on using the headlight switch on the turn signal handle, the light(s) will come back on. The issue began in late 2009 and has continued to occur about 50% of the time when the car is used at night. It is usually limited to one headlight or the other and failure of both lights at the same time has only been seen once. Toyota customer support has stated to myself (and other owners) that the issue is "premature failure" of the hid (high-intensity discharge) headlights installed on 2006 - 2008 model Priuses. They are aware of the issue and are offering "discounted" lights for only $150 each, with no discount offered for the labor-intensive process of replacing the lamps, which requires removal of the bumper. The vehicle is not compatible with any other type of bulb (such as the halogen bulbs that are standard on the newer Prius models), so owners are forced to pay Toyota an incredibly high fee (even after the discount) to get their cars safely back on the road. I have not had the issue resolved because of the high cost. This issue has been observed and documented by hundreds of owners on the Priuschat. Com forum and hundreds or thousands more on other websites. Previous NHTSA investigation documented that this problem may have been present in as many as 100,000 vehicles. This is a safety issue that needs to be dealt with by the manufacturer. The issue is apparently resolved in 2009 and later models because the hid lamps were replaced with halogen, but the danger of headlight failure on earlier models will remain high until Toyota makes the earlier models compatible with more reliable headlights. All of this assumes Toyota is being forthright in their claim that the hid bulbs are the culprit. If there is a bigger issue, consumers should obviously be made aware of that, as well.

The headlights on my 2008 Toyota Prius went out while driving at night in a very rural setting! I was able to turn them back on by turning off/on the headlight switch. Yet, only one or both lights would come on. As my car has 49,000 miles in less than 2 years, it is out of warranty. I took it to the dealership and was told that the bulbs had a short in them. Yet I thought the bulbs were to be longlasting? also, it was a safety factor that they both went out at night! I have seen other reports on blogs that this has happened to others. Can you help before someone gets hurt! finally, the repair cost for the lights was enormous! it was $254 per light to be fixed! I am just blessed that this did not occur in a busy intersection or with oncoming traffic!.

Since new this car has had headlight problems. Toyota replaced 1 headlight bulb that actually did not come on at the dealership . You never know when a light will go out , or which one. They always come back on if you turn the switch of and on. The car has been to 3 dealerships , the lights have always came on for the techs. I filed a complaint with the company , then researched the problem. I found over 2000 similar complaints. Apparently this agency decided that your headlights going out is not a safety issue. When they went out on a foggy mountain road 11-27-12 everyone around us thought differently. My 65 year old wife was driving and was crying before we got off of the mountain. The Prius has been a great car. Toyota has not been honest or responsible. We are trying to get the car fixed so someone else does not get our problem. Either way this car is gone.

I drive my car and the driver side headlight goes off. I can switch the light on and off and it will come on for a few minutes to a little while and then go back off. It happens all the time. Replaced the bulb and check the fuses.

I was driving my 2008 Toyota Prius on the highway at night, and both headlights suddenly cut out. I immediately pulled over, put the car in park, and flipped the head light switch back and forth. In doing this, both lights came back on and remained on for the remainder of my trip. The following day the driver's side light went out, but came back on after I flipped the headlight switch back and forth. The car continues to have this same headlight issue on a daily basis, though it is typically the driver's side headlight that goes out. I first contacted the dealership, and they encouraged me to merely change the bulb. However, I investigated the problem further, and contacted Toyota directly. They confirmed that they have had other cars with the same issue, and that the light will actually burn so hot, that a mechanism shuts them down, so that it doesn't burn up a sensor. They went on to say that they have issued a technical service bulletin because the bulbs should last longer, however they do not plan to issue a recall at this time.

I had a headlight go out. Before I could get it fixed I noticed that it would come on when I turned the lights on and then fade out. Subsequently, the other headlight went out while driving down the road, at night. I turned off the headlight switch and then turned it back on and the one light came back on. I took it to the dealer and they replaced one bulb. It lasted a week and then driving at night the lights went out again. I again turned the lgithts off and on and the came back on. I have researched this problem online. . Read more...

Toyota 2008 Prius hid headlights randomly turn off (one at a time, usually not together) while driving at dawn, night or dusk. No repairs done at this time until Toyota or the vendor who supplies Toyota hid headlights, computer chip, electronics, software, sensors, etc. Evaluate why this is happening. The workaround is drive to the side of the road and stop, and to unsafely turn the light switch off, then back on. It is unfair to the consumers to pay for replacement components, labor when the manufacturer(s) does not understand why this is happening (based on talking to service rep in July 2009, no service bulletins from Toyota, at airport Toyota in vandalia, OH).

2008 Toyota Prius (touring model) -- driver side hid headlight began to fail in sept 2009. Became more frequent as time elapsed (would occur 3+ times during 30 minute trip). Turning lights off and back on temporarily resolved issue, but driver bulb would eventually fail again. Resulted in reduced visibility and potential blind spot for driver in front of vehicle. Researched online - suspected ecu. Contacted Toyota corporate around December 2009. Was advised that ecu was not the problem - bulb repair suggested. Dealer diagnostic suggested. Did not go to deal to spend $100 to tell me a light bulb should be replaced. Received notice Jan 2010 that symptoms matching mine was due to headlight reaching end of life. Ordered and attempted to replace bulbs in Jan 2010. Did not bring to Toyota as cost to replace bulbs was at least 6x more that "do it yourself". Attempt to replace bulbs resulted in mixed success. Was able to get both hid headlights replaced and functioning (after passenger side or driver side would not remain on consistently). Tested high beams - after high beams were disengaged both headlights went out, but headlight switch remained engaged. Disconnected and reconnected wiring. Only passenger side bulb functioned. Afraid to use high beams and no faith in headlights. Reluctant to spend hundreds of dollars to have dealer change bulbs, same problem occur, and spend hundreds or 1,000+ dollars. Original bulbs retained and I will be putting them back in once weather is warmer. Strong belief that bulbs are not to blame and ecu or other electrical component is at fault. Dozens of similar issues reported online.