2008 Toyota Prius Exterior Lighting Problems
- 536
- Owner complaint records in our dataset
Records are owner complaints, not a measured failure rate.
Owner complaint recordsComplaint records reflect reports in our dataset and do not measure how frequently the problem occurs across all vehicles.
Among these 536 stored complaint records:
- 1 indicate a crash
- 0 indicate injury
- 0 indicate fire
What owners report
- Headlights · 4 records
Mileage in stored records
| Band | Records |
|---|---|
| 30–60k mi | 191 |
| 60–100k mi | 132 |
| 1–30k mi | 71 |
| 100–150k mi | 61 |
| 150–400k mi | 25 |
Complaint records
Owner-submitted complaint content, presented as stored.
Electrical System · Exterior Lighting · Unknown Or Other
The 2008 prius has a digital display. Sometimes when the vehicle starts up there is no information displayed on the screen. Nothing shows what gear (reverse, neutral, forward) it is in. There is no speedometer display. No odometer display. No fuel level display. At the same time that the dash does not light up, i have noticed there is no backup camera or backup lights when the vehicle is in reverse. In addition to…
ODI 11265944
Electrical System · Exterior Lighting · Service Brakes
For the third time i have had to replace my brake light switch, this is a safety issue as it affect how the brake lights work. The break light switch, when malfunctioning prevent or inhibits the vehicle from starting properly. If the switch fails while driving, it can cause problem with the battery regeneration, this is in addition to causing a driving hazard while driving.
ODI 11222270
Electrical System · Exterior Lighting
The dim headlight only, not the bright, only on the drivers side front goes out 4 or 5 times a year. The front brights are not affected and have never gone out nor has the dim headlight on the passenger side front ever gone out. The car is driven daily usually and on city streets only.
ODI 11230458
Exterior Lighting
Headlights turn off or flicker while driving. It happens intermittently. It is a major safety issue when driving at night as it nearly caused an accident. Using the high beams helps for a short period but the headlights still turn off on their own. Turning them off and on brings them back on most of the time but only for a short period of time.
ODI 11221231
Exterior Lighting
The headlights will suddenly fail, either one at a time, or more recently both at the same time when night driving. I am able to flip the switch to turn one back on but now the passenger light will not come back on at all. I am driving at night when i notice this happening but it probably also happens in day light.
ODI 11207004
Exterior Lighting
While driving at night, left headlight goes out intermittently (about every 3 minutes). I have to turn lights completely off then on again to reset. This is ongoing and appears to be happening more frequently with time.
ODI 11221501
Exterior Lighting
Headlights shut off while driving at night. I received two warning tickets from highway patrol as i was driving back from ft. Worth to nacogdoches, but when i stopped, both headlights were working. Then as i was driving, both headlights (with bright lights on) turned off. Had to pull over and then they started working again.
ODI 11192354
Exterior Lighting
The passenger side headlight turns off unpredictably, usually within 10 minutes of driving time. Turning the lights off and back on sometimes gets the headlight to turn back on, but not always. Then within 10 minutes it will turn off again. Not only is this a safety issue and driving violation, i also cannot sell the car with non-functioning headlights.
ODI 11280770
Exterior Lighting
The lighting system has electrical markings on the relay and fuse blocks for daytime running lights, with no daytime running lights installed. Headlight and license plate light systems works intermittently. Causing bulbs to fail.
ODI 11183313
Electrical System · Exterior Lighting · Vehicle Speed Control
For several years our toyota prius has exhibited the following issue: intermittently, and without warning, when you start the car the dashboard does not light. As a consequent, you cannot not see the speed you're driving at, the fuel level of the car, any warnings such as check engine, low tire pressure etc, and you're not able to use a number of other important features such as cruise control. In addition, you are…
ODI 11157078
Exterior Lighting
The right headlight intermittently goes out. Sometimes it takes repeated attempts turning off and on to get it back on. Both ballasts and hid lamps have been replaced, yet this intermittent problem persists. I know of many complaints but do not know if toyota has an open recall on this important safety issue.
ODI 11151547
Exterior Lighting
Highlights go out intermittently. Usually can reset by turning on and off. Definitely a hazard. May have caused an accident. Regularly getting told light is out. Stopped by police for lights out. Does not appear to be loose connection or bad bulb.
ODI 11132269
Exterior Lighting
Tl* the contact owns a 2008 toyota prius. While driving at night, the headlights failed to operate. Kalispell toyota (2845 u.s. 93 s, kalispell, mt 59901, [redacted]) replaced the bulbs, which cost over $600. The contact found a warranty that expired in september of 2018 after the vehicle was bought used on september 28, 2018. The dealer did not address the main issue of a possible computer board malfunction in the…
ODI 11155720
Exterior Lighting
Headlights have been replaced more than once and now are flickering again and have gone out completely. This has been an ongoing problem since it was new. Dealer has not resolved the problem nor given us a reason why.this is becoming a very expensive problem, we were told that there was a recall but we were not notified. We love the prius except for this,
ODI 11123169
Exterior Lighting
One headlight or the other or both go out randomly.
ODI 11122696
Exterior Lighting
Electrical issue with headlight - drivers side front headlight turns off within 2-3 minutes. I've replaced the bulb and the issue persists, and many prius owners have faced a similar if not identical issue. If you turn the lights off and on again, it turns back on but only for a few minutes. Seems like a wiring issue and there should be a recall.
ODI 11139098
Exterior Lighting
The hid headlamps flicker and turn off by themselves randomly while driving. Sometimes only the drivers side turns off and then later the passenger side, but sometimes both sides turn off at the same time while the vehicle is moving at various speeds. This is very dangerous especially when it happens while driving at night at high speeds on a dark road. It happened at speeds of 60mph while on a 2 lane highway late…
ODI 11132385
Exterior Lighting
Both headlights in the front of my car have burnt out multiple times and it happened again today. One first went out in 2010 when the car had 35k miles on it and each light has been replaced at least twice since then each time costing $300-400. Most recently the replacement lights have not even lasted six months. This is not only expensive and a major annoyance but also a safety hazard when driving at night. I feel…
ODI 11102932
Exterior Lighting
When driving at night, headlights will go out on their own, left, right, or both at same time. Have to turn light switch off and on till they come back on. Driving on road or highway. Smooth road. So now i can't drive after dark.
ODI 11103887
Exterior Lighting
Driver's side headlight goes off after driving a few minutes. Turning off the lights and turning them back on resets the headlight back on, for a short time, and then goes off again. This is a serious safety hazard and toyota should fess up to the design flaw and recall all the affected cars and fix the problem.
ODI 11098132
Electrical System · Exterior Lighting · Service Brakes
Combination meter is defective, light panel, including speedometer & fuel levels go dark, unable to tell speed of vehicle or remaining fuel, multiple incidents, all began (thus far) while vehicle was stationary.
ODI 11101745
Exterior Lighting
Driver side headlight randomly shuts off while the vehicle is in motion. Have replaced the bulb and fuses, but the problem persists.
ODI 11092129
Electrical System · Exterior Lighting · Service Brakes
My mother has a 2008 prius that has two serious issues that toyota has acknowledged and even offered to fix under what they call a support program. Sounds great right? Here's the problem. 1. She never received a letter notifying her of the problem and that it needed to be fixed (and only now that the issues have become her issues is she aware there was a recall and 2. Toyota set a time frame to fix these issues…
ODI 11081039
Exterior Lighting
Both headlamps will intermittently shut off while driving. First started with the right side headlamp turning off then progressively both are now turning off while driving at night creating an unsafe driving situation.
ODI 11073405
Exterior Lighting
Headlights intermittently go out when driving at night. The vehicle is in motion on an interstate or even a 2 way highway. I am able to use light switch to turn off and turn on again, but will happen again while driving. Have not repaired as of yet, but have read about several issues of this sort with this model. Have stopped driving at night because of these issues. This has been getting worse every time i drive…
ODI 11065578
Catalog parts for this system
Catalog year/make/model rows for 2008 Toyota Prius.
Catalog fitment does not by itself prove OEM-equivalent compatibility.