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.
Exterior Lighting
One headlight on my toyota prius keeps going out. 3 new lamps in just 6 months. It is only on the passenger side. *tr
ODI 10396944
Exterior Lighting
Hid headlamp intermittent, replaced under warranty but has failed again @ 76,000 mi. *tr
ODI 10547582
Exterior Lighting
I will start the car and both headlights are on then one or the other will just turn off, luckily both have not turned off at the same time. Sometimes they can be on for a long time and sometimes a short time, there is no rhyme or reason for it. It happens all the time, enough that i was stopped by the police for having a headlight out. *tr
ODI 10390458
Exterior Lighting
Condensation builds up inside the hid headlights during humid days, after rain, and after carwash. Inside of headlight is streaked with water stains. *tr
ODI 10384687
Exterior Lighting
Passenger side headlamp goes out and come back on intermittently-had to hold headlight switch manually to have headlight stay on. *tr
ODI 10384085
Exterior Lighting
While driving at night i noticed the left headlight was out. When pulling into garage i turned lights off and back on and the left headlight had came back on. With knowing this i have noticed this repeating over and over again. If i turn the lights off and on again the headlight will come on again. It has also occurred that both headlights have gone out at the sametime. We were pulled over by the police for the…
ODI 10383337
Exterior Lighting
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.…
ODI 10383261
Exterior Lighting
Headlights for 2008 prius keep burning out, toyota dealership replaced the bottom pair of lights last year and passenger side lights keep going off certain days. Toyota is refusing to fix it, they want me to pay large amount of sum for new lights. *tr
ODI 10382744
Exterior Lighting
Tl* the contact owns a 2008 toyota prius. The contact was driving 35 mph when the driver's side headlight failed to illuminate. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and the dealer stated that the headlight needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was not contacted. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 50,000 and the current mileage was 75,000.
ODI 10463296
Exterior Lighting
Headlights on my 2008 toyota prius intermittently go out. The left side or the right side or both headlights at the same time. A very very hazardous condition at night! I checked the toyota site, but no sign of a recall going on. I can't understand why a recall hasn't already been issued, as i understand they are aware of the problem. *tr
ODI 10397217
Exterior Lighting
Hid headlights flickering on and off - 2008 prius w only 28,000 miles. *tr
ODI 10410370
Exterior Lighting
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…
ODI 10384557
Exterior Lighting
2008 toyota prius driver side hid headlight went out prematurely. *tr
ODI 10376478
Exterior Lighting
The passenger side hid headlight went out suddenly, flickered back, and then went out permanently. *tr
ODI 10375104
Exterior Lighting
The complaint is for the hid headlight system on a 2008 toyota prius. The driver's side headlight initially failed randomly and eventually failed completely. The problem would occur randomly while driving where the headlight would fail. The only way the light would turn back on would be to cycle the power to the headlights. More recently, this problem is now occurring with the passenger side headlight. The car now…
ODI 10374995
Electrical System · Exterior Lighting
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…
ODI 10894476
Exterior Lighting
Toyota prius 2008 touring model with hid headlights. Currently have about 80,000 miles on car issue started after around 30,000 miles. The drivers side head light sporadically shuts off. I am able to turn lights off then back on and it will work again however this happens in a [redacted] as often as about 15 times and seems to get more frequent the longer the drive. I ride with myself my husband and 3 kids and do…
ODI 10372434
Exterior Lighting · Latches/Locks/Linkages
There were no distinguishing events that led up to the total failure of my 2008 toyota prius driver side headlight and door lock assembly (front). They both no longer worked within a 1 day period and required replacement. Noticing 2 or more other vehicles of the same make and model there for light replacement caused me to inquire what caused their light malfunctions. In the matter of minutes of my calling in,…
ODI 10375504
Exterior Lighting
At 39,000 miles my 2008 toyota prius headlights failed. Just driving down the road at night and they just go out. After a few minutes they came back on enough to drive home. I took it to dealer the next day and they said the bulbs needed replaced for 400 dollars. I asked them why and they said was normal wear and tear. These lights were supposed to last much longer than normal lights but it doesn't seem that way.…
ODI 10369487
Exterior Lighting
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. *tr
ODI 10371764
Exterior Lighting
Front right hid headlight went out. Comes on intermittently. Cannot operate vehicle safely at night. Known defect by manufacturer on 2004-2008 prius.
ODI 10371570
Exterior Lighting
Intermittent hid headlights on my 2008 prius. The headlights suddenly go off, then after turning them off and back on, they are good for a while once again. This is happening to both the left and right sides. I understand the bulbs are $150 each plus labor to replace. I only have 40,000 miles on my prius. This is extremely dangerous. *tr
ODI 10369243
Exterior Lighting
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.
ODI 10368985
Exterior Lighting
Left front hid headlamp flickered and then went out. I turned the headlights off and then on quickly, restoring the headlight. It repeated itself repeatedly for several weeks until i was able to get the headlight replaced at the outrageous cost of $469.80. That price included replacing both headlights, as i did not want to take the chance of having the other one fail in the same manner. It is clear from research i…
ODI 10371291
Electrical System · Exterior Lighting · Unknown Or Other
Headlight goes on, then goes off. Won't stay on. I was informed the other one could go out at any time, so i should replace both, at great expense. I was told by toyota that the hid headlights were covered under the regular warranty, but not the extended warranty. Bulbs (especailly those costing $300) should not burn out or randomly flicker on a two year old vehicle. To prevent future/additional problems, i had to…
ODI 10367452
Catalog parts for this system
Catalog year/make/model rows for 2008 Toyota Prius.
Catalog fitment does not by itself prove OEM-equivalent compatibility.