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
Safety issues with toyota 2008 prius headlight system. After living with poor headlight illumination and other headlight issues for about 19 months, i am registering what i consider to be significant safety issues. Headlights: 1. Not bright enough. 2. Cannot be aimed to give distance illumination 3. Blink off driving at night i have made numerous, mostly unresolved, trips to the dealer where we bought the car new.…
ODI 10286388
Exterior Lighting
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.…
ODI 10286116
Exterior Lighting
The driver side hid headlight intermittently would turn off. Once i discover my headlight is off, i can turn off my headlights completely and turn them back on immediately and have both headlights working again. Initially i called the dealership and brought the car in but we were not able to reproduce the issue. As time goes by, the intermittent issue is becoming more often. The dealership has recommended that i…
ODI 10479928
Exterior Lighting
Both front headlights go out without warning. The high beams work but one or both of the regular hit lights go out intermittently. The issue has been happening sine approx. 30,000 miles (the car is currently at 61000 miles). *tr
ODI 10374004
Exterior Lighting
Hid headlamps began to randomly turn off on their own at around 34k miles. Driver's side or passenger side; one or the other. Paid for and replaced both hid lamps, but not controller computer. At 42k miles, problem returns. One time while driving at night, both headlights blinked off without warning. Turning headlight controls off, then on again resolves the problem until problem recurs. Lights may stay on for…
ODI 10371812
Exterior Lighting
Passenger-side hid headlamp failed on my 2008 toyota prius at ~36,400 mileage. Took it to dealer 2 days later and they said problem could be lamp or computer and that both were expensive ($300), but since lamp was on they could not investigate the problem. I took car back and once again light dimmed then flickered off while driving. I did some reading and found that this hid failure is a well-known defect on second…
ODI 10285845
Electrical System · Exterior Lighting
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…
ODI 10308228
Exterior Lighting
Both headlight bulbs will go out when the vehicle is hot. It can be one at a time or simultaneously. Additionally both tail light bulbs stopped working approximately 1 week prior. When the rear bulbs were replaced the headlight problem seemed to worsen. *tr
ODI 10285751
Exterior Lighting
I have a hid headlight on a 2008 prius that appears to flicker and then goes out. The problem seems to be intermittent and was brought to my attention by a policeman. When i start the car at home the headlight comes on brightly. A few miles down the road the problem starts. Repair cost is very expensive. *tr
ODI 10286796
Exterior Lighting
My 2008 prius frequently had failure of one and both headlamps at the same time. I was unable to bring them back on by turning them on and off. They would reset after vehicle sat for a time. *tr
ODI 10283775
Exterior Lighting
I have a 2008 prius with about 40,000 miles on it, the headlamps are turning off randomly. I quickly flip the switch off, then back on and they remain on for about 2 minutes, then fail again. Very dangerous when on country roads. I keep the fog lights on as back up. Just got back from dealer and they told me $400 to replace. Ouch! I decided to take the risk and keep on driving due to the extremely high cost and no…
ODI 10285811
Exterior Lighting
Both headlights went out periodically without warning making it unsafe to drive at night. Then noticed the drivers side went out periodically and had to flip the switch for light to go back on. This happened for month or so. Then it completely went out. Then about month later - the passenger light would go out without warning leaving me with no lights while driving at night. By flipping the switch, the light would…
ODI 10318204
Exterior Lighting
Headlights on car go off while driving. I have to keep turning the switch off and on to get them back on. This is happening more and more. I will be driving on a dark road with no streetlamps and my headlights will go completely out. All of a sudden i find that i'm driving blind. . I have found that other prius cars are having this same problem. I have a 2008 prius with 41,000 miles on it. It's scary and very…
ODI 10283976
Exterior Lighting
2008 toyota prius - hid headlights. Lights turn off independently and intermittently. Sometimes one, sometimes both. Restarting vehicle will resolve problem temporarily, but they usually fail again. I contacted toyota experience hotline. A case manager stated that this is normal behavior for these headlights when they are starting to need replacement. This vehicle had 38000 miles when problem started. If the…
ODI 10285323
Exterior Lighting
I currently own a 2008 toyota prius, and formerly owned a 2003 prius. After approximately 30,000 miles, i was made aware by others that my driver's side headlight was out. After further investigation, i learned the lamp would turn on if i turned off the lights and then turned them back on again. I have since been pulled over three times due to a headlight being out. The function of the light has become very…
ODI 10280807
Exterior Lighting
2008 toyota prius headlight failure--headlights will go out at anytime. Driver switches lights off then back on to regain headlight. Dealer said it is a failure of the high density lamp assembly. Entire assembly replacement is the only repair. Cost of assembly is 250 dollars and 50 dollars to remove & install. *tr
ODI 10285440
Exterior Lighting
PASSENGER SIDE HEADLIGHT SUDDENLY WENT OUT. *TR
ODI 10447512
Exterior Lighting
Headlights intermittently turn off while driving or parked. Headlights must be cycled off, then on to make them work again. *tr
ODI 10503366
Exterior Lighting
Toyota prius hid headlight unexpectedly turns off. Car only has 42,000 miles on it. This is second headlight to go through this problem. First occurred at about 15,000 miles. Replacement costs upwards of $300+. First light was covered under warranty. Second, the dealer simply told me to "pinch pennies." *tr
ODI 10296102
Exterior Lighting
Both the driver's and passenger's side high intensity discharge (hid) headlamps in my 2008 toyota prius have been flickering while driving over the last several weeks, creating a sudden unexpected hazardous limited visibility condition. There is less than 40,000 miles on the car, which i bought brand new from the dealer in november 2007. Toyota's warranty does not cover the exorbitant repair cost of the prematurely…
ODI 10282209
Exterior Lighting
I own a 2008 toyota prius. My passenger headlight began to change color and intensity and then began to turn off while driving. Then both headlights started to turn off while driving. The headlights will come back on if i turn the switch off and then back on. The headlights have been inspected at a toyota dealership who said that they need to be replaced. The dealership quotes $655 for this repair. After researching…
ODI 10280302
Exterior Lighting
Passenger side hid headlight failure on 2008 prius touring model. The light failed suddenly while driving at night. It flickers when turning the headlight switch off then on again but does not reilluminate. Mileage is 30. *tr
ODI 10278406
Exterior Lighting
The hid bulb on the passenger side of my 2008 toyota prius with only 40k miles on it, goes out intermittently. If i turn my switch off and then back on, the bulb will come back on, for a little while. The dealership wants $300 to replace the bulb. The hazard of possibly losing the driver side light before i can get the passenger side repaired is of great concern. This is a continuing, constant problem. *tr
ODI 10289272
Exterior Lighting
Headlight passenger and driver side will intermittently turn off. If i turn off the headlights completely and turn them back on they will sometimes correct themselves and stay on for up to 15 minutes before turning off again. *tr
ODI 10279738
Exterior Lighting
Defective hid headlights of prius by toyota. My 2008 toyota prius hid left side headlight began fading, intermittently ceasing and eventually ceased completely around 2nd week of july, 2009. The 100k mile bumper to bumper platinum extended warranty on the vehicle purchased from the toyota dealer when i bought the car would not cover this replacement. So, i had to pay $325 dollars on july 24th to replace it. That…
ODI 10279110
Catalog parts for this system
Catalog year/make/model rows for 2008 Toyota Prius.
Catalog fitment does not by itself prove OEM-equivalent compatibility.