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
My headlights went off while i was driving at night. I was out in the country, in the mountains on a curvy road, where there were no street lights. It was pitch dark and a very dangerous situation, to say the least. I'm lucky i didn't run off the road or get in a wreck. I'm 74 years old and my vision is not as good as it used to be and i had to drive 40 miles to my house, with just my fog lights. I called my local…
ODI 10948093
Exterior Lighting
While driving in the dark my passenger side headlight went out. Then a few days later it switched to the driver side headlight going out. Now while driving at night they will go off at least 10 times on my [redacted]. It is not safe! *tr
ODI 10948976
Electrical System · Engine · Exterior Lighting
Cluster went blank and vehicle would not power off, key fob stuck in ignition. Toyota service recommended replacing combo meter but i am one month out of warranty. I was driving tried to park but car would not turn off, but would come to a stop in the parking lot. *tr
ODI 10937659
Exterior Lighting
My headlights are flickering before going completely out. Sometimes it's the left, sometimes the right. Turning the light switch off, then on, seems to rectify the issue but only temporarily. A very small % of the time would both lights go off completely. Again, turning light switch off, then on, fixes it temporarily. There is no exact timeframe in which the lights start to flicker. And sometimes i notice it…
ODI 10933864
Exterior Lighting
My headlights intermittently go off and it will change which headlight (between my two white front headlight and gold headlights). It happens while i am driving. I can turn my headlights on and off and it sometimes fixes the problem. On one occasion all my headlights went off. *tr
ODI 10929799
Exterior Lighting
HEADLIGHTS GO OUT UNEXPECTEDLY.
ODI 10915903
Exterior Lighting
Both headlights cut off at the same time while driving at night (55-65 mph) on an unlit winding road above a reservoir. Managed to stop the car near the right side of the road without going off the edge and although the headlights did not come back on, we used the high beams to get us down the hill to our destination.
ODI 10914844
Exterior Lighting
Hid lighting , headlights go off intermittently when driving . Need to turn light switch on and off to turn back on. Ongoing problem unexpected unable to predict
ODI 10910976
Exterior Lighting
My wife, 2 children, and i were on a rod trip last night. About an hour into the trip, i noticed that i thought one of the headlights appeared to be flickering (but both had been fine art he beginning of the trip). We stopped about an hour later to rest, and i saw that the passenger headlight was out. We decided that the flickering must have been the headlight failing, and that we needed to get it repaired after…
ODI 10909448
Exterior Lighting
Passenger side headlight will come on normally but then will dim and go out while in operation (parked or in motion). Headlight will come on again briefly when headlights are turned off and then on again, but then dims and goes out. Mechanic said bulbs are fine, that the problem is the computer.
ODI 10907423
Exterior Lighting
Tl* the contact owns a 2008 toyota prius. The contact stated that the high intensity discharge (hid) indicator on the passenger side malfunctioned while driving various speeds. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the vehicle needed a new hid light. The dealer did not repair the vehicle. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 170,000.
ODI 10906338
Exterior Lighting
Headlight go out while driving car . Sometimes one light goes out and both have gone out at highway speed.
ODI 10904662
Electrical System · Exterior Lighting
Driving at 35 miles per hour on a rural paved road both headlights failed simultaneously nearly causing myself and my son go off the road down an embankment while trying to get the lights to come back on at night. The hid headlights have been an issue in the past with a class action lawsuit being paid. I need to get this repaired and want toyota to cover the recall warranty work.
ODI 10909848
Exterior Lighting
Right front headlight fades out after 9-10 minutes of driving. Toyota dealer says it's due to some "overheating" issue and wants $600+ to replace!!
ODI 10902970
Exterior Lighting
I was driving down the interstate at 11:30 going 70mph when both of my headlights shut off. I was able to flick the switch off and on again and they came back. In the last two weeks the drivers side light has intermittently been shutting off but this is the first time i've had an issue with both simultaneously.
ODI 10886015
Exterior Lighting
The headlights have started to randomly turn off -- sometimes just one or the other, other times both turn off at the same time, requiring that i turn them on again manually. This has happened a few times in the past week on the interstate, along a rural stretch with a 70mph speed limit in maine.
ODI 10885742
Exterior Lighting
Same issue as described here http://www.toyotaproblems.com/trends/prius-headlights/ this should be recalled. It is extremely dangerous to have headlights issues that were known to be there since factory manufacturing. I am puzzled a recall was never done. I first replaced the headlights last week. They are new! The headlights work but they turn off within a minute. If i turn headlights off and on, they turn on and…
ODI 10877161
Exterior Lighting
My hid headlights are acting crazy. I start my car and pull out after about 10 mins my passenger headlight will just go out. I can turn my headlights off by the switch and back on and it will come back on. It scares me though that both might go out one night and not come back on. I was actually pulled over tonight by the police because of this issue with the headlights.
ODI 10876532
Exterior Lighting
The right headlight goes off while i am riding. I took it to the dealer and they can't find anything wrong. When the light goes out and i turn the light switch off and then turn it back on. The light comes on. Then it will go out again after driving for a while. I have been stopped by the police. I explained to the officer and he told me that i had to get it fixed or don't drive the car at night. I can't tell if the…
ODI 11071965
Exterior Lighting
One head light fades out during use. Turning the head lights off and on again fixes the issue short term.
ODI 10881660
Exterior Lighting
While driving the vehicle at night, the driver's side headlight goes off. The lights have to be turned on and off repeatedly to keep the headlight lit.
ODI 10881288
Exterior Lighting
Both headlights come on when turned on, however after an undetermined amount of time (the time frame varies) the drivers side hid light turns off. I am able to temporarily correct the problem by turning the lights off and then back on. This, however, is a huge safety issue, as i am unable to see the roadway during the time the lights are off (i drive on county roads where there are no street lights). I have replaced…
ODI 10872284
Exterior Lighting
While driving down a two lane highway at 55mph in a very remote and dark location, both headlights failed. I was able to avoid what would likely have been a fatal collision only because i was on a straight portion of the road at the time - had this happened a few seconds earlier, i'd have been taking a very sharp curve at speed and would likely have driven off the road before i could react. I was able to pull over…
ODI 10870911
Exterior Lighting
One light randomly went off. Then as we were driving (at night) both front and back lights went off, both high and low beams. Only the flashers and fog lights worked. We called for a tow ($120) and as they were unloading the car at home, the lights came back on again. So it's not a bulb, not a fuse. I found out online that this is a known problem.
ODI 10864107
Exterior Lighting
While driving, high intensity headlights are unreliable - each side randomly turns off. This is a dangerous issue.
ODI 10861987
Catalog parts for this system
Catalog year/make/model rows for 2008 Toyota Prius.
Catalog fitment does not by itself prove OEM-equivalent compatibility.