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
Driving at night the head lights went out, could have been killed. Had to turn headlights on and off for them to work. Took car to dealer, said it might cost 1,000s of dollars to figure out what is wrong. Sounds like a recall, now i can't drive my car at night!!! : (
ODI 10870908
Exterior Lighting
On 10/7/14 i arrived home after work and noticed my right headlight was out. It was dark and i don't know when the light failed. Over the next few days, i did not notice the light failing, however, i am very concerned that it will happen again, based on the numerous other complaints filed (and not filed). This is a huge safety concern for me. I live in los angeles and, as my car is black and if my headlights are out…
ODI 10644090
Exterior Lighting
Driving up provo canyon at 4:30am and suddenly both headlights completely turned off. I had to come to a complete stop because i had zero visibility. I now have to toggle the headlight switch off and on every couple of minutes in order for the headlights to remain on. There appears to be a short, but from what i have read about this problem, it is a common issue with the 2008 toyota prius. The repair costs can be…
ODI 10667546
Exterior Lighting
I have recently discovered that my headlights do not work consistently. Sometimes the left is out. Sometimes the right. Sometimes neither. It is very scary to think about driving at night when i cannot be confident of the headlights. In trying to learn about this problem i discovered it has been widely reported but there has been no recall. I am extremely concerned as i have to travel a long distance at night. I…
ODI 10643199
Exterior Lighting
Driving down the road and the headlights just go out, after flipping the lights off and on, they come back on. *tr
ODI 10633198
Exterior Lighting
Well driving 65mph on freeway both headlights went off. Turning them off and on 2x worked. It happened 2 more times within 20min. I stopped driving and have not drove at night since. Luckily there was a car close both times. It was dangerous and terrifying. There needs to be a recall asap. *tr
ODI 10630533
Electronic Stability Control · Exterior Lighting · Unknown Or Other
Vehicle starts, runs for limited time -2-3 mins. Shuts off vehicle starts no electrical visibility on dash.. Blank. Vehicle starts with electrical visibility, runs for 3-5 miles, looses electrical visibility. Updated 12/4/2017*cn vehicle starts with electrical visibility runs for 3-4 miles .vehicle stops, shuts off in traffic. Vehicle will not start. Requires jump start,,. And runs enough to take car to dealer.…
ODI 10735342
Electrical System · Exterior Lighting · Visibility/Wiper
Both of my cars headlights turn off intermittently and for no reason (the bulbs and ballasts have been replaced and are in working order). I will be driving down the road at night (interstate 70mph) and occasionally both headlights will just turn off. I have almost gotten in a wreck multiple times due to the fact i'm driving at night and out of nowhere my lights go out. This is a huge safety issue. When looking this…
ODI 10626183
Exterior Lighting
The headlights intermittently fail - turn off - during driving (without warning). Fortunately, so far only one headlight has failed at once. Toyota is aware of this issue, but so far there haven't been enough problems, apparently, to justify a safety recall. Seems like a very serious thing - and it is just a matter of good fortune on toyota's part that there have not been fatalities (to my knowledge). *tr
ODI 10676340
Exterior Lighting
Either headlight, or both, may suddenly go out. Turn off switch then back on and light(s) restored. Happens frequently (say six times per evening) and has been doing this for about two years. Frequently stopped by police.
ODI 10938625
Electrical System · Exterior Lighting
The first time both lights went out, we were traveling south on i-95 near richmond, va. Prior to this, we thought the lights had dimmed a couple times, but when we checked them, they were fine. There is no mistake when you loose both headlights while on high beam, there are no fog lights, so it gets very dark. I think going to low beam gave us some light (the fog lights) but do not remember, i then turned the light…
ODI 10650009
Exterior Lighting
Headlights are malfunctioning while i am driving making it extremely dangerous .. I live in a canyon and drive alot at night and have almost had some extreamly deadly collisions due to this issue not only that but have spent a insane amount of money in court fees and fix it tickets
ODI 10839343
Exterior Lighting
The right headlight and sometimes both headlights go out randomly on our 2008 toyota prius. This is extremely frightening! I have learned to quickly turn the headlights off and then right back on. Sometimes this takes care of the problem, sometimes for a short while, sometimes longer. Sometimes i have to pull over and fiddle with the light switch until i, once again, have headlights! Since i used to leave my…
ODI 10628115
Exterior Lighting
While driving, the left hid headlight went off. Turning the lights off and then on allowed the left headlight to come back on. This problem has happened over a several week period. Headlight illumination is suddenly cut in half without any warning. This seems like a safety recall item to me. *tr
ODI 10618627
Exterior Lighting
On may 25, 2014, i was informed that one of my headlights was out. Upon doing some research, i discovered that many other toyota prius owners had the identical problem, and that following a class action suit, toyota agreed to reimburse owners for repair of the faulty parts, but only up to 5 yrs/50k miles. My prius had under 35,000 miles but was 9 months over the age warranty. The toyota dealership charged $739.19 to…
ODI 10596745
Exterior Lighting
Right headlight continues to go off while driving down the road. My daughter drives this car now and got pulled over last wednesday night and got a warning ticket for headlight being out. When she got home she noticed it out. She stopped the engine then restarted and the light came back on. Her friends have told her several times over the last 3 months that she had a light out, but every time she checked it was…
ODI 10595409
Exterior Lighting
My toyota prius has hid headlights. Both the left and right headlights randomly stop working. At times however, both lights go out at the same time while driving. This creates a very dangerous situation while driving at night. The lights will typically come back on if i toggle the lights off and back on. I've read that there was a class action suit against toyota for this very issue. I contacted a toyota dealership…
ODI 10645019
Exterior Lighting
Since shortly after purchasing a new 2008 prius i have had issues w/ 1 headlight going out while driving. If i pull over, shut the car off & restart it, the light usually comes back on. Sometimes i have to do this several times to get the light back on.the problem has escalated to both headlights going out at the same time. I was driving alone on a dark curvy road at 10pm going 35 & suddenly both of my headlights…
ODI 10588323
Electrical System · Exterior Lighting
Right head light would go off on it's own. Light was replaced by dealer about a year ago. Now both headlights go out!!!!!! *tr
ODI 10627786
Electrical System · Exterior Lighting
Low beam headlights have failed . Drivers right headlight fails mostly, but left headlight fails about 33% of the time. I have lost both headlights after a while and is extremely dangerous at night! We have had to stop driving at night because headlights will not stay on past 5 mins. I have looked into the class action lawsuit and at 60000 miles i do not qualify for the settlement. I am very concerned with the…
ODI 10610875
Exterior Lighting
I was driving my 2008 toyota prius and the hid left headlight suddenly went out. While driving in the dark, i had to turn off my headlights and turn them back on. When i did this, both lights came back on. This issue happened several times over the course of an hour. *tr
ODI 10579042
Exterior Lighting
The hid headlamps on this vehicle were part of a class action suit several years ago alleging the lamps failed prematurely. Toyota settled the suit by acknowledging the defective parts and extending the warranty to 5 years or 50,000 miles. I was forced to have both headlamps replaced right at 50,000 as one had gone out and almost immediately the other started going on and off intermittently. It created a significant…
ODI 10566827
Exterior Lighting
The headlights both flicker and go out even after replacing with brand new bulbs. This is extremely unsafe as the headlamps may turn off during adverse weather or dark conditions. I have wasted a lot of money replacing head light bulbs when the problem seems to be with the computers in the headlamp fixtures. This seems to be a very common problem with this make and model and it is a very costly repair for something…
ODI 10990963
Electrical System · Exterior Lighting
When i was on the freeway, one of my headlights just went out. I had the same exact headlight replaced only one year ago. A few days later, both of my headlights had the same problem. They would flicker and then just go out while i am driving at high speeds. If i turn the light switch on and off while i am driving they sometimes come back on. Sometimes i have to pull over and restart the car for them to come back…
ODI 10566618
Exterior Lighting
The headlight turns off suddenly. Most of the time it is the left head light and some time right head light.the head light comes back on after turning off and on. It is dangerous when all of a sudden the light went out at night. Mechanic find no problem. Hwever, the head light cuts off suddenly. *tr
ODI 10565988
Catalog parts for this system
Catalog year/make/model rows for 2008 Toyota Prius.
Catalog fitment does not by itself prove OEM-equivalent compatibility.