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
I was driving down the highway at night at approx. 70 mph and both headlights turned off. I then slowed down and shut the headlights off manually and then turned them back on. Both headlights turned on and worked properly. Within that week i brought the car to a shop and had him replace both headlights at a crazy cost. Thinking that this fixed the problem i continued to drive the car, i have had one other time that…
ODI 10563395
Electrical System · Exterior Lighting
Left hid headlight flickers on and off, then turns off. If i turn the headlights off and then back on again, the light will stay on for a bit, but then will eventually flicker out again. Also, the bulb is very difficult to access and replace, and toyota reportedly charges a lot to replace and install these bulbs. *tr
ODI 10522065
Exterior Lighting
In july of 2013, while driving, the drivers side headlight went out. I bought a new headlight hid bulb and had it installed a few days later. In december of 2013 the light went out again. I was able to get it to work intermittently by toggling the on/off switch. The light would stay on for 1-2 minutes before going out again. I had the lightbulb removed and will have to purchase another bulb to be installed. Each…
ODI 10556144
Exterior Lighting
Following the purchase of my 2008 toyota prius, we visited a friend who told us our passenger side headlight was out. When we turned off the lights and turned them back on it came on. We have had the dealer we purchased the car from and our mechanic try to find the problem but the lights still go out, sometimes passenger side, sometimes driver side, and a few times they have both gone out. When the switch is shut…
ODI 10546112
Exterior Lighting
Starting in june 2013 our prius headlights would intermittently and unpredictably go out. It's difficult to tell at times but mostly this occurred on the left headlight. In january 2014 the problem was occurring regularly rather than sporadically so i had both hid lights replaced at a cost of $389.30. This seemed to temporarily resolve the problem but it has started again this time with both headlights turning off…
ODI 10640210
Exterior Lighting
I was driving the vehicle when the driver side headlight went out. The vehicle continued to drive fine, while on the freeway all the lights turned off. I was able to turn the switch off and then on again. When doing so the passenger side light turned back on. Approximately 7-10 minutes later the lights went out again. Again i flipped the switch off then on again and the lights turned back on. This happened about 3-4…
ODI 10519759
Electrical System · Exterior Lighting
All lights suddenly went black, front, back everything. I was going 50 mph on a mountain road and was on a straight road section out of the curves when everything went black. It was night-time at about 9:30 pm so very dark. I went into shock immediately slammed on brakes, just glad no one in back of me and carefully tried to feel to the side of the road. This is a road with alot of 18 wheelers as it is a major…
ODI 10515077
Exterior Lighting
Driving down the highway and the head lights just stopped working , turned them off and back on and worked for about 25 miles and did it again this time i had the fog lights on and it wasn't as bad but again turned them off and then back on worked till i got home .. *tr
ODI 10512791
Exterior Lighting
There is condensation in driver side headlight. Toyota and also their extra care platinum policy are not willing to take care of problem. Toyota dealer said "it is a common problem for prius" , but there is no repair sealing, they say the entire housing needs to be changed, moisture is a danger to the electrical system! They say, total price around $600. Why should i be responsible for their manufacturing defect,…
ODI 10521815
Exterior Lighting
Light will turn off, i will turn the switch and they come back on but don't stay on, i have been using the high beams but now they will not work. The regular beams are staying on a little longer but have to do the same thing, turn the switch and on again, the dealer can't seem to find the problem at a cost of $1100, and now replacing the light bulbs at $350 is a bit much. I do a lot of driving during dawn hours and…
ODI 10519924
Exterior Lighting
The headlight will go out,i turn my lights off than on again the light will come on again. This keeps happening over and over again
ODI 10521328
Exterior Lighting
Both headlights turned off randomly while driving on the freeway late night.. It was extremely dark because there were not many other cars around at the time. *tr
ODI 10510634
Exterior Lighting
I was driving on the highway when both my lights started to flicker and then both went out. Then after turning the headlights off then my right headlight stayed off and my left headlight came back on and i continued on the road, after about 5 mins down the road the left went out again but came back on. And didn't have problems with it again. Then 3 weeks ago i got my right bulb replaced and it worked with no…
ODI 10534723
Exterior Lighting
Tl* the contact owns a 2008 toyota prius. The contact stated while driving at night the headlights shut off intermittently. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the light bulbs needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 50,000 and the current mileage was 55,000.
ODI 10576195
Exterior Lighting
Tl* the contact owns a 2008 toyota prius. The contact stated that the driver's side headlight would continuously fail without warning. The contact mentioned that he was able to turn the head light back on immediately after the failure. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the technician stated that the headlight needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not…
ODI 10576711
Exterior Lighting
Left head light goes out while driving. I can turn head lights off and back on and it starts working again. The dealer says i need a new bulb at the rate of $330.00 dollars plus tax and $50.00 to install. I asked if it was guaranteed they said no once it is installed there is no guarantee. I was born at night but not last night!! I think they have another problem and don't have a clue what it is! At $400.00 a light…
ODI 10555118
Exterior Lighting
When i started the car, the lights on the dash didn't come on so i could see how fast i was going or how much gas i had. I called the dealership and they said it's due to cold weather. After 15 minutes, the dash lights came on. Toyota suggested i could get the issue fixed for $1500 but it wouldn't be easy to get the part. Could take 30 days or more and may not 100% solve the issue. *tr
ODI 10502690
Electrical System · Exterior Lighting
Intermittent headlight failure. Headlight will go out. Usually, if lights are turned off and back on, headlight will come back on. Sometimes the headlight will turn on, sometimes it won't. This has happened several times (3 or 4) since i have noticed the failure two months ago. *tr
ODI 10512687
Exterior Lighting
The headlights have intermittent operation. Function does not seem to be based on time, weather, or speed. It poses a safety threat when driving on the highway at night. The bulbs have been repetitively changed but the problem persists. *tr
ODI 10502261
Exterior Lighting
Although the investigation of hid headlight failure on 2006-09 on the toyota prius was closed in 2009, i wanted to add my complaint to your file. I just paid to replace my drivers' side headlight for the third time. It was replaced once under warranty, comped a second time by the dealer and now i had to pay $1,022.24 to replace it after the company refused to. There is clearly an issue with this headlight and the…
ODI 10563497
Electrical System · Exterior Lighting · Visibility/Wiper
The driver headlamp turns off after approx 5 minutes of use. Can turn lights off then on again to restart headlamp. I first took to dealer after purchasing used because of this problem and they did not mention what i have recently learned is a known defect. This has been occurring for the last two years. Changing bulb fixes problem for a while but problem re-occurs. This issue is a major safety issue, and toyota is…
ODI 10669928
Exterior Lighting
One or both headlights shut off intermittently while driving. Usually come back on when switch is turned off, then on. May happen repeatedly. *tr
ODI 10561716
Exterior Lighting
While driving my 2008 prius at night, i had my headlights on. Driving at approx 50 - 60 mph my hid front lights went out. I was in complete darkness. I can not understand why this not a safety recall by now because i understand that this is happening with regularity.
ODI 10544725
Exterior Lighting
Headlights turn off while driving. Turning them off and on works. This has happened several times, randomly. *tr
ODI 10508599
Electrical System · Exterior Lighting
Headlight will go off when driving, sometimes one only. Then the other. There is no set pattern. Headlights will come back on when the on/off switch is turned off then back on, then will go off again. Three oem bulbs have been replaced in one and a half years. I understand that i am not the only person that is having this problem. Toyota does not acknowledge that there is a problem. They say that it is just a bad…
ODI 10586132
Catalog parts for this system
Catalog year/make/model rows for 2008 Toyota Prius.
Catalog fitment does not by itself prove OEM-equivalent compatibility.