Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| VISIBILITY | |||
| 12/03/2011 | 57900 | ||
| No one injured. minor problem, but toyota refuses suggestions for legal reasons, so i have to report it to you, and hope that you will relay to toyota. good car, good dash lighting system, nice rheostat to dim the instrument panel lights at night, to assist in night road visibility. the problem is that as you dim the instrument panel lights, the lighted symbol for the emergency flasher light switch goes completely dark before the instrument panel lights do. so, on a dark night, you dim the lights to make the instrument panel lights just bright enough to read, without excess reflection or distraction, and the emergency flasher switch becomes invisible because its light went completely out before the other instrument panel lights did. this increases distraction and reduces reaction time when you need to find and turn on the emergency flasher light switch. i doubt this problem is limited to just my car. the simple solution (everything seems simple to the guy not doing the work) would be to design and wire the dash panel lights so that the emergency flasher switch light stays a little brighter than all the other lights, as they all dim. that way, the switch you might most need in a hurry will be visible, even if you have dimmed your instrument panel lights. quicker turn-on of the emergency flasher alerts following drivers sooner, increasing their safety, and mine. thanks for working to keep us all safer on the road, and to improve the vehicles we drive. | |||
| 12/21/2010 | |||
| Headlights go off for no reason while driving. this happens several times a week. | |||
| 09/04/2009 | 40000 | ||
| Both hid headlights failed on a winding country road. i quickly turned the headlights off, then on then was able to swerve the car to prevent going off the road. i had intermittent problems with one light failing. this was the first time both lights failed at the same time. i spent over $400 to replace the lights. there is a class action case against toyota that covers prius with under 50k miles. since i had over 70k miles on my prius, i was hesitant to make the repair, because of the cost until both lights failed. this is an intermittent problem that gets worse as time goes by and should be recalled before someone is killed. | |||
| 12/21/2010 | |||
| Headlights go off for no reason while driving. this happens several times a week. | |||
| 09/04/2009 | 40000 | ||
| Both hid headlights failed on a winding country road. i quickly turned the headlights off, then on then was able to swerve the car to prevent going off the road. i had intermittent problems with one light failing. this was the first time both lights failed at the same time. i spent over $400 to replace the lights. there is a class action case against toyota that covers prius with under 50k miles. since i had over 70k miles on my prius, i was hesitant to make the repair, because of the cost until both lights failed. this is an intermittent problem that gets worse as time goes by and should be recalled before someone is killed. | |||
| 12/21/2010 | |||
| Headlights go off for no reason while driving. this happens several times a week. | |||
| 09/04/2009 | 40000 | ||
| Both hid headlights failed on a winding country road. i quickly turned the headlights off, then on then was able to swerve the car to prevent going off the road. i had intermittent problems with one light failing. this was the first time both lights failed at the same time. i spent over $400 to replace the lights. there is a class action case against toyota that covers prius with under 50k miles. since i had over 70k miles on my prius, i was hesitant to make the repair, because of the cost until both lights failed. this is an intermittent problem that gets worse as time goes by and should be recalled before someone is killed. | |||
| 08/26/2011 | 27000 | ||
| 2007 prius headlight failure - passenger side headlight goes out frequently. by turning lights off and back on it stays on for a while. i can't reproduce the problem when i want to. looking at consumer complaints it seems to be a wide spread problem and very expensive to replace bulb which doesn't help the problem. major safety issue at least that toyota is just brushing aside. i am not a satisfied toyota customer by all means. | |||
| 06/01/2008 | 38000 | ||
| Tl- the contact owns a 2007 toyota prius. the contact stated that while both high intensity headlights are on, they would go in and out at anytime. the dealer changed both headlights, but the failure reoccured after another 10,000 miles. the manufacturer was notified, but did not give any assistance to the vehicle's failure. the failure mileage was 38,000 and the current mileage was 100,000. the vin was unavailable. nw | |||
| 12/14/2010 | |||
| Headlights go on and off for no reason. happens anytime and anyplace. | |||
| 10/01/2010 | 24000 | ||
| Driver side headlight goes off right after you turn lights on, can hardly drive at night, costs $400 to fix one headlight at dealership $250 for labor and $150 for light itself | |||
| 06/18/2010 | 37432 | ||
| Tl- the contact owns a 2007 toyota prius. while driving the vehicle the headlights worked intermittently.it has happen every night within the past seven days. the vehicle was taken back to the dealer on today. the dealer said the problem was a defective bulb, the bulb was replaced and they were charged $400.00. she contacted the manufacturer and they told her they had a program that was reimbursing everyone for the light bulb but that program ended in 2009 and she was not eligible for it. they gave her a claim number and told her some one would contact her within three days. the vehicle was purchased two months ago. the failure and current mileage was 37,432.....dwh | |||
| 01/10/2010 | |||
| Condensation in 2007 prius headlamp for 6 months. i have a platinum extended warranty in effect. toyota will not repair or replace the defective headlamp under the warranty & will not acknowledge responsibility for an obvious manufacturer defect that according to internet research is a very common problem in toyota vehicles | |||
| 11/01/2009 | 45000 | 1 | |
| 2007 toyota prius hid headlight failure. headlight goes on and off intermittently. was told that the bulb was ready to fail. it would cost $150 for the bulb plus 1 hour of labor. i have a toyota service plan but was told that this was not covered. a little research revealed that many people are experiencing this same problem. *tr | |||
| 09/01/2009 | 30000 | 1 | |
| 2007 toyota prius ~30,000 miles. passenger headlight fails intermittently. two trips to the dealership have not solved the problem. *tr | |||
| 08/08/2009 | 52888 | 1 | |
| Headlight flickers off while driving. if you turn the lights off and back on again, the headlight will light up again. however, while driving the light will eventually turn off again. this makes driving at night hazardous since visibility is very limited at that point. my toyota prius is a 2007 and has 52,000 miles on it. the dealership said it was the bulb and replaced it. the bulb was $150 and labor was $133.50. *tr | |||
| 09/15/2009 | 70000 | 1 | |
| Headlamps on both sides go out intermittently. dealership said to turn them off and back on to make them work again. this doesn't solve the long term problem with the car. *tr | |||
| 09/03/2009 | 47700 | 1 | |
| I was pulled over by cops for defective drivers side tail light and found to have my passenger side head light is also defective. later on it was noted both tail lights and head light on right side is flickering and suddenly are malfunctioning. *tr | |||
| 08/15/2009 | 450000 | 1 | |
| The hid, high intensity discharge headlights go off intermittently without notice, usually right headlight, sometimes left, sometimes both. started with right headlight at approx 18 months after purchase of new vehicle at approx 45000 miles. this week both headlights have gone off while driving at night without notice. extremely dangerous. last month the local toyota dealer, who knows of this issue, wanted $800 to repair/replace right headlight. now that both are bad, much more money to repair. this is unacceptable, considering the premium cost of this optional item, the short life span, and especially the extreme danger of a possible fatal accident. if this were brakes, fire, or seatbelts, there would have already been a recall under warranty. there are hundreds of documented complaints and toyota and the nhtsa have not yet acted! are we waiting to start counted accidents or fatalities? please get toyota corp. to issue recall under warranty. *tr | |||
| 08/09/2008 | 25000 | 1 | |
| For the past few months my drivers side headlight has been going out. it comes back on if i flick the headlights power off then on again. recently it has been getting worse, happening everytime i am driving at night. this is upsetting because i haven't even had my car for 2 years, and i get my vehicle regularly maintainenced every 5,000mi as recommended with my extra care warranty. *tr | |||
| 11/01/2008 | 36500 | 1 | |
| I own and operate a 2007 toyota prius. to date i have been extremely satisfied with the vehicle. however, recently i have been experiencing intermittent failure of my passenger headlight and occasionally the brake light on the passenger side. this is a safety concern because i do not know when the light is on or off. the other day i was pulled over by the police and received a repair order. the cost from the dealer to replace the bulb is $535.00, apparently this is maintenance and a non warranty item. personally i think there is a design flaw if it requires a mechanic to change a lightbulb. i am posting a message here in hopes that this will convert into a safety recall. i am going to work with the dealer and toyota to try and get this repair covered. wish me luck! *tr | |||
| 10/27/2008 | 1 | ||
| Driver side hid headlight was lighted but failed during driving. driver side hid headlight would re-ignite after turning headlight switch off then on. had 36, 724 miles - at first dealer said out of warranty by 724 miles, raised issues found here and got the computer and light plus rental prius free...over $1,600 otherwise...seems this is a regular issue as found on mycarstats.com. *tr | |||
| VISIBILITY - DEFROSTER/DEFOGGER SYSTEM | |||
| 03/07/2010 | 61900 | 1 | |
| I own a 2007 prius and noticed this problem for several months already. march 7, 2010 was a raining day in san diego. at about noon, i drove my wife to the market with the prius. i needed to turn on the warm air to defrost the windshield for better visibility. what i got was the cold air from the a/c. i checked the a/c indicator and it wasn't on. i touched the indicator to turn it on then off but nothing changed. the air was still cold. after shopping at the market, we started the prius again to drive home. the air then changed to warm. what we learned was only a total turn off could change the 'stuck' condition in the prius. this was not a dangerous incident but it could relate to the electronics malfunction in another serious accident. *tr | |||
| 11/10/2009 | 36200 | 1 | |
| We own a toyota prius. when we turn on the heater and turn it to the feet, warm air starts blowing from the vent on the driver side to the face. we took it to the dealer capitol toyota, capital auto mall, san jose, ca. the dealer said that they would charge big time to fix it since we were just over 36,000 miles in 30 months. we didn't get it fixed. we believe that this issue is somehow related to its electrical/electronic systems issue. we also noticed about 2 weeks ago when we were parked in the line for gas, that the engine suddenly was roaring as if we were revving it to very high speeds without even the heater or a/c being on. we also think it has related front defrosting issues. *tr | |||
| VISIBILITY/WIPER | |||
| 02/08/2012 | 61000 | ||
| The front headlight started going on and off periodically while driving, we went on a trip to hungary and the light started acting up. we have taken it to two toyota dealerships within germany with no resolution but expensive bills due to the mechanics hooking it up to computer systems to diagnose the problem. this is causing us safety issues while driving especially on not clear days due to the early morning fog. i have consulted with my brother's body shop to see if there has been any recalls or defects on the lights, nothing. i am taking it again this week to the toyota shop in mannheim germany. this problem has not been resolved since feb 2012. i would appreciate some resolution to this problem before the light's cause us an accident. i have had the two front headlight bulbs replaced which are not inexpensive. thank you if you need to contact me do it via email, this is my parents phone number in pa, i cannot type in my number in germany. sarah garcia | |||
| 10/13/2012 | 104000 | ||
| Tl* the contact owns a 2007 toyota prius. the contact stated that the weather strips on the front and rear passenger windows were peeling from the bottom. the vehicle had not been inspected by a dealer or an independent mechanic. the manufacturer was contacted and advised the contact that there was a similar issue with another model. the vehicle was not repaired. the contact was concerned that water could possibly enter the vehicle and cause damage. the failure and current mileages were approximately 104,000. the vin was unavailable. | |||
| 10/13/2012 | 104000 | ||
| Tl-the contact owns a 2007 toyota prius. the contact stated that the weather strips on the front and rear passenger windows were peeling from the bottom. the vehicle had not been inspected by a dealer or an independent mechanic. the manufacturer was contacted and advised the contact that there was a similar issue with another model. the vehicle was not repaired. the contact was concerned that water could possibly enter the vehicle and cause damage. the failure and current mileages were approximately 104,000. the vin was unavailable. kmj | |||
| 10/13/2012 | 104000 | ||
| Tl-the contact owns a 2007 toyota prius. the contact stated that weather strips on the front and rear passenger windows are peeling from the bottom. the vehicle has not been inspected by a dealer or an independent mechanic. the manufacturer was contacted and they advised him that there is a similar issue with another model. the vehicle was not repaired. the contact stated that he fears that when the strips fail water may possibly get into the vehicle and cause damage. the failure and current mileages were approximately 104,000. the vin was unavailable. tb | |||
| 08/10/2011 | 70000 | ||
| My 2007 toyota prius hid left/right lights goes off intermittently when driving!! sometimes both of them go out at the same time, it is so dangerous. i contacted the toyota dealer and they want $300 to replace head lamps, but do not guarantee that it will fix the issue. last night i was stopped by police because my driver side head lamps was out, but i had turn off, then on the lights, and it was back on. i believed this is a well known issue with the toyota prius and toyota should do the right thing and fixed it. i hope that toyota does not wait for a major accident to do the right thing. | |||