Toyota Prius Headlight Problem
Roughly 220,000 Prius owners may be affected by this issue in 2006-2009 models
Hundreds of Prius owners aren't happy when their green-machine's high-intensity headlights (HID) which work intermittently or die altogether. And when it comes to replacing them, the bill can run hundreds and all the way up to a $1800 in parts and labor. For years owners of the 2006-2009 Prius have claimed this HID death is a dangerous safety defect that Toyota is well-aware of but doing nothing about. Update: Read on for more information about a class action settlement!
What to Watch For
Owners have experienced the problem for the first time in many different ways. Some say one headlight turns off randomly, while other have reproted both going off at the same time. Every now and again turning the lights off and on again will fix the problem, but when you're driving 70mph down a dark highway you don't want to have to keep your fingers crossed that the lights will come back on. Here's some individual accounts from drivers over at CarComplaints.com.
“Absolutely ridiculous that a recall has not been submitted for this problem. Having your lights turn off while driving at night on the interstate doesn't constitute a safety hazard?! I love my Prius, but this issue is extremely annoying and even more dangerous.”
SV, Madison, WI
&ldqup;Right headlight went out sporadically, sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn't. Dealer replaced under warranty, but it is a $330 dollar bulb. Six months later, SAME THING, right headlight would work when I first turned light on, but then would go out. I asked dealer to check for a short circuit. They claimed that they did and it was a bad bulb. This time, no warranty so I had to pay $330 for the bulb and another $50 to install. Less than 2 weeks after that, now my LEFT bulb is doing the same thing. I am going to call Toyota and complain.”
Rita P, Canton, MI
No Recall, But a Class Action Lawsuit
The NHTSA started investigating the issue in 2009 after receiving over 650 complaints, but the agency concluded that most defects only affected one headlight which should be sufficient light to travel safely to a service facility.
But then in early 2011 roughly 220,000 Priuses were included in a tentative settlement of a class-action lawsuit. The suit claims that a defect causes sporadic headlight functionality while driving and that Toyota knew of the problem and concealed it. Toyota agreed to the settlement but denied any defect with the headlights or any wrongdoing.
The warranty on the headlights would be extended to five years or 50,000 miles from three years or 36,000 miles under the proposed settlement. According to an article on the class-action lawsuit on NYTimes.com: "Owners of high-mileage vehicles might not need the coverage, as the problems tended to occur between 20,000 and 50,000 miles".
If you own a 2006-2009 Prius, contact Toyota for more information.
Action You Can Take
This step is crucial. Don't just complain on forums; The sites below actually manage your complaint in ways that allow useful statistics and they report dangerous trends to the authorities. Law firms often contact these sites for help with Class Action lawsuits. Make sure to file your complaint on all three sites, we can't stress that enough.
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Step 1: File Your Complaint at CarComplaints.com
CarComplaints.com is a free resource dedicated to uncovering car problem trends and informing the consumer. File Your Complaint
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Step 2: Notify the Center for Auto Safety
The Center for Auto Safety is an organization that informs consumers about auto safety issues. Notify the CAS
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Step 3: Report a Safety Concern to the NHTSA
The NHTSA directs highway safety and has the authority to force recalls to be issued following investigations. Report Your Concern
Have Your Say
Let us know if you've experienced this problem, know of a potential fix or just want to voice how frustrated you are:
In The News
- Toyota Prius Headlight Failure Sparks Class-Action Suit (Jan 21, 2011)
- Toyota stung by possible Prius HID headlight defect (Jun 30, 2009)