— A Toyota Prius headlight lawsuit alleges low-beam headlights fail at alarming rates, leaving owners to pay for repeated headlight repairs and replacements.
The proposed class-action lawsuit says 2010-2011 Prius cars should have been recalled long ago after owners kept complaining about spending a fortune to replace burned out low-beam headlights.
Plaintiff Michael Robey says he purchased a new 2010 Toyota Prius in December 2010 and by 2014 Mr. Robey noticed that his driver’s side headlight was not functioning properly, so he took the car to a dealership.
The plaintiff was told both the driver’s side and passenger’s side low-beam headlights were burned out and the driver’s side headlight assembly was melted. The dealer replaced both bulbs and the driver’s side headlight assembly for $720.08.
Based on warranty claims, consumer complaints and input from its dealerships, Toyota has allegedly known about the low-beam headlight problems since at least 2010 but ignored the defects to keep selling the cars.
The plaintiff says the cost to Prius owners is great, a common theme witnessed in customer complaints found across the Internet.
"Headlights started getting dim. Replaced bulbs with new hid bulbs. Headlights still dim. Dealer claims water is in both headlights. Requires me to replace both headlight assemblies for $1,000. Not covered under warranty. As an engineer I claim poor design." - 2010 Toyota Prius owner / San Anselmo, California
Other owners say they've been stuck with repeated repairs to keep replacing the low-beam headlights after they kept failing without warning.
"Low beam headlamps continually fail. I've had to replace lights no less that 8 times since 2012! not only an expense, but poses a significant hazard. The car can be parked, or active. There is no warning or specific mileage. Seems random." - 2010 Toyota Prius owner / Peyton, Colorado
Owners say the headlights fail without warning and leave drivers in the dark while traveling at highway speeds, creating a safety hazard to all on the road. In addition, many owners also complain about the danger resulting from melted headlight assemblies and housings.
According to the lawsuit, Toyota has refused to recall the cars or offered customers free repairs or replacements of the headlights and related parts. Toyota has also allegedly never offered to reimburse Prius owners who have paid their own money to continually replace low-beam headlights.
The Prius headlight lawsuit alleges Toyota knew of and concealed the defects from consumers at the time of sale and thereafter, causing consumers to purchase cars worth less than what was paid.
The Toyota Prius headlight lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court, Northern District of California, San Francisco Division - Michael Robey, et al, v. Toyota Motor Sales USA Inc.
The plaintiff is represented by Glancy Prongay & Murray LLP.
CarComplaints.com has hundreds of complaints about Toyota Prius headlight problems in the model years listed in the lawsuit: