Since early December 2009, my 2007 Toyota Prius has had a safety problem with the hid headlights going out intermittently, usually only one side at a time, but several times both have gone out at the same time. I live just off a dark, winding road, and twice both of the lights went out at the same time, leaving me totally in the dark. I was able to flip then off and back on to narrowly avoid a potential fatal accident. I have been stopped by the ga highway patrol and given a warning due to the driver side headlight not working at dusk once. Had it been dark already, the officer would have ticketed me he said. This is a major safety issue that requires the NHTSA to investigate thoroughly with Prius owners. There are several blogs on the internet reporting this problem and complaining about the exorbitant cost that Toyota dealerships charge to "fix" the problem (from $800 to $1800), only to find that the problem is repeated within a year or two. The local Toyota dealership said that my "repair" would be about $1,100, but I declined because I feel that this is an inherent defect in the headlights themselves, the wiring harness, or the computer module (or possibly all of them) that may or may not be fixed by throwing money at it now. I beg you to investigate this issue and consider making Toyota issue a general recall due to the headlights issue. Someone is going to be killed one day, if it hasn't already happened. It probably already has. This car was purchased new, not driven hard or over bad roads, routine maintenance has been kept up, and it has less than 39,000 miles on it (about 37,000 at the time the problem began). I am in the process of contacting Toyota motors now to complain about this safety issue and defective parts to see what they will do to help me. Thank you for taking the time to investigate this serious issue and I hope that you will be able to make a difference to save lives because of it.

- Hoschton , GA, USA

The passenger side headlight bulb on my wife's 2007 Prius goes out intermittently, after it's been turned on at dusk. Turning the lights off and then on again makes the light work for a short while until it goes out again. Not something we should be doing while driving down the road. The dealer told her to wait until the light goes completely out before bringing it in to be replaced. I tried to replace it for her but found it required quite a bit of skill and quite a bit of time. This has been an on-going problem, since christmas, 2009.

- Ft. Mill, SC, USA

I have a 2007 Prius. I have experienced intermittent problems with both head lights turning off. Sometimes they both go out at the same time. The first time I took it to the dealership they said they could not recreate the problem. I took it in yesterday and one bulb was replaced for $275. I understand I am not the only one who has had this problem. I am concerned about driving at night, because both lights have gone off at same time.

- Santa Barbara, CA, USA

Early 2009 a friend told me after I got out of my wife's 2007 Prius that the left headlight was out. I thought it strange so I turned on the car & the head lights again - this time it worked. After that occasion I have had the light go out almost every time I drive at night, but it can be turned back on by turning the lights off/on.

- Garland, TX, USA

For over a year I have had intermittent hid headlight issues with one or both lights going out. I have brought my 2007 Toyota Prius to the dealer and to an independent mechanic. Diagnostic testing in both cases show no error codes. This problem occurs about 3-4 times a month and can be remedied by turning the headlights off and on again. I was told by the dealer that if the headlights are replaced at a cost of 300 each it might fix it. If not a hid computer at $1100 and a new headlight assembly may be necessary for another $1100. I find this unacceptable and strongly feel this is a safety issue that warrants recall by Toyota.

- Beaumont, CA, USA

The passenger side headlight of my 2007 Toyota Prius stopped working. I had my 30,000 mile inspection at my local Toyota dealer about 2 weeks ago, and they did not mention this problem. It is a continuous light failure. I have contacted my Toyota dealer to have it replaced, but they want to charge me >$500 for parts and labor.

- San Mateo, CA, USA

This complaint involves a 2007 Toyota Prius on which the headlights went out suddenly. My wife and I both experienced single headlights and taillights going off intermittently in early 2009. Then one night when we were returning home all of the lights in the vehicle went out including the headlights. We were on a hilly road in the foothills of South Carolina and were fortunate not to have had an accident. We turned off the ignition, and when we turned it back on, the lights came back and we made it home. We took our Prius in to jim barkley Toyota in asheville, nc within a few days and reported the problem. They checked out the vehicle, found nothing wrong, and said that was all they could do. When we told them that we could have been killed and were still worried that the failure could happen again, they said that there were 1,000 miles of wire in the car and they couldn't check it all. We were not happy, but they offered no further help. Then, at one of our subsequent 5,000 mile service checks at jim barkley Toyota, we were told that they had replaced our headlamps at no charge to us. Several months after this we received a notice (not a service recall bulletin) that hid headlamp bulbs "may flicker or intermittently be inoperable." The notice didn't say that headlights going out in the dark could be dangerous, but it would seem obvious that this was true. I am writing this complaint because I believe that Toyota had known there was a problem with their headlights and simply stonewalled us when we first reported it. I am not seeking compensation or redress, but I want to report what seems to be arrogance and denial on the part of Toyota. We are fortunate that we were not injured or killed, and so is Toyota.

- Brevard, NC, USA

2007 Toyota Prius headlights turn off while driving on driver side, turn the knob off and on, lights come back on. Happens three times while driving at nite or early morning. 53,000 miles on car. Took to dealership said it is a common problem with Prius'....cost $500. Could not afford. Went online and see alot of complaints about this same problem.......recall Prius' from Toyota, this is another coverup. We are very lucky we haven't hit anything yet, but did almost drive off the highway and had to stop. We have not replaced due to the cost. Sites posted say other Prius owners replaced bulbs only to have them go back out on them. And this happened after we replaced our 12 volt battery with the dealership Dec 19th, next day, problem with headlights. Dealership said nothing to do with battery or lose wiring. Service manager said again it was a problem they are having with all Prius. Recall please !!!!!!

- Buckeye, AZ, USA

Information redacted pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). 2007 Toyota Prius..headlights randomly turn off while driving down the road. Sometimes it the right light, sometimes it the left light, but now both lights are going out. The last time this happened (yesterday) was when the brakes were applied stopping at a stoplight. Sometimes this happens 3 times in a half hour trip to and from work. I took this in to Toyota in mcminnville, Oregon and they said there was nothing wrong because they could not replicate it. This has been on going for over a year now! I have also read on the internet that this has been going on since about 2002. I think there is a problem with the circuit board or software running the lights. Toyota should investigate this before some one gets injured or killed if they haven't already. [xxx]

- Hillsboro, OR, USA

Headlight(s) go off and people have stopped to tell us that one of lights must be burned out. Previously we had noticed others blinking their lights at us but we just thought it was because our lights were on, not that one or both weren't on. There is a period of time, usually 1 or two weeks, and it will happen again. We have found that if we turn off the car and turn it back on that the light(s) work..............but for how long? it's is very scary at night but so far we have been lucky and we very seldom drive at night.

- Magalia, CA, USA

I own a 2007 Toyota Prius. When the car was less than a year old, the lights began to go off and on. Due to my mileage the dealership refused repair. Filed a formal complaint with Toyota 7/2009, again repair refused. By flipping the switch they would come back on and work sporadically. The flickering causes the bulbs to blow. As of today, both headlights stopped working at the same time, causing me to have to stop driving. Replacing the bulb does not fix the problem. Previous dealership in johnson city, tn acknowledge defect but only offered to pay $400 towards repair. Seems this issue won't be addressed until a death or accident occurs. Car is very unsafe at night without working lights!

- Elizabethton, TN, USA

While driving my 2007 Prius to sonoma for the weekend both of my headlights failed to work simultaneously!! this left me driving in complete darkness at 60mph and my 5 year old in the back seat! it was terrifying for that second in which I had no light source whatsoever. No streetlights, no headlights, not even any moonlight! this could have caused a serious crash as I was on unfamiliar roads and I had to turn my lights all the way off and then on again to get any source of light! I hope someone at this Agency is planning on doing something about this before someone gets killed! I know I'm not the only one with this problem out there!

- Westlake Village, CA, USA

I have a 2007 Prius. The last 3 months my headlights have intermittently flickered, and gone out. I rec'd a letter from Toyota stating that this was a common problem with 2006-2009 Prius'. replacing them will cost $300 +, I have researched this problem on this website, and the problem is consistent! if this is a Toyota defect, why are we paying for these bulbs? this is a safety issue!

- Greensboro, NC, USA

I own a 2007 Toyota Prius sport edition. One evening on my way home I got pulled over for having a headlight out. That evening after going home, I got in my car to head back out and my wife followed me into the garage and noticed as I was pulling out that my headlights were both on. That is what alerted me to the problem which is that my headlights go off randomly. Sometimes it is the passenger side headlight, sometimes the driver's side. When one goes out I can usually get it to come back on by turning my lights off and then back on. The worst case of this is that one evening after leaving my in-laws house I had to turn on my bright lights because they don't have streetlights in their neighborhood. As soon as I turned on my brights, both lights went out completely. It was instantly dark and I had to slam on breaks. It took me a second to realize what was going on. I turned my lights off and back on and they worked long enough for me to get home. It is not unusual for one of my lights to go out on a daily basis. I began researching this and found numerous other complaints just like mine from other Prius owners (tinyurl.com/yecdlae) I took my car to the Toyota dealer and the guy there basically told me aside that I could get the bulb replaced but just between us that wasn't going to solve the problem. He said my best bet was to file a complaint and hope for a recall.

- Somerville, TN, USA

My 2007 Prius hid headlight goes out randomly. This problem was first observed on passenger side headlight at approximately 30,000 miles and now failing on driver side as well. The vehicle is now at 54,000 miles. I turn the switch off then on again; it would work for awhile but would go out again. This occurs every time I use the headlights and the failure frequency is increasing. These expansive hid headlights are not reliable and put occupants at extreme risk while driving on dark roadways. This is a serious safety problem. I cannot afford to spend over $600 to replace the headlights that will fail again shortly. Standard, inexpensive halogen headlights are more reliable and have longer life. These hid headlights are defective and need to be recalled by Toyota and replaced with dependable hid headlights.

- Hudson, OH, USA

2007 Toyota Prius. The hid lights just turn off for no reason. It is random. It is a great danger when it is dark and the lights just go off. We are in a rural area so there are no lights near the road when it happens. At this point if I turn the lights off and back on they come back. This has been an intermittent problem for a few months. The bigger issue is that the dealer does not know what causes this and wants to spend over $1000 in trial fixes.

- Duvall, WA, USA

The headlights on our 2007 Toyota Prius go out at random intervals -- it appears to be related to the ballast controlling the lights. The failure happens constantly -- probably at least every few minutes while driving. Sometimes one headlight, sometimes both. It can be "fixed" temporarily by turning the lights off and on, only to repeat itself shortly thereafter. The replacement costs of the system are extremely prohibitive ($1,000), and obviously, this is a very dangerous situation when driving at night. I have been driving and had both lights go out simultaneously on a darkened highway, which is terrifying.

- Washington, DC, USA

Toyota Prius 2007: We own this vehicle which has less then 80K miles on it and the headlights turn off when in use. They do not both go out, it is usually first the passenger side, then I will have to turn them off and back on to get it working again. Then, after a few minutes, the driver's side light turns off. Who has ever heard of headlights dying out so early" I read that there was a similar problem on the 2005 model so I called my local lansing, mi Toyota dealerships service department. They said that it is likely that they are just going out. I informed him of the mileage and his response was "well, they are up to four years old." Again, I asked who has ever heard of buying a new vehicle such as we did with this one, and then the headlights lasting only a few years, well under 100K, not to mention the prior recall? they said well if it is a computer software problem, instead of just replacing the bulbs you are looking at a thousand plus dollars for repair. I believe this is just a way for them to not lose money as there are other dangerous problems with these models. I have children and I do not want to be driving down the road in the evening and then I suddenly lose the ability to have headlights altogether! is that what it will take for a recall to happen" I hope you can help.

- Saint Johns, MI, USA

The driver side hid headlights were failing intermittently. At one point all of the headlights failed while driving at night on the highway. Fog lamps were still working. Replaced the driver side headlight. 2 months later passenger side headlight started working intermittently. Didn't wait for a complete failure to happen while I was on the highway again. Replaced passenger side headlight.

- Dartmouth, 00, USA

2007 Prius, with hid headlights. Both lights go out at the same time, leaving you in total darkness. When you try to turn the high-beams on in this condition the entire dash lighting system blacks out. This has happened on numerous occasions before we actually understood they problem. It was very infrequent at first, starting on thanksgiving 2009. It has happened twice this past weekend. I have called a Toyota dealer and they tell me we need to replace the head lamps. I find it extremely difficult to believe that the entire lighting fails, because of a bad headlight, let alone add in the attempt to switch on the high beams and the entire dash lights go out. We have not been able to get the car to a dealership yet due to scheduling.

- San Dimas, CA, USA