The ballasts for the hid lights in the 2009 Prius are famously unreliable. Mine demonstrated this last evening in a very unnerving way. The headlamps would simply turn off without warning, sometimes one, and many times, both, leaving me to the mercy of street lights! this is incredibly dangerous. I checked on it and found that this happens to hundreds of Prius drivers. Isn't Toyota concerned that its $1,200 charge for fixing its own defective equipment (for the ballasts are known for this) will lead to death of poor persons who cannot afford the fix" shouldn't there be a general recall for such a consumer-safety issue" (sure, cycling the lights turns them back on, but when you are driving in the dark, it isn't easy to think well.)

- Arkadelphia, AR, USA

The headlights have been going out randomly for the last few months but only one at a time. This evening while driving home from a late meeting, both headlights went out while driving at 55mph. I pulled off the highway and tried turning the car off and on again. Headlights went on when I turned the car back on, so I resumed driving only to have the lights go out again! this time I flicked on the high beams and the lights came on. I stopped to grab a bite to eat figuring I could do the high beam trick again. When I started the car, the lights went on and high beams turned on when I engaged the lever. While driving home, less than 2 miles from where I started the car, headlights went out and the high beams did not work either when I attempted to turn them on. I pulled over to turn the car off and on again but with no luck this time. Very slowly drove the last mile home on the less traveled road with my flashers on...this situation is incredibly dangerous.

- Rehoboth Beach, DE, USA