Prius On and Off Headlights
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Prius On and Off Headlights
I think that here in the bay area, the Prius has become more common than the bimmer 3 series, and that is saying a lot. Of course, eco is embraced around here and economy got to be a big issue here when gas ran up. The local paper has a daily Q&A column on auto/roads/traffic issues. The guy who runs the column became a Prius owner as well. And the Prius owners are continually amazed that they are lumped in with SUVs for most hated vehicle status, but that's another thread.
The interesting thing was on of the columns was devoted to problems with Prius headlights, even the guy running the column has it on his, and the costs for repair. Ends up the eco/econo set don't appear very happy having a $1K+/- repair bill on their Prius after they thought all they had to worry about was the battery pack. Can't say I know much about the Prius or issues with it. But this seems to be more than an isolated problem. Here's the column:
Roadshow: Cost to replace on-and-off Prius headlights can run $950 — or nothing
By Gary Richards
Mercury News
Article Launched: 12/17/2008 10:23:30 AM PST
Q I don't know if you've already discussed replacement costs for Toyota Prius headlights, but . . .
Steve Armstrong San Jose
A Oh, we certainly are today.
Q We are a two-Prius family. Both cars have been dependable until recently, when my wife's 2006 car started experiencing problems with the headlights. Both started to go out alternately, and when she turned the light lever off, then back on, the lights would come back on for a few minutes. I took the car to the dealership, thinking it was an electrical problem and would be covered under the extended warranty. Wrong! I was told both headlights had to be replaced and were not covered under the warranty — at a cost of $381 each, plus approximately $200 labor. Total cost to replace both headlights even after a discount of 15 percent was $950.
Steve Armstrong
A Ouch! And . . .
Q I bought a Toyota Prius in late '06 and have loved the car. Then in August I began experiencing failure of the left front headlight. It seemed to sporadically falter. Not long afterward, my wife was making a nighttime drive down a twisting back road in Aptos and the entire light system went out. I flipped the steering column switch and the lights came back on. I went to the local dealer from whom I purchased the car and the service rep said that individual lights cost about $350 each to replace.
I indicated that it wasn't just the one light that was acting up. He responded, "Yeah, we've had Priuses with this problem." I told him that I wanted to talk to Toyota about addressing a problem that is a safety hazard and given the newness of the vehicle this should never happen. A person in the corporate office indicated that Toyota would not assume any fiscal responsibility for the repair. He reasoned that the 65,000 mileage was beyond the range of responsibility for this problem, and that I had not had my car serviced at the Toyota dealership. I argued that we weren't talking about a normal condition, brake linings and wear factor items. I told him that of the six Toyotas I have owned as well as the many other various vehicles, I have never known a car to simply have a total light failure, and that it was not a mileage-related problem, but a safety defect that they should address. The problem has gotten progressively worse and the lights fail constantly. I have been perplexed with what to do and pressed to find the extra dollars to take it in to the dealership and simply swallow the expense. Someone suggested I write you.
James Hamilton Aptos
A Full confession. This has also happened to my Prius, and I have heard from other drivers who have experienced similar problems. Some motorists, like Steve, have paid $950 to fix their lights. My dealer charged me for labor only, and others say they have not been charged at all to have their lights replaced. Toyota says it is seeing similar problems with high-intensity discharge (HID) bulbs, and this is not confined to the Prius. The corporate folks also say its up to each dealer to determine how much you should pay. That is a pretty weak response. Forking over nearly $1,000 to replace lights on a 2-year-old car is tough to swallow. Toyota recommends you call its customer center at (800) 331-4331 if your lights are also going out. Then let me know how Toyota responds.
Q This isn't another letter to incite a riot about Prius/SUV drivers, just a simple question that no one can seem to answer. I figured you know the ropes, so: I had been getting about 48 mpg in my Prius up until the last three tanks of gas, and my mileage has fallen to 43 mpg. My driving habits haven't changed, so I thought maybe it is the California winter gas. Can mileage be reduced by 6 to 10 percent?
Stephen Schrag
San Jose
A Yes, it can. It's a combination of California's winter blend of gas, which affects all cars. Plus the Prius mileage tends to drop in cold weather, when the gas engine kicks in more often. My mileage has fallen from 54 to around 48 mpg.
http://www.mercurynews.com/mrroadsho...nclick_check=1
I have HIDs on my 2k1 GS4 and besides one replaced under warranty for leaking, I have had no problems with them whatsoever. But the cost of replacing one is staggering. I think that the one replaced on my GS was around $1200 for one side only. But I guess Prius owners are a big more sensitive when their econo car needs $250 headlights replaced. I am not sure what the reference is to other Toyota models experiencing this. Also, the column has letters that appear to be 06 Prius, might be isolated. But the Toyota response is a bit un Toyota like.
The interesting thing was on of the columns was devoted to problems with Prius headlights, even the guy running the column has it on his, and the costs for repair. Ends up the eco/econo set don't appear very happy having a $1K+/- repair bill on their Prius after they thought all they had to worry about was the battery pack. Can't say I know much about the Prius or issues with it. But this seems to be more than an isolated problem. Here's the column:
Roadshow: Cost to replace on-and-off Prius headlights can run $950 — or nothing
By Gary Richards
Mercury News
Article Launched: 12/17/2008 10:23:30 AM PST
Q I don't know if you've already discussed replacement costs for Toyota Prius headlights, but . . .
Steve Armstrong San Jose
A Oh, we certainly are today.
Q We are a two-Prius family. Both cars have been dependable until recently, when my wife's 2006 car started experiencing problems with the headlights. Both started to go out alternately, and when she turned the light lever off, then back on, the lights would come back on for a few minutes. I took the car to the dealership, thinking it was an electrical problem and would be covered under the extended warranty. Wrong! I was told both headlights had to be replaced and were not covered under the warranty — at a cost of $381 each, plus approximately $200 labor. Total cost to replace both headlights even after a discount of 15 percent was $950.
Steve Armstrong
A Ouch! And . . .
Q I bought a Toyota Prius in late '06 and have loved the car. Then in August I began experiencing failure of the left front headlight. It seemed to sporadically falter. Not long afterward, my wife was making a nighttime drive down a twisting back road in Aptos and the entire light system went out. I flipped the steering column switch and the lights came back on. I went to the local dealer from whom I purchased the car and the service rep said that individual lights cost about $350 each to replace.
I indicated that it wasn't just the one light that was acting up. He responded, "Yeah, we've had Priuses with this problem." I told him that I wanted to talk to Toyota about addressing a problem that is a safety hazard and given the newness of the vehicle this should never happen. A person in the corporate office indicated that Toyota would not assume any fiscal responsibility for the repair. He reasoned that the 65,000 mileage was beyond the range of responsibility for this problem, and that I had not had my car serviced at the Toyota dealership. I argued that we weren't talking about a normal condition, brake linings and wear factor items. I told him that of the six Toyotas I have owned as well as the many other various vehicles, I have never known a car to simply have a total light failure, and that it was not a mileage-related problem, but a safety defect that they should address. The problem has gotten progressively worse and the lights fail constantly. I have been perplexed with what to do and pressed to find the extra dollars to take it in to the dealership and simply swallow the expense. Someone suggested I write you.
James Hamilton Aptos
A Full confession. This has also happened to my Prius, and I have heard from other drivers who have experienced similar problems. Some motorists, like Steve, have paid $950 to fix their lights. My dealer charged me for labor only, and others say they have not been charged at all to have their lights replaced. Toyota says it is seeing similar problems with high-intensity discharge (HID) bulbs, and this is not confined to the Prius. The corporate folks also say its up to each dealer to determine how much you should pay. That is a pretty weak response. Forking over nearly $1,000 to replace lights on a 2-year-old car is tough to swallow. Toyota recommends you call its customer center at (800) 331-4331 if your lights are also going out. Then let me know how Toyota responds.
Q This isn't another letter to incite a riot about Prius/SUV drivers, just a simple question that no one can seem to answer. I figured you know the ropes, so: I had been getting about 48 mpg in my Prius up until the last three tanks of gas, and my mileage has fallen to 43 mpg. My driving habits haven't changed, so I thought maybe it is the California winter gas. Can mileage be reduced by 6 to 10 percent?
Stephen Schrag
San Jose
A Yes, it can. It's a combination of California's winter blend of gas, which affects all cars. Plus the Prius mileage tends to drop in cold weather, when the gas engine kicks in more often. My mileage has fallen from 54 to around 48 mpg.
http://www.mercurynews.com/mrroadsho...nclick_check=1
I have HIDs on my 2k1 GS4 and besides one replaced under warranty for leaking, I have had no problems with them whatsoever. But the cost of replacing one is staggering. I think that the one replaced on my GS was around $1200 for one side only. But I guess Prius owners are a big more sensitive when their econo car needs $250 headlights replaced. I am not sure what the reference is to other Toyota models experiencing this. Also, the column has letters that appear to be 06 Prius, might be isolated. But the Toyota response is a bit un Toyota like.
Last edited by RON430; Dec 20, 2008 at 03:03 PM.
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I can vouch for the fact that the Prius does seem to have somewhat of an unreliable headlight issue......I see a number of one-eyed ones running around my area, even on relatively new ones. I'm not an engineer, but, as a guess, it may have to do with the car's high electronic complexity....more so than the competing Honda Civic Hybrid. Other than that, though, the Prius is just about bulletproof......according to Consumer Reports, it's hard to find a more reliable car.
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Obviously, it's not like I have been really noticing Prius headlights. The only reason I put the article up was that it does seem that this isn't a limited number of cars showing the problem if it made it into our write in column. And the Prius fans are loathe to find any fault with the Prius. Every mfr can get a bad batch of headlights or some such other issue. I might complain if the light went out after a couple of years and Toyota wasn't interested in replacing it if I was under warranty. But a HID going out every two years or so would get a little tiresome. Not to mention expensive. As for something going on that takes out all the lights in the car when a headlight burns out, well that could become downright annoying.
Last edited by RON430; Dec 20, 2008 at 06:32 PM.
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In Consumer Reports, the '06 and '07 Prius gets high marks for both Electrical and Power Equipment (Much Better Than Average). I don't know much about the Prius but according the the info in CR, those areas don't seem have many widespread issues.
I hope Toyota does something about the prius headlights for the next gen. The current HID reflectors are HORRIBLE. There is so much glaring that it's even more annoying than a Chevy tahoe driving up behind you.
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I have to admit to not paying that much attention to the next gen Prius but I will agree, those headlights are out of proportion and I can't understand why you would pay a designer to come up with that.
Last edited by RON430; Dec 22, 2008 at 10:34 AM.
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I don't ignore CR ratings but I don't live and die by them either. The article I posted is not very scientific but I wouldn't ignore it either. CR has been known to be pretty biased when it comes to Toyota reliability.
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In the end there is no perfect car. Not even a Lexus. What separates the cars in my eyes is the quality of the service that you can get when there is a problem with your vehicle
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Thought number 2. If the Prius eco fans aren't crazy about the cost of replacing the lights on the current Prius, what do you think those things on the next gen will cost?
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They've probably been more biased about Lexus than Toyota. CR, for example, has noted the reliability decrease of both newer Tundras and some newer Camrys, but has yet to acknowledge the quality cheapening of the ES350 over its 330 predecessor, which is obvious, or transmission-flare problems which both the 330 and 350 have had.