2009 TOYOTA PRIUS Complaints

FIRST THE DRIVER'S SIDE HEADLIGHT WENT OUT, AND THEN BACK ON AFTER A DAY OR TWO. THEN THE PASSENGER SIDE HEADLIGHT DID THE SAME THING. I NEVER KNOW UNTIL I START UP THE CAR WHETHER OR NOT I AM GOING TO HAVE BOTH HEADLIGHTS WORKING. THIS HAPPENS WHEN I FIRST START UP THE VEHICLE. I DON'T KNOW IF IT ALSO HAPPENS WHILE DRIVING.

RIGHT HEADLIGHT FLICKERS OUT ABOUT 2-3 MINUTES AFTER TURNING IT ON. BY TURNING THE SWITCH OFF AND ON, THE LIGHT COMES BACK ON. BUT IF FAILS AGAIN IN A FEW MINUTES. THIS HAPPENS WHILE DRIVING, BUT ALSO HAPPENS SITTING IN THE DRIVEWAY WITH THE ENGINE OFF.

THIS CAR CUTS OFF POWER TO SAVE THE POWERTRAIN FROM DAMAGE, THAT IS WHAT TOYOTA TOLD ME. YOU MUST BE EXTREMELY CAREFUL WHEN ENTERING TRAFFIC BECAUSE YOU CAN LOSE POWER FOR 2-3 SECONDS IF THE CARS COMPUTER SENSES ANY WHEEL SPIN. THE WAY I SEE IT THIS IS A MACHINE THAT WAS DESIGNED BY THE ENGINEERS TO SAVE ITSELF FROM DAMAGE, THE SAFETY OF THE DRIVER IS OF NO CONCERN TO THE COMPUTER PROGRAM. YOU MUST ALWAYS!!! BE AWARE WHEN DRIVING THIS CAR THAT IT CAN AND WILL CUT ALL POWER WHEN YOU ENTER TRAFFIC. THE BEST WAY TO DRIVE THIS CAR AND STAY ALIVE IS TO MAKE SURE ANY APPROACHING VEHICLES ARE MUCH FARTHER AWAY THAN YOU WOULD CONSIDER NORMAL IF YOU WERE DRIVING ANY OTHER CAR. IMAGINE IN THE FUTURE THAT A FIREFIGHTING ROBOT RUNS INTO A BURNING BUILDING TO SAVE YOU, THE ROBOT PICKS YOU UP AND STARTS TO EXIT THE BUILDING. THE ROBOTS COMPUTER SENSES THAT IT IS GETTING TOO HOT FOR ITS DESIGN PARAMETERS SO IT DROPS YOU ON THE FLOOR AND RUNS OUT OF THE BUILDING TO SAVE ITSELF, THAT ANALOGY BASICALLY DESCRIBES THE 2009 PRIUS , ITS COMPUTER SAVES ITSELF WITHOUT THOUGHT THAT YOU ARE LEFT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD WITHOUT POWER. TOYOTA TOLD ME AGAIN THAT THE TRANSMISSION COULD NOT HANDLE THE POWER FROM THE MOTOR SO THEY MADE THE COMPUTER CUT POWER IF WHEEL SPIN WAS DETECTED. MY MAJOR COMPLAINT IS THE LENGTH OF TIME THE POWER IS CUT 2-3 SECONDS WHICH IS A VERY VERY LONG TIME WHEN YOU ARE ENTERING TRAFFIC.

LEFT HEADLIGHT STARTED SPORADICALLY FLICKERING IN APRIL 2014, THEN RIGHT HEADLIGHT STARTED FLICKERING AND GOING OUT IN AUGUST 2014. BOUGHT REPLACEMENT BULBS, WHICH WORKED FOR 3 MONTHS, NOW BOTH HEADLIGHTS WILL INTERMITTENTLY GO OUT WHILE DRIVING. VERY DANGEROUS TO DRIVE AT NIGHT AS THEY JUST SUDDENLY GO OUT WITH NO NOTICE. HAVE DISCUSSED WITH MECHANIC WHO INFORMED ME THAT IT IS A "BALLAST" PROBLEM WITH THE 2009 PRIUS AND A CLASS ACTION LAW SUIT EXISTED, BUT SINCE MY CAR WAS OUTSIDE OF THE 5 YEARS 50K MILES COVERAGE THE COST TO REPAIR WOULD BE SOMEWHERE AROUND $1200.00 PER LIGHT. TOYOTA NEEDS TO FIX THIS PROBLEM AS A DEFECT!!!

HEADLIGHTS GO OFF WITHOUT WARNING, SOMETIMES LEFT, SOMETIMES RIGHT, SOMETIMES BOTH. INCONSISTENT AND NOTICE ONLY AT NIGHT. CAN'T FIX AND CAN'T FIND SOLUTION. HEADLIGHTS DON'T NEED TO BE REPLACED - THERE IS SOMETHING WRONG WITH CAR WIRING OR OTHER. I'VE HAD THIS CAR SINCE 2009 AND ONLY HAD PROBLEM LAST SIX MONTHS OR SO - PROBABLY STARTING 1/2016. CAR HAS APPROX. 65K MILES ON IT. VERY UNSAFE - ESPECIALLY AT NIGHT IN CITY WHEN I CAN'T FOLLOW ANOTHER CAR AND I CAN'T TELL IF MY HEADLIGHTS ARE ON OR NOT!

SOMETIMES ONE HEADLIGHT TURNS OFF. WHEN I TURN THE HEADLIGHTS ON AND OFF, THE HEADLIGHT COMES BACK ON. THIS HAS HAPPENED ON THE FREEWAY. IT DOES NOT HAPPEN EVERY DAY.

I BECAME AWARE THE PAST FEW MONTHS THAT MY RIGHT HID HEADLIGHT WAS GOING OFF AND ON WHEN I WAS DRIVING. I WAS FIRST ALERTED TO IT BY OTHER CARS FLASHING ME. THEN TIME WOULD GO BY AND IT SEEMED TO WORK. YET, THE PROBLEM RETURNED. ONE TIME THE LEFT LIGHT WENT OUT AS WELL, AND I WAS WITHOUT EITHER LIGHT. BUT GENERALLY IT IS JUST THE RIGHT LIGHT. IF I TURN THE LIGHT SWITCH OFF AND ON, THEN BOTH LIGHTS WORK, AGAIN USUALLY UNTIL I GET HOME, I AM AWARE THAT THESE EXPENSIVE BULBS (MORE THAN $600 FOR BOTH) ARE THE COMMON SOLUTION, BUT I KNOW SOMEONE WHO HAD THE REPLACEMENT BULBS GO OUT, AS WELL ,AFTER A FEW MONTHS. SO IT MUST BE THE CIRCUIT. I WILL TRY TO LIMIT MY DRIVING TO DAY TIME, AND TO BE DILIGENT TO REMEMBER TO BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR SUDDEN LIGHT FAILURE AND SWITCH,THE LIGHTS ON AND OFF. MY MEMORY ISN'T AS SHARP AS IT ONCE WAS, BEING AN ELDERLY RETIRED PERSON. THIS MAKES ME QUITE NERVOUS ESPECIALLY ON ICY ROADS IN AN AREA THAT DARKENS EARLY. SUGGESTED REPAIRS ARE CURRENTLY ABOVE MY MEANS. THANK YOU FOR HEARING THIS. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 TOYOTA PRIUS. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING 50 MPH, THE ENGINE STARTED TO REV AND VEHICLE ACCELERATED UNCONTROLLABLY. THE VEHICLE WAS RESTARTED AFTER WAITING A MOVEMENT BUT THE FAILURE RECURRED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHERE IT WAS AWAITING A DIAGNOSIS. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 65,000.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 TOYOTA PRIUS. WHILE DRIVING AT NIGHT, THE LOW BEAM HEADLIGHTS DIM INTERMITTENTLY. THE CONTACT DROVE THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE HEADLIGHT ASSEMBLY WAS DAMAGED AND NEEDED REPLACEMENT. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE CONTACT ALSO STATED THAT THE FAILURE OCCURRED DAILY. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 130,000.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNED A 2009 TOYOTA PRIUS. WHILE DRIVING 30 MPH, THE REAR PASSENGER SIDE OF THE VEHICLE CAUGHT FIRE. THERE WERE NO INJURIES. THE VEHICLE WAS DESTROYED AND TOWED TO THE IMPOUND LOT. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 80,000. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE.