NHTSA Complaint #10349278 — 2005 TOYOTA PRIUS

AT ABOUT 104K MILES THE HID HEADLIGHTS, ALONG WITH THE DASH DASHBOARD LIGHTS, WENT OUT WHILE MY DAUGHTER WAS DRIVING ON A COUNTRY ROAD AT NIGHT. THE SUDDEN DARKNESS RESULTED IN A COLLISION WITH A GUARD RAIL WHILE BRAKING. AFTER PUTTING THE CAR IN PARK, TURNING OFF THE POWER BUTTON AND RESTARTING THE CAR EVERYTHING CAME BACK ON. WHILE WE WERE SHAKEN UP, NO ONE WAS HURT. THE CAR SUSTAINED $2K DAMAGE TO THE BODY, BUT NOT TO THE HEADLIGHTS. THE LOCAL DEALER DIDN'T EXPRESS ANY KNOWLEDGE OF HEADLIGHT FAILURES IN PRIUSES, INSPECTED THE LIGHTING SYSTEM AND PRONOUNCED EVERYTHING FINE. I DID HAVE TO PAY FOR THE INSPECTION AS THE LIGHTS WEREN'T DAMAGED AND NOT COVERED BY THE COLLISION CLAIM. INTERNET RESEARCH HAS BROUGHT UP MANY SIMILAR CASES OF THIS OCCURRING WITH OTHER PRIUSES; WITH NO ACKNOWLEDGEMENT BY TOYOTA. MY DAUGHTER IS NOW TERRIFIED OF DRIVING THIS CAR. I ALSO OWN A 2007 PRIUS WITH HID LIGHTS AND 55K MILES. I'M MONITORING IT'S HEADLIGHTS WHENEVER POSSIBLE AS IT IS DRIVEN MOSTLY DURING THE DAY WITH THE HEADLIGHTS ON. *TR