NHTSA Complaint #10526399 — 2004 TOYOTA PRIUS

BOTH HEADLAMPS GO OFF AND ON SPORADICALLY, AS FOLLOWS: APPROXIMATELY THIRTY (30) DAYS AFTER BUYING THIS USED CAR, THE LEFT HID HEADLAMP APPEARED BURNT OUT. BOTH LEFT AND RIGHT HEADLAMPS WERE REPLACED ON OR ABOUT JANUARY 8, 2013, AS RECOMMENDED FOR THIS TYPE OF LIGHT. ON INSTALLATION, EITHER LIGHT WOULD FLASH ON BUT THEN GO OUT AGAIN, BUT TURNING THE HEADLAMP SWITCH OFF THEN ON AGAN SEEMED TO RECTIFY THE PROBLEM. BOTH HEADLAMPS THEN REMAINED ON FOR APPROXIMATELY TWO WEEKS, AT WHICH POINT THE LEFT HEADLAMP WAS SPORADICALLY OUT FOR APPROXIMATELY TWO WEEKS, WHEN IT WOULD GO ON ONLY IF THE HEADLAMP SWITCH WERE TURNED OFF THEM BACK ON AGAIN. BOTH HEADLAMPS THEN WORKED FOR APPROXIMATELY SIX WEEKS, AT WHICH POINT THE LEFT HEADLAMP WENT OUT FOR APPROXIMATELY FOUR WEEKS, BUT THEN CAME ON AFTER APPROXIMATELY ONE MONTH WHEN THE POLICE FOUND THE RIGHT LIGHT TO BE OUT. THEY SAID IT NEEDED TO BE FIXED; THAT IT IS A SAFETY HAZARD, AT WHICH I EXPLAINED THE HISTORY OF TOYOTA PRIUS HEADLAMP ISSUES AND THAT I WOULD PURSUE AN APPROPRIATE REMEDY FOR THIS MANUFACTURING DEFECT. THE RIGHT HEADLAMP REMAINS OUT TO THIS DATE, BUT DID COME ON FOR APPROXIMATELY ONE WEEK IN THE INTERIM. TURNING THE HEADLAMP SWITCH OFF THEN ON AGAIN HAS NOT HELPED SINCE THE DAY OF INSTALLATION. *TR