NHTSA Complaint #10789456 — 2007 TOYOTA PRIUS

THE HEADLIGHTS GO AT WITHOUT WARNING. SOMETIMES ONE GOES OUT SOMETIMES BOTH WHILE WE ARE DRIVING. BULB REPLACEMENT DOES NOT FIX THE ISSUES. THIS HAS CONTINUED TO BE A PROBLEM FOR YEARS. TOYOTA SERVICE HAS NOT OFFERED A FIX THAT WORKS! I HAVE BEEN DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY OR LOCAL ROADS WHEN, ALL OF A SUDDEN, ALL THE LIGHTING GOES DARK. I HAVE HAD SUCCESS IN RELIGHTING THE HEADLIGHTS BY TURNING OFF THE HEADLIGHTS AT THE MAIN SWITCH AND THEN TURNING THEM BACK ON. EXTREMELY DANGEROUS. BREAKS ARE ALSO A MENACE: ON WET ROADS IT IS ESPECIALLY NOTICEABLE WHEN USING THE BREAKS. IF YOU ARE BREAKING AND A TIRE GOES OVER A MORE SLIPPERY SURFACE THAN THE PAVEMENT, SUCH AS A MANHOLE COVER, THE ABS SYSTEM CUTS BREAKING TO ALL THE WHEELS SUCH THAT THE CAR CONTINUES ON AS IF THE BREAKS ARE NOT BEING APPLIED - THE CAR EFFECTIVELY RELEASES THE BREAKS AND YOU LOOSE CONTROL OF THE CAR UNTIL ITS SYSTEMS DECIDE TO RETURN CONTROLS TO THE DRIVER. THIS HAPPENS OVER AND OVER AND OVER. TRY IT ON A ROAD WITH A BIT OF LOOSE GRAVEL ON IT OR THE LEFTOVER COARSE SAND FROM WINTER ROAD MAINTENANCE OR GOING THROUGH A MILDE POTHOLE WHERE GRAVEL HAS SPILLED ONTO THE ROAD....BREAKING IN THESE CONDITIONS WILL CONSISTENTLY CAUSE THE CAR TO DIMINISH BREAKING POWER TO SUCH AN EXTENT THAT THE CAR IS NO LONGER LOWING DOWN. WE OWN 6 CARS OF VARYING MAKES AND THIS IS THE ONLY CAR THAT HAS THIS ISSUE. THE OTHER SIDE OF THIS SAME ISSUE IS THAT IF YOU ARE PULLING OUT INTO TRAFFIC AND A DRIVE WHEEL HITS A SLIGHTLY SLIPPERY PATCH, THE ENGINE POWER IS CUT FOR SO LONG AND SO SEVERELY THAT WE ARE AT RISK OF BEING HIT. THIS HAPPENS EVERY SINGLE TIME. TOYOTA SERVICE HAS NOT OFFERED A FIX. THOUGH WE HAVE TOLD THEM ABOU THIS ISSUE REPEATEDLY, THEY TYPICALLY DO NOT WRITE IT DOWN AND TELL US IT IS NORMAL. IT IS NOT NORMAL OR SAFE.