January 25, 2011

Recently Toyota agreed to a settlement that involved almost 220,000 Prius Hybrids, in which claimants testified that their Prius' high-intensity headlights would function intermittently, and then fail.

Although Toyota agreed to the settlement, they denied that the headlight failure was due to any wrongdoing on their part or due to a malfunction of their vehicle. The suit claimed, however, that Toyota knew of the Prius' circuiting problems, and concealed these problems from buyers. Many owners, forced to fix the problem themselves, paid anywhere from a few hundred to a few thousand dollars to replace the  headlight system.

The case was filed in the Federal District Court of Los Angeles in 2009. The tentative settlement, which was reached January 10, 2010 and is scheduled for final approval by United States District Judge Manuel L. Real this July, covers vehicles manufactured from 2006-2009. It includes a warranty extension from three years or 36,000 miles, to five years or 50,000 miles, to cover repairs of HID bulbs and HID electric control units. The settlement also includes cash reimbursement for any owner out-of-pocket expenses incurred in fixing the headlight system.

The deadline for Prius owners to mail their claim is May 30, 2011.

Why weren't these vehicles recalled after 656 complaints?

Toyota and the National Highway Safety and Traffic Administration found that it was rare for both headlights to simultaneously burn out, and one working headlight emitted enough light for drivers to safely reach a repair facility. Regardless, there were cases  reported where both headlights ceased functioning.

While no injuries or deaths have yet been linked to accidents involving these faulty circuiting systems, anyone who owns a 2006-2009 Prius, and has experienced problems with its original factory headlight system, may wish to have the system checked by a dealership and contact an attorney to preserve their rights for reimbursement.