xcel
06-29-2009, 10:56 PM
http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/2/AmericanFlag.jpg Lawsuit, online complaints come as automaker launches new model. (adage.com/article?article_id=137654)
http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/501/074_2010_Prius.jpgJean Halliday - AdAge (http://adage.com) - June 29, 2009
2010 Toyota Prius-III... $22,000 to start and 50 mpgUS combined. And no more HID's either.
Lots of unnamed online forums although older HID's have been problematic while the rest of the car is practically bulletproof. -- Ed.
Detroit, MI. -- Amid the launch of the third-generation Prius hybrid, Toyota is taking a beating online and in court by owners who charge that some older models of the popular car have faulty headlights that can cost more than $1,000 to replace.
Owners have complained to federal safety officials and in online chats that Prius' upgraded optional lights, known as high-intensity discharge headlamps, have a tendency to fail. U.S. federal safety officials started looking into the matter in late April, and a lawsuit was filed last month against Toyota on behalf of Prius owners. The suit called the situation "a dangerous but undisclosed safety defect."
The complaints began online as early as August 2006, according to a scan of chat rooms and owner forums by Advertising Age. Owners are upset that their warranties don't cover the HID bulbs, which can cost between $300 and $1,800 -- with labor -- to replace all or part of the light system.
Feds query carmaker
An arm of the U.S. Transportation Department opened a "preliminary evaluation" into the matter in late April after getting 338 complaints and took the next step by asking Toyota about the matter in a letter dated May 13, a spokesman for the carmaker said. Toyota is complying with the request, he said... http://adage.com/article?article_id=137654
http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/501/074_2010_Prius.jpgJean Halliday - AdAge (http://adage.com) - June 29, 2009
2010 Toyota Prius-III... $22,000 to start and 50 mpgUS combined. And no more HID's either.
Lots of unnamed online forums although older HID's have been problematic while the rest of the car is practically bulletproof. -- Ed.
Detroit, MI. -- Amid the launch of the third-generation Prius hybrid, Toyota is taking a beating online and in court by owners who charge that some older models of the popular car have faulty headlights that can cost more than $1,000 to replace.
Owners have complained to federal safety officials and in online chats that Prius' upgraded optional lights, known as high-intensity discharge headlamps, have a tendency to fail. U.S. federal safety officials started looking into the matter in late April, and a lawsuit was filed last month against Toyota on behalf of Prius owners. The suit called the situation "a dangerous but undisclosed safety defect."
The complaints began online as early as August 2006, according to a scan of chat rooms and owner forums by Advertising Age. Owners are upset that their warranties don't cover the HID bulbs, which can cost between $300 and $1,800 -- with labor -- to replace all or part of the light system.
Feds query carmaker
An arm of the U.S. Transportation Department opened a "preliminary evaluation" into the matter in late April after getting 338 complaints and took the next step by asking Toyota about the matter in a letter dated May 13, a spokesman for the carmaker said. Toyota is complying with the request, he said... http://adage.com/article?article_id=137654