Prius Owners Sue Over Faulty Headlights

Toyota’s Prius, now in its third generation, remains the dominant hybrid car. But an increasing number of older Prius owners are finding that the autos have a potentially dangerous flaw—failing headlights. What's worse, the so-called high-intensity discharge lamps, which are optional ugrades, can cost more than $1,000 to fix. With a group of Prius owners suing Toyota, the issue threatens to be a customer-relations fiasco, reports Advertising Age.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is investigating whether to declare a recall, which would force Toyota to foot the bill for replacement. In any case, Toyota needs to handle the issue gracefully, because Prius owners are "sensitive people with a clear sense of right and wrong and their obligation to society," says the CEO of Fletcher-Martin, an Atlanta marketing firm. "This is the wrong group to mess with, particularly now." (More Prius stories.)