2014 Toyota Prius c - What's happening here?

MY 2014 prius c has 60,000. Replaced passenger side light bulb with recommended bulb and it melts other friends socket …Electric shot through the key when I turned the car on. The other side is went out first and I put a weAK bulb in and it is fine. They didn’t have another so I but the next one recommended and it caught fire.

Huh?
You replaced a bulb in your car, and you think that this resulted in a melted socket in someone else’s car?

If this happened to my car, I would use rubber gloves to wear while starting the car, and then take it to a Toyota dealership for diagnosis and repair.

Bulbs are catching fire in your car?
This car clearly has MAJOR electrical problems, and I strongly suggest that you have it repaired immediately, before the entire car is consumed by flames.

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…and in the mean time, don’t park it in a building or anywhere a fire it starts could become an even bigger problem.

IT’S MY car and the bulbs get hot if not exactly in correctly melt and start smoking. IT sent an eletrical shock through key socket too. I will not use headlights , replace headlight and trade it in for a Mirage. THE bulb ruined the whole headlight. Prius dealer is useless and expensive.

Since this is not a problem with the hybrid system of the Prius C, you may want to seek out an automotive shop that specializes in electrical issues. This same issue could happen on any car.
The cause of your problem may be one of the following:

  1. The bulb is the wrong bulb for the car and drawing too much current causing the connector to melt.
  2. The bulb is not making good contact with the socket and an arc is occurring between the socket and the bulb.

I would think the Toyota dealer could fix the problem, but the price may be high for replacement parts.

Give the OP a break, compadres. I think the OP is not a native English speaker (but speaks English better than I speak any other language!).

Regarding “it melts other friends socket” – in at least one non-English language, the word that translates as “friend” also has the connotation of “companion” – i.e., the other socket in the set, or the socket on the other side.

This seems like a serious electrical problem, what with an electrical shock through the key socket, melting lamp sockets, etc. It’s beyond my ken, but the OP deserves some help. (Offhand, if there is “shock” in the key socket, could the HV battery gotten crossed up with the 12V battery? What is supposed to be going through the key socket?)

“Prius dealer is useless and expensive.” Expensive, sure. Useless? Could it be a communication problem – either the customer’s difficulty with English, or, perhaps, the customer’s attitude, expecting the dealer to fix it immediately for no cost, and screaming about it? Or perhaps the dealer really is useless, and OP should find another dealer or “kick it up” to corporate (without screaming).

Indeed…
With all due respect to my friend Triedaq, even though his diagnosis regarding bulb sockets is undoubtedly on-target, any car that sends an electrical shock through the ignition key has problems FAR beyond the “socket issues”.

Will a Toyota dealership’s service department be more expensive than the mechanic’s shop on the corner? Sure it will, but… which shop has far more experience in dealing with the unusual workings of a Toyota hybrid?
:thinking:

@VDCdriver. I didn’t think about the shock through the ignition key. If the problem with the headlight sockets is tied into the the problem with the shock through the ignition key, this is a very serious problem that probably should be examined by Toyota technicians even higher than the dealer level.
I would think that the problems with the headlight sockets and the shock through the ignition key would be separate issues, but maybe not. I think I underestimated the seriousness of the problem.

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I DON’T KNOW WHERE THE WORD FRIENDS CAME FROM. It seems like auto correct is correcting non misspelled words . The bulb that is for the car melted in socket It said use that bulb. I went to dealer when it started happening

and the man said the do it yourself manual that came with the car is not a repair manual. When the car had 30,000 miles and the brake fluid was low, they wouldnt fill it. I did and the brakes are fine. HE said you have to take off the bumper… also not true according to car manual in order to change a bulb. SOUNDS like people on here are racists. Is this a white english speaking website ? A person should be able to change a bulb on a car. PEP Boys said 250 dollars to put new headlamp on if I bought it. I’M getting rid of it ASAP.

I called Toyota . The power train was still under warranty and under 60,000 when this started and that guy was telling me it wasn’t.

Five years wasn’t up until May 2019 but he said it was up. May 2014 plus 5 is May 2019 . This is what you deal with these days.

( racists ) I have no idea where you get that impression from . Now it is true that the majority of regulars are based in the US but there are a couple from other countries.

Your driveline warranty does not cover headlamps and bulbs. That would have been under the original 36000 mile or 3 years which ever came first.

Vehicle repair is expensive no matter the brand .

Toyota said powetrain covers electrical . So this is what you deal with…various convoluted answers from Toyota, repair men and the Toyota do it yourself manual , that came with my car. I need a car that you can change a bulb without it catching on fire. This is my first and last Toyota. Back to basic cars that don’t eat up your money on basic maintanence.

That most likely means the electric drive when the vehicle is in battery mode. Not everything electrical . I suspect this was a used vehicle the OP bought.

Nothing personal Lorraine , but an internet forum just will not be a solution for your problems . Trading this vehicle with these problems means you will almost have to give it away.

All I can suggest is that you calm down , make a list of your problems and try and have a discussion with the dealer service manager as hybrids are complex vehicles and many good shops are just not equipped to service them.

We’re not…not sure why you would think that…and this:

is also irrelevant and unnecessary.

This is true for some cars, I have to partially take mine off as well as the coolant overflow to get to the right side headlight of my Ford Focus. I am unfamiliar with your car, so I don’t know if that’s the case.

I think you need to try a different Toyota dealership since you still have warranty coverage. You do not need to go to the dealership you purchased the vehicle from. Consider also looking in your manual for how to escalate this issue higher up the food chain to get the regional level people involved.

I have some thoughts about that head lamp . . .

It sounds like the part of the head lamp where the bulb attaches may be damaged. I’ve seen this phenomenon before. The actual reflector is distorted, which means you have to replace the entire head lamp assembly

According to my source . . . which is a direct cut and paste of the genuine Toyota service information . . . you DO have to remove the front bumper to replace that head lamp assembly

Realistically, you may be able to get away with just removing some hardware and “peeling” the bumper away from the body, enough to do your thing. But one thing is certain . . . it’s a lot more work, versus just changing out a bulb

It’s possible op needs a head lamp assembly, bulb AND a pigtail

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@Lorraine46. Things can go wrong with any make of automobile. It seems as though you did your research and made s good choice when you bought the Prius C. It might be a good idea to seek out another dealer, write out the problems with your car, and have a friend who is acquainted with cars go over your list of problems, and help you with the wording that the service personnel will understand.
I don’t know why manufacturers make bulb changing so difficult. I had a 1990 Ford Aerostar minivan and it was difficult to change the headlight bulb. It was difficult to change the front turning signal bulb on my 2006 Uplander. On the other hand, replacing the front turning signal bulb on my Toyota Sienna was easy.
Find a Toyota dealer that is willing to listen. The bulb replacement on your Prius C will be much less than trading the car for something better.

… an incomplete explanation, to be sure…

Yup!
No manufacturer’s Powertrain Warranty will cover things like light bulbs, because light bulbs are not part of the vehicle’s powertrain. The Powertrain Warranty does cover the gasoline engine, the electric motor, the transmission, and some related hardware, but light bulbs are not covered. If the OP carefully reads the exact details of the Powertrain Warranty, as well as “Bumper-to-Bumper” Warranty, she will see what I am talking about.

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