Problems with 2004 Toyota Prius EXTERIOR LIGHTING

Had the hid headlights replaced 6 months ago because they were intermittently going on and off. same thing is happening again. *tr

Passenger side headlight began to turn off intermittently and has continued since.

Both headlights spontaneously went out at the same time while driving. this has been an intermittent problem since that date, despite changing the bulbs. sometimes the lights can be relit by turning the headlight switch off and back on. sometimes this does not work. particularly if the bright lights are on, the off-on switching does not work and the headlights remain off. *tr

Both headlights go out without warning frequently now. the immediate remedy seems to be to turn switch off and on again to restore them. this has recently become a regular problem as i drive at night. thankfully the 'fog lamps' are functional and now i am sure to have them switched on in addition to regular headlights so that i am still visible to other drivers. *tr

I was driving at night on a narrow country road, lined with trees, at 55 mph. suddenly , both head lamps shut off. it is a miracle that i didn't wreck, i could not see a thing, and braked blindly. as i was coming to a stop i turned the light switch on and off and the lights came back on. before i could get home, the lights went off 2 more times! *tr

The passenger headlight and taillight stopped working. we replaced the tail light bulb only for it to stop working two days later. we replaced the tail light bulb once a week for a month, and for now it continues to work. the headlight, however, continued not working for about two weeks, then began working again only for the driver side headlight to stop working. after turning the headlight switch off then back on both headlights began working. however, after 10 minutes both went out again. ever since then, it is always a guess as to which headlight, if any, will work at dusk. sometimes they will both work for about a week before quitting. i was given an odi# of 10453541. *js

Headlights dont work, overheating bulbs $800 to replace, you go toyota your car sucks. *tr

Headlights go out randomly and only come back on by turning light switch off than on. replaced bulb and problem continues. *tr

Intermittent headlight problem. i purchased the car with 111,500 miles on it, and almost immediately noticed that the passenger's side headlight is intermittent when viewing my reflection in the bumper of the car in front of me. sometimes it runs fine for over an hour, other times it doesn't last 5 minutes. turning the headlights off, and immediately back on relights the headlight. this is not only happening at night, but also during the day when they are used as daytime running lights. i made a video of it happening: http://tinyurl.com/intermittentpriushid i am not the only person having this problem with their prius. others have reported this problem with 25,000 to 40,000 miles. it is very hard to notice because the hid headlights are so bright it is hard to tell when one is not working, which actually means this problem may have existed on my prius for a long time without the previous owner noticing. to illustrate my point, this priuschat thread has over 870 responses to date regarding this hid headlight problem: http://priuschat.com/forums/gen-ii-prius-care-maintenance-troubleshooting/34584-headlight-problem-17.html thus far i have not noticed this problem in my driver's side. this is a very real safety concern. *tr

The driver's side headlight went out while driving at highway speed. turning the lights off and then on restored the headlights. it happened a couple times in 2 hours of driving. at the end of the trip it was happening about every mile. i took the car to the toyota dealership and they replaced the driver's side lamp. last night 1/2 hour into a 2 hour night trip the headlights went out. it appeared that both lights went out this time. the lights went out every 30 seconds thereafter. upon arriving at the destination, i left the car running and checked out the light situation. the driver's side headlight would go out and the passenger side appeared to dim. the running lights remained on. it appears that other prius owners have experienced similar problems. it also seems that replacing the lamp is not the solution to the problem. it may be an electrical or computer problem. i shall take the car back to the dealership next week. this is a safety issue during night driving. *tr

The headlamps keep switching off intermittently on my 2004 toyota prius. this has been happening fairly regularly over the last year, but last night (8-2-2011) both headlamps failed at the same time when on a dark, windy road causing me to almost crash into a tree (i couldn't see anything without the lights). when i switch the headlamp control on and off, the headlamps come on again, so it is unlikely to be the bulbs. sometimes only one lamp goes out, sometimes both; but they are failing very frequently and causing me a major safety concern. i have researched this issue online and there seem to be many consumers that have the same issue. please help. *kb

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 toyota prius. the contact was driving 35 mph when both headlights failed intermittently. the vehicle was taken to the dealer who confirmed that the ballast failed for the headlights. the manufacturer was contacted but the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was 90,000 and the current mileage was 96,000.

My 2004 prius with 36,600 total miles has a failing right headlight. toyota service in honolulu estimate cost of parts & labor totaling $500. to replace the failing headlight and $700 to replace both headlights, which toyota recommends. *tr

Single drivers side headlight goes off/on intermittently - fixed by turning headlights off/on. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 toyota prius. the contact stated that the high intensity discharge (hid) headlights would intermittently fail. the failure recurred for approximately one year. the vehicle was taken to a dealer where they advised the contact that the balances on the front headlights needed to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was not contacted. the failure and the current mileage was unknown. the vin was unavailable.

2004 toyota prius has 160,000 miles. the left headlight has been failing intermittently for about a week. two nights ago, on a dark road, the entire set of front headlights, fog lamps, all suddenly went off. i am happy to say the hazards were functional, because no amount of turning the switch at the stalk would bring the lights back. i pulled car over and turned it off. i had driven approximately 50 miles with them on prior to the event. i let the vehicle rest with power off for approx 5 minutes and the lights were working normally, and continued without further problems for the last 25 miles of my drive home. there are a great many registered complaints about this particular issue. i feel it is indeed a safety issue and would appreciate some help in getting toyota to take a look at the root of this problem. please. *tr

One of the headlights operates intermittently. turning the headlights off and back on causes it to light again. *tr

The driver's side hid headlight, intermittently, unpredictably and inexplicably shuts off. it will occasionally return to service on its own, but usually requires a cycling of the light's power switch before full function is restored. after which, the length of time before the light shuts off again varies from a few seconds to not at all. after researching this issue, it seems to be a rather systemic problem with the 2004-2009 prius. obviously, the situation this condition creates is unsafe at best, can place me personally in an unexpected illegal position - and (should both lights go out together, as some have reported) could quite possibly be life threatening. for the safety of the driving public, i would strongly urge nhtsa to investigate this issue. toyota must take responsibility for their design flaw, and engineer a resolution to this problem. *tt

Headlights went out on my 2004 toyota prius while driving down i84 in new york. at night! flipped switches and turned on and off and they went back on. had i been on a dark back road who knows what could have happened. why! *tr

I have a 2004 toyota prius. since 2004, my headlights have gone out 5 times. the right headlight has gone out 3 times and the left 2 times. the last time i replaced the right headlight, it did not last 12 months. *tr

Car: 2004 toyota prius problem: intermittent failure of both headlights while driving. last night while driving along an unlit country road, both headlights failed simultaneously. after stopping the vehicle the lights came back on by turning on and off the headlamps using the stalk mounted switch. this is a very dangerous situation, many others have had the same problem. see the toyota recall website and try this search, "trouble shooting prius hid bulb and hid ecu", and you will get this result,"found: 62255 results for "trouble shooting prius hid bulb and hid ecu". but the site only allows you to see and access 45 other "other results", that are very generic and talk about other toyota models. why can't the public see the 62,255 search results. also check the forum at "http://priuschat.com/forums/gen-ii-prius-care-maintenance-troubleshooting/47938-my-hid-bulb-replacement-my-06-prius.html". there are 175 posts dating back to 2008. this is unacceptable to have all the lights intermittently fail in any vehicle. this problem is widespread and deserves the attention of the nhtsa right now. *tr

Headlight on 2004 pries controller broken. may be due to oxide levels in contacts. smart key oxidation causes poor use. alarm goes off intermittently. *tr

Headlights would go out, but come back on. at first, it was only one headlight, but one evening, when one headlight went out, i switched to high beams and both went out. i pulled off the road, turned the car off and back on and the lights worked for about twenty minutes. dealer had replaced bulbs previously. on august 19, dealer replaced headlamp systems at a very high cost. manufacturer sent me a check to repay part of this, when i complained. now, tonight, december 22, 2010, driver side headlight does not come on, except for a brief flash when locking or unlocking the doors.

Have a 2004 prius. head light on right side keeps going out. after i turn the headlights off and back on, it comes back on for a shot time. waiting for both lights to go out while driving at night. *tr

Unsafe nighttime headlamp lighting due to failure of height sensor, p/n 8940847010, 2004 toyota prius. failure of height sensor caused headlamps to point down. *tr

2004 prius at 146k miles with original headlights. drivers side headlight turns orange and goes out after 2 minutes. passenger side light goes out randomly and takes out fog lights at the same time. a complete failure of forward facing lighting including fog lamps should not happen if a headlight goes out. turning the lights off-and-on brings them back for an unspecified amount of time until complete failure once again. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2004 toyota prius. while driving approximately 55 mph, the contact stated that the headlights shut off without warning. the vehicle was repaired by an authorized dealer. the manufacturer had not been notified. the current mileage was approximately 155,000. the failure mileage was approximately 150,000.

Major problem with the vehicle's headlights. they intermittently turn themselves off without any warning. tried replacing them per the manual instructions but the installed lamps are different than the manual, so replacing them is not an option. i consider this a major safety defect. these lamps are supposed to last the life of the car. any headlamp that stops working without warning is a safety issue. i have never heard of this happening before with any car. you can make the light come back on by turning all the lights off and then on again. this defect is going to cause a major accident and folks are going to get hurt or worse. *tr

Intermittent failure of headlights. *tr

Intermittent headlight failure on my 2004 toyota prius. it first happened around 67,000 miles when both headlights went out at once (at night!). flicking the switch did make them come back on. after that, the failure has been increasing, mainly with the passenger side headlight. turning the switch no longer always works to turn the light back on. i can;t always tell that it is off if they are on for me to me seen (such as in rain) rather than to allow me to see. this is incredibly dangerous. i can;t drive the car at night reliably now and what about in rain (which is not as easily predictable as "day/night")? this is clearly not a rare occurrence. toyota needs to step up here. by the way, i've already had to spend $800 to fix my multifunction display which failure is also well documented. *tr

The headlights on our 2004 prius (80,000 miles) have gone on and off intermittently over the past few years. however, it was not until saturday night while we were on the freeway when both lights went out simultaneously. we were told by the dealer that this happens quite often and the a new bulb would fix the problem. at $800.00 to replace a defective part, i think this is excessive and unnecessary. *tr

I got my 2004 prius in nov 2003. my drivers side headlight failed last year and i was charged at least $200 to replace last year. the same headlight failed about a month or so ago, and i do not have $200+ to get the bulb replaced. i've been unable to do this myself as have many other prius owners. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 toyota prius. the contact stated that the headlights would shut off independently. the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer where the contact was advised that the headlights would need to be replaced. in addition, the contact stated that the center console on the dashboard failed. the contact called the manufacturer and filed a complaint but no assistance was offered. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was approximately 108,000 and the current mileage was approximately 113,000.

My 2004 toyota prius has hid headlights and they have become almost completely fogged over in spite of my best efforts to clean them. the problem seems to be the inside of the lamp, which can't be cleaned. toyota wants $355 per headlight to replace the part + labor. this has become a safety issue and none of my other cars has had this problem. *tr

High intensity discharge (hid) headlights "wink" off & on randomly, which causes a serious safety/visibility problem in the dark. i understand you opened an investigation on this issue a while ago but then closed it without a finding of a safety defect. please reopen it again. there is a continuously growing body of reports of this issue with the toyota prius. go to www.priuschat.com and search for the hid headlight thread to see what i mean. many owners have had to pay $500 to $1000 out of pocket to toyota dealers to fix this problem. in some cases, the problem has recurred a few months later. please ask toyota to issue a safety recall of prius models affected by this issue. i hope you can get toyota to do this before someone dies because of this problem. otherwise, you will have a situation similar to the "unintended acceleration" problem which has killed a number of people. thanks for your help!

My complaint has to do with the high energy discharge (xenon) headlights on my 2004 toyota prius. beginning sometime in february 2010 my wife and i began to notice that the drivers side headlight would shut down after the lights had been on for a few minutes. if the headlights were quickly turned off and then back on (say, while stopped at a traffic light), both headlights would work just fine for a while. i tried to replace the bulbs (d2r type xenon bulbs) which i purchased at a local car parts store for approximately $90 each. after trying to follow the instructions for replacing the bulbs (found in the owners manual), i was unable to open the bulb holders. when i had the car at the dealership (capitol toyota) for service in late april 2010, i asked if they could fix the headlights. the service rep told me that mere diagnosis of the problem would cost $600, with any ballast or bulb replacement added to that cost. i have never paid more than about $40 to replace both of my vehicle headlights prior to this. i appreciate that these bulbs should cost more than halogen or other types, but the costs i'm encountering are outlandish. in the mean time, we are still driving the car with the problem. headlights work for five to 10 minutes, and then one, and now, sometimes the other headlight will shut down. recently, our daughter arrived back from a brief trip complaining that the headlights were very dim. i found out that neither headlight was working - the only lights on the front of the car were the fog lamps. we now do not drive this car at night, and wonder how we will fix this problem. *tr

I have a serious problem with my hid headlights not working and has caused me to not be able to drive the vehicle at night. the problem is that either the right or left headlight will stop working. if you stop and turn the headlights off & on the lights will function again. i live in a small town and have been stopped by the police 3 times. toyota wants over $2000 to change the hid computer and bulbs which i simply cannot afford. i searched the web and see hundreds of similar complaints. i believe that toyota needs to recall the prius for the headlight problem. *tr

My hid headlamp for my 2004 prius is nearly impossible to change on my own and it costs $600 (!?) to change at the dealer. how is a $600 repair for a minor thing like a headlight not illegal from an auto safety standpoint? do you know if there is a class action lawsuit about this issue?

Both headlights went out on narrow winding roads at night. almost crashed into tree. i turned the switch back off and than on and lights came back on. since than, the right headlamp goes on and off at night and sometimes both go out. the dealer says it will cost over $1000 to fix. i have read many complaints. am i entitled to some kind of help? my wife will take the car on occasion and it has happened to her. is there a recall? i don't think it is a light issue if they go back on what is being done about this? *tr

Hid headlamps repeatedly flicker, then go out. switching off lights and switching back on brings them back on for an intermittent period of time, then they go out again. i have had to replace both front headlamps at considerable expense. the most recent cost $436 for the lamp alone and $137 in labor. *tr

This is an update to the complaint i filed on 2008/10/14, odi 10253642 about prius hid headlight failure. since that incident i have had the driver and passenger side bulbs replaced four times and swapped left-for-right for diagnosis twice. even with those new bulbs, which my dublin, ca, toyota dealer swears are the newer, "good" bulbs, the headlights always have failed again within one to four weeks. actually, those are the intervals at which i have *noticed* the failures, but i'm sure the bulbs failed sooner than that, because sometimes it's hard to tell while driving, and the lights always relight when switched off and on. there would have been even more replacements and failures, but i have delayed taking the car in for repair until i could drive into the dealership while the light was out, as proof that it has failed. it's obvious to me and every other prius owner that the bulbs are either not the problem or at least not the only problem--the electronic control module undoubtedly also or instead is faulty. toyota corporate continues to refuse to acknowledge the severity, persistence, and breadth of the problem. yesterday the dealer repeated the left-for-right swap because "toyota corporate demands that diagnostic procedure." but the dealer admitted that no more information will be gained than was gained the last time they swapped left for right, when the light worked there at the dealer, but failed on me subsequently (the same-side headlight with the swapped bulb). they are simply avoiding the expense and liability of replacing the control computer. *tr

2004 toyota prius headlight problem - this is clearly a huge safety issue. when driving, my headlight (both) shut off intermittently. sometimes, one. sometimes the other. sometimes both. no incident yet but surely this is a major safety issue. i came very close to an auto accident on 1/3/2010 due to this issue! i called the dealer to have the headlights replaced and they are wanting $870 dollars to replace the bulbs!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! $375 per bulb and $60 per headlight for service!!!!!!!! *tr

Hid headlights on 2004 toyota prius go out intermittently while driving without any warning. turning switch on/off will turn them back on. both have gone out creating extremely dangerous situation.*cw

Both 2004 toyota prius hid headlights go out, it began with the drivers then passengers going out individually, and by turning them off then on again would bring the lights back on for several minutes, now both go out and do not come back on even after cycling them. toyota says its a replacement issue not a defect. seems to me that all the chatter online and toyotas indifference is coming to a head. i shouldn't have to pay to replace these defective lights. *tr

Hid headlight on 2004 toyota prius is intermittent. goes off at random times when selected on. comes back on by switching headlights off and back on. headlight went off 7 times in a 30 mile trip. *tr

Both hid headlights failed repeatedly on my vehicle. it took several attempts to restart the lights by turning them off and on. *tr

Left and right headlights failed in november and december of 2009. headlights were replaced. left headlight has failed in 2011. i drive 10,000 per year. i do not do much driving with my headlights on. *tr

I wrote this agency a few months ago regarding my 2004 toyota prius and the problems i was having with headlights alternating on/off. turning the light switch on/off would turn it back on. three or four months ago both lights started going out at the same time. turning the light switch on/off intermittently 5-9 times makes them turn back on. so far i have had this happen to me 3 times within the last week traveling 40-55 miles an hour. i have just read that you guys stopped your investigation. how many accidents or deaths do you need before anything is done about this. when headlights burn out they don't come back on. this is obviously an electrical or computer glitch that toyota has to be aware of. in all my years of driving, i have never had an experience as that of everything going dark and just having to hit the brakes. luckily when it happened last night the car behind us saw our brake lights and came to a safe stop. they flashed their headlights not knowing why our car was stopped in the middle of the road. i request a reply to this complaint since no one contacted me on my prior complaint. thank you. *tr

2004 toyota prius - headlights go out intermittently for no apparent reason - need to turn headlights off and back on in order to have the headlight come back on. at first, this only happened in the left headlight, lately the right headlight has been having the problem, luckily it has never happened to both headlights at the same time. would be particularly dangerous if this happened on a dark country road! *tr

Last fall the left headlight was noticed to be out on my 2004 toyota prius by a neighbor when i came home one night in november, 2009. made an appointment to get it fixed at my toyota dealer, but then it came on the next day. when i canceled the appointment with the dealer they mentioned to watch it, since the headlights were known to go on and off. we left within the next couple of days for a vacation drive from md to nc. headlight stayed on until we were in nc. went to a toyota dealer and was told it would be $900 to replace the headlight since the computer behind the light had to be replaced as well. at that outrageous price - for just one headlight - we did not get it fixed. the headlight then stayed on most of the rest of the trip, but periodically goes off. this is a safety issue and it should certainly not cost almost a thousand dollars to fix a headlight. *tr