Problems with 2004 Toyota Prius EXTERIOR LIGHTING

About 40% of the time, my toyota prius doesn't want to stop or slow down when the brakes are applied. under these conditions, i have to apply the brakes hard and then the car will slow down. it feels like the car wants to "run away" when the brakes are applied. it exhibits this behavior in many circumstances: stopping at a stop light, slowing down on an expressway, or slowing down on a city street. *tr updated 11/23/09 *bf the check engine light illuminated. the passenger front window switch wasn't opening or closing the window unless the master switch was used. the throttle body had to be cleaned. the fan belt and brake light switch were replaced. updated 11/24/09 updated 01/06/10 *bf updated 01/07/10.*jb

Headlamps turn off intermittently. *tr

My daughter owns a 2004 toyota prius with hid headlights. the lights fail one at atime or both at the same time. they come back on usually by turning the switch off and then back on, except when she was driving at night in the fog, and they did not come back on. she had to park and spend the night beside the road, until daylight to continue driving home. she has contacted toyota about the problem and has found out that the bulbs cost $350 a piece and requires extensive dismantling of the car to install them. this meaning that a $1000 dollar expense for replacing the bulbs, not knowing if there is a deeper seated problem with the power supply to the headlights. i was just wondering if their has been anything done about a recall? *tr

The passenger side headlight on my 2004 toyota prius went out at about 83k miles. it was an intermittent outage, and could be reset by turning headlights on and off. this is dangerous at night! toyota wanted to change both headlights and ballasts for a total cost of $1086. headlights are safety-related and i see that this problem is commonly complained about online. toyota national ofc. offered to reimburse me 1/2 after i fronted the total money to the local dealer repair shop. *tr

Intermittent headlight failure on my 2004 toyota prius, with just over 70,000 miles. this is truly dangerous--someone is going to get killed because of this. the problem seems to be widespread--why has there not been a recall? does someone have to get killed first? *tr

Headlights turn off spontaneously, must be restarted by turning switch on and off. *tr

I have a 2004 toyota prius, and my left headlight has turned pink. it is now continuously pink. i was told by my dealership that it would cost $400 to replace the headlamp because it is a xenon headlight. my understanding is that xenon headlights should last longer than mine did. *tr

I have a 2004 toyota prius with hid headlights. a few months ago i was driving at night and the headlights cut off completely. it was 11:30pm on a foggy, drizzly night, and suddenly i was driving 70 mph in pitch darkness. i was able to get them to come back on and drive home slowly. i took the car to the toyota dealer, where they replaced the headlights for $990. a few weeks later the same thing happened, headlights cut out at night. i took the car back to the dealer, where they kept it for several days. they then returned the car, assuring me that the problem was solved. since that time the driver's side headlight has gone out several times.

2004 toyota prius. both hid headlights will occasionally turn off like the bulb burns out, but if you turn off the headlights and turn them back on it turns on again. mostly right headlight, but occassionally the left will do this. not a loose connection. acts like a relay is tripping on overtemperature or overcurrent and resetting itself after the headlights are turned off. this has been occurring in my car since i purchased it in march 2007. took it to repairman, but it was going to cost over $2000 to replace a circuit board and headlight assembly. i don't have that money and from what i've read on prius owners websites this is a common issue. *tr

Driver side headlight goes out intermittently. sometimes turning the car off and back on solves it. now, the passenger side headlight is out. last night, the passenger side was out, so i switched to high beams. that turned off both headlights! i was on a long, dark winding road, under trees, so had no ambient light. the headlight connection has been fixed twice by the dealer. *tr

Both headlights turn off intermittently and twice both have gone out at the same time while driving. there was no warning. to replace one headlight, toyota of melbourne told me it would be over $600 (labor not included). (bulb and harness) *tr

Passenger side headlight flickers very dimly. i just noticed it today, on my mother's prius. did some research, and was amazed at the cost to have the dealer fix this. if it was just the cost of the bulb itself, i could swallow the rather large $130 price (at kragen) and do it myself, but the notes here, and on many other sites indicate that bulb replace sometimes fixes the problem (for a short period of time), and at other times, it does nothing. i would hate to throw $130 down the toilet. the primary issue though, is that the headlight goes dim/out intermittently, without warning or pattern, and there is no way to reliably get it re-lit. i don't feel save asking my 69 year old mother to turn the headlights on and off if it's dark out side (and if it's not dark, how would you know it was working or not). i agree, it does sound like a defect as many many people are having the issue, but more importantly, a serious safety issue. how long must we want before some action is taken by the nhtsa? *tr

Headlamp goes out intermittently. *tr

Headlights on my 2004 toyota prius go off while driving. they come back on when i notice and turn them off and on again. this is a safety hazard. *tr

I was appalled to find that it cost over $500.00 to replace the passenger side headlight and was told to expect that the driver's side light would likely need to be replace in the near future. *tr

Less than normal wear and tear; only have 32k miles on my 2004 prius. the passenger side headlight blinks off or doesn't light in the first place every time i drive it. nothing done to repair it since this particular component isn't not under warranty that i'm aware of. *tr

Either of the headlights will randomly turn off while driving. when i quickly turn off the headlights and turn them back on, they work again for a while. the problem seems random and intermittent. it happens to both the driver's side and the passenger's side headlight. *tr

On my 2004 toyota prius, the lights go out randomly. of course, at night. i took it to two toyota dealerships, and the first couldn't replicate the problem. the second dealership said the fix for one light would be an astonishing $850 because it's a defective electronic controller. since my lights worked intermittently or after being turned on and off...and after searching the internet and discovering this defect is common. i'm thinking lights cutting out while driving, is quite dangerous, and it's a potential hazard for both drivers and pedestrians. many prius owners believe this is a product defect in need of a recall from toyota before someone gets hurt. *tr

Right front headlamp operating intermittently. dealer repair quote was over $500. online advice suggested that toyota should/would repair at no cost. initially dealer service manager wanted owner to pay labor, over $300, and dealer would supply part. owner stated that since this was a safety and defect matter, toyota should pay full cost. after 24 hours, dealer agreed to replace headlamp at no cost. both headlamps were replaced at no cost to owner. owner is 30 year customer of this dealership. service manager stated that toyota will probably post a recall notice on this matter. *tr

2004 toyota pruis hid headlight intermittently goes out while driving. turning lights off and then back on brings the light back on for a while. there have been three instances during the past 3 months where both headlights have gone out, resulting in total loss of light during the night. exceedingly dangerous! this has been an ongoing problem for the past 6 months but i only recently found out about being able to report it to this site. *tr

The headlights on my 2004 prius keep going on and off. toyota will not cover these under warranty and change $875 to replace 1 bulb. *tr

Driver side headlight failure. spontaneously goes out. will come back when switch off and on. *tr

This is a serious defect! lights can go out at anytime. we currently do not drive this car at night. this has been an ongoing problem for seven months. multiple intermittent headlight failures leading up to headlight replacements for passenger and driverside. the passenger side failed first (01/2009) and on average would fail 1-2 times per week. driver side failed for the first time this month (01/2010) and has only failed one time to date 01/16/2010. now one year later the passenger side has stated to fail again. all failures are similar in nature in that they will come back on typically after the car has been turned off for a period of time. however on occasion they may come back on by themselves. my brother and i have replaced the passenger side (2 hour process) and am in the process of purchasing two new bulbs from a local auto parts store. $150 ea vs toyota $325 ea and does not include installation labor. the average guy should not attempt this bulb replacement it is difficult. i still have the factory original bulb that we replaced. d2r 35w hid my platinum ext warranty ($1400 from dealer) does not cover light bulbs. *tr

Both head lamps go for no apparent reason. by turning off lights and relighting they come back on, but then after a short period of time they go out again. the bulbs are not burned out the hid electrical system is defective. *tr

I have a 2004 toyota prius that has the driver's side headlight going off and on while driving. i understand it is a hid light and i also understand that many many prius owners of different years are having problems with these bulbs. the bulbs and installation seem to run from $300 up. this is something toyota should be fixing, recalling if necessary. not only is this a danger to the prius owners but to others on the road and many times the owner does not know that is it out. and replacing is at a very high expense to the owners and the problems seem to reoccur with the same owners. i need to replace mine but want to know what is being done about this before i spend the hundreds of dollars to replace it. *tr

I have a 2004 toyota prius and the headlights go off without warning and this happens a lot. if i turn the switch to off and then back on the lights will work again but sometimes they go off again after a few minutes. this is very dangerous. *tr

The hid headlights on a toyota pruis (2004). the headlights flicker on and off periodically, changing what headlight goes out and sometimes both for no apparent reason. i can turn one or both back one by turning on and off the high beams (which both work no matter what) or by turning on and off the headlights. this has occurred on our mountain road, in which both headlights went off, without even hitting a bump. it is dangerous, i have been pulled over numerous times for a headlight out and when i took it into the dealer, they reported it as a $393/each replacement of a bulb that i have learned will go out again in 20,000-40,000 miles. *tr

The headlights on my 2004 prius intermittently go off. it is corrected by turning the switch off, then back on. *tr

2004 prius headlight on passenger side started flickering about 400 miles ago and has now stopped working. will cost $500 to replace. this is ridiculous. i understand that this is an ongoing issue with the prius, regardless of the year. i have read on the internet in chatrooms of several people with this issue. is anything being done to resolve? *tr

I own 2004 toyota prius i had problem with headlights in 2006 i replaced $400 and the died again recently i had very dangerous situation driving on fast road they gone i turned them off and they came on again for 10 min and gone again. *tr

Beginning at about 60,000 miles one of the headlights on my 2004 toyota prius began to fail intermittently. switching the lights off and on seemed to temporarily fix the problem. now at 100k miles both headlights are failing, leaving me driving in the dark until i turn the light knob on and off several times. the lights are now failing every time i drive at night and several times per trip. *tr

Contacted toyota in february 2009 with the following complaint/description: recently my driver side headlight had been blinking off intermittently while driving. i then would have to turn the lights off and back on to get the light to come back on. last night (feb. 15th, 2009), i was taking my daughter back to college and both headlights unexpectedly turned off while driving on a very dark stretch of highway. needless to say, this was very unnerving. i tried to quickly turn off lights and then back on. they came back on on after a few tries, but then they did the same thing to me on my return back to home. this was a 6 hour round trip on a sunday. i did not have any recourse but to try to make it home. i feel this is an extreme safety issue and took it to the dealership monday. the dealership ran some tests and said it was the hid bulbs and not the computer ($375/bulb!!!!!). i then visited a prius chat site that another customer told me about as we were waiting for our vehicles. apparently this problem is very widespread. i am now forced to only be able to drive my prius during the day because i never expected a $900 price tag to change out the bulbs on the headlights, and i am unable to pay that cost right now. also, i live off of hwy 78 in saint clair county which is a very curvy, hilly rural road with very little light. if the lights had spontaneously blinked off on me on this road when either i or one of my teenagers were driving the vehicle, it could have had a far different result. will it take a death or injury to initiate a recall on the headlights? to replace bulbs on 2004 prius, you must remove the front bumper and have a special tool to remove back of headlight assembly. *tr

Both headlights on my wife's 2004 toyota prius started going on and off. first the driver's side went out and came back on, eventually both of them went out and we were driving at night in the mountains. this seems to be a common problem with prius owners after researching the issue. toyota repair cost have been estimated around $1000. *tr

After several years of use, the headlights, most often the right, but sometimes also the left, spontaneously turn off. this happens about every 15 minutes while driving at night. we have to turn off the lights and turn them back on to get them to light again. this sometimes does not work, and we are stuck for a some time on the freeway without headlights. people on forums say it will likely cost $1000 - $1800 to repair, which we cannot afford. *tr

The hid headlight on my 2004 toyota prius has not been working right on the passenger side for a while. it was going off from time to time. but, now it appears not to be working at all. i took the car to the auto shop and was told that this is a common problem with many prius cars and that it will cost $457.99 to replace the unit. this appears to be an ongoing issue/defect with many prius cars, which needs to be addressed asap since this is a huge safety issue. there should be a recall on toyota prius headlights since there seems to be a great deal of complaints on this issue which involves the safety of the consumers. thank you very much for your immediate attention to this matter. *tr

Headlights, one or both, turn off without warning and the only way to get them to come back on is to turn them off and then back on. *tr

Head lights on a 2004 prius going out and being able to turn the lights back on by just turning the system off and then turn it back on again. just like a computer, if something is wrong, shut down and start over. this happens almost every time i drive the car now, the consequences are not being able to see at night and during the day safety is diminished without the headlights. the headlamps were replaced but did not repair the problem. the old parts are not available. *tr

Headlights will go out intermittently. either side will fail. if you turn the light switch to "off" and then back "on" the lights will come back on. no particular amount of on time or bumps in road cause the failure. bulbs are hid type. dealer wants over $630 to replace bulbs. non dealer mechanic advised that it may be something other than the bulb, possibly the hid controller. dealer is the only source and very expensive. this is a major safety issue, these are the headlights. this failure now happens every time the car is driven with the headlights on, varies from 5 minutes to an hour after the car is started. this has been going on for about 3 months. i have seen on line that other prius owners are experiencing the exact same problem. no solutions have been presented. *tr

Intermittent hid bulb goes out. there is no particular event that takes place when the lights stop working. when turned on they always come on and at some point they will sometimes stop working. when i see they have stopped i will turn the lights off and back on and they work and will usually stay working the rest of the trip, but not always. i have been looking online and this seems to be a common problem. i was just at my toyota dealer and they said it is probably the bulb and then under his breath he unofficially said it is a crap shoot for solving the problem. *tr

I own a 2004 toyota prius. i just paid $332.50 to have my 2 headlights' hib bulbs replaced - and that didn't include the parts cost because i provided the hid bulbs from an online auto parts supplier. the symptoms were the same as noted by so many other prius owners: frequent loss of light from the headlight, and recovery by rotating the light switch off then on again...only to have it re-occur a few minutes later. each headlight had its own pattern of inconsistency, but both had the dysfunction. i have received two traffic citations for driving with a headlight out. the dealerships in glen burnie, maryland and in laurel, maryland both quoted me a price for one hid bulb of $351.02 i was able to find the exact bulb online at partsquick.com for a price of $57.27 that's right, the dealership wanted to charge me $293.75 more per bulb. i purchased two online, which - with free shipping - cost me $114.54 for both. do the math...for two light bulbs only (not counting labor) online i saved $587.50 had i not purchased the bulbs online, the total out-of-pocket to replace both headlamp bulbs would have been: $ 702.04 parts ($351.02 x 2) $ 332.50 labor $1,034.54 total the dealership told me they couldn't guarantee that the bulbs were the problem, nor that replacing the bulbs would solve the problem, but that toyota instructs them to replace the bulbs first. this is insane, and certainly unsafe. *tr

Random headlight failure. when fog lights are not on total failure of headlights has occurred. right, left or both headlights will go out with no correlation to weather, speed, temperature, location of lamp or time of day. quickly turning the light switch off then on will reilluminate both lamps. the lamps may go out again, stay lit, the same lamp will go out or the previously lit lamp may fail and the previously failed lamp may light. there is a reduced interval between failures . lightbulb replacement has been suggested but this has not solved the problem for similar complaints. *tr

Prius 2004 headlight goes out periodically. turns back on only when all lights are shut down and turned on again. *tr

2004 toyota prius has had headlight replacements five (5) times on the passenger side and now has the same problem on the driver side. 2006 toyota prius has had both sides replaced. both cars suffer from intermittent operation which can be temporarily recovered by turning the headlight switch off then back on. all toyota wants to do is replace bulbs when the bulb obviously is not the problem. i am sure they are being disingenuous with customers in an attempt to postpone the inevitable. it is way past time for a recall - please! *tr

Driver-side hid headlamp in 2004 toyota prius was noticed to be very, very, dim (effectively off) around 2008/10/14. turning headlamps off and on restored brightness. but the problem recurred at unpredictable times--frequently enough to be a serious safety problem. frequently the driver can't tell while driving, whether one headlamp is off, and obviously it's unsafe to fix it by turning it off and on while driving. toyota dealer replaced driver-side headlamp on 2008/10/15, for $600! on 12/15 the driver noticed the same headlamp again was misbehaving in exactly the same way, and the problem has recurred since then at apparently random times. priuschat.com's many posters about this problem make it unlikely that just the bulb is the problem. probably the ballast. but toyota won't comment. i do still have the original bulb, and the box from the new bulb. lisa at toyota corporate customer experience center replied around 2008/10/18 that toyota would reimburse half of the $600. but as of 2009/1/3 no reimbursement has been gotten. i called toyota corporate again on 2008/12/16 and damian said he must forward my new complaint about the repeated failure to lisa, and that she was "required" to respond in one business day. she has not responded as of 2009/1/3. there are many complaints about exactly this problem on priuschat.com at http://priuschat.com/forums/care-maintenance-troubleshooting/34584-headlight-problem-26.html. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 toyota prius. while driving approximately 65 mph the head-lights failed. the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer for inspection. the vehicle has not been repaired at this time. the failure mileage was 170,000. the current mileage was 185,000. the vehicle identification number was unavailable.

I was quoted $466 just for the price of my bulb for the headlight of my toyota prius. for a non luxury car it so expensive that a lot of people will choose to make due with their flickering one. it is outrageous that toyota did not give a more affordable choice. it is going to be more dangerous out there. *tr

I have a 2004 prius and the front right headlight is working only intermittently. this happens at least three or four times a week; i haven't seen any pattern. i had my dealer check the light and its connections and i was told that the hid light bulb was not working and that it needed to be replaced and that i could only replace them as a pair. the reason being that they are somehow connected to each other and that one failing would lead to the other failing as well. the cost was an outrageous $452 each with labor and that my extended warranty doesn't cover it! *tr

Hid headlights go off intermittently while driving. headlights can be reset by turning headlight switch to off and back on again. a search of the nhtsa and other websites demonstrate that this same problem is widespread for several year models of prius autos. the dealer estimates to replace the headlight bulbs is about $1000 per headlight, making this a serious problem because people will seek lower cost remedies which are not safe. toyota thus far has not officially recognized or attempted to address this issue. since a total loss of lighting can occur at anytime with serious consequences, a recall should be performed to correct this issue before fatalities occur. *tr

High intensity discharge headlights intermittently going out. no rhyme or reason as to when the outage occurs but turning the circuit off and back on again will re-illuminate the hid headlight...but for how long?? *tr

The hid headlight leveling sensor part# 89408-47010 failed. big red exclamation on the dash and car won't pass inspection. toyota says it costs $600 to replace. *tr