Problems with 2005 Toyota Prius EXTERIOR LIGHTING

The driver's side headlight on my 2005 prius was going on and off and then went out all together after about 3 weeks. when i took it to the toyota dealer they said the bulb and labor would be $320 and the computer that controls that one headlight was also out and that would be $250 - so it would be almost $600 for 1 headlight!! i think after reading many other prius owner's similar complaints on the internet that this is a design flaw and also an outrageous, unfair charge to consumers for an item that must has to work in order to use the car. i feel before i bought the car i should have been informed of the cost to repair a headlight and that some prius' have regular headlights on them and i should have been given a choice. *tr

On three separate occasions my headlamps have gone out. each time it has been the right or left side. the fourth time. the lights came on using the hi-beam only. numerous incidents have taken place. this is the second time my wife has been pulled over for this. i have replaced these myself. however, this last time it is not the bulb. it is the electrical system. according to the forum. costs have been from $300 - 2k. some dealerships assume some responsibility and others don't. this is a safety and expense issue. driving home is very difficult at night and using the hi-beam is blinding to on coming traffic and against the law in most circumstances. *tr

2005 prius- high intensity headlights go out intermittently. problem noticed at 90,000 miles while car was under extended warranty- dealer would not acknowledge problem because the lights always worked in the shop. at over 100,000 dealer acknowledged problem but toyota company would pay for only 1/2 the cost (cost to replace bulbs and labor is $1,000!). not only is this a safety issue of headlamps not working, but the cost is robbery. *tr

Normal driving my 2005 toyota prius, the driver's side headlight randomly turns off. i turn the lights off and then back on and the light, most of the time, will return for a minute or two. hid bulb replacement was done and problem still exists. hid bulbs are not cheap. i have been pulled over 3 times in the last 3 weeks. it seems like it will cost approximately $2500 to hopefully fix my headlight. pretty extreme for a headlight? definitely a traffic and safety hazard only operating with one headlight. *tr

Left headlight keeps going out in prius. turn off then back on to reset both headlights went out one night and almost caused a wreck it reset once i turned it off and back on. *tr

Right headlight goes out at will. flipping the on/off switch will turn it back on temporarily. hard to tell when driving without light. dealership said to replace hid bulb, for $458. but the bulb isn't burned out. its an electrical problem, and according to others it continues to happen, even after bulb change. this is a very big problem in the dark, and a major safety issue for hundreds of prius owners. *tr

1.) events leading up to failure: none (except vehicle > 43000 miles?) 2.) hid headlamp on 2005 toyota prius has intermittent problems with one or both headlamps turning on and off randomly. turning on/off of headlights would happen perhaps 1 to 2 times in a 15 minute drive 3.) none yet. others have reported hid inverter failure/ecu failure to be cause. *tr

Headlight height control sensor failed on my 2005 prius. started having problems in 2008 while it was still under warranty. when i took it to dealer, because problem was on again/off again, he couldn't find it. by the time dealer finally figured out what the problem was - it was out of warranty. *tr

About 6 weeks ago i began experience a random shut down of my ps head light. only be turning my lights off and back on restored it for some amount of time.. last week the same thing started happening with the ds headlight. now ether one or both randomly just goes dark. when both go our on a two lane road it gets really dark. i can not cause it to happen and can not find anything that looks loose. it sometimes happens when the car is sitting still at an intersection. some nights it happens several time in a 2 mile drive to the store and other times (rarely now) it does not happen at all. heat doe not seem to be an issue since it sometime happens just after the car is started from cold. when checking the internet if find the prius headlight problem produces several blog and other sites that describe the same thing with people saying that the dealerships don't know how to solve the problem even though some people have spent over $2500 swapping out parts.. as a researcher, i conclude that this is clearly vehicle class problem that should at least be understood by the service centers. as a driver, it is clearly a dangerous safety issue. please investigate before i have to start spending big money on non-solutions or sell the car i otherwise love passing the problem to someone else. *tr

I have a 2005 toyota prius. the right headlight will stop working for no reason. it is intermittent. if i turn off the headlights and turn them on, it will work for a little while, then go off again. this is a major safely issue. *tr

2005 toyota prius headlights go off spontaneously. usually just the drivers side but recently both at the same time. before turning the lights off and back on would fix it but now it does not always work. previous owner had it checked by toyota but they could not find anything wrong. *tr

2005 toyota prius...purchased new...have had nine (9) exterior lights burn out. i have replaced them and they seem to be working better. i believe the bulbs used by toyota were inferior. after 36,000 miles toyota would not replace any bulbs. *tr

We have repeatedly had our headlights go out. we have been replacing bulbs thinking it was the problem. we found if we shut off the car and started again or turn on/off the lights, the headlamp would work again. it has happened to both headlights but not at the same time. we've been told by toyota that the lights need replacing but there is no way these lights need to be replaced that often. it has happened sporadically throughout the last six years. i was pulled over by the police two nights ago for having a headlamp out. the next time i started the car it worked perfectly. *tr

Tl*-the contact owns a 2005 toyota pruis. the contact stated that the tail and headlights intermittently fail. a reduction of visibility due to head-lamp failure increases the risk of vehicle crash. the vehicle was taken to the dealer, but the technicians were unable to identify the cause of the failure. the manufacturer was notified. the failure and current mileages were 189,000.

Our 2005 prius recently developed a problem with the automatic-leveling headlights. warning symbols appeared on the dash. as we were driving, we noticed that the headlights were aimed much higher than usual, so that the low beams appeared more like high beams. in the course of this trip, we stopped briefly and turned off the car. when we resumed our trip, we noticed the headlights were now very low, so low that we dared not go over about 20 mph. we scheduled a visit to our toyota service department; but while the warning lights were still on, the headlights were now aimed normally. prior to this service visit, an internet search revealed that a number of 2004-2005 priuses have experienced a problem with the sensor in the rear of the car, in the vicinity of the left rear tire well, that measures the load on the rear end and adjusts the headlights accordingly. toyota has published a technical service bulletin on the problem. it appears that in a number of priuses, the sensor is defective, but the problem is intermittent and difficult to detect. i shared with the dealer what i knew about the problem, e-mailed (at their request) the tsb, and asked that even though our car was recently out of warranty, since it had only 25,000 miles on it and the problem was clearly a systematic manufacturing defect as well as a potential safety hazard, the manufacturer should remedy the problem at no charge. during my discussion with the service adviser, he admitted that while no fault code could be detected, the only possible cause of the problem had to be the sensor. the service advisor said there was no way toyota would cover the repair; that already in the past month, 15 of these units had to be replaced in the region and none of them had been covered by warranty. however, the service advisor indicated the dealership itself would cover the part ($470) if i agreed to pay for the installation ($200). i did so and the problem has now been remedied. *tr

Headlights began illuminating very short distance. repair center found failed sensor. my concern is that system failed into unsafe condition when the onboard systems are perfectly capable of remembering the last safe condition. *tr

I have from time to time thought that my car lights did not light up the road so well, especially on the passenger side. however, when i would think about it before i would get into the car, i turned on the head lights. they worked and seem to be pretty bright. they are the new type of lights. this went on for a while. however, one day, i drove up to my house and noticed that my passenger-side head light did not seem to reflect on my mailbox post as i thought it should. i had turned the lights out. but i turned them back on, got out of the car and they were on. then one day, i was behind a suv. i saw my car's reflection and the passenger light was out. i got home did not turn off the car or lights. i got out of the car and check. the passenger-side head light was out. i turn the lights off and then back on and the light came on. the time that it took for me to discover this actually took over a year. i recalled that someone had hit my car on that side (minor) but the headlamp assembly had to be replaced. so, i took the car back to the place it was repaired. through my insurance, i have a life-time guarantee on all repairs. they replaced the head light. about 10 days later i am behind a car and i notice that my passenger side head light is again out. i checked the web and have discovered that this problem is not unique to my car. i can not say how often this occurs since you basically have to be outside the car. i do know that there are times when my car lights do not seem to be lighting up the road as they should. *tr

My 2005 prius started to intermittently display a warning triangle sign on the dashboard. finally it came on and stayed on. the dealer performed a diagnostic check and says there is something wrong with the headlight leveling system - a short or some such glitch. cost to repair $700. i declined to repair since it was out of warranty. it appears that there are other prius problems with headlights. *tr

Toyota's hid headlights seem to only work intermittently. toyota would like us to replace the bulbs. labor and the bulb run about $500. this seems to be a problem with many of toyota's vehicles and seems like consumer gouging on a faulty product/design to the nth degree! *tr

2005 toyota prius w/ hid headlights. automatic aiming sensor has suffered premature failure because of a design flaw that allows the under-vehicle mounted sensor to corrode and fail. safety issues include a driver unknowingly overdriving his headlights at speed, and potential temporary blinding of oncoming traffic from aiming failure. failed part # is 89408-47010. toyota has not notified owners of this safety issue. *tr

We noticed shortly after we bought our 2005 toyota prius that the headlights did not shine far enough in advance of the car to properly illuminate the road. when we complained to the dealer, they checked it and said that the lights were set properly so as not to shine in the face of approaching car. now the automatic sensor warning light warning of a problem illuminates and indicates headlight problems any time we have anyone in the back seat of the car. despite having high intensity headlights offered in this package (package 4), we still do not feel safe driving this car at night because the headlights illuminate only about 15-20 feet in front of the car, even at 'high beams.' i don't want to blind someone, but i do want to see the road more than 20 feet in front of me. i am indicating the problem began in may, 2008 because that's when the sensor warning light started to come on, but this has been a problem with this car pretty much ever since we bought it. the dealer says there is a bulletin out about it, but wants to charge us about $500 to fix it since it is 8,000 miles past warranty. had i known that others have identified this as a problem (www.priuschat.com), i would have been more insistent before the warranty ran out. this car really is unsafe to drive at night, especially here in rural maine where we have many large animals on the highways at night (including moose). *tr

I have a 2005 toyota prius. one of my hid headlights burned out after only 35,000 miles, just 3 months after my warranty expired. toyota claims on their website that hid headlights last longer than halogen bulbs, but by e-mail said that they had not determined life expectancy of parts in my vehicle. looking at the many prius chat rooms on the web, this is not an unusual problem. as the replacement part alone (a single bulb) runs $350, there is a substantial problem with having to replace the bulb so soon after the warranty expires. *tr

2005 toyota prius hid driver's headlight continues to intermittently fail to illuminate. dealer wants >$600 to replace headlight. problem well documented as recurrent issue for prius with hid headlamps. this should be addressed by toyota asap. it is very dangerous to lose headlights while driving. it is also outrageous to expect consumers to pay $600 to replace a light bulb and not even be able to guarantee that will solve the problem. *tr

My vehicle is a 2005 toyota prius with trim package #9, including high-intensity discharge (hid) headlamps - the only ones available in the only vehicle available to me, so these were not an optional purchase. i was confident in the expected long service life of hid bulbs but had one fail at 41,000 miles in a pattern very similar to others described online - intermittent difficulty getting one headlight to turn on, followed by dimming and a pink tint in the light, and finally complete failure. despite the history of priuses having early hid failure, the dealer was only able to suggest that i pay for a bulb replacement, for about $350. given that hid lighting systems are supposed to be much longer lived than this, i must suspect that there is a flaw in the prius's hid electronics that is causing bulbs and/or other components in the hid lighting chain to fail much sooner than ever expected, if not unexpectedly. *tr

Driver's side headlight began going out intermittently, first rarely, then gradually more frequently. switching them off and on would restore it temporarily. the first time i took it to the dealer they couldn't reproduce the problem. by the time it became very bad, they diagnosed that the headlamp was overheating, and replaced it ($360). now, less than two months later it has started going out again, at infrequent intervals. this is clearly a safety issue and needs to be investigated. *tr

The passenger side hid headlight on my 2005 toyota prius turns off spontaneously at random times. it will turn on again if i turn the lights off and on, but it will inevitably turn off after 1 to 10 minutes of driving. the car has never been in an accident and has 39,000 miles on it. the dealer-trained "master mechanic" ran a diagnostic test and claims that the "hid ecu" (hid electronic control unit, part number 8110747150) is malfunctioning and must be replaced. it costs $320 in labor to access the hid ecu under the dashboard, and $286.99 for the new computer. there are dozens of complaints about the hid lights turning off for no apparent reason on various prius bulletin boards on line, yet toyota's customer satisfaction center claims to have no records of this problem, and claims there is no recall or service bulletin. headlights failing at random due to a manufacturer's defect is a serious safety issue that toyota should address. *tr

Hid headlamps go out randomly and individually, but can be relit by cycling the headlight switch on and off. dealer is replacing both hid lamp and controller assemblies on both sides; says replacing just lamp or controller will not permanently solve problem. crash danger due to lamps going out without warning. *cn

Toyota sienna ...at approx 36k miles my headlights would intermittently go off. bulbs were replaced and the problem persisted. the ecu unit to the headlight was replaced and worked fine for a year. now at 59k the headlights are doing the same. i am told again to replace the bulbs(300$) each. the bulbs come on but just go out on there own without hitting a bump . it varies which light i will have and i have lost both while traveling. i think this is very dangerous. the dealership is replacing bulbs this wee....hope it works. *tr

Right front headlight burned out. *tr

I had been pulled over on several occassions for faulty tail lights. this has been ongoing since i bought the car. then my children told me of the front head lights going out for no reason. i did not believe them till the went out on me. after taking it to several toyota dealers and said that there is nothing wrong, on 09/10/2009 i filed a complaint with a "monica" from the nhtsa in dc. i have yet to hear anything to this date and i am afraid of a serious crash when the lights go out without knowing why. i also have a check light that has been on since before my warranty went out and no one wants to correct the problem. i hate this car, it scares me and there are other issues and i have to date only received one recall and that is on the mats. *tr

My 2005 prius has xenon high intensity discharge(hid) headlamps that go out and stay out until the next time i turn on the lights. i have had to change the bulbs very frequently and they don't last for more than a year. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2005 toyota prius. while being serviced at the dealer, they noticed that the headlights were distorted. the plating on the internal part of the headlights were overheating. there is no way to release this heat and the contact is concerned that a possible fire may occur. the vehicle was taken to the dealer, but they did not want to be responsible because it was no longer under warranty. the failure mileage was 40,000 and current mileage was 41,000. updated 01-14-08. *kb updated 12/12/07. *jb

2005 toyota prius hid lamp burn out. replace of lamp is approx. $400.00 each.

Driving on i-405 when the left headlight began acting intermittently. brought to the attention of the dealer when stopped by to inquire about the problem. was told that the dealer was unaware what the problem could be and that their only suggestion was to replace the bulb, but that would cost $500 and would not guarantee fixing the problem. brought car back to dealer several times during 2007 and over the following years to discuss this issue with the headlight... yielding the same results from the dealer. many times during night driving the left headlight would go out. finally, in march, 2013 both headlights went out while on i-405 at night. happened twice during drive home with 3 small children in the car. had hid bulbs replaced as considerable expense ($657.88) only to find out toyota is completely aware of this problem from a class action lawsuit. i am shocked they put my family at risk by failing to notify us of this problem, even when proactively contacting the company with the exact same symptoms contained in the lawsuit. *tr

Action #pe09019 excludes model year 2005. this year is also experiencing the hid headlamp failure problem, including my vehicle. i already filed a complaint and you may ignore the date and other info in this comment. i just want to see 2005 added to the investigation and potential recall. *tr

Dt*: the contact stated the visibility of the headlights was limited. the low beam only extended a short range between 30-35 feet. the high beam only extended 50-75 feet. the dealership was aware of the problem.

Dt*: the contact stated the high beam headlights illuminate the tree limbs 8 feet above the road, but not the road. the dealership determined the vehicle met manufacturer specifications and no repairs were necessary. the vehicle was taken to an independent repair shop and it was determined adjustments cannot be made to the headlights. updated 2/24/2006 - *nm

Hid headlights fail intermittently. they either fail to light up or go out while driving. sometimes they operate normally, other times they fail. no pattern to it -- it seems random. dealer said toyota is aware of the problem but has no fix. they advised me to simply turn switch off, then on again until they light up. this does not always work. *tr

Low beam headlights aimed high and toyota says they can not be adjusted lower. on coming cars flash high beam when toyota headlights are on low beam setting. *jb

05prius: after reading the list of complaints i feel compelled to inform everyone of the problems i have had. otherwise i love my prius. headlight leveling system fix-warranty, warning on dash ,steering problem-recall, gas tank replaced-due to overfill broke bladder-warranty,cd-stereo replaced due to intermittent unresponsiveness-warranty, on my 3rd set of tires-originals lasted 21k, have 60k on odometer. fyi for all 05 owners. i bought new and take it to dealer for all repairs, except oil changes. *tr

The fog lights on my 2005 toyota prius are cracked. they do not appear to be from any impact. upon investigating further, it seems that a great deal of prius owners are experiencing this problem when there are severe cold temperatures. *nm

Dt: the contact owns a 2005 toyota prius. he states that while driving every warning light in the vehicle began to flash, then the car died. he turned the vehicle on again and it done the same thing. after this the vehicle would not start. he called toyota ,they sent someone with gas because the add fuel light was flashing, and they put gas in the vehicle. it still would not start. towed to toyota dealership, they looked at the car and could not get it to start. someone kept pressing buttons and got the car to start, then, it started every time. the next time while driving with a full tank of gas it went from three quarters tank to gas down to empty instantly. he immediately pulled into a gas station to get gas and the maintenance light was flashing. he called toyota back, and they would tow him to the nearest toyota dealership. instead he drove the vehicle home. dealership said they did checked the fuel lines and it should be fine. toyota denied all problems with the cars, the individual who towed consumer's vehicle told him that they had several people with this same problem. he decided to trade in the vehicle because he did not feel safe. it had several electrical problems such as, high beams came on by themselves, and door locks would not open occasionally. these incidents occurred on may 1, 2005 ,and he traded the vehicle in on may 16, 2005 . it was in the shop three times.*ak

Dt: the caller believes the headlight leveling sensor to correct the direction of the headlights is faulty. the headlights will tilt down without warning. she said when driving up or down hills the headlights did not shine where they were suppose to. caller took vehicle to the dealer three times. dealer said they could not duplicate the problem. manufacturer told dealer they will be redesigning the sensor. *ak