Problems with 2005 Toyota Prius EXTERIOR LIGHTING

Originally the passenger headlight would shut off randomly. i would flick the lights on and off and it would turn back on. then this past new years eve both headlights turned off and i flicked the lights on and off and that did not work. i shut off the headlights with the switch for a few seconds and luckily they turned on again. however the kept on shutting off more consistently. first the passenger then both. this is ridiculous. and the car was not safe to drive. i replaced both headlight bulbs at my own expense. the bulbs worked great for 2 days. now both headlights will not stay on for more than 45 seconds. my 16 yr old son also drives this car and this is unacceptable. if something were to happen to him because of this known defect that toyota is not willing to fix. this is terrible! fix this problem! new bulbs is not the fix. there is something else seriously wrong here. *tr

While driving the passenger headlight goes out at unexpected times. trying to activate the high headlights does not make the light come back on. the only way the light comes back on is by turning them off and on from the switch, and most of the time the light goes out again in a very short time. *tr

Starting in approximately march and occurring daily through present day, one or both headlights sporadically go out. we started noticing this in march when driving at night. our own tests indicate that it can happen when the car is at a complete standstill or at any speed. it can happen zero to multiple times during a single use of the car, sometimes up to every minute and a half while driving. turning the headlights off and back on again cause both headlights to come back on. as far as we know, this did not start happening until this last march. we have had no other troubles with this car and love the car, aside from this issue. this has caused us to stop driving the car at night, which is extremely inconvenient. *tr

Headlights will randomly turn off and on. sometimes the left headlight will go out, sometimes the right, and occasionally both lights will go out at the same time. the hid bulbs are not to blame. these bulbs, when they do go out, they burn out and never come back. this issue is a control problem/design flaw of the vehicle. if the nhtsa would look in its database it would see this is not an isolated incident. if you are waiting on a body count you will not have to wait long. my wife was driving on hwy 66 at 7:30 pm on march 4th when a loose cow entered the road, then the lights blinked out. a 2,000 lbs animal and a 2,600 lbs car do not interact well together. i suspect you will keep ignoring this and be a patsy for toyota. i plan on filing a small claims against toyota and, if i can find a lawyer who will take you on, sue the nhtsa for not doing their jobs. *tr

My 2005 prius began to have problems with the driver's side headlight. when i first turn my lights on, the headlamp works, but after a few minutes of driving, it goes out. switching to high beams doesn't make any difference, but if i turn off my lights and turn them right back on, the headlamp works for a short while. i have researched this on prius forums, and it is a very common problem. the dealer wants $2600 to fix it. i think it is a manufacturing defect and should be recalled and fixed at no charge. *tr

While driving, both headlights would go off. they would come back on when turning the light control off then back on. a few minutes later, they would go off again and to get them back on i had to switch off/ then back on. it did not seem to be dependent on fast i was driving or if a bump in the road caused the headlights to go off. we took car to dealer and was told everything checked out and both headlight bulbs needed to be replace @ $175.00 each for parts plus labor to drop font bumper so headlights could be installed. total bill came to $485.00 to replace two headlights that worked intermittently. *tr

The headlights started going on and off intermittently. both bulbs were replaced recently. the car has an hid headlight system. *tr

Around 105,000 we started getting intermittent headlight loss. it usually comes back on if we turn the lights off then back on. it only did it on the passenger side for about a year but now it does it on both sides. *tr

The passenger side hid headlight went out. the next time i used the car, the headlight was working again. since the first occurrence, either headlight has gone out intermittently (i have not been aware that both have gone out at the same time). each time, the headlights are found to be working again later. i don't know how often the problem is occurring. i don't do a lot of night driving, but i keep my lights on all the time. i suspect there are many daylight failures that go unnoticed. *tr

Front right headlight is intermittently going out. i can get it to go back on if i turn switch off and back on but it may fail again within 10 or 80 minutes. replaced bulb, but still have problem. dealer said it was the bulb but replacing it has not fixed the issue. *tr

Headlights turn off unexpectedly. turning switch off and then back on temporarily resets and they work for 5 to 10 minutes then go off again. *tr

Front passenger headlamp goes out by itself. will come back on if headlamp switch is turned off and on. does not occur with hitting a bump in the road or depending upon weather. very unpredictable. once driver side headlamp did the same. regularly the passenger headlamp fails!! also, rear passenger brake lamp works sometimes and doesn't work other times. unpredictable. *tr

While driving at 6:35 pm in paso robles on hwy 46 both headlights went dark. i rotated the light switch several times, then both headlights lit. within 5 minutes, it happened again. 2 minutes later, it happened again. thereafter it happened about every 2 minutes until we got to the hospital emergency room to which i was taking my wife. she died there about 10pm of a heart attack. at about 2 a.m. on my return home with my daughter, the same thing happened within 5 minutes. when it happened next in about 2 minutes, i flipped the light switch and one headlight lit. despite flipping the switch several times, only one light (the left one) lit. have not used the car at night since then. *tr

My passengers side head light went out. it came back on when i turned the switch off and back on again. it has happened three more times since, two of which were this morning alone (12/28/2012). *tr

Left side headlight quits working then you have to turn off headlights and turn back on then it comes back on. after a while it goes out again then same procedure has to be repeated again. i believe this is a safety issue and needs to be recalled. what if the light on the right side decides to go out especially in the dark where there is no street lights? i ask you nicely please recall the car and fix the issue what may be causing it. *tr

My husband was driving our recently purchased prius and was pulled over by a police officer. one of his headlights was not working. following that event, the other light has gone out as well. both headlights go on off when in use. this is disturbing to us because it's a safety issue when driving at night. after doing research, we discovered that this can be an issue in 05-08 toyota prius. *tr

In mid june 2012, while driving on the freeway i noticed the left side headlight was not on, initially i thought the bulb was bad since i had already had to replace the right one. i had planed to take the car to elmore toyota of huntington beach, ca to have the bulb replaced but the following day the light was working. after a few days it started happening again. i found that if i turned the lights on and off the headlight would come back on, i have had this problem for over a year now. today i decided to take the car to the dealer's service department, now they can't seem to tell me what is the true nature of the problem, all they want to do is sell me a new bulb. after doing some research on my own i now understand that this has been an ongoing problem since 2007 and that the nhtsa has investigated this and has decided that this is not a safety issue. i would like to see if the persons responsible for this decision would like to go on a long night drive with me on a mountain road. right now i want to officially file a complaint about this problem, my 2005 toyota prius is unsafe to drive because the headlights are not dependable and there is no telling when they will stop working. *tr

Headlights (one or both) will randomly turn off while driving. turning the switch off and back on will turn them back on. *tr

First my left headlight went out. within a minute my right headlight went out as well. i turned the light switch off, then on again, and they both re-lit. this happened four times in the course of 20 miles. the is a regular occurrence now. *tr

Last september we noticed the driver side headlight was out. when we turned the car off and on, the lamp came back on. we took the car to the dealer who could not find anything wrong. we have seen a lot of similar complaints on the internet with no resolution. others have spend big $$$ to fix, however after spending the money, the problem remained. please advise. *tr

Front right light flickers off/on occasionally. toyota says i need to replace both bulbs at approximately $540 in total cost. *tr

The left headlight unexpectedly goes out. if i turn the lights off and on again, the headlight comes back on, but soon repeats going out. *tr

Right hid intermiitently goes on and off. unable to see the right side of the road at night. *tr

Both headlights turned off simultaneously. turning the headlight switch off, and back on restored illumination. this happened twice within 45 minutes. *tr

I was driving in interstate i-270 in commerce city co. when suddenly the headlights went out and would not come back on until i was completely stopped,so i turn them off then on and they come back on,?? it has kept on happening ever since, they are the hid's and it is my understanding am not the only one having this problem. *tr

Driver side headlight keeps shutting off. if i turn off lights and turn back on, it comes back on for a little while. shuts off about 6 times in 25 miles. *tr

Since june.. i have had one or both headlights go off. i have to flick them on and off to get them to go back on. i have run off the road. i have been pulled over by police only to then find my headlight was on. sometimes when they both go off it will takes many on off of the switch to get them to finally go back on, and i usually have to make my way of the road. this is a terribly dangerous situation. i have had many vehicles and not ever seen anything like this!! i truly believe there needs to be a recall. i looked on line and now know it is not just me, but many prius are having the very same issue. there is a guy i saw interviewed that said he does not believe that they both go off simultaneously. i can assure you that they do, and it happens quite frequently. i have become very scared to drive at night. i do not do it unless i just have to.. *tr

While driving a canyon road at night, vehicle headlights suddenly went off. near collision occurred when another car turning in front of affected vehicle because it was not visible in the dark. later discovered turning the headlights off and then on again caused the headlamps to relight. since then, one or both head lamps intermittently and suddenly turn off. reset relights. on june 22, 2012, vehicle was taken to northridge toyota for repair. northridge toyota charged over $500 to replace headlamps. some time after repair, the issue returned with same symptoms. *tr

Intermittent headlight outage - front right side. *tr

My drivers side headlight flickers then goes out. i was able to get it on again by manually turning the switch on and off. then it will happen again. i replaced the headlight ($175 for the part alone) in may of 2012. it is now march of 2014 and the same light began doing it again, flickering. i was able to get it to go on by manually switching it on. now it is out again. *tr

The hid headlights fail and turn-off without warning. this leads to dangerous driving conditions especially at night. this is related to a hid headlight leveling sensor failure. toyota reports this issue in their "technical service bulletin" number el004-06, dated 28th april 2006. toyota recognizes the problem in the oem part and is providing replacement only on failed parts under 36months, 36,000 miles warranty. however, my vehicle experienced this "safety issue" past the warranty period and hence is not replaced by toyota. nevertheless, toyota has generated a customer program to replace this defective module in 2006-2009 models even if not under the warranty. my 2005 model experiences the exact same problem but toyota will not cover this safety issue. furthermore, the 2006-2009 models are covered under the "class action lawsuit" for the exact same problem as my 2005; however my 2005 model is not covered. please do the needful to include 2005 model prius (with hid headlights) in the safety issues addressed in 2006-2009 models. thank you. *tr

I have replaced my headlights 6 times in the past 2 years. the headlights go out with no warning. the first few times i thought it was possibly bad aftermarket bulbs but there is obviously a problem. this is a safety issue since there is no warning as to when they go out. *tr

The hid headlight are unexpectedly shutting off. this is a clearly a safety issue. it does appear that the hid headlight equipped prius indeed contains a design defect. toyota dealer is charging me $750 for the repair. the prius was bought in the usa and moved with us when we moved to canada in 2010. *tr

While driving in the dark both of my head lamps failed again. i am having intermittent failure of one head lamp. the failure is usually in the left lamp, but occasionally the right as well. both of head lamps failed again since this incident as well. the second incident occurred on thursday feb 16th 2012 at 610 pm. i have had this trouble before and reported it to safecar.gov. i bought the car used at auburn toyota in auburn california and the left head lamp failed immediately. they replaced it. since then i have had constant trouble with the lights and have complained to both roseville toyota and auburn toyota. they have both told me that the head lamps are likely bad. since they work a good portion of the time, i doubt this is the case. i am frustrated that i have not been able to get this resolved through toyota, so i am lodging another complaint. having your lights go out while you are driving is scary and extremely dangerous,

The headlight operation became erratic. sometimes one would work and sometimes the other one would be the only one to function. sometimes neither headlight would come on. repeated operation of the headlight switch eventually would get one or both headlights turned on. the light bulbs were replaced in 2012 and again in 2013. there was little or no change in performance. when i have asked my toyota dealer's service department about it, they simply said they weren't aware of any problem. i cannot believe that is true. this is a much discussed and not uncommon problem. we are always concerned that the headlights might fail while we were driving. this has not happened yet, but i have no confidence in the headlight reliability. *tr

Headlamps stay on for 5 minutes then one goes out completely and the other goes dim. can't see unless i turn them off and then back on again... then i get some light for another 5 minutes. i replaced the lamps which were very expensive, however, the lamps are not the problem. *tr

Both headlights intermittently go off, they lit for a minute and then go off. i have been reading in forums this is a common problems toyota prius owners experience. they should make a recall, sometimes when i go to work at night i am out of lights and this is extremely dangerous since i use express ways a lot. *tr

Starting over a year ago and occurring every time needed,the headlight on the passenger side sporadically goes out. it can happen zero to multiple times during a single use of the car, sometimes up to every minute and a half while driving. turning the headlights off and back on again cause both headlights to come back on. as far as we know, this did not start happening until after a maintenance visit and was stopped by a state patrol officer. conversations with other prius owners, replacing the headlight does not seem to resolve this issue. at +$350 to change the headlight at the dealer, i am hesitant to spend money on something that will not resolve the issue. while we have had no other troubles with this car and love the car, this recurring issue has caused us to hesitate driving the car at night.

My car lights keeps going off while driving at night. *tr

The hid headlights will occasionally go out. over time i realized that by turning the lights off and on, the lights came back on. while driving at night, this event can happen as often as every couple minutes. sometimes it may not occur for an hour. but there is no rhyme or reason as to the frequency of losing the light. maybe 3 or 4 times over the last 2 years both headlights turned off at once. had i been on an interstate at the time or in inclement weather, it would have been much more dangerous and life threatening. losing the light from a bulb can occur to either headlight. although it seems to occur with one bulb or the other for a period of time. in other words, on a night's drive, it's usually one bulb that will often go out on that night. the next evening it may be the other headlight. the local toyota service garage charges about $175 each for the hid lightbulbs and another $95 for the installation. looking at opinions on line concerning this prius headlight problem, is the view that replacing the bulb is not the issue. the problem is within the computer system of the car. the price of replacing the bulbs combined with the possibility that light replacement may not solve the problem, keeps me from spending the money and instead keeps me flicking the lights off and on when needed. given the extreme potential danger of this defect, it seems that toyota owes it to their customers to get to the bottom of this problem. and create a fix. *tr

The driver side headlight intermittently goes on and off without warning. this began over a year ago, but we cannot name the specific time. we initially thought it was just a light bulb, however, we learned that it can be reactivated by briefly turning the headlight switch off and on. this is a safety hazard if driving at night. it can happen several times during one trip or not at all. we have taken it to a few toyota dealers and they have indicated that it could cost 400-800+ to repair the problem, which we believe to be excessive so for now we are tolerating the problem. *tr

I thought my headlights needed to be adjusted, so i took the car to have it done. the shop told me that the problem couldn't be fixed because it was the auto leveling sensor in the rear of the car. after a few more weeks of driving like that, a warning light came on the dash board and the display in the console. i ordered the part and had it replaced. it some what resolved the problem, but the lights still need adjusting. they are still not pointing high enough to light the road appropriately. the shop says that there is no way to adjust the lights further than what the sensor does. *tr

The left headlight went out and the operator turned the lightswitch off then back on and the left headlight restarted. this happened intermittently at no particular time interval up until september 29, 2012 when both headlights began to go out and the operator now has safety concerns. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 toyota prius. the contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the headlights intermittently failed. the vehicle was taken to a private mechanic where the failure could not be diagnosed. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was not contacted about the failure. the failure mileage was 75,000.

Prior to this major problem, my driver's side headlight would go out intermittently and the come back on. on 11/19/2011, both headlights went off after being on for about 10 minutes. when i tried to put the high beams on all front end lights went out. i made it safely to my destination. the next day i check the headlights and they both worked fine. i checked the fuses and all were fine. i usually drive with my headlights always on, but decided to leave them off all day in hopes that the problem wouldn't repeat on my 6 hour drive home. four hours into my drive home, it was getting dark so i turned my headlights on and they worked, but within an hour they both went off. i turned them off and then back on and they came on again. over the next hour the both headlights went out multiple times and i was able to get them back on by turning them off and then back on. for the last hour of my drive the headlights stayed on and worked fine. i've heard of other prius owners having similar problems and i believe that since non-working headlights are a major safety issue that toyota should recall the prius and fix this issue. *tr

Headlights goes off all the time while driving. i have been experiencing the problem with headlights for almost three years. *tr

The headlamps repeatedly burn out, which repair people have said indicates an underlying electrical problem. i now have to replace one of the headlamps for the fourth time in just over a year. *tr

Hid left side would go out then back on . will work good for several weeks then intermittently will happen again. presently its is working, last week friday was the last incident. *tr

Headlamp would go out at random intervals. always came on when first switched on but would go off while driving. would reproducibly come back on when the switched was flipped to off and back on again. would then go off again at later time. no way to tell whether operational while driving. *tr

Since about the fall of last year or so, we've been noticing that the headlights have been going off intermittently. the right went out and then came back on. then another time the left went out and came back on. i've read about this occurring on many other prius' and that there was a class action suit? anyway, i need to figure out how to get this fixed as it is a serious safety issue. *tr