Problems with 2005 Toyota Prius EXTERIOR LIGHTING

The headlights on our 2005 toyota prius turn off while we are driving. sometimes it is the right headlight, sometimes the left, and once in awhile both turn off. if i turn off the lights and then turn them back on they both work, for a while. the problem is intermittent; there is no predicting when the lights will malfunction. sometimes it's while driving and then sometimes while stuck in traffic. *tr

At about 104k miles the hid headlights, along with the dash dashboard lights, went out while my daughter was driving on a country road at night. the sudden darkness resulted in a collision with a guard rail while braking. after putting the car in park, turning off the power button and restarting the car everything came back on. while we were shaken up, no one was hurt. the car sustained $2k damage to the body, but not to the headlights. the local dealer didn't express any knowledge of headlight failures in priuses, inspected the lighting system and pronounced everything fine. i did have to pay for the inspection as the lights weren't damaged and not covered by the collision claim. internet research has brought up many similar cases of this occurring with other priuses; with no acknowledgement by toyota. my daughter is now terrified of driving this car. i also own a 2007 prius with hid lights and 55k miles. i'm monitoring it's headlights whenever possible as it is driven mostly during the day with the headlights on. *tr

2005 prius. lights go off without warning. when lights are turned off and then on again they come back on. *tr

The passenger front headlight goes out. toyota has replaced various parts 4 times and it still doesn't work. *tr

Starting in late winter, early spring of 2010, we noticed intermittent occasional failure of one or the other of our hid headlamps on our 2005 toyota prius (which we were told by the toyota salesman were lifetime headlights). this situation could be immediately rectified by quickly turning off and on again the headlight switch at the steering wheel stalk. then, on july 24, 2010, while on a remote and steep winding mountain pass road in california, (sonora pass road) in pitch dark, both headlamps failed simultaneously and could not be rectified with a quick flick of the headlamp switch off and on. i braked heavily, keeping in my mind a vision of the curve in the road i had just seen ahead of me. braking heavily and trying to steer in the dark, i put the flashers on so i wouldn't be rear-ended. this ended up being a fortuitous decision, because it was so dark that the momentary flashes of the forward flashers allowed me to see just enough road in brief snippets so that i could steer my vehicle safely around the curve and get it off the road. i figured out that with both lamps out, a much slower off/on again cycle of the headlight switch would bring them back on, and i limped the vehicle home. having driven over a million miles in my adult life, luckily i had the experience and the calm to handle this situation without catastrophic result. had my wife or my daughter been driving, we certainly would have gone off the road and crashed the vehicle. immediately the following day i scheduled an appointment with a toyota dealership service center; end result of which they want me to pay nearly $900 to replace these defective headlamps. i called toyota, and upon initial contact, won't do anything for us. needless to say in this economy, we do not have the money, and we have been relegated to driving our prius mostly daytimes, and certainly not on mountain pass roads at night. reading online toyota forums, i am very obviously not the only person who has this problem. *tr

I drive a 2005 toyota prius and the headlights have started going off intermittently without warning. when i start the car (light switch is always in the on position), sometimes both lights are on, sometimes one, sometimes none. while driving the car, the lights will suddenly go out, usually one or the other, but there have been times where both went out. i have researched the problem and there doesn't appear to be a known solution. i plan to purchase a replacement bulb to see if that solves the problem. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 toyota prius. the contact stated the headlights would intermittently flicker on and off and there was limited illumination. the dealer performed a diagnostic on the vehicle and advised that the automatic flashing headlight leveler remained on and caused the headlights to intermittently fail. the contact stated that there was also an unknown light that remained illuminated on the dashboard. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure and current mileage was 77,000.

The front headlights will randomly flicker out, usually one at a time but sometimes both at the same time. one can get it back on by toggling the headlight switch on and off, but extremely dangerous when on an interstate at night. a ton of owners are having this same problem, but apparently there is as of yet no recall. you can switch out the expensive bulb, but that also apparently doesn't fix the problem. *tr

Dear nhtsa: 2005 toyota prius. headlights. the car is equipped with a headlight leveling device. at present my low beams only show about 14 feet in front of the vehicle. when the high beams are on they shine where the normal low beams would shine. i have contacted my dealer, this is a $500.00 dollar fix. the car has 48k miles . this is a safety hazard. i am not safe driving this vehicle at night. this is a serious condition and affects lots of toyota prius as i have found out on the blogs. appreciate you guys looking into this problem, the device should be replaced by toyota as it has failed through normal use and not from abuse. [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6). *tr

Sudden warning light indicating headlight leveling failure. occurs intermittently under various circumstances. consequences: headlights either aimed too high blinding oncoming drivers or slanted downward making car impossible to drive at night. part has not been replaced and car is not driven at night. old part still available. there was a technical service bulletin in early 2006 indicating that the headlight leveling sensor was not watertight and prone to failure due to water entering the system and corroding the electrical contacts. toyota improved the integrity of the unit and sold it using the same part number with the added suffix "g". while toyota will cover the replacement cost of the sensor under the 3 yr/36,000 mile warranty there is no coverage for vehicles out of warranty. a recall was never issued. again, this is only a problem that occurs with the hid headlight system in the earlier generation ii prius (2004 - 2005). service bulletin:00406 nhtsa item number:10019992 my car is out of warranty and i was unaware that there was a problem with the system when it could have been remedied while the car was under warranty. mileage at failure 72,000. this is a safety issue and a recall should be issued ! cost of part $370.00 + tax. labor is another 210.00 + tax. *tr

The headlights on my 2005 toyota prius go out intermittently without warning, one at a time. the bulbs will come back on after the first or second time of restarting the car. this may be happening more often than i'm aware. the first time was about 7 months ago when a chp officer pulled me over and gave me a fixit ticket for the headlight being out. it was too late at night to buy another bulb anywhere. i pulled into a lighted parking lot to see if there might be a loose connection. i turned off the car, opened the hood, removed some parts that were in the way of accessing the back of the passenger side headlight, and jiggled the connection to the bulb. i turned the car back on and the light worked. the next time i was at a service appointment at the dealer i asked them if they were aware of any problems with the headlights going out intermittently. the service rep said they do that occasionally, but since they were expensive to repair, to just keep driving until it goes out altogether. about 3 or 4 months ago, my driver side headlight did the same thing that time, i wasn't able to remove the back of the headlight. i was in a remote location late at night about 50 miles along a winding 2-lane road away from my destination. i started the car back up and the driver side headlight was still out. i decided to continue on to my destination with just one headlight, taking a chance the other wouldn't go out. the next day when i started the car, both headlights were working fine. last night, the passenger side headlight went out for the second time (that i'm aware). i was on a 3-hour drive home after working out of town all week. i stopped for some coffee and when i turned the car back on, both headlights were working fine. after about 10 minutes driving, though, the passenger side headlight went out again and stayed out all the rest of the trip home. today i googled the problem; several others have had similar problems with prius headlights. *tr

The right headlight goes out a minutes after driving the car. both headlights come on initially, but after driving down the road for a few minutes, the right headlight stops working. this seems to be a problem with the hid module malfunctioning. *tr

2005 toyota prius with headlights driver's side headlight that goes on and off intermittently. the dealership is charging $350 for this one light bulb, to replace it. there are multiple complaints regarding this problem with the prius, on multiple web sites, all with the same concern. it is obviously a defective part, and the headlights should be recalled by toyota. they go off at very dangerous times, like driving on the interstate. *tr

Passenger front hid headlight was intermediately operational for a short period of time. eventually it would not come back on. toyota dealer quoted $350+ for part and $150+ for labor, per headlight. according to other prius owners and internet articles, this issue is apparent to be a manufacturer defect; but toyota refuses to admit in order to prevent a recall. unwilling to paid for toyota's mistakes, the vehicle was driven with only one headlight for some time. until recently stopped by police and issued a traffic violation warning. for safety reasons and to prevent future violations , replaced the burnt hid bulb ($50+ from amazon.com) personally (followed proper procedures). a week later, that same bulb went out. more evident indicating the issue is not with the bulb; but with the electrical system and toyota is not willing to paid for their own mistakes. shame on toyota!!! *tr

The hid headlights on my 2005 toyota prius went out several nights ago. the car was taken to toyota, and this problem is common on the 2004-2008 prius, which a simple google search proved. these type of bulbs overheat (since they're halogen). nevertheless, they charged $1150 for two headlights which cannot be bought anywhere except the toyota dealership. they were only 2 years old. when i called toyota, the person i talked to understood, saying it had happened to him too, but there was nothing he could do since the car had over 136,000 miles on it. apparently toyota only warranties its parts for one year. shameful. *tr

I have a 2005 toyota prius and the lights go off while i am driving. if i turn off the lights completely they will come back on. the dealer does not know what to do in fixing it. the lights go off in the middle of driving at night. this is a safety hazard that needs to be addressed. this incident happens day to day. i have been stopped by the police several times not knowing that the lights have gone out. there needs to be a recall to investigate the electrical system. *tr

I have been experiencing some problems with my headlights. i changed the bulb and a month later the light stopped working again. i took it to the dealership they blamed it on the bulb, i tried to return the bulb to the store and they tested it and said everything was ok with the bulb so it had to be the headlights. i'm also having problems with the dashboard lights. the speedometer and gas gage completely failed. at the same time i was told my abs brake system needs to be replaced! this is too much happening at the same time and i have to pay for all of it out of pocket.

2005 prius driver's hid lightbulb failed with less than 80,,000 miles. cost to replace bulb quoted at $400 plus $300 for labor. *tr

Normal use of high intensity discharge headlamp/bulbs lights are flickering. wire harness mentioned by dealership, cost to replace is prohibitive. bulbs should not be 'flickering' if the capsule simply needs to be replaced. this problem is common among this model year prius as well as before and after 2005. *tr

Over the past two months, my 2005 prius has developed an intermittent headlight failure. the headlight in question is on the passenger side of the vehicle. turning off the headlights and turning them back on resolves the issue, thus the bulb is not the issue. this defect makes the vehicle less safe to operate and holds me civilly responsible for "fix it" damages. the "fix" for this defect is a replacement should not be my responsibility for it is not a failure of obsolescence. i will cheerfully accept the bulb ending life, but for the sensors, switches, and computing behind the headlamp switch to have this level of dependability is not my problem to fix. *tr

The passenger side headlight burned out on my 2005 toyota prius. i took it to the dealer and they charged $818 for the headlight and the onboard computer that comes with it. i don't yet know what the labor charge will be.

I was driving at night and suddenly realized i couldn't see the road in front of me. when i pulled up to a stop light, i could see the reflection of both headlights on in the back of the car in front of me, but when i started driving again i couldn't see the road again. i put my high beams on and they worked, but the regular lights had become too dim to see anything. i just replaced one of the bulbs two months ago because it was out, but now they are both working but too dim to be useful. the toyota dealer said the bulbs need to be replaced, but one of them is barely two months old. i asked a non-toyota dealer and they said it is not a bulb problem if the bulbs work, but a wiring or battery problem. i don't know what to do because i don't want to pay to fix the wrong problem, since i just replaced a headlamp that can't be the issue. *tr

Driving at night and the head lamps on toyota prius malfunctioned; not aware that they were off. i was on a dark winding road, heavy rain showers. was alerted by another motorist that my lights were off. got out of car, tapped the dome, one came on... i was able to drive home. happened unexpectedly, no warning. very concern with my safety. they could have been an accident. checked with other prius owners. found out, it's a widespread issue with the prius. toyota is aware of the problem and needs to address it before someone gets seriously hurt or killed. overall the car is fine but this headlamp issue needs to be addressed from a safety perspective. there are no deaths /injury in my case but prevention is the key. thank you. *tr

1. noticed that the left headlamp is having intermittent difficulty staying on this past week. 2.once the headlamps are turned on, the left headlamp starts to dim and the light appears to have a pink tint. after a few minutes (3 ' 7) the left headlamp goes completely out. turning the lights off and then on again starts the cycle all over again. i have been pulled over because the light was out. having to drive with only 1 functional headlamp is a safety concern. 3.the toyota dealership wants $375.79 for one hid light bulb. mileage is 67575 i cannot afford the light bulb nor the hundreds of dollars required for the labor costs to replace it. *tr

I'm constantly replacing the headlights in my 2005 toyota prius (non-hid bulbs) as they have stopped working 6 times in the last 35k miles. i've replaced them with different manufacturer's bulbs, differing models, and even oem bulbs, but they keep going out. the first time they actually went out with both headlights together at exactly 100,000 miles. i don't know if this is planned obsolence or something else, but both headlights going out while driving at night is far from safe. given the fact that the dealership wants almost $300 per bulb change, this is getting pretty ridiculous, and i'm not thrilled about the concept of getting tickets due to bulbs burning out every couple of weeks. aside from the inconvenience and cost, i'm really concerned about the safety aspects of this recurring problem. *tr

2005 toyota prius. there is an electrical problem with my headlights. one or both headlights will go out at least once in an hour of driving. turning off the headlights and back on restores it to normal operation. *tr

3/1/2010 hid bulb out on the toyota prius 2005, told that it would cost $450 to replace the bulb. i can't believe that i spend so much money on this car, to be told that something so simple was costing so much. when i used to do this my self. i also complain about my car accelerating and was told that my car was not on the list. that i would have to wait for the notification to bring it in for the rug replacement. i called to complain about acceleration on my car and was told that i was wrong. i have been driver since my teens (over 30 yrs now) and should know when there is something wrong with my car, i am the one driving it. this incident about the car accelerating happen a few times during last summer and the fall season i never noted the dates down. *tr

1 - my right headlight keeps going on and off while i am driving. i received a ticket that i now have to pay for. the los angeles times mentioned that other cars have this problem. it should be easy for the manufacturer to fix at their expense. 2 - since i purchased my 2005 prius in 2004, when i go over bumps, sometimes the light for the stability comes on and the brakes do not work for a second or two. i had asked when the car was serviced and was told there was nothing wrong. i guess we know better now. 3 - sometimes the two front tires lose traction and make a noise while spinning, before the car moves. 4 - if my car was under the "carpet" recall, why is it that it is not listed under the recall for the gas pedal? 5 - two of my locks are not working. one is the front passenger an one in the back. *tr

The front right headlight and rear right taillight randomly turn off. i have seen no pattern as to when it goes out, but it will stay out until the vehicle is turned off and restarted. 95% of the time, this resolves the problem. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2005 toyota prius. the contact stated she had been having a recurring failure with the headlights where they would intermittently fail while driving at various speeds. the dealer advised that the manufacturer was aware of the failure in his model vehicle but did not offer any assistance. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure continued to recur intermittently. the failure mileage was 110,000 and the current mileage was 120,000.

The right hid headlight on our 2005 toyota prius extinguishes randomly, several times a week, and sometimes comes back on when the headlights are power-cycled. the left headlight has been replaced once, which we feel is normal, while the right headlight has been replaced three times, two of which were probably unnecessary. we have been stopped and warned by police several times, and we may not be noticing all of the failures that occur during daylight. the dealer says the problem could be the ballast ($800) or the computer ($1,000) but would not replace either under warranty (stringing us along with lamp changes until it expired) and will not guarantee that either or both fixes will eliminate the problem. *jb

I was driving on this particular day and both headlights just shut off. i was driving on the highway going about 70 miles an hour. i slowed down as much as i could. only one car was behind me and by chance he had seen my lights go off and started to flicker his lights as he passed me. luckily their wasn't any cars on site because it was about 2 am in the morning and their wasn't any traffic. i was able to pull over under a highway street lamp on the shoulder. i turned off the light and back on repeatedly until about the 7th or 9th try they came back on. since then i have intermittent light turning off on either headlight at random time. the dimming can go for weeks without shutting off and can also go on for a full week with the headlights daily. i know this is hazard because the time where both headlights went out it could have ended in a different way other then pulling over safely on the shoulder. also the intermittent light turning off of the lights is also a hazard because it decreases visibility both for me to see the road and other drivers to see me. *tr

Hid headlamp failure on my 2005 toyota prius. it would work sometimes and then go off as i was driving down the road. took to dealer 3/26/10; they replaced the headlight bulb for $198.09. it worked for about a month then started flickering off again as i drove down the road. i could turn it off completely then back on and it would work for only a few seconds. took to dealer again today 6/21/10 and they said it needs a new assembly because it had been "hit". my husband backed into and scraped the headlight cover in 2006 (five years ago), but it worked perfectly until feb. 2010. interesting that there are multiple complaints of this same problem, with 160 pages of complaints to nhtsa alone. *tr

Right headlight is intermittent on my 2005 toyota prius. i will be driving down the road and it will go off. if i turn off my light off and back on it comes back on. *tr

My 2005 toyota prius has a problem with the headlights going out,it started in december 2009 and as of today they go out about every 5-10 minutes ... i called toyotas customer service and they implied there was no wide spread problem with the headlights on the 2005 prius ... i have an associated press article in front of me that says (the prius is a highly computerized car and has had many problems in the past ... in 2005 toyota repaired 75,000 prius that had a software problem that caused the car to stall and the prius also has had problems with the headlights going out since 2001 ) is there a fix that they would not tell me about ... thanks. *tr

My 2005 hid headlight on the driver's side went out at 78,000 miles. the auto parts store looked up my car info and sold me two bulbs for $50.00. after trying to replace them myself, i called quality toyota in ft walton beach, fl. they quoted me $150 for labor if i had my own bulbs. upon arrival, they said my bulbs were not correct, and wanted to charge me an additional $300 per bulb, plus the $150 labor. i declined, checked the internet, and am appalled that after so many complaints with the same year, make, and model, toyota hasn't been forced to recall for this reason. this is a major safety hazard, for which toyota is obligated to fix. *cn

Toyota prius headlight leveling sensor when it fails, headlight can point downward limiting visibility. *tr

Front passenger (right) side main headlamp goes out, it will relight when light switch is turned off, then back on.date of first occurrence is unknown. this happens when at idle or any speed. sometimes the light will stay on for 30 minutes or more, but most of the time the light will go out every 4 minutes. i have to drive and look at the reflection of my car on the side of another car to see if my light is one or not. when i reset the light, people think i am flashing them to pull over. i have been pulled over for the light out and i was able to demonstrate to the peace officer that i can reset the light by turning it off and on, he told me to take care of it, yet there are no answers or a firm fix. toyota should recall gen 2 prius as this is a defect. *tr

In my 2005 toyota prius, one or both of the headlights spontaneously go out while driving. if you turn them off using the switch and then turn them on, the re-illuminate so the bulbs are not burned out. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 toyota prius. while driving at approximately 10 mph, the headlight leveling sensor message illuminated on the dashboard twice. the contact also stated that the headlights would intermittently aim downward, providing limited long distance illumination of the roadway. the vehicle was taken to the dealer where the contact was awaiting a diagnosis of the failure. the vin was not available. the failure mileage was 44,000 and the current mileage was 48,000.

My headlight on the right side of my prius goes out intermittently, then when i cycle the switch (not safe to do at night) it turns back on. i have had it in to the dealer for repair, at a large cost, with no improvement. online forums tell me this is a problem not solved by light replacement or by replacing the computer board that controls the lights. this is a problem for multiple cars on the road, and according to the online forums is starting to show in other toyotas. *tr

Toyota prius 2005 headlight failure. *tr

Toyota prius 2005 headlight leveling control sensor fails due to corrosion in the sensor. result is inadequate night drive due to improperly positioned headlights. safety issue. *tr

Headlight goes out and comes back on only after turning switch on & off. *tr

I own a 2005 toyota prius with a problem with the hid (high intensity) headlights. the passenger side headlight has been going dead intermittently since december and the driver side headlight recently started to do the same thing. if i turn the headlights off and then back on again it corrects the problem for a while. i do a fair amount of driving in the dark and on the highway, so this could be dangerous, to say the least. i was going to replace the lights myself but i was unaware that they were the hid lamps until after i had picked up a new bulbs from the auto parts store. i am going to return the ones i have and pick up some hid bulbs but i am concerned that this may not alleviate the problem. when i researched the issue online, i found that this seems to be a common and serious issue/defect that keeps recurring on the prius models from 2005-2008. i will save the old bulbs and any other related parts when i change them outthis weekend. *tr

I have 2005 prius and it is my 3rd time that hid head light went off last two times i paid over $800 to replace it but this time i cant afford i am driving with one head light only i have 78000 miles on it. *tr

While driving at night i noticed that my headlights were dim. i later found that the left light had gone out. i found that turning the lights off and on again the light went on for a while. the problem persists and toyota says they can do nothing. i must pay for a new light $300 +. *tr

My 2005 prius headlight went out about two weeks ago (end of nov 2009). when i took it to the dealership they said it would cost me about $600 to replace it. i decided to tackle it myself. i successfully changed the bulb and although the bulb works fine the light only stays on intermittently. apparently while reading posts on the internet, i am not the only one with this problem. i do not want to be overcharged by the dealership considering the job they quoted me $600 only cost me $150 to do myself. please help us!! *tr

I have a 2005 toyota prius with defective hid headlights. these lights are very expensive to replace ($650+/-each) and burn out about every year. my headlights have gone out on several occasions, including on the freeway at 8:30pm in the dark. everyone i know who owns a prius has had the same problem. toyota freely admits the headlights are defective, and because of that they are not even an option on the 2010 prius, but denies that the bad headlights are a safety concern. i disagree. having my headlights suddenly turn off at 65mph on a dark freeway is certainly a safety concern. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2005 toyota prius. while driving, the headlights shut off. the failure also occurred intermittently while driving in reverse. the contact stated that since this is a common occurrence with the toyota prius that the repair cost of $1,000 came as a surprise to him. the dealer immediately quoted him that cost by phone when he advised them that the headlights were shutting off. there were no reported warning lights illuminated on the instrument control panel. he contact is concerned about the safety risk since the lack of headlights while driving at night could cause a crash. the failure mileage was 92,500 and the current mileage was 93,000.