Problems with 2006 Toyota Prius ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

Toyota is familiar with the hid lights on their toyota prius' and even issued a tsb (t-sb-0030-08) and is still requiring the end user to pay upwards to $800 for the repair. within the last few weeks, i am having to turn my headlights on and off in the day or during the night so that i can have both lights on. it's an intermittent issue and many other owners are complaining about the same issue. it is a tremendous safety issue especially when driving at night. for the 2010 model prius, toyota has even taken out the hid lights. what is really going on here. i am not a happy consumer. *tr

After owning my used 2006 toyota prius for a week, i had my 1st incident: i was driving down the road at night, and right headlight went out, while left headlight remained on. turned the headlight switch to 'off' position, and then to 'on' position. the headlight came back on for about 5 minutes, and then went off again. about 2 weeks later, i started having the same issue with both headlights. i used the same method as above in order to get the headlights to come back on. it does not seem to matter whether or not i have just started the car, or whether it has been running for a while... the bulbs go out when the car is 'cold' and when it has been running for a while. i took the car to my regular mechanic to see if it was the bulb, etc. ( as electrical problems will not be covered under my used car warranty ). i almost wrecked the car going around a dark curve in the road the other day, when both headlights went out. i have also been pulled over twice for improper equipment... but fortunately, i was not fined. i expect that i will eventually get a fine if this problem doesn't get fixed... or worse... i could have a wreck and be killed... as most of the driving i do is at night, and often... i drive on country roads that have no street lights... not to mention... deer running out in the road. *tr

I have an intermittent driver's side headlight on my 2006 prius. i have been stopped by the police for safety reasons and i am concerned as it goes out, without warning, at night. the frequencies is every few minutes of so. i must continually switch the lights off and back on to get the headlight working for a few minutes. toyota knows of this problem but will not acknowledge it or fix it. the dealer knows of the problem but insists that i spend over $600 for a headlamp. (they later agreed to give me the lamp but want a $200 "deductible" to fix it.) i have been trying to get this fixed for over a year now but have had no results. *tr

My toyota prius 2006 accelerated on its own. i called service and was told to drive to nearest dealer. but acceleration was scary out of my control other than by fierce braking. i have no idea how fast i was going, but had to put something in the box so i put 80mph. i stopped as soon as i could safely and where i could get signal to call (being in the country). as soon as i stopped the brake pads burnt up. i had to tick something on the "complaint type" but none of the categories quite fit. i was told that this occurred because of oem battery failure causing this problem.. it was time for service but otherwise had no indication the battery was low. i accepted this and paid the $903.42 bill for new battery, brakes. this probably also included a regular basic service and oil change. now i wonder if this is a part of a larger picture. and what indication could there be so this doesn't happen again. i was very fortunate that this was all that happened and that i was on an empty country road at the time. thanks for listening. *tr

2006 toyota prius electrical system*cw the consumer stated when she turned on her vehicle all of the electrical components on the entire dashboard were out. no displays, no navigation and no camera. when she arrived home, the vehicle would not turn off. the consumer contacted the toyota hotline and was advised the only way to shut off the vehicle, was to disconnect the battery. about an hour later, the vehicle shut off. the next day, the consumer took it the dealer where they kept it all day, but was unable to find anything wrong. the consumer noticed that she was filling the gas tank more often than usual. she discovered there was another electrical malfunction; the bars on the fuel gauge were not matching the amount of gas that was being pun into the vehicle. *jb updated 03/30/10.*jb

Intermittent lose of headlights that can be either the driver's or the passenger's lamp. system can be restored by recycling the headlight switch. *tr

Headlights go off at random times mostly the right (passenger) side but it has happened on the driver side also. when this happens i have discovered that they come back on if i turn off the lights and then back on. after driving for a short time they start going off again or sometimes it will stay on until i don't need them. the next time i use the headlights they work fine for a few minutes and then it starts all over again. of course it's night when the headlights are used and with one of the other of the lights out this causes a visibility problem and can't see the road clearly. i have received a warning/equipment repair order from my local police and the dealer can't find a problem. the dealer has checked them a couple of times and can not find any problem. *tr

Prius 2006 with headlamp problems that appears to be electrical and not just the bulbs. one headlight will go out then if i switch off the lights both will come on. it is not always the same light that goes out. when i turn on my lights it draws on the brightness of the dash lights and they dim. i will be driving with lights on and all the lights will go off until i switch the lights on once again. the dealer has informed me this is the led headlights which are 400 ea. and $90. installation. this is outrageous and i know it is not just the lamps therefore they will then proceed to charge me for what ever else they think it might be such as the computer system. this should be under warranty. i paid the extra money for an extended warranty and they tell me this is not covered. i have been driving with this problem as i can not afford to fix the problem and do not trust the dealer to continue to charge me for this issue. after reading the chat rooms with other individuals with similar problems, this is a defect and needs to be recalled. they have been reporting this problem since 2004 or 2005. why has this not been addressed. *tr

I have a toyota prius 2006. its headlight bulbs are not working. lights go on and off. sometimes we don't even know if they are off and other drivers blink us on the road to warn. toyota dealership is telling us that we need new headlight bulbs. i have extended warranty through toyota. toyota denied coverage from my bulb replacement. this problem has been reported by many prius owners. toyota needs to recall the defective bulbs and take responsibility for this defective part. this is a dangerous neglect by toyota and can result in serious injuries and damages to its customers. *tr

I have 2006 prius. the passenger side headlight is intermittent. i have noticed this for about 2 months now. it has 35,000 miles. have been reading this is quite common in 2006 prius yet toyota has not offered recall. obviously driving with a headlight out is not only a safety issue but a legal issue as well. *tr

I have been having problems with my headlights going out for several years now. this is the same problem described by other drivers when the lights go out and can be reset by turning them off and back on again. for the first few years, the only bulb to go out was the right side. the bulb appears to have no bearing on the problem. i have put in new bulbs and had the same problem. i even tried switching the non-working bulb with the one that was working on the left side. the left side worked fine like this and the right side continued to fail. now, several years later, the left side appears to be failing also. even though i have gotten other recall notices, toyota never notified me of a settlement in this case. and, by the time that i found out about it, the settlement had expired. *tr

Hid bulb intermittently shuts off in my 2006 toyota prius. toyota wants to replace bulb ($162.50 each). however, according to the blogs, this is a recurring problem with prius's and may be a "controller" problem, not a bulb issue. *tr

High intensity headlight problem on 2006 prius. light goes off intermittently. sometimes will come back on after flicking on and off a few times. sometimes will not come on at all. replaced passenger side at around 26,000 miles and driver's side a few months later. covered by warranty those times. now at 53,000 passenger side is out and dealer is charging $300.00 to replace headlight. dealer stated that they have had many other customers with same problem. as of today there is no recall. *tr

About a year a go my passenger side headlight started turning on and off randomly on my 2006 toyota prius. i took my car to toyota of berkeley i-80 junction service center to fix the problem. i was told that toyota would be more than happy to do a full diagnostic on my car at the cost of $125 to see what the problem was but since my light was on at that time they did not think they could duplicate the problem. my passenger side headlight had been randomly turning off while i was driving and in order to get my light to turn back on i would have to stop my car, turn my lights off, then turn them back on, and occasionally this would correct the problem. recently my headlight went out completely and i took my car to toyota of dublin service center to have one of my headlights replaced. i was then shocked to learn that my car had hid lights that cost $400 per bulb plus labor to replace. my front bumper needed to be removed in order to get to the lights therefore it was not a simple job and would take a few hours to complete. hearing this appalled me! when i purchased the car and the extended warranty i was never told anything about replacing the lights and how much it would cost. this is a ridiculous charge for lights that do not last three years. i believe that there is more wrong with this car than just a light that needed to be replaced. i feel that the faulty lights in the 2006 toyota prius are a safety hazard and need to be recalled. i am a single mother with two young children. i do not feel safe driving my car with my children, nor do i feel good about selling my car to an unknowing buyer, and i do not have the money to keep paying repair bills in the amount of $1000 or more to replace headlights! i am asking for an immediate recall of the 2006 toyota prius so this safety hazard can be corrected. *tr

2006 toyota prius hid headlight(s) are unexpectedly shutting off while driving. lights come back on when lights are turned off and back on or if car is turned off and back on. this problem has been reported over 400 times to nhtsa already according to the toyota prius chat forum. problem has been occurring for over a year now. *tr

To date we have not had an incident, however i believe the failure of our headlight and the lack of toyota to correctly identify and correct this problem is unacceptable. the failure occurs everyday while driving the vehicle. we were told by the dealership to replace the bulb. the cost of the repair is over $500.00. after reading many complaints, the wiring or connection seems to be the problem, not the bulb. *tr

My 2006 toyota prius has a problem with the driver's side hid headlight intermittently going out while driving. the light simply goes out on its own. to get it too come back on, i have to completely turn off the headlights & turn them back on. this is very dangerous at night. i have had this car only 2 years but, since it has 50,000 miles on it, the dealer will not fix it under warranty. they want to charge $1300 for a new computer circuit board, headlight & headlight housing. according to other prius owners on the discussion forum at www.priuschat.com, this is a widespread problem with the 2006 model prius. so far, toyota has not issued a recall. as this is obviously a serious safety issue due to defective parts / manufacturing, they should do so immediately. *tr

I've got a package 6 2006 prius with multi-reflector halogan auto-off headlamps. the hid lamps on this model prius are notorious for failing within three years. see http://priuschat.com/forums/care-maintenance-troubleshooting/34584-headlight-problem.html. the passenger side headlights keeps going out. i can't really tell when or how it goes out since i can't see it. i'll notice it when i see the reflection in the back of another car. when i turn them all the way off and back on the light comes back. sometimes on long trips it will stay on the whole time, sometimes it won't. sometimes on short trips it will go out, sometimes it won't. it is not an event i can make happen. very similar to other posted descriptions. *tr

Toyota prius 2006. rt. front (passenger side) headlight goes out for no reason. after this is will not come back on, even if i switch from low to high beam. i turn the lights off and on that corrects the problem for about 3 to 15 minutes, then it goes off again. toyota said it was the bulb and replaced it at about 34,000 miles under warranty, but it did not change anything. then the next chance i had to bring it in it was out of warranty, so they will not cover. i thought it may be the igniter or transformer so i replaced that, but it still does the same thing. i see many prius' around town with their right front light out, so it seems to be quite common. i read on the internet that lots of prius people are having the same exact problem, but of course toyota denies that there is one. toyota simply charges $300. to replace the bulb, or $600 to replace the igniter, or $1,100 to replace the whole headlight assemble. replacing the bulb does not fix it, neither does the igniter, not sure about the whole assembly. the light goes off whether the car is parked or driving down the road, so vibration is not the problem. this is a huge safety hazard. toyota is producing lemons, then simply replacing the bulbs and hoping your warranty runs out. toyota is making a ton of money off of this defect at $1,100 per light assembly, and even then i am not sure the problem is being repaired. this problem seems to be more common on 2006 and 2007 models. i just drove to the airport and back (45 min each way) and my light went out probably 30 times. many owners don't seem to know that their light is out. i notice, but i still feel like i am a huge road hazard. i would repair it if i knew what the actual problem was. the toyota factory surely knows what the problem is and how to correct it, but if they bring the problem to the surface they know that they will be forced to pay for another recall, meanwhile they make a ton of profit off parts and repairs. *tr

i am writing to you about a problem with my 2006 toyota prius. in july 2008, the driver's side electronic door lock actuator failed and was replaced by my local toyota dealer - i had extended warranty so it was covered. now, the driver's side door lock actuator has once again failed. i have not contacted my toyota dealership because in 2008 if i didn't have the warranty it was going to cost me well over $1,000. the failure of this actuator happening twice is unbelievable. i've noticed similar complaints by other individuals. *tr

The left and right headlights sometimes go out independently of one another. other times they both go out. of course, this is not good while driving in darkness. flipping headlight switch to off and back on fixes the problem, but sometimes it's only a temporary fix and i have to do it again a few minutes later, and other times both lights remain on. for unexplained reasons, the problem is occurring more frequently now. it seems that this is not uncommon in the prius and i, myself, have seen other cars with a headlight out here in the burlington, vt area. in fact, a co-worker took his into the shop and they said it was a bad bulb. what i'm reading is that it's not the bulbs.*tr

On my 2006 toyota prius, one headlight intermittently goes out, but cycling the power switch will make it come back on. it seems to occur more after the car and headlights have been used, turned off for a short while, and then used again. sometimes the light will go out five times in one minute, at other times it will stay on for hours with no problem. other owners have had both lights go out randomly and sometimes both at once, which seems like a huge safety issue. i have not done any repair to date, as toyota so far has no definitive solution to the problem and dealers have had people paying $800 to $1500 to replace a variety of parts, and with some owners reporting that the problem has occurred again later after a repair. *tr

Driver's-side headlight suddenly turns off while driving, usually within 5-15 minutes of driving. this occurs during both city and highway driving. since approximately may 2008, friends and family driving in front of me during group trips would periodically mention that one of my headlights was off. i would later check the headlights and find both operational. eventually, i started to notice, through looking at the reflection in other cars, that my driver's side headlight would indeed be off. turning the lights off very quickly and turning them back on again would usually solve the problem. however, as time went on, the occurrence became more and more frequent. now, my driver's side headlight turns off suddenly, every time i drive, within 15 minutes of turning on. flicking the lights off and on does turn both lights back on, but the problem returns again within 5-15 minutes. i am very concerned about this problem becoming progressively worse, and i have read many accounts online of both headlights eventually failing, which is especially worrisome. *tr updated 04/16/09.*jb

Impossible to read the dashboard on a bright day. cannot determine speed-- this can be very dangerous- affects stopping distance and pedestrian safety. *tr

I have a 2006 toyota prius. with hid headlights. the headlights goes out about 2-3 times a day. when i notice it out, i have to turn the lights off and back on. this usually last a few more hours. this repair is very costly and not covered by the dealer. but, headlights are safety items and should be covered. *tr

All toyota prius vehicles since 2004-- cannot see the dash board during all bright, sunny days. cannot see speedometer- do not know the speed of the vehicle. very dangerous !!!!!!! at night, a wide green slash appears on the windshield at drivers eye level. impairs night vision. again, dangerous -impedes rivers ability to see properly. *jb

I'm among the many who have defective high intensity headlights in my 2006 prius. around 20k miles i started having problems with flickering and intermittent outage. the dealer wouldn't replace them for free and i couldn't afford the $1000 it would have cost to replace. while driving at night on a treacherous country road i almost went off the road when the lights went out completely while attempting to turn on the brights. *tr

I was driving on highway when suddenly i lost all power! i managed to take the nearest exit at 20 mph. pulled over to the shoulder. hope you get the seriousness t s situation. my passenger and i could have died.*ak bf state of car before failure 1> tank full shell vpower ( previous tank 57.8 mpg calculated costco fuel ) 2> mileage 9982 ( just completed 10000 mile service from capitol toyota ca ) 3> a/c on was changing setting ( moved from front vent to front and bottom vent ) just before failure heard a beep and then no power .tried flooring the accelerator sad.gif 4> speed ~70mph 5> both power outlets loaded a> garmin mobile 10x charger b> htc 3125 phone charger 6> phone conected via bluetooth nothing was done by toyota said they could not replicate the problem hence they can not change or fix anything. http://priuschat.com/index.php?showtopic=33881&st=0

Malfunction in hid headlights for toyota prius is chronic - always flashing off and on - mostly off. they were replaced once in 2007 for free while under warranty. this has been occurring constantly for the past 6 months and although i have a 5y/100,000 mile warranty, the dealership said this was only covered under the 3 yr/30,000 mile warranty and wants to charge me to fix this issue that is chronic with the prius. *tr

Toyota prius 2006: headlamps go off intermittently, creating a very unsafe condition while driving. *tr

We have experienced intermitment headlight issues on the driver side going off and having to pull over and turnoff headlights and turn back on to get light back on. we have complain many times to the toyota dealer. finally driver side headlight was replaced, then weeks later on the passenger headlight started doing the same i.e., headlight going off and having to turn off and turn back on light control. to this day this not resolved please advise. *tr

Headlights intermittently go off when placed in the on position. sometimes one, sometimes both. does not matter if it is low or hi beam. this problem is ongoing since incident date. toyota sent letter describing how hid bulbs reach the end of their life by intermittently going out and states that you should minimize turning them on and off which can't be prevented if they go out while you're driving. i don't accept this to be fact, i think it's an electrical problem . *tr

Intermittent and frequent failure of hid headlights in 2006 toyota prius. one light or the other and sometimes both will go out. turning the light switch from on to off and back on will relight the bulb but at lower brightness. frequently must do this several times as the bulb may stay on for a few minutes to 1/2 hour. toyota refuses to acknowledge design / faulty components in hid control / power module. *tr

1. headlight or headlights turn off unexpectedly 2. occurs regularly on my car. other owners report this problem and say it is a $1000 repair that doesn't always work. because the headlights dim, or shutoff on their own. i will often be driving with one headlight or no headlights and not be aware of it. because they were working when i drove off. due to the dimming feature, i cannot easily tell if they are off or dimmed until someone tells me. then i turn off and on my headlights and it works for a while. 3. i am told it is a $1000 toyota repair, that is not a permanent fix. i think it occurred under warranty, but i was not aware of what i was experiencing until after warranty expired. *tr

Both headlights go out on a random basis while driving. this may occur 30 - 50 times in 5 mile trip.

Tl* the contact owns a 2006 toyota prius. when the roadways were slipper the vehicle would lose traction, and the engine would stall. the vehicle was taken to the dealer, and a technician stated that only the 2010 models had a switch that would disengage for the traction control. the current mileage was approximately 60,000. the failure mileage was approximately 1,000. updated 12/17/09. *lj updated 12/21/09

Tl*the contact owns a 2006 toyota prius. the contact stated one headlight failed intermittently. on some occasions, the headlights remain illuminated and clearly indicate that the bulb has not burned out. the vehicle was taken to a dealer and they replaced the headlight assembly, which corrected the failure for two years. currently, the issue has recurred. the failure mileage was 10,000 and current mileage was 61,000. updated 5/7/09 *cn the consumer stated whenever the headlight fails, it can be restored by turning the headlights off and then on again. updated 05/12/09.*jb

Dt*: the contact stated that there were on going problems with the vehicle stalling. also, the gas and mileage gauge were unreliable. the last stalling failure occurred on the freeway while driving 65 mph which was the third incident. the dealer determined that the gas and mileage gauge were unreliable because of the way it was manufactured. the problems persist.

Hid headlights on 2006 prius keep failing. first failure at about 14k miles; two failures between 20k and 30k miles. total of five hid failures: 2 for passenger side light; 3 for driver's side light. failures are intermittent, often while driving. hitting hid lamp lightly often restores light. initially bulbs were replaces (twice). subsequently, the entire unit (including computer board) were replaced. bulbs should last life of car-- neither original hid light lasted the first year. *tr

My front headlight does not always work reliably. it will stop working sometimes when i am driving, but may return to normal operation when i power off the car. when i tried to get this repaired, the technician could not find anything wrong. after researching on the discussion boards, i have learned that there are many other prius drivers that have this same problem. the car is only 2 years old. i believe that there is a design issue with the headlight drive electronics. *tr