Problems with 2006 Toyota Prius EXTERIOR LIGHTING

Intermittent headlamp failure while driving. turn lights off and back on and lights work. headlight assemblies both sides replaced 1/2008 replaced bulb passenger side 6/1/2009 and driver side 7/31/2009. *tr

On my 2006 prius, the hid headlights go and off intermittently. this past monday night (6/1/09), my right font hid light went out on a 56 mile trip in the atlanta metro area .previously, in late this march, the drivers side became intermittent and was replaced at a cost of $350 (replaced bulb & inverter) at a non-toyota repair shop. i called toyota care center and registered complaint and in 24 hrs. i received a callback with approval to reimburse my $350. expense and to cover my right light expense at the toyota dealer- the price of replacement less a $50. deductible. was stopped by police while driving through atlanta on june 1st and rec'd a warning ticket for an outage on the headlight. *tr

2006 toyota prius. the drivers side head light unexpectedly shutting off. it started in june of 2009. just got toyota to fix it at there cost. they replaced the bulb and said that (should) fix the problem. *tr

Periodic and unpredictable failure of driver's side hid headlight. turning off and on corrects the problem, but then it goes out again. car is just past 36 months, with 45,000 miles. have noted many similar complaints in database and am aware of official investigation in progress. *tr

2006 toyota prius headlights intermittently fail while driving. the hid headlights in our 2006 prius will fail at an unpredictable interval. both headlights will become inoperative individually, and at times simultaneously. this can be temporary remedied by cycling the headlight switch to the full off position, then back on. when headlight failure occurs while traveling at highway speeds this is very dangerous. on a trip from petersburg, va to alexandria, va, the headlights failed no less than 20 times. not only is this a safety violation but the unpredictable nature of this issue may result in a traffic violation fine. *tr

The headlights on my 2006 toyota prius go out intermittently. i have arranged to have the headlights replaced, but in researching this problem, i have discovered that this seems to be incredibly common. i only have 43,000 miles on my car, so this is too soon to have to be replacing headlights at over $300 apiece - probably over $800 with labor. having headlights suddenly go out is incredibly dangerous, and there should be a recall. *tr

Intermittent hid headlight failure, initially affecting only one headlight. most recent incident affected both headlights simultaneously while driving at night. problem is resolved (temporarily) by switching off headlights and switching them back on, indicating that the bulbs and fuses are still functional. *tr

I have a 2006 toyota prius with hid headlights with approx 26,000 miles. the driver's side headlight goes off intermittently, usually after 10 or 15 minutes. if i turn the lights off, and then back on, the headlight goes back on for another 10 or 15 minutes. it is impossible to tell when the light is out or not without seeing a reflection in the bumper of another car. consequences are driving without headlights, obviously a dangerous situation. the car is out of warranty. toyota will replace the bulb for $275. i have an extended warranty but this is not covered. it seems to be a very common problem with this year and model. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2006 toyota prius. while driving, the driver and passenger headlights shut off unexpectedly. the contact was able to turn them back on. the dealer stated that the failure could not be duplicated. there were no prior warnings. the current and failure mileages were 57800.

I own a 2006 toyota prius with high intensity discharge headlights. i have had numerous issues with the headlights malfunctioning. i have had one assembly completely replaced on the passenger side of my auto. currently, the driver side light is also going out. the dealer has refused to repair the driver side light as toyota has deemed the issue is not covered under my warranty and would result in an out-of-pocket cost of over $400. this poses a serious safety issue as the lights only work on an intermittent basis. based on my research, i have determined that this issue is a pervasive issue with the 2006 toyota prius. there is a 130 page message board thread about the issue here: http://priuschat.com/forums/care-maintenance-troubleshooting/34584-headlight-problem.html. i strongly believe that this is an inherent issue that toyota should address for all of the owners of a 2006 toyota prius with hid headlights. thank you for your time. *tr

Headlights fail intermittently. *tr

Intermittent headlight failure while driving at night. was told by toyota service department the right side headlight was bad. dealership cost prohibitive so i bought 4 replacement bulbs. replaced both bulbs myself, fairly easy to do. passenger side bulb continued to go off every now and then. brought back to dealer. dealer replaced passenger side balast. said lights ok. drove to work next morning, bulbs worked great on 19 july 09. started to drive to work on the morning of 20 july 2009 and passenger side light failed and blew apart. dealership claims it's the bulb's although the driver's side bulb is just fine. *tr

2006 prius hid lights intermittent. while driving on a dark road on the way to work my lights went out, i turned off and turned on my light switch to get the lights to go back on. luckily the road at the time was straight. if not i could had easily driven off the road and possibly traveled into a ditch and flipped over. *tr

While driving my 2006 toyota prius, the right headlight randomly turned off without warning, which could be very dangerous. turning the light off and then back on would relight the light. the light finally went out and stayed out. i had the bulb replaced, which has temporarily fixed the problem. researching the problem on line shows there are many prius owners who experienced the same problem and are being charged $1000 to $2000 to repair. if both headlights go out at the same time, which has happened on some prius's, this could cause a deadly accident. i believe this warrants an odi investigation and a toyota recall to fix this dangerous problem. *tr

I own an 06 toyota prius and am experiencing what seems to be a very common problem regarding the headlights on the toyota prius with hid lights. my headlights suddenly go off while driving and the driver side stays out almost all of the time now. upon researching the problem on line i discovered there are many many toyota prius owners who experienced the same problem and are being charged upwards of $2000.00 to repair this problem by toyota dealerships and are being told by toyota tech's that it is a very common problem they are receiving and toyota owners and my self included are being told by the dealerships to file formal complaints with toyota and cause them to recall the items because they are aware of the malfunctions of the headlights and the growing complaints by owners who are furious having to pay on average $1000.00 to $2000.00 to repair headlights. *tr

Intermittent functioning headlights in my 2006 toyota prius. i already had my passenger side headlight replaced by toyota dealer under a technical service bulletin. the same problem occurred with the drivers side headlight. when looked at by the dealer the first time (mileage at 39k) no issue was found. headlight went off and on intermittently for several months after that. when looked at by the dealer the 2nd time they indicated the ecu and hid bulb needed replacing for about $650. not covered by warranty due to my mileage being at 45k and the warranty ended at 36k. this is a very common and well known problem with the prius's so i believe the repair should be covered by toyota. *tr

2006 toyota prius. passenger side hid headlight extinguishes intermittently since about 40k miles. dealers want upward of $700 to replace one light. at purchase the headlight was represented to last twice as long as standard headlights. toyota engineering made it very difficult for a layman to replace the bulb. if/when the other headlight dies at night it could be tragic. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2006 toyota prius. the contact stated that the front headlights shut off intermittently; however, after the switch was turned on and off they remained on. the dealer stated that the contact would be responsible for paying $300 per bulb to repair the vehicle and $200 in labor.. there were no related recalls. the contact is concerned about the safety risk while driving at night. the failure mileage was 70,000. updated 03/01/10. *lj the consumer stated both lights go out at the same time while driving at night. the dealer could not guarantee the consumer it wouldn't not happen again. updated 06/15/10.*jb

Right rear tail light keeps going out. i have had it replaced or replaced it myself 7 times in the past 3 years with extended life units. it has been the only unit to go out in my vehicle. i have also noticed other toyota prius with the same tail light out in the past year and a half to two years. in six of those incidences, i was ticketed by the police. *tr

I own a 2006 toyota prius. the left front headlight failed and was replaced on november 10, 2007 for $522.05. it failed again on may 8, 2009 and was replaced today for $274.28. the right headlight failed on january 1, 2008 and was replaced for $$187.50. the right headlight failed again on february 16, 2009 and was replaced for $272.64. there are nearly 500 nhtsa registered complaints regarding sudden loss of headlights on the 2005-2008 hid headlight equipped toyota prius automobiles. these complaints all describe an identical defect in the headlight systems of these cars: one or both headlights will unexpectedly shut off while driving the automobile. clearly, having one or both headlights unexpectedly shut off while driving, especially at night, is a serious safety issue. in addition to the almost 500 registered nhtsa complaints there are hundreds of internet forum posts documenting the toyota prius hid loss of headlights issue. the nhtsa registered complaints and the forum posts provide a wealth of data describing the problem including: accounts of suddenly having both headlights shut off while driving at night in traffic, toyota's inability to provide a definitive overall fix, toyota service department's failed attempts to correct the problem on individual cars, consumers paying for parts and service that do not correct the problem, consumers being forced to call toyota corporate in order to get at least partial reimbursement on the up to $1,800 repair costs, repairs that last only few thousand miles, etc. *tr

My toyota prius has developed headlight problems that can't be permanently fixed without costly work. the headlights turn off intermittently for no reason. it usually can be rectified by turning off the lights and turning them back on. however, this has had some serious consequences. in one case an oncoming car thought my vehicle was a motorcycle nearly clipping my car. i was furious and the driver stopped to explain. i didn't even know my left headlight was off. in another case i was distracted by the light problem and turning off and on the lights that i nearly drove through a red light. this is very dangerous and it's left me without any sense of security that my lights are working or when they might fail again. it's a sporadic problem that happens with both headlights, usually one at a time. in the past month it's occurred at least once every night that one or the other light has turned off. at times i don't even know it's off. *tr

I was informed by the service manager at the toyota dealer during a routine oil change that my driver's side headlight was beginning to fail. he warned me that it was flickering a bit after being turned on, and that this is commonly the beginning of the end for the bulb. i had noticed the flickering for many months, but was not aware that the bulb was actually going out completely. the headlight is now failing regularly, after just a few moments of being on. it will come back on again if turned off and then back on. i fear this as a safety issue, as well as the potential for me to get a moving violation from the police. nothing has been done yet to fix the failure, as the dealer told me this was not covered. this issue falls under nhtsa recall campaign number: pe09019. *tr

2006 toyota prius hid intermittent failure. driver side and passenger side. has been going on for 1 1/2 years. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2006 toyota prius. while driving various speeds at night, the passenger side headlight failed. the contact must turn the light switch on and off for the headlight to illuminate again; however, it fails again without notice. he stated that the failure was intermittent and is in the process of taking the vehicle to the dealer. the manufacturer will be notified. the failure mileage was 40,000 and current mileage was 100,000.

Headlights fail intermittently - one or both headlights (hid type) will go out without warning. turning the headlight switch off and then on will fix the problem for some amount of time before the problem recurs. *tr

Headlight (hid style) flickers and/or goes out unexpectedly. lights come back on after cycling them off and on again. but the problem still repeats itself under all driving conditions. *tr

Driver side headlight shuts off intermittently but stays off until the headlights are turned off and then back on. this is the second time this failure has occurred. the hid bulb was replaced about 6k miles ago. the vehicle now has 41000 miles on it. this is a safety issue which toyota needs to address quickly. *tr

We own a 2006 toyota prius. the right (passenger side) front headlight works intermittently. it will turn off without warning. if you turn the lights off and then on again, it comes back on as if nothing is wrong. it will then blink out again at a later time without warning. this is a dangerous product defect. it is impossible to tell if the light is on or off unless someone tells you. we have been stopped by the police for this problem, but not ticketed yet because we can make the light come back on by turning the lights off and then on again. toyota refuses to recall or fix the problem. instead, they charge$500 to replace the lights, without addressing the mechanical defect. many many other prius owners/drivers have voiced the same complaint. *tr

2nd headlight problem to report. 1. normal driving. 2. right headlight turns off at random times. this is in addition to left headlight problem reported earlier.. have notices several instances where both headlights were off at the same time. i do not drive after dark very much at this time of year, problem becomes apparent when pulling into garage or when noticing reflections . 3. turning the headlights of and on again initiates a restart. problem recurrence is random. *tr

Headlights (both, but so far just one at a time) turn off intermittently. can't tell when it happens. notice it in a reflection from the car in front. can turn lights off and then on again to make them work. just never know for how long. *tr

Was told by someone that one of my headlights was out. when i checked, it was fine. took car to dealer and they said headlight was out and that it would be intermittent. cost is $421 for a bulb! *tr

Passenger side headlight(hid) started going off and would come back on after switch was switched off and back on. failed at night when wife was driving but she couldn't tell it was out. i asked dealer about it and they just suggested that the bulb be replaced at 500 dollars per bulb. should replace both bulbs at same time. total 1000 dollars for headlight bulbs. i bought a bulb from dealer and replaced it myself. it works for now. but???? *tr

1. one of the headlights turns off without warning while driving or idling. 2. this occurs several times a week. 3. i took my car to the dealership twice. the bulb was replaced, and the headlight assembly. but the problem still occurs. the last incident was 04/21/09. *tr

Bought '06 prius 6/06. had to have both headlights (hid) replaced in nov. 07 after 57k miles due to them intermittently "going out" which got worse with time. currently (apr. 2009) am experiencing the same problem with the replacement bulbs. *tr

Toyota prius 2006 high intensity discharge headlights. left side went out at 35,000 miles and was replaced under warrenty. right side went out at 38,000 and was no longer under warrenty, replacement cost was $700. *tr

2006 toyota prius. occurrence: constant -- every time. headlights go out despite switch being "on." headlights sometimes come back on after being turned off and back on. sometimes not. sometimes it is the left headlight, sometimes it's the right one. according to the toyota forum http://priuschat.com/forums/care-maintenance-troubleshooting/34584-headlight-problem.html this seems to be a pretty widespread problem with little unified response from toyota. several dealerships have apparently charged for some corrective effort, but there does not seem to be a solid corrective action plan in place for anyone to follow - on their own or through toyota. i'm marking today as the incident date, (because it's a required field) but this has been going on for several months. i am glad i decided to check on line before replacing the bulbs -- turns out it would probably not do any good. taking the step of filing here so i can keep a copy on file in the event of a traffic stop. what do i tell the police? thanks for your help on this. *tr

Right headlight intermittent failure. the headlight goes out intermittently without warning. comes back on again (for awhile) when lights are switched on and off. based on internet research, i think this is a common manufacture defect affecting safety. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2006 toyota prius. the front driver side head lamp sporadically failed which reduced her visibility. as a consequence her risk for serious injury and a crash were increased. a technician stated that they were unable to diagnose or duplicate the failure. the contact is responsible for paying $1800.00 to replace the headlight. the vehicle has not been repaired. the failure and current mileages were 70,000.

Toyota prius - 2006 - headlights intermittent operation. *tr

The headlights go off while driving mostly the drivers side light but one time both headlights went out at night. toyota wants over six hundred dollars to replace light bulbs which they say are the problem. light bulbs are not the problem because when the lights go out, you can turn them off then back on and they both come back on and work properly. they have gone out three times and the forth time the morning i took it to the dealership for repairs. *tr

Approximately 2 mos ago the driver headlight began to flicker then fail, intermittently but regularly each time it was turned on. i would be able to get it to come back on by turning my lights off then on again. a few weeks ago the passenger side headlight began to do the same thing. now everytime i use the lights, one, the other or both at the same time will fail ,forcing me to do the of/on thing to re-engage them. they will both fail again shortly thereafter. *tr

The right headlamp goes off at random intervals while the car is been driven. problem clears for a short period of time after the car is power cycled. *tr

Intermittent failure of hid headlights on my 2006 prius, beginning spring 2009. this problem is unexplainable - the bulb is not burned out but only works sometimes. this is a safety hazard at night. first happened on passenger side. had toyota dealer replace the bulb, which seems to have solved the problem on that side. but same problem began on driver's side shortly after passenger side was fixed. i have read that other prius owners have experienced same problem, indicating a manufacturing defect. *tr

I have intermittently failing hid headlights and my 2006 prius has just over 36,000 miles on it. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2006 toyota prius. the contact was driving approximately 45 mph when the driver side headlamp would no longer illuminate. after approximately twenty minutes, the headlamp resumed normal operation before repeating the failure. the failure occurred intermittently. the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer for inspection where the technician informed that the failure was caused by the headlamp wiring overheating and blowing out the bulb. the failure recurred. the bulb was replaced. the failure mileage was 137,000. updated 12/01/10. *lj updated 12/09/10*jb

I have been experiencing a periodic failure of the high intensity discharge (hid) headlights on my 2006 toyota prius (package #6) with about 42,000 miles. the headlight that fails is usually the driver's side. i can get it to turn back on by turning off the lights and then turning them back on again. this happens occasionally, but seems to being happening more frequently over time. the dealer advises the repair is on the order of $500 and requires significant disassembly of the front of the car. i looked at a discussion forum for the car (http://priuschat.com/) which listed many similar experiences (some identical) for both the 2006 and 2007 models with hid headlights. the fact so many headlights fail the same way and at the same frequency indicates ac system problem. toyota does not have a recall on this problem. *tr

2006 prius high intensity headlamps flickered went out and restarted when turned off and on and eventually stopped working at 40,000 miles in march 2008, had bulbs replaced by toyota loyalty, now in april 2009 with less than 30,000 more miles same thing happening, unsafe to drive at night, toyota loyalty refuses any further assistance, repair estimated to be over $600.00. obviously defective part or design. toyota loyalty claims that controllers were replaced in 2008, but dealer denies, stating only replaced bulbs. *tr

The passengers head light works intermittently. when it goes out, if i turn the headlight on then off, it comes back on. i have hid headlights in the car. *tr

Safety issue: my 2006 prius hid headlamps only work intermittently. one or the other will randomly go out. cycling power usually fixes the problem. *tr

One or both lights go off spontaneously, when i shut the lights off and put the back on both lights work for a short period of time, whereas the problem recurs where either one or both lights will shut off again. it is a constant problem. the driver's side light seems to be affected more often. obviously when driving at night it is dangerous and life threatening. the bulbs have been replaced. *tr