Problems with 2006 Toyota Prius EXTERIOR LIGHTING

20-06 toyota prius with hid headlight failure. *tr

2006 toyota prius headlamp failure. headlights can flicker out and can potentially cost thousands of dollars to replace. *tr

The hid headlamps on my 2006 prius go out intermittently. i have to turn the headlights off and back on. i am currently on my second set of headlamps. the drivers side headlamp was replaced but the bulb continues to go out at random. *tr

Passenger side hid headlight goes off after a few minutes of driving. can turn off and back on and they will stay on for a few minutes. numerous other complaints on the internet of the same issue. *tr

My 2006 toyota prius has 58,000 miles. the passenger side hid headlight intermittently goes out on low beam. the high beam will not work. toyota wants $150 for the bulb plus installation costs. i have visited many web based sites that indicate this is a wide spread problem. i believe you should require toyota to fix this problem. *tr

Headlights are dropping out and need to be turned off/on very frequently to illuminate the roadway at night. both headlights are dropping out more frequently than in the past at the same time which causes a very hazardous driving condition especially for other drivers on the roadway and those unfamiliar with the toyota prius hid failure problem. this is an extremely common problem on 2006 and 2007 toyota prius with hid and there are hundreds if not thousands of complaints regarding these failures. the media is finally covering this somewhat but is it going to take an injury or worse yet a death to cause something to be done about it? individual drivers like myself are attempting to keep our cars safe and road worthy but at a cost of anywhere between $500 - $2000 to have "working headlights" that may only last a few months or a year and then need replaced again we can not incur these costs. with an approximate 1.5 to 2 hours (toyota specification) to change a bulb and requiring special tools (toyota specification) owners almost have no choice but to take the car to a toyota specific dealership. please, please, please escalate this investigation and issue a recall for toyota prius hid bulbs for the 2006 - 2009 model years. you have noticed that the new "improved" 2010 toyota prius does not use hid bulbs at any trim level correct? toyota knows of this problem which is why they stopped using the hid's. now something needs to be done about it to correct the issue on the 2006 - 2009 vehicles. thank you in advance for your quick and courteous reconciliation of this issue. *tr regards, chris barr

My 2006 toyota prius headlights go off unexpectedly while driving. when i notice one going off, i turn the lights off then on again and the light comes back on. only one goes off at a time. most often it is the left light, but sometimes the right. i have received one ticket already. this has been going on for six months. my father's 2007 prius has the exact same problem. toyota replaced his small battery, but he still has the problem. *tr

Driver's side hid headlamp shuts off after being on for a short time. turning the headlamps off and back on restarts the headlamp. this started at around 40,000 miles and now the passenger's side headlamp is occasionally showing the same symptoms. *tr

For no apparent reasons, both my right and left hid headlights (2006 prius) intermittently will go off independently and at random times. sometimes while night driving i cannot see the road very clearly at all because only 1 light will be on. turning the switch off and back on will temporarily re-light them, but during the 'off' time i've almost no visibility for a second or two. *tr

Toyota prius headlight problem. for more details go to http://www.hybridcars.com/forums/replacing-headlight-bulb-t910.html. *tr

2006 toyota prius. my headlights failed on mountain road without any warning. i was doing about 50mph and swerved into the shoulder to avoid going off cliff. this vehicle is a death trap after dark and somebody is going to lose their life because toyota doesn't seem to take this seriously. i called their consumer hotline an was told i would have to foot the bill of nearly $900.00. i was then told by toyota to have the car repaired and they would reimburse me. i found a toyota dealer to do repair for $502.00 and now toyota tells me this was not a participating dealer even though it was an authorized factory toyota dealer. it truly seems like toyota is trying to avoid this problem. i now want to sell this car asap but am concerned for the safety of the person who will ultimately buy it from me. i'm wondering if i could face a lawsuit for knowingly selling a car with this serious safety defect ? please help us !!! *tr

Headlight on 2006 toyota prius intermittently dies causing a safety issue. *tr

Passenger headlights of 2006 prius are turn off at random times. when this happens, lights must be turned all the way off and on again to have lights come on. (which indicates the bulb is not burnt out). *tr

Headlights intermittently go out most often one or the other. often turning headlights off and back on will recover the headlight temporarily. this has led to being stopped by the police for having a headlight out. sometimes it can be ok for days at a time and others it will go out every day. *tr

Defective headlights. *tr

While driving my 2006 toyota prius the lights flicker and sometimes go off. *tr

I've got a package 6 2006 prius. the headlights keeps going out. sometimes its just the passenger side and sometimes both. i can't really tell when or how it goes out . if i turn the bright lights on and off it has no effect, but 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. the problem with intermittent hid headlight operation appears to be common with the prius. *tr

My toyota prius 06 had issues with the hid headlights. they started to flicker off at about 35,000 miles until eventually, they stopped working entirely. the warranty covered the replacement of the bulbs and so i was satisfied. unfortunately, the issue has surfaced again, this time i'm at 57,000 miles and only 1 year and 6 months later. now they are saying the warranty is up and i need to pay almost $1,000 dollars to fix this problem. details of issue: the lights would flicker and dim, then eventually produce no light. it happened on both sides left and right the first time. switching them off then on would make them work again at first, but eventually, that did not work. the second time, it is happening on my passenger side headlight. same exact issue. *tr

My 06 toyota prius has the hid headlamps. at about 40,000 miles the left hand lamp began going out at odd times and coming back on again by turning the switch off and on again. before i got toyota to agree to replace them (at $850) i was driving down a dark road with no moon at night and they both went out on a turn. that was when i increased my complaints and they replaced them at toyotas cost. the car now has about 76,000 miles and the left lamp is acting the same way. i will replace the lamp and complain to toyota, but feel this is a safety issue and the lamps should be redesigned or recalled en-masse. *tr

Toyota prius 2006 with 50k miles was in auto accident, hit from behind; 1 week after car repairs completed, headlights went out while driving at night; tuned them off then on, stayed on that evening; following day headlights went out, again, would need to turn lights off then on to get light; then they were dim or would go out; went to toyota dealer, said it was unusual for lights to be out at 50k mileage, said could be because of accident, i addressed it with insurance company who did not consider the lights related to the accident, toyota dealer told insurance company the accident would not have caused the lights to go out, i was told the cost to replace both headlights would be $537.60. lights have yet to be replaced so i am unable to drive at night. *tr

We own a 2006 toyota pruis. the headlights turn off. we had the same issue repaired about 2 yrs ago when the car was relatively new. now it's back. looking on the web, there is significant anecdotal evidence that there is a significant design flaw with the lights. there are literal thousands of pointing on this particular issue. it is not a major financial problem for us as the first was fixed under warranty and we bought the extend warranty that cover this also, but it is a safety hazard as the lights will eventually totally go out when driving. to restore them, you have to rotate the light switch from on to off and back on. my guess is they have a problem with the circuit card, but aren't doing anything to deal with it. it would be interesting to know if toyota changed the circuit card design. *tr

Headlights work intermittently. have changed the light bulb modules twice and the problem still occurs. *tr

I had the passenger side hid headlight fail on my 2006 prius long before it should have failed. i have 40,600 miles on the car and have owned it since april of 2006. *tr

My 2006 toyota prius had intermittent headlight failure for over a year - i am aware from prius owner website of several hundred others with this same problem. after being stopped for faulty equipment, stranded in an extremely dangerous area of downtown miami, i paid $963.00 on 6/26/09 to have both hid sub-assemblies replaced. they failed again on sunday july 5, less than two weeks later when i was on the fl turnpike, over 150 miles from home, miles from a rest stop or help, alone and in the dark. i was forced to drive in the dark for miles before i could pull over and wait until daylight. toyota has been made aware of this dangerous issue but have done nothing to correct it. it is not a mileage issue - i have put less than 200 miles on the car since the blasts were replaced. someone is going to be badly hurt if toyota does not step up and find a more permanent solution to the faulty hid ballasts. *tr

Failure of hid headlight on 2006 toyota prius. *tr

Driving at night and headlight completely failed. took it in to dealer but was working then and dealer refused to document. this same thing occurred several times since then, both headlights failing at one time or another resulting in dangerously poor visibility. problem is intermittent and continuing with a failure just days ago. toyota acknowledges the problem but refuses to take responsibility saying the current mileage is too high. problem first occurred when mileage was considerably under 45000. feel it is unsafe to drive the car at night. *tr

I own a 2006 toyota prius. one of the headlights flicks off, and then turns off while driving. i have to completely turn off both headlights and turn them back on to have the defected one to work again. *tr

I have drive a 2006 toyota prius, package 7 with hid headlamps. i have noticed over the last few years that my headlamps inconsistently fail. sometimes when i turn my car on and switch on my headlamps, only one or the other side will illuminate. other times, both headlamp sides will turn on, but after some time, one or both will turn off. all of this with the dash indicator showing that the headlights are on. while driving, i have remedied this problem by flipping the on-off switch to re-illuminate the lights. however, in the course of a drive they will fail again and i periodically have to flip the on-off headlight switch to have my lights work. i do feel this is unsafe and am uncomfortable driving at night or in dark places. *kb

I have a 2006 toyota prius with less than 45,000 miles. the driver's side headlight is either failing to light, lighting and then going out at some point while driving, and sometimes can be reset. cost to fix is between $400-500 and is not covered by warranty. problem could lie in the computer that controls the headlights and may be causing damage to these bulbs that run around $150 or more each. if that is so, then this problem will reoccur. *tr

Intermittent headlight failure on toyota prius (2006) headlights (hid) without warning. teenage driver received two summonses for driving at night without lights. toyota (dealer and corporate) recalcitrant re:acknowledging problem (confirms lights working normally) requiring replication in shop (charging diagnostic fee to examine whether lights are off or flickering) despite law enforcement summonses. *tr

Intermittent alternating hid failure that until last night had not involved both headlights at he same time until last night. something faulty since replaced hid bulbs already. safety issue when headlights go out the same time and you are driving on the highway. luckily i was in town so pulled over and turned off switch and turned again and lights turned on for five minutes and then blinked out again. *tr

My 2006 toyota prius has a problem with headlights going out intermittently. toyota says they replaced lights after we insisted there was a problem. they noted problem was caused by a short that they say nothing about fixing. it took 2 visits to get problem resolved due to intermittent nature. i think this is a defect and dangerous. they need to address this problem. there are numerous postings on web of this and all indications are that lights and control modules have problems. i am writing to national center for dispute settlement, but think odi needs to step in. thanks. *tr

Hid headlights on my 2006 toyota prius both failed within the time frame of 2 weeks. this left me with only partial view at night. notably, toyota has not taken action to correct what is now becoming a glaring design safety defect. the cost to repair these lights is astronomical and the dealers have been taking advantage of customers charging very high prices for the bulbs and the labor to replace them. unfortunately, the problem only returns and i expect to have this problem for the life of the car, leaving me at the mercy of toyota corporate, who thus far has agreed to pay only a portion of the repair. in summary; the toyota prius has a design defect that causes the high intensity headlights to fail. at first they go on and off, then completely off. due to the cost, many customers do not have these replaced. this should not happen on this vehicle. *tr

Hid headlights have failed 4 times in 3 years. bulbs are burning out between one week and 16 months of being replaced. crash will occur if both malfunction at the same time. dealer where car was purchased replaced or repaired at no charge the first 3 times, but charged for the fourth. old parts unavailable. *tr

I have a 2006 toyota prius. the drivers side headlight was intermittently going out. i had it replaced by a toyota dealer. now, the passenger side light is doing the same thing. since both did not go out at the same time, i have not had an accident, but i am concerned that i might. i am afraid to take chances not replacing this one, even though the cost is about $300, because if both went out, i could have an accident. *tr

My headlamps on my toyota prius go out by itself ( sometimes on the right) and sometimes on the left. if i turn the lights on and off again it comes back on. but in the middle of driving it just cuts out by itself. i was surprised that there was not a recall from toyota when i called the dealer. they said they have had quite a few other owners with the same problem. i actually had this happen many many months ago when my brother said my headlight was out, i turned it off and on and went to look at it was fine. did not think much of it, until now when my uncle driving in front of me told me that my light went out in the middle of driving. *tr

Toyota prius headlight failure for the 5th time. *tr

Passenger side hid headlamp was randomly turning off. soon both the driver's side and passenger headlamps would go out while driving and with no particular repeatability or consistency. while driving at night this was a very dangerous situation. the hid headlamps sometimes would return if the headlamp switch was turned off then back on, but not always. no warning of the problem occurring would take place, i.e. when the car was turned on, the headlamps coming on was not an indication that they would stay on. *tr

I drive a 2006 toyota prius with the hid headlights. i read that my problem has been happening to a lot of prius owners and their is an investigation started, so here's one more case to add to the books. one headlight would go out randomly. it would alternate between the passenger and drivers side, but would never happen to both lights at the same time. it would happen about every other day. there were no particular events that led to this problem starting, but i did notice that sometimes braking hard correlated with the light going out, but they went out without braking hard as well. whenever one light went out, flipping the lights off and immediately back on would make both lights function again. i took it in for work 3 times. the ballasts got changed, then the bulbs got changed and the wiring harness checked, finally both the bulbs and ballasts were switched out with brand new ones of a different brand. it appears to be working so far. my mechanic probably still has the old parts if you wanted them. consequences: i got pulled over twice for lights being out that i thought i had fixed, very irritating, luckily they understood and gave me warnings. *tr

We have experience front headlight bulb failure twice on our 2006 toyota prius. one failure in march 2008 and again june 2009. in both cases, the lights went out and could only be restored by turning the front headlights off completely and turning them back on again to fail a short time later. both had to be replaced at a substantial cost of approximately $400 plus the danger of having to reactivate the lights while driving at night and multiple police stops due to the failed light. two times in one evening alone. *tr

2006 prius hid left headlight goes off , you need to turn them completely off and on again to see if it will come on . it might stay on or might go off again . i have been stopped twice and giving a warning . i live in the white mtns of nh and can't afford to be without both lights working because of moose and other wild animals dashing into the road . please help me deal with [xxx] toyota . my dealer irwin toyota is a only interested in selling cars not customer happiness . [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6). *tr

Headlamps on 2006 prius fail intermittently. left lamp may fail; right lamp may fail; or both may fail simultaneously. turning the lights off then back on fixes the problem for a period of time-- maybe minutes or hours. but the problem persists and presents a danger to both the driver and passengers but also other cars on the road. no accidents so far. repair cost to be $1500. *tr

My 2006 toyota prius has an intermittent headlight problem. at random, with out warning both of the headlights on my 2006 prius will turn off, either at the same time, the left will go out, or the right, some times one then the other. there is no reasoning to it. i can most of the time get them to come back on by switching the switch off and then back on again. this has been occurring for about two years and seems to be happening more frequently. bulb replacement has not had any effect. the dealer can not figure out what the problem is. thank you. *tr

Headlights turn on and off, one at a time with out rhyme or reason. sometimes the passenger hl will be out, sometimes the drivers side, other times both are on. *tr

Hid headlight on 2006 toyota prius safety issue. passenger side headlight went out in dec 07' at approx 34,000 miles - dealer replaced. driver side headlight went out in apr 08' at approx 39,000 miles - dealer replaced. both headlights went out in jun 09' at approx 64,000 miles. dealer refused to replace indicating that the car is out of warranty. toyota customer experience center contacted for assistance. told that they have had complaints regarding this issue, but that they do not have to do anything because a recall has not been issued, but are willing to work with dealer on giving me some sort of goodwill gesture. this is a vehicle defect as well as a safety issue. car is presently unusable after dark because of issue. *tr

Headlights will intermittently go off. if you turn the headlight switch off and back on, it will usually come back on. i have been to the dealer three times about this in last year and half. once they both went out on a dark highway! the brain, light assembly and bulbs have all been replaced, some multiple times. this appears to be a common prius problem from what i see on the web and mechanics have confirmed it's a known issue. *tr

One or both headlights go out on my 2006 toyota prius. they can be turned on again by turning off the headlights, and turning them on. *tr

Both hid head lights on prius 2006 fail intermittently after only 40,000 miles. toyota is refusing to replace them, even though they can fail without warning during night. it is just a mater of time before someone is killed. *tr

2006 toyota prius driver side headlamp is faulty--goes out intermittently. (lightbulb is not burned out, as light will come back on if the light switch is turned off and then turned back on.) *tr

I have a 2006 prius with hid headlights and have noticed that on one occasion one of the headlights was out. the problem was intermittent as turning the headlights off and on a little later fixed the issue. i understand that this is a common problem at this time with the prius and wanted to lodge a safety complaint against toyota on the issue. *tr