Problems with 2006 Toyota Prius EXTERIOR LIGHTING

Headlights constantly go out. research online proves prius vehicles with hid bulb systems have ballast issues causing constant blowing of either bulbs or ballast failure. not only is safety constantly compromised, but it is illegal when a headlight goes out driving down the road.

The right side head light on my 2006 toyota prius will turn off on its own. it will work again if i shut all the lights off and turn it on again. it doesn't seem to happen while the car is stationary, but will turn off soon after the car starts moving. it doesn't matter if it is on a bumpy road, moving slowly, or on a highway. it will turn off within seconds to several minutes. i took it into the dealership around july 8th, 2019 when i first noticed the problem. they said there was no signs of any damage and said there wasn't anything that needed to be done. since then i have just been switching the lights off and back on when it happens. but then last night on november 7, 2019 both lights went out while i was driving on a public road. it happened as i accelerated after a full break.thankfully turning the lights off and on again worked. the right side turned back off again that night, but both did not shut off again after the incident.

The hid headlights are both out, after being on maybe 5 minutes. from everything i have read online and from my mechanic, this is a known issue with my model of car, that has been going on for years. the ballast is faulty, and would need to be tested prior to replacing a hid light. this has been happening for months, and i simply do not drive at night as a result. with the time change, this is to difficult.

Head lights randomly go out without warning. turn switch of then on and they go back on for awhile. sometimes one headlight. sometimes other or both. not safe when driving in dark and lights disappear in mountains on vacation at night!!!

Right front headlight occasionally goes out. sometimes it works when i switch the lights on and off and on again but mostly it has me driving down the street at night with only the left headlight visible. i'm scared to drive at night, knowing that my right headlight will most likely act up again. i even took everything apart trying to get to this headlight to change the bulb but found that the current bulb was working fine. please do something!!! i cannot stress how important it is to have working headlights and i definitely don't want to get pulled over by a cop and issued a ticket!!

Driving at night all lights go out and the driver cannot see anything. very dangerious! this happened traveling 60 miles per hour at night.

The operation of my hid lights are malfunctioning and the current right head light will occasionally turn off on it's own. after turning them on and off a few times, they then work again. obviously dangerous for night time driving or resulting in potential tickets.

Right front headlight randomly quits while driving, it has been doing this for the last 2 years

Problem with intermittent hid headlight operation failure, drivers side failure even on high beam when driving, turning off/back on light comes back on but may fail again. passenger front headlight works fine.

The drivers side intermittent headlight has long been a problem with this vehicle. this was a reported safety issue that was widely ignored which violates california law. i finally took it myself to get replaced after not getting any help with my reporting. i would like to receive a refund for the problem that is a recall issue.

When in motion the left front hid light goes out. turning the light switch off and back on (dangerous on the road at night) brings the light back on. may happen several times in one trip or maybe not at all. weather irrelevant. has been happening past several months.

Sometimes as i drive the vehicle, after a while, either one of the headlights turns off randomly. i don't always notice when it happens, other than when pulling up behind another vehicle at a stop light and notice that there is only 1 headlight reflection coming from my vehicle. they both work normally if i turn them off and on again.

I have had too many headlight issues throughout the time i've had my prius. i've had the entire assembly replaced once, repaired once, replaced countless overpriced bulbs, and still consistently is a problem. at this time, i'm currently experiencing electrical issues. my passenger headlight went out again. i replaced the bulb and nothing. not even a buzz noise. but when i disconnect the bulb and turn on the headlight, i can hear the buzz sound on both headlights. i am beyond fed up with this prius and toyota in general. it's been one problem after the other. the service department is a joke, every time. i had to fight them for an entire year about a warranty repair that i was repeatedly denied by several managers until i finally went to corporate and complained and that's when they finally agreed to fix it. at this point, my passenger side headlight doesn't work, and now the drivers side headlight goes out several times per drive, doesn't matter if i'm on a city street or a freeway. some nights it occurs more often and the light blinks, even if stopped at a light. i'm almost afraid to attempt to change the bulb, what if that one decides to stop working as well even with a new bulb. toyota wants an astronomically rediculous amount to fix just the passenger side, at almost $1200. that doesn't even include the drivers side headlight issue. i will never get another prius ever again

Headlight, drivers side, will go out occasionally while driving. it will come on again if the headlight switch is turned off then on.

The headlights on my prius sometimes don't come on or may come on and turn off while i'm driving. it's usually the driver's side, but the passenger's side has done it once. if i notice it, i can usually turn off the lights and turn them back on and then they both work. it has happened both when i first turn on the lights (while stationary) and also when i have been driving for a few minutes. the problem is becoming more frequent. hitting bumps or pressing connectors has no effect. it does not appear to be a loose connection. the bulbs work fine after cycling the switch. this has happened multiple times.

The headlamps on my prius go out intermittently while driving. sometimes one goes out and sometimes both. it is very dangerous when they both go out while driving at night. i can usually turn the switch off and on to get it back on, but that is uncomfortable when driving down a dark road and have to get the lights back on. this is an ongoing problem and happens regularly.

Headlight intermittently shuts off. it will later come back on again. same with a tail-light. there are lots of complaints about this please come up with a solution. it seems to be an extremely expensive fix at a dealership due to defective parts.

I believe its a glitch in the car's computer. at unpredictable and intermittent intervals the electronic heads up display does not operate. this leaves me with no speedomoeter, no fuel level indicator, no bright or dim indicator for the headlights, and the cruise control does not work. during the incidents the car also might not respond to the power off button, so it keeps running. this problem might last for a day or two and then it starts to work again.

The passenger side headlight intermittently turns off and on. the lightbulb is still functional. this will happen wether i'm driving or stationary.

The headlights on my 2006 prius have been going on and off sporadically since appx. 2010. first, only one headlight on the driver's side would go and off. i asked my toyota dealership multiple times about the problem, but they could never correctly diagnose or fix the problem. i was stopped more than once by the police for having a headlight out. usually if i turned the headlights off and then on again, both lights would turn on. in 2014 i had both headlights replaced by my dealership, which cost over $1,000. in june of this year (2017), both headlights starting going out at the same time, and i took it in to my toyota dealership. they said they could not get the problem to "repeat" while they had it in for service and offered other help or explanation for solving the problem. this is a very dangerous problem because the lights will often go out unexpectedly when i am driving at night.

While driving the right headlight will flicker and turn off. it can be turned back on by turning off and on the headlights. i got pulled over last night because i couldn't tell it had turned off while driving in town at night. i can tell when it goes off while driving in the country and get it to turn back on. i have read many online forums that dealerships will replace many expensive things trying to fix it but it still does not fix it.

Car i purchased for my daughter, had its headlights go out last night in the rain as she was taking an exit off road. fortunately no one was hurt but she is very shaken up. she said the lights just went out leaving here in almost complete darkness.

Three times in the last 12 months the headlights have failed on this car.

Tl* the contact owns a 2006 toyota prius. while driving 20 mph, the headlights malfunctioned. the contact could not see the road in front of him due to the malfunctioning headlight adjuster. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. the failure mileage was 105,000. the vin was not available.

The right headlight intermittently goes out. it has happened upon start up, and while driving. it is usually noticed when sitting behind another vehicle (seeing headlight reflection in front vehicle's rear), someone tells me, or, i remember to check. when it's realized, turning the switch off, and on again, makes the light come back on. it doesn't appear to be any particular weather, situation, or length of drive that causes it. it started at least 1 and 1/2 years ago. it was first noticed 12/16/16.

While driving on a dark unlit windy road, the headlights seemed to be getting dimmer, then both spontaneously turned off. i had absolutely zero visibility of the road and i instinctively slammed the brakes. i was approaching a sharp turn with a guard rail and a steep ravine into a river. the car came to rest about 8 inches from the guard rail. upon cycling the headlights on and off, they both lit up again. i turned in the fog lights as a back up and continued my drive, slowly. since then, i have observed the lights fading and then turning off, usually only one light at a time, but sometimes both. *tr

I noticed in the past month that the headlights turn off unexpectedly while driving. first the driver side then both headlights then the passenger side. they go back on when i turn the switch off and then on and the problem is unexpected and not reproducible. i was told at the dealer that the headlights needed to be replaced. they would not acknowledge there is any known issue with the headlights turning off by themselves. i replaced both headlights 2 days ago and will monitor the situation. *tr

Passenger head light not work some times at night.

Head lights fail , flicker most when you need them

Toyota prius 2006 right headlight will spontaneously and at random turn off. it happens when you are driving the vehicle. often the car will illuminate both headlights and it is only after driving several minutes, the right headlight will turn off. very difficult to reproduce. i feel this is a significant safety issue. cost estimates from research have been shown to be $400.00 to $1200.00. toyota has still not issued a recall for this problem

My 2006 toyota prius drivers side headlight goes out completely. it turns on when first engaging the light switch and turns off when in transit. it will relight after i turn the lights off and then back on again. my dealership has stated there is no issue with my headlights and provided me an inspection sticker for the vehicle. i need this issue to be fixed.

This is the second failure of the headlights on this car since i bought it in late 2015.

Tl* the contact owns a 2006 toyota prius. while driving 45 mph, the driver side low beam headlamp failed to illuminate without warning. the failure was rectified by turning the light switch off and on. the failure recurred intermittently. the vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed, but the cause of the failure was not found. the vehicle was not repaired. in addition, both the driver and passenger side headlamps failed to illuminate without warning. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. the failure mileage was 110,000.

This was the first of three headlight failures in the the year that i have owned this car.

Passenger side headlight failure

Headlight goes out without warning!!!!

The headlights flicker and then go out. it is necessary to turn off all lights and then turn them back on. the same thing happens after a short period of time. this happens when the car is moving and i have been pulled over because i was unaware that the lights were out while driving in the city.

One of the headlights worked sporadically. it happened the same day i purchased the car used from a toyota dealership, but i didn't notice it right away because it was daytime. the next day i went to the service department and they said i needed to replace the hid bulb which costs $300!!!!! after complaining to the dealership they replaced it at no charge, but i am concerned that this might be a recurring problem. i don't know if they replaced any associated parts or not, since the invoice they gave me just listed "engine elecrical concern" without an itemized list.

Driving along and the headlights just go out in he middle of the night. faulty headlights.

Tl* the contact owns a 2006 toyota prius. upon starting the vehicle and turning on the headlights, the contact noticed that the passenger side low beam headlight would not illuminate. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, but the failure could not be duplicated. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. the failure mileage was 70,000.

I have been having problems with the hid headlights since i bought this car. it's not the bulbs, there is some computer problem that is recurring. i think they need to recall this car and fix the problem. *tr

The right headlight turned off while the vehicle was in use and now the fog lights aren't working. sometimes it would turn on and sometimes it wouldn't work at all. you just don't know when it will happen. *tr

Right headlight went out while driving at night, reducing visibility to only nearly 20%-30%. this is very annoying and dangerous as the vehicle may be taken for a motorcycle especially in parking lot as others might mistake the vehicle width and resulting in collision. however, the light is restored by flickering on and off. this also occurred while driving on the freeway at high speed. flickering maybe be a hassle while driving at such speed. *tr

The headlight continues to turn off on it's own while driving. recurrent intermittent problem for months. the light comes back on after turning the switch on/off

Passenger side headlight goes out after being on for five minutes and can not be repaired.

The right side headlight turns off intermittently. i can make it work again by turning the light switch off, then on again. i have tried to get it fixed, but the problem will not replicate at the mechanics. therefore, i cannot get it fixed. if it was the headlight, it would not turn back on. however, i believe my car has high intensity bulbs, so i am not sure. *tr

We have owned this 2006 prius since new. we have replaced the headlights many times. this last incident was similar to the rest. the headlight on the right would go out but it was an intermittent loss. there was an ability to get it on again by flicking the headlights on and off. after a week of this, the second headlight started to do the same resulting in total headlight failure. this could also be remedied by flicking the headlights on and off. *tr

My 2006 toyota prius headlight goes off when driving. it flickers first and then goes off. sometimes one light goes off and sometimes both of them. when i turn the light off and turn it back on headlights work again. but after a while they turn off again. they stay on steady after i drive for more than an hour in long trips and after turning it off and then on again several times. *tr

Headlights, one or both, randomly go out while i am driving. i had the dealer look at it a year ago and they said there was nothing wrong. it continues to happen and is really scary when i discover that i am driving without lights on a busy highway. i am now taking to an independent mechanic to fix the problem. this is clearly a safety issue!

Left headlight goes out. i have to turn both headlights off, and then turn them back on for left one to work again. i had this problem years ago, and the dealership replaced lamp for $600, but now i'm noticing the problem again. very dangerous ! dps thinks it's dangerous, too, judging from warnings i'm collecting. *tr