Problems with 2006 Toyota Prius EXTERIOR LIGHTING

Tl*the contact owns a 2006 toyota prius. while driving approximately 40 mph at night, the headlights suddenly shut off. the contact turned the light switch off and on and the headlights began functioning normally. the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer but the vehicle had not been repaired when the complaint was filed. the failure and current mileages were approximately 53,000.

I own a 2006 toyota prius i that has hid headlight system i have replaced the computer once and at least 2 bulbs which go out intermittently. i had one go out again and if the other side goes out before i can get it serviced i won't be able to drive it at night at all. *tr

Headlights on 2006 toyota prius keep going on and off for no apparent reason. complaint has been made to toyota and all they have done is to reduce the price of the hid bulbs. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2006 toyota prius. whenever the contact was driving at any speed, the headlights turned off suddenly without any warning. the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer where the contact was informed that the headlights needed to be replaced. the vehicle had not been repaired. the current and failure mileages were approximately 29,000.

Headlight on driver's side occasionally turns off while driving. *tr

While driving at night a headlight went out making it difficult to see. after restarting the car it came back on. this has happened several times. once when a headlight was out the second headlight went out making it extremely unsafe and difficult to pull off the road safely, just missed another vehicle. upon restarting one of the lights came back on. this is an extremely unsafe situation, it is life threatening. i has happened several times and continues to happen. i filed a complaint with toyota and they said i had to come in when it was malfunctioning. they later said that it was out of warranty. they are well aware of the problem and how many lives have to be lost until they do something about it besides sweep it under the rug. *tr

Bought a used 2006 toyota prius on march 29, 2010, with 50,000 miles. the first time i drove it at night, the right headlight went out, followed shortly by the left headlight. i turned on my fog lights and proceeded to drive the 25 miles to my home. i turned off the headlights and turned them back on and they both worked. this time the left headlight went out, and i turned off my fog lights and turned on the high beams, then all the lights went out and i turned the fog lights back on. this occurred four times before i finally made it home on one headlight. dealer replaced the bulbs. toyota said they were high intensity bulbs that heated up and burned out, and suggested not using them except at night. the bulbs cost $150 or $350 and cost an additional $150 to install. was told if it happens again, to let them know and they'll swap the bulbs to see if it's the headlight computer that has the problem. no idea what that would cost to replace. wasn't happy with the situation, traded up to a 2008 prius with 25,000 miles and tonight, april 6, 2010, the same thing has happened. there is something wrong with this scenario. one the headlight bulbs shouldn't consistently blow, and, two, no headlight bulb should cost $150 or more. back to the dealer tomorrow or the next day to see what they'll do. *tr

My headlights flicker or fail with no warning, usually just one but sometimes both. if i flip the switch on and off they usually come back on but sometimes it takes some time. i run them during the day for safety, so i cannot tell when one will randomly cut off. this also puts me at risk of a traffic violation. *js

Failure of hid headlights headlights failed at 50,000 miles, i feel that toyota used a poor quality light bulb for their hid lighting. the coast is expensive to replace the bulb. toyota should recall the hid light bulb. *tr

Hid headlight on toyota prius 2006 will not stay on!! when i went to the dealer the headlight happened to be on and they could do nothing. when it went off last night i almost ran into a retaining wall. very close call and it scared the hell out of us!! it has occurred a couple of times. judging from the prius chat site this is a common occurrence which toyota should be able to fix, but evidently a lot of people have spent thousands of dollars with no appreciable effect. i'll take it in again, but i ahven't too much faith in their ability to resolve the problem permanently!!

My prius has 60, 000 miles and has hi definition headlights. last week one of the lights went out so i went to a toyota dealer to have it changes. when they turned on the headlights to check the problem the light worked. the tech said toyota had a problem with headlights getting overheated and going out and coming back on. the problems was not resolved. *dt

My 2006 toyota prius headlights are malfunctioning. my headlights go off intermittently. mainly the right headlights but both lights have this problem. if i turn off and then turn on the lights then they will work ok for a little while. i am worried that both lights may go off and will put my family at risk at night.*tr

1996 toyota prius - (3) things i have noticed when operating car. (1) when braking and going over rough pavement, car will behave as though it is hydroplaneing - the brakes not slowing the car for a brief period until car settles down. this can happen when going as slow as 5 mph. the faster one is going when hitting the rough pavement, the farther the car will travel before braking sensation re-appears. i believe this occurs everytime i travel rough pavement (la city streets, not back country or 4 wheeling). note that warning light on dashboard does light suggesting loss of control. i called dealer service center and described problem, they assured me that no safety warnings or recalls had been made. 2) when turning off cruise control, car will accelerate slightly for approximately 1-2 seconds. this is most noticeable when trying to exit carpool lane in heavy traffic and spacing is limited. again called dealership and assured no safety notices or recalls. i now cover brake when turning off speed control. 3) car just eats up hid headlight (9 in 80k miles + 2 original installed) and taillight bulbs (11 + 2 originally installed). again no safety notices or recalls. i replace them as i notice them. i have never had both headlights go out at once as described on your website. note that other than the above issues/concerns, this car has been a great car with no service except for gas, oil changes, and replace the bulbs when they go out. *tr

My hid light on my 2006 prius burnt out on driver's left side. took it in for a replacement and they told me that i have to replace both for a price of $500 and will only warranty for 1 year. i was told the average span for a bulb is 2.5-4 years. this is a ridiculous price for a light bulb. you should put pressure on the company to bring the cost for this safety repair down to a reasonable level. *tr

In 2009 i purchased a 2006 toyota prius. immediately after purchase the head lights randomly shut off. sometimes one at time and sometimes both at the same time. recently i was driving over a dark mountain pass in the snow and the headlights both went out at the same time. it took me three times, turning them off and on for them to come back on. we could have been hurt or killed. this happens often, at least five to six times when we are driving our car at night and my son has been pulled over and ticketed twice. we called the dealer and even though we bought the full extended used car warranty, toyota does not cover the headlight issues and are telling us it's going to cost between $500 - $1500 to have the headlights replaced. it's obviously an electrical problem, but toyota said they issued a statement saying it was not. the lights even go out when you turn on your blinkers, off course randomly. i even went for a night time drive with my salesperson right after i purchased the vehicle and he saw the lights go off. he said i would just have to replace them at my cost even though it was obvious they were going on and off when we hit even the slightest bump in road and even though it was supposedly a certified used car. toyota knows there is a problem because it's issued a statement and there are blogs all over the internet about it, yet they refuse to help their customers maintain a safe operating vehicle. i've again called the dealer and have another appointment about this issue in a couple of days. we are hoping they acknowledge that we've purchases three toyotas from them in the last three years and that they will fix the headlights for us before someone gets hurt or killed. all three cars we purchased from toyota are also involved in their current recalls. we are very unhappy with our toyotas and feel very unsafe driving them with family members and children in our vehicles. *tr

Reference your case pe09019, closed in august 2009. i also own a 2006 toyota prius on which the headlamps fail daily. as stated in the report it usually starts with only one lamp failing but it often ends with both lamps out. i will not drive without my fog lamps on for fear i will be in total darkness at a crucial time such as a sharp curve or turn in the road. i have been waiting for someone to take action and force a recall as it is extremely expensive to replace these headlamps. in light of the current findings against toyota, you should reopen the investigation. i am not certain by any means but i had heard your organization had over 500 complaints regarding this issue. why did you only interview 40 owners? do we have to wait for someone's death, perhaps mine or one of my family members, before we take this situation serious enough to force action on toyota's part? how could something as serious as headlamp failure be dismissed so casually? *tr

Re: toyota prius 2006 hid headlights problem - intermittent on and off for the past 10,000 miles solution: dealer wants $600 labor to replace a bulb. not covered under extended warranty. dealer does not know if bulb is the problem, or starter, or other. problem could costs thousands of dollars to troubleshoot! poor design means i cannot change it myself. other prius owners reporting similar experience. *tr

Both headlights on 2006 prius turned off after less than 5 minutes on road. may have exhibited flashing before total failure of both headlights. confirmed headlight on light was present during failure. one car coming towards flashed their lights to convey my headlights were off. i then slowed down and turn lights off then back on. both came back on and stayed on since then. i have been checking each time i get in or out of car than headlights are on and functioning normal at beginning and end of trip. fyi, i do not use headlights as daylight running lights. *tr

The hid headlights on my 2006 toyota prius intermittently go out one at a time. once they go out they stay out unless i manually turn them off and then on i cannot determine when one of the headlights goes out. the problem is when driving with only 1 headlamp i have had several instances when the other headlamp has gone out as well leaving me with no headlights at night. if i hadn't known to turn them on/off i would have been driving on a road at night with no headlamps. *tr

Intermittent headlight failure. pulled over on 03/01/2010 by a sheriff deputy with a warning that one headlight was out. five minutes later after a stop, headlight worked fine. various times over the past year one or both headlights have gone out only to come back on later.

Headlights of 2006 prius go on and off at will. i reported this to toyota dealer and was told that they had to change both bulbs. the intensity of the bulbs are normal when they come back on and i have never owned a car where the bulbs recover on their own. it appears to be a wiring problem of some kind and toyota's solution of changing the bulbs does not seem to be a reasonable solution. also the one year guarantee of an expensive repair does not seem reasonable. the toyota website shows hundreds of complaints for the same condition. *tr

Headlight (driver's side only) sometimes turns off while driving. if i turn the lights switch off and back on, the light will turn on and work properly for a while. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2006 toyota prius. the contact stated while starting the vehicle, the reverse light, the indicator light and the odometer and speedometer lights did not illuminate. the failure recurred numerous times. the vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the combination meter needed to be repaired. the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 160,000.

While driving with my prius the headlights turn on and off at their own will. sometimes it's the right headlight, then the left headlight. this morning i was driving to work and both headlights went out and i had to pull over. turned the car off then back on and the headlights were on again. a few moments later, the right headlight went out. this is very unsafe for me as i drive mostly early in the morning and late at night when headlights are required. toyota should cover this as a warranty item . *tr

Headlights failed on my 2006 toyota prius. one about 36,000 miles, second one about 37,000. it cost over $500 to replace them. now one of the new ones has failed again. i wrote toyota for help and they had an extended warranty salesperson call me saying "you need to protect yourself against what may happen in the future." i asked if headlights were covered and he said yes, but that i needed to wait 30 days after buying the policy. wrote toyota again saying that was unacceptable. no response. i know many other prius owners have had this problem. since my light has gone out right away i'm wondering if it is an electrical or computer problem with the car. *tr

2006 toyota prius with hid headlights fail intermittently. *tr

I drive a 2006 toyota prius. i have experienced odd skid-like behavior while applying the brakes on bumpy roads or loose gravel. most notably this happens at low and decelerating velocities (maybe 15 mph?) when the vehicle encounters broken pavement or loose gravel. it is often associated with the prius' 'slippery surface' icon on the dash being lit. when this occurs it feels like the brakes do not function for a brief period. i have not had an accident as a result, but the experience has occurred at least 4 times over the four months i've owned it. also, the front hid headlamps flicker on and off periodically making it dangerous to drive at night. i will report these problems to toyota and based on the high volume of identical complaints i believe they should cover the cost of fixing these problems. *tr

2006 toyota prius headlights go off while driving then come back on. intermittent and totally unpredictable. *tr

I have a 2006 prius. the hid lights flicker and turn off about two times a day while i am driving. these lights are supposed to last ten times longer than regular lights. the light failure is particularly dangerous at night when the lights can suddenly turn off. *tr

Toyota prius exterior lights shut down. this happens all of the time the car is driven. hid headlights turn off without the driver knowing and then keeps on driving until they are struck or hit something. other cars may not see this. this has occurred over 5000 times... *tr

Headlights went out while driving at night on #5 fwy in ta hone pass on 2/7/10. now headlights are intermittent. i paid $837 to dealer on 1/10/08 for replacement of headlamps. dealer now wants $1024 to replace them again. *tr

My 2006 toyota prius has experienced intermittent hid headlight operation for almost a year. this is not so bad on the open highways with other cars still lighting up the road, but it's downright scary on dark country roads. at all times, while driving at night, the headlights get progressively dimmer to the point where i can actually outrun my field of vision.....again very unnerving. my solution has been to drive one of my other cars when possible. i guess the good news is i've never experienced the brake & gas pedal issues that are on the news.........still, i think the hid headlight issue is serious. i've never bothered to complain to the dealer because i've heard they will give me the runaround and charge over $800 to replace the bulbs & the problem only goes away for a few months at best. *cn *tr

Headlights go off without warning while driving. one light bulb going off is common, however, both lights have gone off at the same time repeatedly during driving, leaving me without any lighting. lights come back on after turning the switch off and then on again. *tr

Failure of the passenger side headlight. *tr

Passenger headlight cuts out without warning for no apparent reason. the only remedy is to turn the headlights off and then back on. this causes the head light to begin functioning for a short period of time. *tr

Intermittent failure of hid headlamps on 2006 toyota prius. *tr

Toyota 2006 prius. both hid head lamps intermittently go off, but usually not at the same time. currently have 75k mi on car. problem started when car had approx 55k miles on it. *tr

2006 prius hid headlights go out intermittently. there doesn't seem to be a fix that toyota can provide. this is very upsetting, even more so if you drive at night a lot. toyota doesn't admit there is a problem and states the only course of action is to replace the headlight. why am i to pay an extreme amount of money to replace a headlight when the headlight works? it's just faulty and intermittent (be it wiring, a computer glitch, or something else). this problem with the hid headlights occurs multiple times each time i drive the car. furthermore, it is hard to determine when the headlights are working properly. i have taken my prius to a toyota dealership and they refuse that the lights are faulty and ask that you replace them. it is scary to drive my prius at night and it is no fun explaining this strange situation to a police officer who doesn't care and still gives you a citation. i just want toyota to acknowledge and fix the problem. *tr

I have an 2006 toyota prius with hid headlights. about 6 months ago, one light started going out shortly after ignition. it could be either one. after i turn the lights off and back on, both will stay on for the duration of the trip. this has been consistent over last 6 months or so. *tr

Passenger side hid headlight went out. later it came back on. the vehicle, a 2006 prius, only has 45,000 miles. toyota sent us a letter stating the cost of a new bulb was reduced from $300 to $150 plus labor/tax. also, the letter stated that hid bulbs are prone to deterioration due to use and advises that we use our headlamps only when necessary. i feel this issue is safety related and the fix is very expensive for a relatively new car. toyota's advice to consider using the lights less is also misguided and not in the best interest of safely. i'm also concerned about possible electrical issues that may be causing this failure. *tr

Toyota is charging over $250 for replacement of one hid light buld. this makes it very difficult to replace a piece of required safety equipment on the 2006 prius. *ln

2006 prius. 62k miles. one headlight started going out intermittently about 3 weeks ago (jan.2010) now a minute or so after the first one goes out the second one goes too leaving me in total darkness. the fix is to turn the switch on and off. a bulletin i received last year says you can kill the hid by turning off and on while still hot. this the only way to keep the lights going! i got a ticket last week for a light out and of course i made it come back on for the officer but he wasn't impressed. now i have to get it fixed and i have read all the blogs and clearly replacing the bulb is not way to correct this. *tr

2006 toyota prius with hid headlights. i have had problems with the headlamps going out intermittently. my wife was stopped by the police because the left headlight went out the other night. the dealer replaced the bulb on the right side in june 2009. now i just had to replace the left side bulb, the toyota dealer will not cover under warranty due to the vehicle being out of warranty by 5 months. there are many,many prius owners with headlight problems. this is a safety issue that toyota knows about but refuses to help once the warranty expires. i request that nhtsa investigate the toyota headlight problem. we prius owners feel this is a defect and a very important safety issue that toyota should correct or reimburse prius owners that have paid for repairs after the 3 year/36,000 mile warranty period. *tr

Recently both headlights on my prius began winking off at random. turning the lights off and then back on again will result in both headlights being but moments (sometimes seconds) later one of them will turn off. (so far neither have both turned off at the same time.) i took my car to the toyota dealership after being told by my usual mechanic that they did not have the tools to "get to" the prius headlight to replace it. the toyota dealership informed me that the cost of replacing both front headlights (only) if $475. $170 per light and the rest of that is for the labor as they have to remove the front bumper, etc. after doing a little research online i see that this same issue (the headlight "winking") seems pretty common and so i'm reporting my experience. *tr

My 2006 toyota prius loses braking when trying to brake on uneven surfaces. the dash will light up the icon which displays uneven ground and when i apply brakes there is a momentarily lapse when the brake pedal does not respond. also my left headlight and left taillight go on and off periodically. *tr

2006 prius headlights fail while driving. first just one, then the other. do i have to have an accident before i can report this absurd safety failure. it happens every day when i'm driving in or driving home. *tr

2006 toyota prius - my hid headlights have been randomly, unpredictably flickered on and off, sometimes the left, sometimes the right and sometimes both completely unexpectedly. the light switch must be flicked on and off multiple times to bring them back. within minutes - or even seconds - they may fail again repeatedly. i do not drive at night very often but others who do are at great risk. can you imagine the reaction of the cars in front of me while i a flicking my headlights at them repeatedly! potentially volatile. the repair is replacement of hid lights at almost $600.00 and is not covered by their warranty, which is wrong! this has been going on for a couple years and mechanics have not been able to trace issue other than faulty headlights or faulty computer controls. there are tens of thousands of prius owners affected. check the online blogs like priuschat and you will see. this is a significant safety issue which while i have had not accidents i have had numerous incidents of concern and need for quick sudden evasive action when the lights would fail unexpectedly. we who have been forced to spend hundreds for repair should be reimbursed and a full scale recall must be instigated for the safety of prius drivers and our companions in other vehicles on the road. *tr

I own a 2006 toyota prius. i have had a problem with my passenger headlight working intermittently. i thought the light was failing until one night i was driving home and all the lights turned off and it was pure darkness. i quickly corrected the immediate danger by turning the light switch off then on and they came back on. this has happened two other times. i received what i thought was a recall notice on the hid lights. when i took the notice to my local dealer, they informed me that the recall was on the price of the hid bulbs and not on the actual bulbs. they had reduced the price from $300 to $150. now, after looking into it further, it seems that i am not the only one experiencing this same problem. *tr

2006 toyota prius with approximately 46,000 miles. for the last year, the headlight on the driver side has worked intermittently & have to turn the headlights off and back on to make it turn back on again. the same thing is now occurring on the passenger side. it appears that this is a widespread problem that toyota is more than aware about. *tr

Passenger side headlight goes off intermittently. if i notice the headlight is out i can turn my lights off then back on and the headlight that was out will come back on. i noticed it for the first time a couple of days ago. *tr updated 02/13/10 *bf updated 02/16/10 updated 03/18/10 *bf updated 09/21/10