Problems with 2006 Toyota Prius EXTERIOR LIGHTING

The headlight (on the passenger side) intermittently goes out. i can turn the lights off for a second and then back on and it comes back on. sometimes it will stay on for hours, sometimes it will only stay on for minutes. i had the same problem previously with the same car and toyota replaced the bulb, ballast and headlight assembly before it stopped having the issue. now about 20 months have passed and i am seeing the same thing again. *tr

While under warranty, less than 30k miles, left headlight of 2006 toyota prius failed while driving. then a month or so later the right headlight failed. then both. when lights were turned off and then turned back on, they usually illuminated again at least for a short time and then failed again without warning or pattern while driving. dealer replaced both headlights at 30k. at 45k, pattern began exactly the same. at 50k service, dealership was made aware of problem, did nothing because they said they could not reproduce the problem in shop. at 55k, dealer was again made aware of problem, was able to reproduce it in one headlight and offered to sell the one new headlight for $400 plus labor. this is a serious safety issue. even if the headlight is replaced at great expense, pattern will begin again. toyota knows about the problem. the dealerships know about the problem. they are not fixing it because it is expensive for them and it makes sense for them to profit by selling expensive hid headlights, which they do not cover under extended warranty. if there has not been already, there is going to be an accident and a lawsuit about this problem. last night after dusk i realized my lights were out only when an oncoming car swerved to avoid me. *tr

My 2006 toyota prius with hid headlights has had a problem since about 25,000 miles where the left headlight will periodically go out. i can get the light to come back on by turning the lights off and they come back on. last week i was driving on a dark country road with my bright headlights on and they both went out. it was completely dark and i applied the brakes while trying to hold the car straight so i did not strike a tree or pole at the side of the road. i fumbled with the switch and was able to turn the lights on by turning the switch completely off and then back on. i had to turn the lights off and back on every couple minutes to keep them working. it was very dangerous and frightening. i understand that your investigation into other complaints ended without a recall because both lights did not go out with some of those surveyed. i will tell you that both of my lights went out completely with no forewarning. *tr

Intermittent front headlight loss on my 2006 toyota prius. loss occurs soon after drive begins. headlight can often be regained by tuning lights off then back on. *tr

The driver's side headlight simply goes out. this started after approximately 37,000 miles. the headlight was replaced under warranty once and now it is happening again. once while on vacation in new mexico on a two lane road at night it happened and when i turned off and on the headlights, both lights remained out. i stopped and was very close to the edge of the road and switched the headlights on and off again and they came back on. this was a very scary incident. i'm tired of going to the dealership and having them propose solutions that cost from hundreds to over a thousand dollars to resolve. within the past month, i have been stopped by a state trooper because of the headlight being out. when i explained the situation, cycled the headlights off then on, he saw that both headlights came on and gave me a verbal warning instead of a citation. this is a hazard that is well known, but toyota chooses not to deal with it. that attitude and situation needs to be resolved before people get hurt. below, i'm providing today?s date because it is constant and ongoing. *tr

I own a 2006 toyota prius...both head lights go out while driving at night. sometimes one goes out, then the other goes out, and then sometimes both go out. i have to turn the switch off then back on to reset the lights. sometimes the lights would flicker, then extinguish completely. sometimes i don't know they are extinguished until i come up on another car. this is an extremely dangerous situation, i notice this is a problem on many prius'. please take this situation seriously before someone is killed! thank you. *tr

The hid headlights on our 2006 prius will flicker or completely turn off while driving. it happens seemingly randomly,, one side will go out the other will stay on and visa versa or both will go out at the same time. there doesn't seem to be any condition that causes it to happen. if i turn the light switch off and then back on the lights will come back on again, sometimes seconds or minutes will pass and the lights will fail again. *tr

Re: 2006 toyota - prius both head lights go out while driving at night. sometimes one goes out, then the other goes out, and then sometimes both go out. i have to toggle the switch to reset the lights. sometimes the lights would flicker, then extinguish completely. this is a high risk driving situation, especially when driving at highway speeds & i encounter curves in the road. *tr

The right front hid headlamp of my 2006 toyota prius keeps cutting out and then comes back on when i turn the lights off. i have replaced both bulbs, but the same thing has happened. the problem started in 2008, stopped after i changed the bulbs and started again not even a year later. *tr

2006 toyota prius headlights go out. first my right headlight would go off while driving. at times it worked. one night i was driving home on a very dark street and my headlights were so dim i could hardly see. i then turned on my brights and the lights went out completely. i have checked my lights while car was parked and the same problems occurred, including the bright lights going out. *tr

Headlight bulbs turn off intermittently, usually the passenger side. when light switch is turned off then back on the light will work. at least one time both lights went off at night leaving no visibility for several seconds while i turned off then on the switch. this was very hazardous at 55 mph. it appears there is a wide spread problem with these lamps and should be recalled by toyota. dealer replacement of the two bulbs will run more than $400. *tr

Premature failure of hid headlights in 2006 toyota prius. *tr

2006 toyota prius hid failure for unknown reasons. headlights work intermittently. deal says to just replace bulb that is not correcting the problem. works one minute then out the next. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2006 toyota prius. the headlights failed while driving. the headlights were replaced at an expense of $300.00. the repair did not remedy the failure. he had to have the component replaced again. the manufacturer stated that the headlights did not have a recall or warranty. the failure mileage was 40,000, the current mileage was 42,968.

I have a 2006 prius with approximately 68k miles on it. both headlights simply go out without warning. the first time this happened, i was on a back road and nearly went off a corner into a ravine. it was my presence of mind to brake quickly and cycle the headlight switch that prevented a serious accident. based on my research, this is a known problem yet there is no bulletin or announcement of any kind being sent out to prius owners. when the dealer said that it would be nearly $700 to simply replace the bulbs and that might not be the end of repairs to correct the actual problem, i was speechless. i'm unemployed at the time and such a costly charge to do something that won't even address what is clearly a defect is simply not acceptable. i had to sleep in my car on a business trip that i just returned from because i didn't want to take a chance on being pulled over at night for defective equipment and incur even more expenses. will someone actually have to die in order for this issue to get the response that it deserves from toyota? your agency, without full review of data that toyota was to send to you, has prematurely decided to not treat this as a safety defect. you have made a mistake and leaving this as a civil court matter is a complete cop out. *tr

My 2006 toyota prius right hid headlight has failed and i bought a replacement from toyota for $162, i will attempt to replace it myself. this is the second lamp failure on this car, the first was the left which toyota paid for ($740). $700 for a headlight is outrageous!!! *tr

I've got a package 6 2006 prius. one of the 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. 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. it is not an event i can make happen. i've taken it to the dealer and they can't make it happen. *tr

Contrary to your investigation report, both hid headlamps failed simultaneously at interstate speed. only light remaining were fog lamps. head lamps reset after toggling switch. the problem has happened more than once. please reconsider investigation or recall. *tr

01/09 passenger side headlight went out, but would come back on when turned of and on. 05/09 brought to dealer for oil change and requested check on headlight - dealer was unable to solve problem as headlight was working 09/09 headlight off when brought to dealer- was told it would require a return appt., a special order for a replacement bulb estimated at $200 + at least $100 labor to move passenger bulb to driver side to test bulb; if problem follows bulb it is the bulb, if not it is a computer issue that would be an additional $600. dealer offered to check for warranty on computer part. could not pass safety inspection at this time. *tr

Hid headlamp goes out while driving after it becomes hot. *tr

R headlight cut out intermittently. bought replacement bulbs and had them replaced by an independent mechanic. now at 65,000 miles, both headlights cut out intermittently and are dim when they are on. high beams are anemic. if both lights ever go out simultaneously at night, an accident could happen. *tr

Headlight failure on late 2000 model year toyota prius. hid headlights are repeatedly failing, usually both at once causing the driver to find him/herself in total darkness. second set of replacement headlights in 18 months, costing $1,000 per set to replace. *tr

Have had an issue with headlights turning on and off for several years although we have replaced the very expensive headlights many times. it has left us in a bad situation many times (at night on a dark road with no lights)! we just try not to use it at nighttime. but now my son has night classes an hour away and we live sort of remote so i am scared.

2006 toyota prius hid head lights are suddenly turning off while driving, and to correct the problem i have to turn the lights off then back on again. but they will fail at least 30 times in a hour, while driving. *tr

When the headlights are turned on, the left headlight on my 06 prius is randomly flickering, or turning off, or turning on. the failure occurs frequently, and unpredictably. the right headlight is not exhibiting those symptoms now, but i'm concerned that i could find myself driving down the road at night and have both headlights turn off. i am taking the car to the dealer to get this repaired tomorrow. i got the dealer to provide the replacement bulb for free, but i will have to pay for a couple of hours of labor. you already have a report on this that you closed, nhtsa action number pe09019. i don't think that report should be closed, and toyota should do a voluntary recall to fix what is clearly a design problem. thanks! *tr

2006 toyota prius headlights problem. the front passenger headlights shot off by itself and i have to turn the headlight switch on and off several time and the headlight will turn back on again. i feel it was very dangerous when driving at night when the headlight turn off by itself and i got a fixed ticket by policy because of defected headlight. *tr

Headlight is intermittent. possible faulty ecu board. *tr

After several attempts to have toyota cover the cost of replacing hid lamps in my 2006 toyota prius they finally did so at no charge for parts but charged $100 labor stating that i could get that refunded by toyota provided a recall on the lamps was issued. the problem is that the lamps go out intermittently while driving. when or if the driver detects that one lamp goes out then by turning the switch on and off quickly the lamps always restart but again they will go out again maybe in 15 minutes or maybe never. as a driver you may not notice it until they both go out. i had been driving my car fro over a year before the dealer finally admitted that they were aware of the problem. replacing the lamps fixed the problem immediately. the incident date below is the repair date. *tr

Toyota prius 2006 headlight failure on passenger side at 67,000+ bulb fixed and it failed again immediately. *tr

I own a 2006 toyota prius. one or both of the headlights go off while driving. turning the light off then on will bring the lights back on. apparently this is a problem shared by many toyota owners with the high intensity discharge bulbs. (deduced by online blog chat) replacing the bulbs seems to require replacing a headlight light control ecu sub-assembly. working headlights can run close to $900.00. toyota rationalized this extremely expensive system by estimating that it would last 7 years and provide better light. my vehicle is only 3 yrs and 8 months old so those bulbs didn't live up to their life expectancy. also, i would say that on my own subjective evaluation the headlights always appeared rather dim. the light seemed just barely acceptable. *tr

I own a 2006 toyota prius. the headlights go out intermittently. first the drivers side next the passenger side. if i turn off the lights they will come back on. sometimes i can't tell if a headlight is out until i pull up to a window or behind another auto. last night both headlights went out. i turned off the lights and they came back dim. thank god i have fog lights as it was late and needed to get home asap. i don't know when my lights will work and when they wont. toyota dealership says they are aware of this problem and i need the bulbs replaced (cost of $300.00) and from my internet research i have found this to be a common (scary) problem. most people replace the bulbs only to have the problem persist (leading to other expensive repairs) and not feeling confident and safe in their auto. again, the lights just go off suddenly which is a huge safety issue. *tr

I have an intermittent problem with passenger side hid light on my 2006 toyota prius. several people have informed me that the light was out. when i checked the light it was back on and working. i find from the internet that this is a huge problem with the 2006-2008 prius. i am attempting to get the toyota dealer to solve the problem. it is a highway safety issue that toyota needs to resolve with a recall. *tr

I own a 2006 toyota prius with hid headlights. over the last month, or so, the driver's side light goes out while i'm driving. the only fix i've found is to turn the lights off, then on again. the lights will then remain on for approx. 10-20 minutes, at which time the same light goes out again. the problem seems to be happening more often as time passes and the time the problem repeats itself is getting shorter. i tried to have the dealer look at it, under warranty, but was told that they would charge me a $100 "inspection fee." since then, i've heard of many other prius owners that experience the same problem. i believe this is a safety recall issue that needs to be addressed by toyota and/or nhtsa. *tr

Hid lights intermittently failed. sometimes turning them off and then back on would temporarily "fix" the problem. replaced driver's side light several months ago. just replaced the passenger side light today at the dealer, costing over $250. *tr

2006 toyota prius, l headlight has been turning itself off while driving. on 8/13/09 both headlights began turning off while driving. i was able to turn lights off and back on again and lights came on for a few minutes then started turning off again. *tr

2006 toyota prius headlight began intermittently failing 3 days after my 36-mo. warranty ended. rate of failure steadily increasing. car had under 28k miles at time of first failure. online research shows me that this is a widespread safety and design problem that toyota generally ignores and expects the consumer to pay outrageous sums to repair. i am about to report my problem to toyota, but wanted first to add my voice to the hundreds of others complaining to the nhtsa., in the hope that toyota will be forced to do a recall to fix this dangerous safety problem in its cars. *tr

Hid headlight on 2006 toyota prius turned off while driving, has happened more than once. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2006 toyota prius. while driving 25 mph the driver and passenger headlights would randomly shut off. the dealer informed the contact that the headlight assembly needed to be replaced. the dealer cannot guarantee if replacing the headlight assembly would completely remedy the failure. the contact is concerned about the safety risk while driving at night if both headlights shut off since a crash could occur. the failure mileage was 28,000.

My 2006 toyota prius experiences problems with its drivers-side hid headlight. it is very expensive to replace this ($299 at the toyota dealer). investigating this on the internet turned up hundreds of posts about the same exact issue, often on the 2006 model year toyota prius. the light randomly turns on and off - which is a major safety issue, not to mention the expense of getting it replaced. we were not even aware of the problem until we were stopped by the police and given a warning to get the headlight replaced. with so many other owners of the toyota prius having the exact same issue, i wonder why toyota is not issuing a recall. to add insult to injury, the dealer was not even sure if the problem was with the headlight or with the "computer" that controlled it. i was told today that they would first replace the headlight (for $299) and if that did not resolve the problem, they would have to replace the computer for an as-yet undisclosed cost. please investigate this and urge toyota to recall the headlights and/or the "computers". thanks mohan *tr

Hid headlamps on a 2006 toyota prius will shut off at random times. turning the lights off then back on will re-engage the headlamps. there have been times where both lamps have shut off at the same time. *tr

On my 2006 toyota prius, the hid headlamps frequently flicker and turn off at differing times. i've had the connections checked in case something was loose, but all connections were tight. i'm worried the lights will shut off when i'm in an area with no streetlights to light the road, thus potentially causing harm to myself and my occupants. *tr

I own a 2006 toyota prius. i am experiencing failure of the headlamps for the second time in 15 months. last year when the headlights would go out while driving, turning off the headlights and then turn them back on the lights would have the light working again for a short time. i had the lights replace last summer and they then worked. now the issue is starting again. i have own many different cars and have never had to replace headlights multiple times in 15 months. *tr

2006 toyota prius - headlights flicker on and off intermittently for no apparent reason. headlights will dim until they are totally dark. if i turn them to off and then turn them on, they will stay on for a period of time. it seems to be a random occurrence that happens several times a week. *tr

2006 toyota prius with faulty headlights. numerous complaints about this very same issue all over internet. *tr

2006 toyota prius hid headlights stops working (turns off) will driving. started out with the right side (passenger side). now both sides of the cars will turn off randomly. problem is at night, you must turn off & on headlight switch for the hid headlights to come back on. this has been an on going problem, have replaced the hid headlights bulbs twice and the ecu headlight computer and the problem still persist. *tr

Intermittent hid headlights of toyota prius 2006-2009: the hid headlights tend to fail intermittently after the vehicle is 2 -3 years old. these lights can be restarted by switching the headlights off then back on. it is only a matter of time before both lamps will fail in a serious situation and serious injury or death will occur. i highly recommend that toyota be made to recall these vehicles and either change out these lamps or replace them with some other lamps that have definite failure so that the owner knows they must be replaced. the cost to replace the headlights is very expensive and toyota should also be forced to modify these vehicles to encourage headlight replacement asap. *tr

Hid headlight on driver side started randomly turning off at about 50,000 miles on my 2006 prius, unbeknownst to driver. if i happen to notice the light has gone out, and i turn the light switch all the way off and back on, the light will usually relight. i am constantly watching the reflection of my headlights in car bumpers on traffic traveling in front of me as well as making notice of my headlights' reflection in store windows, etc. to see if they are both on. this is extremely distracting and dangerous. toyota dealer here in n.c. appeared to be totally oblivious to the complaints toyota has received and said he can fix control module for $450 and replace light bulb for $135 since it is "normal wear and tear." this is not normal wear and tear. the prius hid headlamp installation is defective. as more 2006 prius owners like me approach the 50,000 mile mark, this defect has the potential to become far more dangerous and deadly than a loose floormat. *tr

I own a 2006 prius and i have been noticing my hid lamps randomly flicker off these past few weeks. the failure occurs everytime i turn on my headlights. i have not done anything to correct the failure yet but am going to go to my dealership to get it looked at. *tr

Multiple failure of hid headlights which dim or go out. bulbs and modules have been replaced many times in the past. *tr

I have a 2006 prius with hid headlights. the car has approximately 60,000 miles on it and the headlights will go off intermittently. if one goes out, i can turn the lights off, then back on and they will both work. my concern is if they both go off at an inopportune time. also, the driving tail lights react the same way. sometimes they work, sometimes they do not. i have read this article as well....http://www.allaboutprius.com/blog/1022113_high-intensity-headlight-horrors-perplex-prius-owners. *tr