Problems with 2007 Toyota Prius EXTERIOR LIGHTING

While driving at night, the headlamps will suddenly go out.

I was driving home yesterday evening when both of my headlights went off. unfortunately for me i was in the middle of going through a long curve in the road. i quickly turned off the headlight switch and then back on again. they did come back on but i nearly drove off the road going 45mph! could have had a serious accident due to the headlight failure. i can no longer take the risk of driving late at night when i need to due to this safety hazard!

The instrument panel combination meter on my 2007 prius causes the instrument panel lights to fail to illuminate when starting .this happens haphazardly with lights not functioning for multiple startups and then suddenly functioning as normal. the lights work one minute then then they don't. the lights will fail at the starting of the car and remain off for the entire drive during each occurrence. while in this disconnect mode the car will fail to shut off when stopped and the start/off button is pushed.you must hold button down for a few seconds as you would with a computer that wouldn't shut off normally and it will shut the engine off while still leaving you in accessory mode then you must tap twice quickly to shut off completely and that some times won't work so i 'll need to leave the car for as short a period as i can and pray nobody steals it. i know this problem is common with some prius years and there has been an extended warrantee of 9 years established to help somewhat with this problem. i believe this was initiated by toyota to stave off a possible and more costly recall. why hasn't there been a recall for such a dangerous faulty part as the combination meter? the dangers are apparent : driving with no speedometer or warning lights , automobile failing to turn off correctly.correcting this problem is very costly repair $800 plus. the 9 year warrantee helps some and i believe a calculated move to avoid helping others such as myself . when i reported my problem i had owned my car 9yrs. and 5 mos. the dashboard lights are not something you'd expect to lose unless you might have to replace a fuse to repair it. if this repair costs $800 then toyota's technology is faulty and inefficient .big question : why was this problem treated to an extended warrantee instead of rectified for all concerned by a recall ?

Passenger side headlight goes out while driving. must turn lights off and back on to get it to work again. stated it's the bulb, assembly, and computer causing the issue. it's a known problem with these vehicles with hid lighting systems. *tr

The headlights constantly go off by themselves sporadically. i never know when the issue occurs only if i see my headlights reflected in the car in front of me do i know whether one of the lights are out. turning the lights off and clicking them back on temporarily resolves the problem, but it is a constant problem that is unsafe and scary at times because it causes extreme visibility issues. this has happened at any time, while i'm on the street, while i'm parked and on the highway.

The headlights (single or both) turn off while driving at night . i turn them back on and both seem to work for a few minutes and after a few minutes the problem occurs again, when 1 or both lights go off. *tr

Headlights sporadically turn off while in motion. sometimes it is just one headlight, sometimes it is both!

Three times within the last week, while driving at night, the headlights suddenly went out. although i was able to turn them back on right away, this is an extremely dangerous situation to be in when driving on a dark road. *tr

Problem with lighting turning off at night without warning. both lights turn off at different times. upon turning off and back on they turn on but turn off soon thereafter. apparently known safety issue subject of lawsuit and settlement for low mileage car. nhtsa should compel manufacturer to fix the problem.

This is a known problem with 2007 toyota prius... headlights on my prius go out intermittently posing a safety hazard while driving at night. either one headlight goes out or the other. you have to turn headlights off and on to correct. there were 2 occasions when both headlights went out at the same time. i was driving home on the freeway late at night and could have been killed. my mechanic informed me to replace the left and right front headlight ballasts and bulbs. this is a major safety hazard and toyota should be held responsible!.

The headlights come on together but the passenger side will randomly go off while driving. usually they come back on when i turn them off and back on. one time they both went off while on a highway and i could not get them to come back on. i drove to the hotel with out the headlights, the next day they worked.

One or both of the prius headlights will switch off on its own and i have to turn off the lights and turn them on several times in order for the headlights to stay consistently on. this is a serious safety issue when i am traveling at highway speeds at night and lose my headlights and then have to switch them on and off to make them work.

The headlights frequently shut off for no apparent reason, either one or the other or both. it seems to occur at random, whether idling or while in motion. the headlights will turn back on if the lights are shut off and turned back on, however it can be dangerous when the lights can both shut off while driving on a dark road and the constant turning off and on of the headlights while driving is distracting and potentially dangerous to other drivers. i don't know exactly when it started happening but it has been going on for at least a year.

The ballists inside the two front headlights intermittently turn on/off. both lights went out at the same time while night driving, causing a serious safety concern while the vehicle was in motion. the vehicle has 120,000 miles and both lights randomly turning off/on is not safe and toyota should incur a recall.

Toyota recall 2007 prius' due to faulty high-density discharge headlights. headlights are a safety hazard and go off and on while driving at night. at times both headlights have gone off. toyota should take responsibility and repair. it is their fault! not mine. i cannot drive at night due to this problem. *tr

Right headlight randomly goes out. as of recently, both started going out randomly. seem to turn back on when turned off and on again.

Headlight burned out; they want $ 450 to fix. researching, we find that this is a known safety issue, subject to multiple legal actions, including class action. their current "customer service" solution? "sue us!!"

Bought 2007 prius used and everything worked. now the driver side headlight wont work after several new lightbulbs and a ballast have been changed. it has never been in an accident to my knowledge, i would like to know if toyota will fix their problematic vehicle.

One or both headlights will randomly turn off while driving. mechanic was unable to find a problem to fix. this is very dangerous when traveling on the highway at high speeds. toyota needs to recall this vehicle and fix the problem!

The headlights of my 2007 prius go off unexpectedly while driving. i have learned that if i then turn the switch off and on again they will come back on, but only for a short time. this has occurred as many as eight times during a 45 minute drive. at night on dark roads this is dangerous. i have had three near-misses as a result. toyota had issued an "enhanced warranty" (5 year 50k miles) because of the many complaints filed around this situation, but i purchased my prius used, older than 5 years, and more than 50k miles. i have spoken to toyota north america, obtained case #1609193626, but they refuse to cover the cost of repair. local toyota service centers also refuse to do the repair work unless i pay full cost out of pocket. at this point i seem to have no options but to pay the cost myself, which i understand can be as much as $1,500!

Front driver side headlight keeps turning off intermittently and at random while driving. the car has been in to the toyota service department several times but the problem can not be isolated. several on-line forums suggest this is a manufacturer defect with the hid or electrical connection and have been charged thousands of dollars replacing bulbs, light housings, and connectors without fixing the issue. this is a major safety concern and traffic violation to be driving at night when your headlight can turn of at any moment. please have toyota address this issue immediately. https://priuschat.com/threads/headlight-problem.34584/ https://www.carcomplaints.com/toyota/prius/2007/lights/headlight_randomly_turns_off_while_driving.shtml http://www.toyotaproblems.com/trends/prius-headlights/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w1f8h7himfe http://www.kctv5.com/story/18609018/kctv5-investigates-prius-headlight-problems

The right headlamp low beam works intermittently, i turn it on and off and it usually works again, my online research indicates this happens to many other prius owners and no recall has been issued as of yet

The headlights will flicker out without warning while driving on the road at night. sometimes it's one and sometimes it's both (which is a scary occurrence on a windy road at night). it also does it while it's idle and stationary. i've changed the bulbs and i know it's not a connection issue because the quick fix is turning your lights on and off quick. they come back on but not for long. it seems to be a manufacturer malfunction. i'm seeing hundreds of exact complaints online for the same vehicle. i'm not sure what else to do. thank you.

I am the original owner of a 2007 prius. while driving, the car headlights shut off randomly. sometimes it is the left, sometimes the right, and sometimes both. one way of fixing the problem is to turn lights off and immediately on again but the problem would reoccur again randomly. i keep checking to make sure the lights are on and have had many drivers flash at us since the lights are off when i don't even know it. i am now afraid to drive the car for safety reason. both hid lights have been replaced less than 2 years ago. the problem is unlikely related to the bulbs since turning the lights off and on would temporarily fix the problem. after researching the web, it appears that this is a common problem for this generation of prius. i know there was a class action filed several years ago but there is no recall for this issue. i want to raise the awareness of this issue again and i'd obviously like toyota to do something to fix the issue since driving at 65mph last night and having both lights simply turn off was a terrifying experience.

When i drive my car with the lights on they randomly turn off. we have tried twice already to try to tighten this and it still turns off while driving. the bulbs are in good condition. i have kids and feel this unsafe to be driving. *tr

The right headlight turns on and then at some point while driving goes out. i have changed the headlight and it did not solve the problem. it is a lot of money to deal with diagnostics, but the problem isn't resolved. it is a safety hazard to only have one headlight working. toyota should be paying for these malfunctions because accidents can be their fault for such a safety violation. there are many other people that are experiencing the same thing. this happens ever time i turn on my headlights for the last year trying to resolve it. it could have been for longer and i never noticed because the lights turn on initially.

This is the well known hid problem on my 2007 prius. my car didn't reach the 90k miles yet and some cases the driver side hid buld sometimes does not come on after i turn on lights or sometimes it goes out while i am driving. one random way of fixing is to turn lights off and immediately on again. i am just about to replace the hid bulbs in pair first to see if this solves the problem, then maybe the ballast is the next on list as i figured out from the info available on the web.

Head lights turnoff while driven the car any moment at night unable to see the road.car is burning oil too fast with only 70000 miles.

56k on my 2007 prius. driving last night on a dark country road and the lights flickered then went out. turned them off and on and they came back on but it repeated all the way home. now i cant drive at night till i get this fixed. come to find out its an issue with these cars. does someone have to die to get this taken care of?

The trunk release latch on my 2007 prius has deteriorated almost to the point of not being able to open the trunk. the same part was replaced about 4 years after i purchased the vehicle. and now, it's happening again. it's like the plastic stuff is melting and falling apart. we are having to purchase this same part, for the second time now. love my prius, but hate having to make repairs on the same issue 2 times. also, i had the headlights repaired (from a recall) about 2 years after i purchased the car. the front headlights are still doing the same thing. the problem was never really fixed. while driving at night and in day time, the headlights go out. usually they go out one at a time. like the right side will go out. then you can flip the switch to turn them on and off, and it'll work again for about 5 minutes. then the left side will go out. this usually happens every night while driving and i have to flip the switch on and off about 9 times while driving short and long distances. i just usually flip the switch and they come back on again. sometimes while driving at night, they both go out at the same time. really a safety hazard when driving around with my 2 small kids!! brought it back to toyota dealership in lake charles to be repaired. but they said they couldn't re-create the problem, so they couldn't fix it. how long do you think i can keep driving around in the dark with malfunctioning lights and kids in the car????????????????? this happens daily!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The headlights work intermittently and have needed bulb replacement 3 times so far. also all the tail light and the tag lights went out at the same time recently and required bulb replacement. when driving we had no idea the lights were out and only found out when we were pulled over by police. this constitutes a very dangerous situation in my opinion. also the hatchback handle sometimes fails to work due to the rubber cover deterioration.

While driving, at night, both headlights went out (went dark). since i was near home, within my subdivision, i stopped the car immediately and switched the lights off and then back on again. the lights came back on, so i drove home and have not driven the car after dark, again.

Tl* the contact owns a 2007 toyota prius. while driving unknown speeds, the headlights failed. the local dealer was not contacted. the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. the manufacturer was not notified of the issue. the failure mileage was 117,000.

After a dealer service, my prius' headlights started randomly going out. sometimes the left, sometimes the right and sometimes both. if i turn off and back on, they will both work for a few minutes, then will again go out. this is dangerous and toyota should recall the vehicles affected by this issue and fix for good.

The headlights on my prius randomly go dark. sometimes 1 headlight and other times both. turning off the light switch and then back on is a temporary fix. the problem comes back minutes later. this is very unsafe for myself and other drivers on the road. this happened while i was on the interstate going 70 mph last night!

I have endured the same headlight issue that i see endless numbers of people have commented on here on the nhtsa site. i have 110,000 miles on my 2007 prius and have been experiencing regular outages of my right headlight for 80,000 of those miles no matter what the "fix" has been. toyota dealerships i have taken my car to over the years all claim that this is not a typical problem and yet it appears from this website that it is most certainly due to some sort of faulty design/parts. my right headlight will be on and flicker off after a few minutes of driving. if i quickly turn the lights off and then back on as i drive, it will turn back on for a period of time before flickering off, once again. my cousin's 2007 prius and my fianc's father's 2004 prius had the exact same issue with a single headlight. obviously, this has proven to be a highly dangerous problem when driving at night and in all kinds of weather-related situations and would appreciate the nhtsa's assistance in investigating this as a potential recall for us prius drivers.

Both headlights go out without warning ..this is the 5th time in a month this has happened.. i've replaced the bulbs which are very expensive by the way twice now.....this is clearly a manufacturing problem and you people clearly know that it is and still aren't doing a dam thing about it is bs.....i have read hundreds of complaints on this issue and they all say the same dam thing ....do something about this issue before someone is seriously hurt or killed ........

The right hid headlight on my 2007 prius shuts off intermittently when the car is in motion. the failure is intermittent, and it is unclear when it first started and how frequently it occurs. the headlight turned off last week and made it dangerously difficult to see a pedestrian on the side of the road. there was no incident, but the experience was troubling. toyota has disclosed issues with hid headlights in their "2006 through 2009 model year prius hid headlight customer support program" and offered to reimburse the full cost per conditions in owners warranty. after a 30 minute phone call to the local toyota dealer and them 60 minute call to the toyota customer service experience center the discussion re-enforced that there was 'no way' to cover the cost outside of the 5 year 50k mile warrantee and thus am supposed to pay $300 to the dealer to fix the defective headlamp and ecu that is probably the actual source of the defect (lamps generally work a long time if they get correct/stable source current). for several years i inquired during annual state inspection checks to check the headlights as i sometimes had trouble seeing at night. the lights worked when the car was not in motion and hence always passed inspection. the toyota five-year warrantee seems arbitrary and not relevant for intermittent failures that may or may not have been diagnosed within that time window. toyota should be culpable for fixing the defect cars identified as having the problem. it seems unfair for toyota to belatedly announce a known defect but limit responsibility to time or mileage of an owner's warrantee. shouldn't potentially hazardous defects be serviced by toyota regardless? why should toyota collect service payments from customers to drive a vehicle with headlights that stay on all the time when they know they don't work and crap out?

The headlights turn off during driving, so i exit the freeway and turn them on and off and they start again and so on, i already changed the bulb did not help, i took it two times to the longo toyota in el monte california and they refused to repair it stating that they could not duplicate it, i i complained about the noise of the abs system and they refused to repair it there is recall on both

While driving the passenger headlight will start to flicker and then go out. if i turn the lights of and then turn them back on they will come back on but then go back out again.

The headlights on this car flicker and go our with very little warning while driving in the city and on the highway. we were almost in a very serious collision when the lights went out without warning while driving at night on the highway. sometimes turning the lights off and on again will get them to work for a while, but is is happening so frequently that we cannot drive the car at night anymore. i have see many hundreds of complaints about this online. would it take the death of my family to get toyota to recall and fix this dangerous defect???

Headlight turns off randomly, and start again when turning the lights off and on again, then goes off again.

Head lamp intermittently goes out while driving ( hid type) excessive cost to repair , second time for problem.

Head light get turned off while driving. left side head light goes off more often than right side. right side headlight goes off while driving too but not often like driver side. i replaced hid light bulb and computer controlled ballast. but the symptom is not changed. the worst case frequency off was every 5 minutes.

Right front headlight goes out intermittently. cycling lights off and back on used to correct problem temporarily, but now headlight stays on for only a minute or two. had similar problem with left front headlight and had hid bulb replaced in 2012 at great expense. problem occurs when lights are turned on or while driving. this is a safety concern and a known defect that toyota should correct free of charge.

The right hid headlamp on our 2007 toyota prius has an intermittent fault. it goes out and then will come back on. the duration the hid light goes out varies, and it may work for several weeks before failing again. this problem has been occurring since we purchased the car new in 2007. earlier, the dealership replaced the light bulb and power supply modules (under warranty). that seemed to have fixed the problem, but now it the problem is occurring again. we notice the problem while driving at night, i've been unable to identify a pattern that suggests it may be a loose connection (such as, occurring on rough or bumpy surfaces). so far the problem has only occurred in one hid headlamp and not both at the same time. which has the potential to be a serious safety issue.

My left front headlight intermittently turns off. they do eventually turn back on, but it seems incredibly dangerous to be relying on one light for that time. i've spoken with a few other owners who have had the same problem. i had to get it replaced for $200

One hid headlamp will occasionally turn itself off. turning headlamp switch off for 3-5 minutes and then back on will correct the issue. as one could imagine, very problematic when driving on the freeway at night. multiple bulb replacements (over $150 each) have had no effect. dealer recommended full headlamp replacement is over $1000. research found that many others have had a similar issue, and eventually trace the problem back to the ballast of the hid lamp, which is easily damaged by water from poor design (the ballast is weather-sealed against the engine compartment, but not against the headlamp itself; any water that makes its way into the lamp will run down and pool on the ballast electronics).

While driving at night the headlamps will randomly and somewhat frequently just go out. if i turn the switch off and back on again they will come back on. this is very dangerous because it is not always obvious that they have gone out. i have read that many other people experience this problem and a recall should be issued.

My headlight comes on but goes out intermitently. if i turn the light off and turn it back on it comes back on. i;ve read about other people having this issue and heard that replacing the expensive bulb sometimes doesn;t fix the problem and there is a class action suit on it.