Problems with 2007 Toyota Prius EXTERIOR LIGHTING

Headlamps for my 2007 toyota prius fail at night. bulbs are not burnt out, but the power to them will just shut off. they will work again for a short time if you shut them off and back on again. happens on both driver and passenger side. very dangerous, both lights have gone out at teh same time. manufacturer says cost of repair is $300. *tr

Both headlights failed while driving. on my way to an event, i noticed that i could not see in front of my vehicle. i turned on and off the high beams, which caused the normal beam headlights to work. as i dropped off my car at valet parking, the valet told me that both my headlights were off. i turned them off and on and they started working. since my vehicle has 59,000 miles, it does not apply for the class action settlement toyota negotiated a few months ago. however, i believe many 07 toyota prius vehicles that have more miles than the extended warranty allows are having this problem. i have reviewed the database and noticed several recent complaints that state both headlights have gone off, which is different from the hid vehicle issues in the pe09019. because of that, i believe this is a more serious problem and defect and odi should investigate this problem. *tr

Driver's side hid light bulb turns off intermittently while driving. turns back on when headlights are shut off and turned back on, but is significantly dimmer. *tr

I bought a certified toyota prius 2007 with around 51000 miles on it and the headlight kept going off , i could turn it back on but it would just shut off again in a few minutes. when i called the dealership i asked about a recall and they knew nothing so i took it to a different dealership and was told that i was a defect but not a recall and toyota would pay for it up to 50000 miles which my car had already surpassed. to replace the bulb was over 300 dollars and having just bought a certified vehicle i shouldn't have to she'll out the kind of money,i still have not replaced the headlight but now it's completely out, and will need replaced before inspection. i believe toyota should pay for a new bulb since they are well aware of the defect. *tr

Driving late at night on the interstate and both headlights failed. couldn't see anything. quickly turned headlight switch off and then back on and the lights came back on. failed again every few minutes. if flipping the switch on/off didn't work we most likely would have all been dead as it was so dark out you couldn't see the road or anything else to stop safely. had to pull over for the night and stayed at a hotel. replaced the lights at the dealership. to afraid to drive at night so don't know if the problem still persists. so don't know for sure if it was the headlights or an electrical switch malfunction. *tr

The drivers side headlight goes off. there is no pattern as to when it happens. the lights must be turned off then back on for it to light again. the car was taken to the dealership for repair + 1 year ago. the service was paid for, to no avail. thought continues to go out. we ha e been pulled over by police officers for ha ok nguyen a light out. i feel this is a salt f etc issue and it appears it is a problem with many toyota cars. something needs to be done.

The hid headlights going off while driving with no warning, but if the switch is turned from on to off the light work again momentarily until they go out again. very unsafe driving conditions, could lead to injuries. *tr

The right headlight goes out intermittently. you then have to switch the light switch off and then on again and it comes back on. a particular problem because our left light went out and then we had to depend on the right headlight only until the left one could be fixed. we had no headlights several times during this time. the right headlight just goes off whenever and you have to click it back on. very scary and dangerous at night. i've talked to dozens of other prius owners and they have had the same problem. it seems to be a manufacturing defect and should be recalled for the fix. *tr

I have a 2007 toyota prius. was informed by people and mechanic that my front left headlight was out, this started in 2010. if i turned the headlights off and on again, the headlight would come back on. goes off randomly. asked toyota to replace it after i received a notice about a class action lawsuit in calif about the same problem with toyota prius's. again in 2012 was pulled over by police twice and informed that my front left headlight was out. turned lights off and on again, and light comes back on. happened randomly. *tr

When i shipped my car over to italy for my permanent change of duty station, my neighbor notice that one of my headlight is off and the other is still on so he thought i have a bad headlight. i check it by turning it off and then turning it on again. it turn on. but a few week later while i was driving home from work my headlight suddenly went off while i was in the middle of the highway. i was driving in the dark. i turned the light off and turned it back on again and it turned on. after that it turn off more often as time goes on. about july, 2011 i did some searching online and it appear to be a known problem for most toyota prius owner that have hid headlight. the headlight is expensive to replaced. my car was still under warranty, so i tried to contact the toyota dealer to set up some type of arrangement so that i can get it fix over here. my toyota dealer did not reply about the issue. i also contact the toyota main company online but they told me that they cannot do anything for me. they refuse to send me a new part or provide me with any reimbursement due to the fact that the car was 5 years old. my headlight was defected before their 5 years 50k warranty end. *tr

The passengers side hid headlight on my 2007 toyota prius has started to fail intermittently. it will come back on for a while when the lights are turned off and back on. this constitutes a significant safety issue. *tr

My driver's side headlight has failed on at least three different occasions. it is an hid type light and normally works and is working now. i contacted a dealer- ship and was told there was an extended warranty for this problem and they would cover it but that the condition has to exist at the time i am bringing the car in. this is a problem because the lights are normal when the car is later re-started. i don't know how to document the fact im having an intermittent problem now for a warranty repair after 50,000 miles. *tr

Intermittent hid headlight failure. driver side headlight will randomly not turn on. driver side headlight will also randomly turn off while driving after having been lit for some time. have been experiencing this issue for some time (at least 6 weeks). replaced hid bulb on 3/5/2011. same problem with new bulb. many reports on internet of the same exact problem.

Tl*the contact owns a 2007 toyota prius. the contact was driving at night approximately 45 mph when the headlights began to flash intermittently making it difficulty to see; yet, the contact was able to continue driving . the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer who was unable to duplicate the failure. the manufacturer offered a customer support program which provided a remedy for the high intensity discharge headlight. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was 80,500.

2007 toyota prius - repeated hid headlight failure. parts replaced 1/2010, issue recurs same headlight 2/2011. *tr

I have brought this vehicle to the toyota dealer four times in this past year for intermittently working headlights. one or the other front headlight turn off without warning. when the headlights are (both) turned off then on, they usually, but not always, both come back on. the dealer is clueless even when problem is demonstrated to the head of the service department. based on a review of internet chat groups, this seems to be a well known and documented problem, including a class action law suit filed earlier this year (collado et al v. toyota motor sales). *kb

I own a 2007 toyota prius. last fall, the hid lamp on the driver's side went on and off and on and off then burned out. it was covered by warranty and replaced. my current mileage: 32, 122. the hid lamp on the passenger side went on and off, on and off and was replaced 2/23/11 at considerable cost to me. i was told by the dealer that this is a common problem with this vehicle. consumeraffair.com reports the several complaints, as does the prius chat line. i contacted toyota's main office, filed a complaint and was told by the csr that he's had several complaints filed. there is a major safety issue for night driving with these hid lamps. so many folks are aware of the problem but toyota doesn't seem to be claiming any responsibility for these - what seem to be - defective hid lamps. part of the safety issue is that they go off and on so the driver may have no idea that one or both lamps are dark unless reflected in the rear of a car in front of the driver. at what point will toyota commence a recall for these hid lamps -. *tr

Hid headlights suddenly go off while driving resulting in no illumination. if light switch is turned off then on lights will come back on for a little while and then shut off again. this is a very serious safety issue and these bulb failures are extremely common with these vehicles even with vehicles that are fairly new and with very low miles. toyota claims these lights should last much longer than normal bulbs, but this has not been the case. additionally these bulbs are extremely expensive to replace. another example of the poor quality in recent toyota vehicles which have been well documented. *tr

2007 prius with 28,000 miles headlights go on and off. started with the drivers side now both lights go off. turn them off/on and the lights come back on for a while. toyota dealer said they didn't know about the class action law suit. called toyota corporate and they would not commit to repairing the lights. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2007 toyota prius. the contact was driving 50 mph when both headlights failed. the contact engaged the head light on/off switch several times before the headlights would re-illuminate. the vehicle was taken to the dealer where the contact was advised that the headlights were performing as designed. the contact disagreed and stated that the headlights should not shut off independently without warning. both headlights were replaced by the dealer. the failure mileage was 36,500.

My 2007 prius headlights keep going off for no reason. when they go off you can turn the lights switch off then back on and they both come back on. the drivers side has done it three times and they both have gone off once while driving at night. *tr

Passenger side headlight keeps going out on 2007 toyota prius. dealership has replaced headlight now wants 1100 for whole assembly but i see this complaint all over the internet and the toyota people say toyota is aware of issue but has done nothing about it. the car is to dangerous to drive i have received two tickets for my light being out even though i show them the service receipts. a cop told me not to drive the car. the light works as soon as you turn it off and back on. very dangerous while on the interstate at night to be turning your lights on and off. very upset toyota owner at the lack of reaction from the manufacturer. *tr

Headlights work intermittently and the passenger side taillight also goes out and comes back on intermittently. car is not driven often at night and this has been going on for several years. *tr

Hid headlight failure on the driver side. the headlight will suddenly not work. had replaced on 11/08/2008 by toyota for the same problem. happened again in 2/2/2011. *tr

The driver's side headlight on my 2007 toyota prius fails intermittently without warning causing reduced lighting while driving and potentially dangerous unexpected conditions. this has been happening for approximately three weeks prior to the date of this complaint and has not been successfully repaired to date. *ln

Headlights turn off while driving. i can turn off the headlight switch and turn it back on and the lights will work for a period of time and than the episode is repeated. *tr

Intermittent headlight and brake light failure. if i turn car off and on again, lights work. was pulled over by a police officer in january. i have headlight failure about once a week, and i likely to continue to get pulled over and cited. i have taken the car into the dealership and they are unable to find a problem.

My 2007 prius has began to have intermittent headlight outages. if i turn off the headlight and back on, then sometimes it comes back on .there is also flickering. there is a class action lawsuit related to this problem, yet it has limitations as to who it covers. i want to get my complaint registered so you may give a recall consideration. toyota need to fix this problem. they are charging $300 to replace this bulb, and upwards of $1100 if it is a faulty controller. *ln

I recently noticed that the headlights on my 2007 toyota prius have been intermittently turning off while driving at night. i was first alerted to this situation when i received a ticket for driving at night with my lights out. i subsequently noticed that the passenger side light would go out and then more recently i noticed both lights turn off by themselves. in all instances turning the lights off and back on would re-set the lights to stay on (for a while). i also was alerted by other motorists that my tail lights were out - my daughter verified when we got home that the tail lights were off. the tail lights also came back on after turning the lights off and back on again. i took my car in for service and they charged me to replace the headlights & tail lights but did not indicate the cause of the problem. i am very concerned that my tail lights may still not be functioning at any given time and that one of my headlights is also out and both may go out at any time. in all previous cases of the lights going out there was no indication inside the car (warning light etc...) that the lights were off. there is no way to know that the tail lights are out and depending on driving conditions it is not obvious that one, or even both, headlights are out. *ln

While driving the left headlight went out i turned off the lights and back on, the headlight came back on. since this first incident the right headlight done the same while driving. both headlights have turned off at the same time while driving. it seems like this is a wide spread issue with this year of prius. the dealership will currently only replace the bulbs at a cost to me of $1250.00. the bulbs don't seem to be the problem, considering they work most of the time. if you can turn the lights off and back on again and the light(s) return to working state, its seems to be an electrical controller board problem. *tr

2007 toyota prius with hid headlights. headlights will continuously go completely off while driving and require that the headlights to be switched off and on to turn them back on. this will occur intermittently anywhere from every few minutes to perhaps a half an hour or more. the bulbs appear to be in good working condition once they are on but then will go completely dark until you cycle the switch on/off. literally thousands of owners of these vehicles have reported this same problem. these lamps are very expensive and are supposed to last much longer that regular headlamps, but it appears that toyota has again failed to adequately test these systems to assure that they are reliable. when the lights go out while driving at night you are left with no visibility at all, a definite safety issue. this has been going on since at least 2006 with no action taken by the nhtsa. why don't you guys do your job and require that these companies fix these obvious safety related issues caused by faulty parts or engineering! *ln

Hid bulb failure. bulb on passenger side was sometimes on and sometimes off. bulb is v. expensive (~$200) and replacement by dealer costs another $100. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2007 toyota prius. the contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the headlights would turn off sporadically. the vehicle was taken to dealer who diagnosed that the headlights were defective and needed to be replaced. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure who did not offer any assistance. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was 93,000 and the current mileage was 107,000.

While driving home from salt lake city during the evening our second hid headlight went out on us just outside of pocatello. we had fog lights so used those to get home. our other headlight had been out for a few months. i had contacted toyota about the first headlight since this was the third time that our lights had failed. the first time they replaced the bulb because that is what toyota said to do since the headlight assembly was a much more expensive part and they could not tell if it was a bulb issue or assembly issue. the second time they replaced the headlight assembly. the third time the said it was the bulb and they would not replace it for free. they wanted $160.00 for the bulb plus 2 hours of labor. about a $400.00 dollar repair. i reminded them of the last time this happened & said how do you know it's the bulb this time. they said the assembly is not the issue. i called toyota direct and complained. i then received a follow-up call from toyota getting all the information once again. they said they would be in touch with our local dealer. the local dealer followed up and said he was going to check with his "parts" guy to see if they would give use the $160.00 bulb and only charge us for labor. to this date they have not followed up. after losing my lighting on the interstate i did a ton of online research and found how to change the bulbs myself without the removal of the entire front bumper, as toyota states this is how it needs to be done which is ridiculous for a part that obviously must be easily replaced. the bulb replacement is still not an easy process. i ordered replacement bulbs online, 2 bulbs for $39.00. my complaint is the lack of service and follow-up from toyota and the difficulty of replacing these bulbs. toyota should make these bulbs replaceable by the average consumer and the bulbs should be available in the auto parts store.

I have a 2007 toyota prius with about 85,000 miles and the passenger side headlight only works periodically. sometimes it doesn't come on and sometimes it works for the entire trip. i do not know when it is working and not since there is no alarm or light indicating that i have a problem. the dealership wants me to replace both hid lightbulbs for $300. i am not sure that this will fix the problem since sometimes it does work and stays on for a long period. this could be a major problem, especially if both headlights start having the same problem at the same time. *tr

Headlamps will go out while driving. they will work and then suddenly they are off. you can usually turn the lights off and back on and they will work again. has done this over the time we have owned the car. *tr

As indicated by numerous other owners of this car the headlights go out, then you turn the lights off and on, and they come back on for an undetermined amount of time again. it happens when driving,sitting at a light, or any time when the car is running. it doesnt matter what speed you are at or the temperature outside. i'm not sure of exact date when it started but it was around 45,000 miles and it was out of warranty because we owned it since new and took it to our dealer who could do nothing for us. we changed the bulb ourself...numerous times now. i love the car other than the headlights. there are thousands of others of people out there with the same problem. its a safety issue.

2007 toyota prius is experiencing intermittent hid headlight failure. right headlight was replaced in 2009 and now left headlight is experiencing same problem. problem with left headlight began about 3 months ago and now light stays off for much longer and is quicker to occur. car is at 52k so warranty does not cover this replacement. *tr

While the car is in operation and the headlights are switched on, the driver side or passenger side headlight illumination would intermittently fail without warning. this has occurred for the past couple thousand miles. the current mileage of the car is 39,750. the lights would function again after switching them off and back on. this happens at least once a day and has progressively been worse. safety is a key issue here in that if both lights fail while driving at night, could seriously cause a crash or accident. an online search for other drivers of the same make and model have revealed similar incidences/experiences. i proceeded to first call the manufacturer of the vehicle to see what can be done since the vehicle is barely out of warranty range and i have noticed other drivers online have received repairs and/or parts at no-cost to them for the same incident. they wanted me to bring the car into the dealer and get a diagnosis to determine if they can reimburse me for the repairs. the dealer reports that i need two new hid (high intensity discharge) bulbs and the total cost for the repairs would be approximately $600. i had no choice but to proceed with the repairs because my safety is at stake. i called back the manufacturer, as instructed, and without even considering review of the findings of the diagnosis performed by the dealer, i was told that the repairs would not be covered at all. i proceeded to ask why some drivers reported online that their repairs were covered outside of warranty and mine would not be. i simply wanted to know the criteria for choosing who gets to have them replaced for free and who would have to pay for repairs. i was told that to their knowledge, nobody has received full reimbursement for their repairs, only a reimbursement for the difference in the cost of the bulbs (which was reduced from $300 to $150/each). had i been told this before, i would not bring the vehicle in for a "diagnosis" for a problem i knew already. *tr

The hid head lamps on my vehicle flicker and go out. if i switch the lights off and on again they light back up. this happens intermittently and randomly. it has happened several times while driving on the highway at speeds in excess of 70mph at night and i feel unsafe. toyota has refused to accept this is a safety problem, but it is a very common issue with this generation prius.

Headlights go off for no reason while driving. this happens several times a week. *tr

Toyota motors sent me a letter saying they installed faulty headlight bulbs in the 2007 prius and they would only charge me 389.65 to replace them and you can't replace 1 bulb, you have to replace both. this is a safety item that they admit was their problem and i have to pay to fix it? talking to other owners and all of have traffic tickets that toyota could pay for also. *tr

The headlights on my 2007 toyota prius go off after they have been on for a little bit. this has happened to the drivers side and on the passenger side headlights. this happens every time i turn the headlights on. it has been happening since the beginning of the year. i have had two different establishments check the wiring and headlights and they have found no problems with the wiring or the headlights being burned out. the headlights can't be burned out because when the headlights are turned on both headlights are on. *tr

Toyota 2007 prius (us model) hid headlights are intermittent. this has been going on for years and replacement bulbs don't fix the issue. lights may extinguish at any time with no warning creating a dangerous driving condition, particularly at night. thousands of owners have complained about this issue, but no recall has been provided by toyota. *tr

My 2007 prius headlights go out. at first it was the passenger side. yesterday both went out. believe me i know things break, but for the price they want for these bulbs, they should of used a different technology for there light bulbs . my 2001 chevy truck has had the same bulbs since new. if the bulbs on the prius do not last, they should make it clear before someone buys the vehicle. keep in mind most people who buy the prius are doing so to save costs. well if i have to spend600 bucks to replace bulbs it negates the reason i bought the car in the first place. *tr

Hid headlight in 2007 toyota prius keeps going on and off. this is a known issue with toyota. it is expensive to replace the bulb. i wanted to add my name to the list of people affected by this problem. *tr

When driving the headlights of my 2007 prius turn off. it began happening on the passenger side headlight very intermittently, in the past few months it began happening more and more often to the point now where my passenger side headlight turns off every time i drive at night. the headlight will turn back on after switching the on/off switch but after a few seconds turns off on its own again. it mainly happens with my passenger side light but at times both headlights turn off completely. this happens unexpectedly and causes a safety issue when driving on rural roads. i am very concerned with this and the fact that toyota has done nothing to address the issue. i understand the class action lawsuit filed, i was not a part of that as i was unaware it was even occurring. *tr

Hid headlamps on 2007 toyota prius dim and then go out. this happens everytime the lights are used. one headlamp has been replaced at the cost of over $200 and now the other headlamp exhibits the same behavior. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2007 toyota prius. the contact stated that while driving the headlights and the dashboard lights shut off. he had to drive onto the emergency lane and within a couple of minutes the lights came back on. the vehicle was taken to the dealer and they were unable to duplicate the failure. the manufacturer was not contacted. the failure mileage was 31,000 and the current mileage was 31,500. updated 3/1/11 *cn updated 12/19/11 *cn

About 2 months ago the headlight on the passenger side would go off, but if you turned the lights off and then back on, the headlight would shine again. it was an intermittent occurrence, but now it is happening more frequently and i'm afraid that my wife, since she drives the prius, may end up in an accident. i've done research on the internet and it seems as though this is happening to many other people.