Problems with 2007 Toyota Prius EXTERIOR LIGHTING

Hid bulb intermittently goes off. *tr

Both headlights failed at once while driving home at night in 50mph zone! turned off/on headlights and they worked properly. toyota needs to fix this issue asap before someone gets killed. *tr

Hid headlights, intermittent failure. both sides. 3 times last week. *tr

Headlight on driver side intermittently goes on and off (mostly stays off) and has been doing this for 60,000+ miles (i have 127,000 miles on it now). i got quoted a huge amount to replace the light - $100+ for the light and one hour of labor. ridiculous! i see that many more have had this same problem and i just think toyota should do something regarding this obvious defect. so, decided to do this official complaint. i should have done this a long time ago! it is very dangerous driving around with one headlight but who is to say the problem would fix itself even if i get the light replaced. something is terribly wrong! *kb

Toyota prius 2007: we own this vehicle which has less then 80k miles on it and the headlights turn off when in use. they do not both go out, it is usually first the passenger side, then i will have to turn them off and back on to get it working again. then, after a few minutes, the driver's side light turns off. who has ever heard of headlights dying out so early? i read that there was a similar problem on the 2005 model so i called my local lansing, mi toyota dealerships service department. they said that it is likely that they are just going out. i informed him of the mileage and his response was "well, they are up to four years old." again, i asked who has ever heard of buying a new vehicle such as we did with this one, and then the headlights lasting only a few years, well under 100k, not to mention the prior recall? they said well if it is a computer software problem, instead of just replacing the bulbs you are looking at a thousand plus dollars for repair. i believe this is just a way for them to not lose money as there are other dangerous problems with these models. i have children and i do not want to be driving down the road in the evening and then i suddenly lose the ability to have headlights altogether! is that what it will take for a recall to happen? i hope you can help. *tr

Hid headlamps going out, both the left and the right *tw

I have a 2007 toyota prius with only 20,000 miles. the headlight works randomly. it appears to be a widespread problem with other prius. *tr

At any time while driving one headlight goes out. both lights must be turned off and back on then light comes on. sometimes it goes right out again. car has the optional hid headlight system. *tr

Both headlights in my 2007 toyota prius go out while driving, sometimes intermittently. while cycling the hid bulbs on and off will power them back on, the problem is now worsening. these are very expensive bulbs and other car manufacturers do not have this problem. the toyota response is not acceptable and it's become apparent there is a pattern of denial and obfuscation from this manufacturer. their handling of the sudden acceleration and floor mats issues tells us they will not act in a responsible and fair business manner until forced to. please force them to rectify this dangerous flaw and to act responsibly to their customers. *tr

1. intermittent headlight failure at 57k miles in 2007 prius. 2. right headlight has twice gone out, only to recover at next use of car. 3. checked web and found premature headlight failures like this are widespread and expensive to repair. received toyota letter about problem. dealer will replace mine at no cost to me. *tr

My driver side hid headlight has been intermittently going out for several months, becoming much more frequent now. the light suddenly goes off and then if i quickly switch the lights off and on it works but lately has been going out again after a few seconds. i have not yet replaced the bulb, as toyota is charging $150 for a single bulb. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2007 toyota prius. while driving 55 mph when the right headlight shut on and off. the vehicle was taken to the dealer where they stated that this was a known problem with this make and model the repair will be at $400.00. there have been no repairs done to the vehicle at this moment. the failure and current mileage was 47000.

Toyota prius 2007 passenger hid (headlamp) goes off and on. lamp or controller? no known event has caused this. because it corrects for no apparent reason we are confused. *tr

Hid headlight suddenly turning off. the problem has occurred almost randomly in our 2007 toyota prius since nov 2009. the lights go out sometimes one, sometimes both headlights. the problem is almost always resolved by flipping the headlights off and then back on again - however that is a temporary solution as the headlights sometimes go out again within a minute. the occurrences of this happening are difficult to discern as one cannot always tell if just one headlight goes out. however the problem does appear to be random - daytime, nighttime, rain, snow, bumpy or smooth roads. *tr

2007 toyota prius headlight goes out. *tr

Within 15000 miles, the passenger side hid headlamp began flickering and would randomly go off. this was replaced by the dealer free of charge. at about 30,000 miles, the drivers side hid headlamp began randomly shutting off. this has become more frequent and is becoming a safety hazard.*cw

Condensation in 2007 prius headlamp for 6 months. i have a platinum extended warranty in effect. toyota will not repair or replace the defective headlamp under the warranty & will not acknowledge responsibility for an obvious manufacturer defect that according to internet research is a very common problem in toyota vehicles. *tr

The passenger side hid headlamp has begun to go off unexpectedly. it will come back on if the lights are turned off for a few seconds and then turned back on. 2007 toyota prius, 69,000 miles. it has failed 3 times in 9 days. not repaired yet, still have the headlamp. *tr

I have a 2007 prius, about 2 years ago the right headlight started intermittently going out. this began to occur about 75% of the time after about a year. it usually occurred after several minutes of driving. i mentioned it to the dealer at my routine servicing but they found no problem the first two times i mentioned it, then last summer they confirmed the problem and told me it would be about 850$ to fix it. i said no thanks. then last month they told me they could do it for 250$ so i said ok. as soon as i drove home the same problem started on the left. i went right back to the dealer and said what is going on? they told me at first it was just a coincidence and that the left light was old and it had nothing to do with replacing the right. at that i got upset so they conferred and came up the explanation that new light on the right was sucking energy from the left, and since the left light was old, it was now failing. that sounded like a bunch of bologna to me so i said just give me my car. so now i have a flickering left headlight. *tr

2007 toyota prius headlight failures headlights turn on and off at will they say it is a bulb problem but it keeps recurring you can be driving down the road and lights go completely out. *jb

High intensity head lamps will go out on my 2007 toyota prius. very unsafe, especially if i am on an unfamiliar road after dark. toyota claims that there is not a problem, but they also say that they do not know why they go out. they also have promised to pay for new bulbs if i have them installed by their tech, which i understand, but they charged $150 to install and i have not rec'd a refund check for the bulbs. this a definite safety issue if they can't figure out how to fix them so it does not re-occur. the car had less than 50,000 miles on it when it started to happen. *tr

Headlamps on prius keep going out. saftey!!!!!! *tr

I have a 2007 prius with hid lights and have had issues with both front headlamps turning off intermittently as well as the back passenger side light. the driver side headlamp had to be replaced at approximately 35000 miles, and the passenger side light at 50000 miles. thankfully, dublin toyota replaced the driver side headlamp at no cost, stating it was unusual to already be experiencing problems. the passenger side however was going to cost $425. the dealership cut me a brake and charged "only" $325. $150 for the light, the rest for labor. they said it was not covered under warranty, but replacing a headlight should not cost more than replacing all 4 tires! also, this is a safety issue that should be publicized by toyota directly. i drive at night, and i live near the coast where there is plenty of fog. lights that randomly choose to stop working are not safe whatsoever. *tr

Driver side hid headlight goes out intermittently while driving and while the switch is turned on. can relight by turning off lights and turning them back on; passenger side light remains lit when the drivers side goes out. *tr

2007 prius - hid headlights intermittently going off by themselves. activating the headlamp switch off / back on restores lighting, however, they may only last a few minutes before going off again. no warning except for the law enforcement officers who continue to stop me at least once a week to indicate to me that i have a light out. how much longer before i am ticketed? request to the dealer for assistance indicates toyota's position is to replace both lights at the owners expense of close to $1000 for parts and labor. totally unacceptable for a definate safety issue, or must someone die before toyota accepts responsibility?

Drivers side headlamp goes out and comes back on - gets dimmer and goes out again. 2007 prius. *tr

Passenger side headlight randomly turns on and off. *tr

The event leading up to the failures would be driving the prius with the lights on. the high density lights just randomly stopped working. the failure happened many days together and then there were times when there was long breaks in the problem occurring. one or both high intensity head lights would stop working while i was driving down the road. most times turning the lights on and off would get them to work again. i was fortunate as i could have had an accident when i could not see ann most times my two young boys are in the car with me.. i spent $500 at the toyoto dealer ship to replace these headlights and the dealership said this still may not solve the problem

My 2007 toyota prius has a safety related defect with the hid lights. these lights will go out sporadically while driving. often times it takes less than 10 seconds for both lights to be off while driving at night. i have replaced both lights, twice with aftermarket bulbs and the problem remains. toyota is charging $450 to replace the bulbs a third time, with no warranty if they fail. this same repair can be done online with identical bulbs for $50. adding to the difficulty is that the bulb housing is largely inaccessible for a normal user. many owners, based on hundreds of descriptions on the internet, have taken to removing the entire bumper just to replace the headlight bulb (which is what i have to do since my hands aren't tiny). this design flaw exacerbates the repair of a safety related defect. the hid lightbulbs in question are denso d4r's, which according to jd power should have an average lifespan of 90,000 miles for an average user. most users are experiencing half of this value. indicating the ecu or ballast is at fault despite the initial research done on this particular topic by nhtsa, my headlights do both fail within a short period of time of one another - constituting a legitimate safety concern. one will fail upon turning the car on within a few seconds, leaving the 2nd to either fail shortly after, or at any period of time after this point. this is with new bulbs that are at spec for the car according to the manual. i have no course of resolution for this matter, and toyota is unwilling to help. i am concerned about my safety while driving this car, especially in the rain, or at night. i would hope that the nhtsa takes light failures as seriously as they do brake and accelerator failures, as they're also likely to lead to accidents. *tr

2007 intermittent left headlight failure. i sent it to a toyota dealer because i have a "bumper-to-bumper warranty" on 23 dec 09. they told me that it would cost me over $400 to replace two bulbs. i don't believe it's a bulb problem because i can re-cycle the switch to get it back. on 29 dec it failed again at night during a snow storm, nearly causing a freeway accident. *tr

Tonight for the third time recently, both headlights went out, one at a time. neither low or high beam worked after they were out. i have previously reported the intermittent loss of both headlights and was able to show the dealer at least one occurrence of both lights. tonight i was able to take pictures showing both lights out in low beam with fog lamps on (the fog lamps only work with headlights on in low). i realize that there have been numerous complaints about this issue with no pending resolution. the headlights came back on when the headlight switch is turned off the on again. within 10 miles the driver side light went out again. and, as in the past, turning the headlights off then on restored the light.*tr

Right headlight goes off without notice while driving, the failure occurs every time i drive, if i turn the headlight off and then back on it corrects the problem. *tr

2007 toyota prius headlights turn off while driving on driver side, turn the knob off and on, lights come back on. happens three times while driving at nite or early morning. 53,000 miles on car. took to dealership said it is a common problem with prius'....cost $500. could not afford. went online and see alot of complaints about this same problem.......recall prius' from toyota, this is another coverup. we are very lucky we haven't hit anything yet, but did almost drive off the highway and had to stop. we have not replaced due to the cost. sites posted say other prius owners replaced bulbs only to have them go back out on them. and this happened after we replaced our 12 volt battery with the dealership dec 19th, next day, problem with headlights. dealership said nothing to do with battery or lose wiring. service manager said again it was a problem they are having with all prius. recall please !!!!!! *tr

My passenger side hid headlight works intermittently. if i turn the headlights off then back on then the headlight functions. i only have 46,700 miles on the car and the hid lights should last longer than that. i've noticed the problem at least once every 2 weeks. *tr

Hid headlight on driver side keep going off sporadically while driving. *tr

I own a 2007 prius with 38,000 mi. and both headlamps go off while driving at night. if i turn the lights on and off they will come back on, but only for about 30 seconds...this is the 4th prius in our family with this problem, (06, 07). toyota is requiring that the customer pay for the headlights because they usually are beyond the 35,000 warranty. more importantly, this is a serious safety issue and my wife and i are in our 80's and i'm hoping w don't get in an accident. *tr

Hid headlight on 2007 prius turns off randomly while driving. happens almost every day. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2007 toyota prius . while driving 65 mph the headlights would intermittently shutt off. a technician from the dealer advised him that they would investigate the failure. no repairs were made. identical failures have occurred approximately 6 times. the failure mileage was 28000. the current mileage was 28500. updated 01/15/10. *lj updated 01/19/10.*jb

The hid headlights on my 2007 toyota prius touring edition will stop working while driving. either the left, right or both headlights will turn off without warning. when i turn the lights off and then on again, both bulbs work fine. the lights do not flicker while on or before they are about to turn off. i have been pulled over because of this and have also had the lights turn off while driving in mountain roads. the are high intensity discharge lamps. high intensity discharge lights do not have a filament. instead light is created from an electrical discharge between two electrodes in a micro-environment of xenon gas and metal halide salts. toyota sent me a letter talking about the hid headlight prius problem, but did not acknowledge any wrong doing or necessity of a recall. i suspect the problem is with the relationship between the ballast that creates the energy and the bulbs. *tr

Drivers side headlight and passenger side headlight will go out randomly at anytime but so far both haven't gone out at once... have been stopped by the police numerous times for this. when i turn the headlights off and back on again then they come back on. this has happened in the winter and again this summer. something needs to be done about this problem as it is very annoying and dangerous especially at night. *tr

Drivers' side headlight will go out and then come back on. *tr

I own a 2007 toyota prius sport edition. one evening on my way home i got pulled over for having a headlight out. that evening after going home, i got in my car to head back out and my wife followed me into the garage and noticed as i was pulling out that my headlights were both on. that is what alerted me to the problem which is that my headlights go off randomly. sometimes it is the passenger side headlight, sometimes the driver's side. when one goes out i can usually get it to come back on by turning my lights off and then back on. the worst case of this is that one evening after leaving my in-laws house i had to turn on my bright lights because they don't have streetlights in their neighborhood. as soon as i turned on my brights, both lights went out completely. it was instantly dark and i had to slam on breaks. it took me a second to realize what was going on. i turned my lights off and back on and they worked long enough for me to get home. it is not unusual for one of my lights to go out on a daily basis. i began researching this and found numerous other complaints just like mine from other prius owners (http://tinyurl.com/yecdlae) i took my car to the toyota dealer and the guy there basically told me aside that i could get the bulb replaced but just between us that wasn't going to solve the problem. he said my best bet was to file a complaint and hope for a recall. *tr

2007 toyota prius 50,000 miles when noticed the problem. 55,000 now. probably has been going on longer than that. at first one or the other headlight would go off, usually within a few minutes of starting to drive. noticed in the reflection on cars ahead that one light was off. discovered that turning the headlights off and then back on usually fixes the problem at least until i get to work. luckily it's well lit most of the way. now i have had both lights go off at the same time. if it wasn't for the fog lights, i would have been in trouble. got the notice from toyota that they are reimbursing customers who have already replaced them for any cost over $150 per lamp. they were charging people $300 per lamp and some dealers were replacing the computer that controls them also. they will reimburse customers for that unnecessary expense too. i am trying to convince toyota that since it was the bulbs that were the problem, they should reimburse customers for the total cost of replacing the lamps. my platinum protection does no good for lamps. my toyota dealer says the cost to replace both lamps now is abbot $450 including labor. *tr

Passenger-side headlight intermittently fails. pulled over by police and issued citation warning for headlamp failure. headlight resumed working on the drive home, has failed again today. *tr

Hid headlight goes on and off. once it goes off, it could be turned back on by flicking the switch off and back on again. sometimes it doesn't come on at all or suddenly goes off while the vehicle is in motion. tw*

Headlights on 2007 prius continue to go out during driving. i have been on the highway and had both lights go out without knowing it. i feel very unsafe in this car. toyota quotes over $150 for parts to replace each lightbulb. which, i am told, may not correct the problem, it may be in the controller. *tr

Toyota prius 2007 with hid lights. one or the other headlight randomly turns off, but to the driver they are unaware unless both turn off at the same time. toyota dealer replaced bulb twice but problem persisted. finally the service manager who is also a friend of mine, told me the problem is in one of the circuit boards and he replaced it. that was 5 months ago and it has been fine since then. toyota, this should be widely known by all your dealers and fixed. *tr

Passenger side headlight working intermittently. lights up, then goes out, may light up again after car has been off for a while. would replace except now am informed that not only is cost of the bulb $100 or more but $000's for labor may be required. was persuaded to pay $3000 for option package in part based on claimed superiority of hid lights. clearly an engineering failure that bulbs are failing and cannot be replaced without major repair expense. it is dark time of year and need confidence in headlights to drive safely. *tr

The headlights on my 2007 toyota prius have started to randomly turn off. sometimes it's just one light, sometimes it's all of them. i live on a windy county road with no lighting. last night i completed my drive home at 25 mph, with the turn indicator lighting my way. this was one my way home from the toyota dealer, where they could not duplicate the problem. i've since learned that this is not an isolated event, but is happening to prius rather commonly. no one has been hurt. yet. *tr

2007 toyota prius hid headlamp failure. this manufacturer installed hid lights in my prius that cost much more than the standard light and is supposed to last the life of the vehicle failed without any indicator inside (a policeman alerted me). the expect life of these lamps is clear when one considers the dealer must remove the front bumper to replace them. dealer denied knowledge that this was a frequent issue yet priuschat forum on the internet has over 60 pages describing this and i also found the following link: http://www.autoweek.com/article/20090701/carnews/907019991#ixzz0zuzarhgk dealer ended up charging me $480 to replace two light bulbs! i have registered a case with toyota. also the dealer lied as in the beginning of the service visit he said it was not a common problem that he was a aware of yet when i was leaving i asked him why he replaced just the bulbs and not any electronics and he said "because they have learned from experience when this happens to just replace the bulbs. *tr