Problems with 2007 Toyota Prius EXTERIOR LIGHTING

I have a 2007 prius and the left light keep going out. it will start flickering and get dim..... then go out. when you turn it off and back on it will be fine again. 15-20 min later same thing will happen, flicker then dim and off. its a real safety issue, imagine you drive a long trip at night and you have to keep doing this process?? i am not the only that has the same problem, thousands of owner online has the same problem. please spend some time and investigate. toyota says they are old bulbs but definitely not. *tr

Hid head lamps go out at random times on my 2007 toyota prius. car has 67000 miles on it. dealer says bulbs are about to fail and need replaced. cost is over $500. the lights will work fine for several days or weeks then will just stop working. i have been on a dark road and both lights went out. you have to turn the lights on and off to get them to work again. this seems odd that the bulbs will work for a period of time then stop working. one or both will stop working - no consistency. *tr

I have a 2007 toyota prius. the hid headlight problem started with one headlight turning off and on unexpectedly. then, while my wife was driving at night, both headlights went out! driving at night without headlights is incredibly unsafe and scary. this is clearly a safety defect in the hid lighting system. toyota has refused to cover any repair costs. *tr

My 2007 prius front hid headlamps shut off while i was driving down the ca 14 freeway! i turned the headlight switch off and then on to get it back working again and barely avoided an accident. driving at 70mph and have the road go completely dark is dangerous for anyone!!! *tr

2007 prius w 95,000 miles. left hid headlight goes out after being turned on for a few minutes. cycling the switch to off and back on returns light function, only to have it fail again a few minutes later. replacement of hid bulbs has not resolved the problem, so this is not normal wear, but an electrical design issue with the vehicle. *tr

2007 toyota prius...passenger side headlight had been flickering and turning itself off for past month..when light switch is turned off then on, the light continues to work normally. while driving last night, both headlights shut off. i turned the light switch off then back on...both lights came back on. i will be taking to dealer in the near future. *tr

2007 prius with 62k. the driver's side hid light goes out after about 3-5 minutes. turn lights off and on, it reappears for a few minutes, then goes out again. but it is yellower than the passenger side. some times both hid lights goes out. very scary!!! *tr

Drivers side headlight fails intermittently. *tr

Headlights keep going off independent of each other and i have to turn off lights to get it to turn on. *tr

While driving at night both headlights went out. dealer hasn't been contacted yet since it's a weekend. *tr

The headlights keep going out. this happens at any speed and in any climate. flickering them off and on alleviates the problem. been happening for close to 2 years now. *tr

The headlights on this car have intermittently worked since the car had about 30,000 miles. the lights randomly turn off. usually one at a time but sometimes both go out. turning the lights off and back on fixes the problem, but only temporarily. i read that this is a problem with the bulbs going bad but i can attest that it is a clear defect. replaced the bulbs and it still happens periodically. *tr

Hid headlights periodically extinguish. can be turned back on by switching light switch on and off. had only been one light at a time for about two months prior to today's date, then, last night, while driving, both lights extinguished simultaneously, though both went back on when light switch turned off, then on again. very frightening experience. i have listed date of dual headlight failure in "incident date" box. *tr

Problems with the headlights in 2007 prius. the first one on the passenger side went out on 07/07/09 when the car was two years old. this one was covered by warranty. the headlight on the driver side has now gone out intermittently. the same way as the previous headlight. we also had to replace one of our brake lights. *tr

Passenger side headlight flickering for almost a year. finally stopped working a week ago while driving to airport. on driving home from airport last night driver's side headlight simply turned off while going 40 miles an hour. fog lamps continue to burn but no headlights on either side. on reading of other's complaints today after calling my dealer to find out what i should do about the problem and getting a quote for $400 replacement, i discover that this is a known issue. i then walked out to my car and did what others said, turned the headlights off then on again. guess what, the lights came on. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2007 toyota prius. while driving at any speed, the headlights turned off intermittently. after turning the headlight switch off and on, the headlights would operate as normal. at times, just one headlight would turn off. the vehicle was being diagnosed and had not been repaired. the current and failure mileages were unknown.

The prius headlights turn off randomly while driving. sometimes one, sometimes both. there is no pattern and they go back on when the on/off switch is activated. this has been going on since about 40,000 miles. the bulbs were removed and reset and the right side was fixed, the left side fails less frequently. this is a potentially dangerous situation since the dealer does not seem to be sure of the cause of this problem. the cost to replace the bulbs is over $400. there is no guarantee that this will fix the problem. the tires wear out very quickly; replaced original tires at 22,209 miles and now at 50,287 miles the second set has to be replaced. the tire pressure light goes on continuously, regardless of pressure. *tr

The left hid headlight on my toyota 2007 prius went out at 63,000 miles. took to the dealer for service. i was told that not only would the bulb have to be changed but the chip in back of the bulb would need to be replaced also. price to replace the bulb/chip was $490.00. neither were covered under warranty. also advised by the dealer that they usually see this happening in pairs and could expect to see my right light go out as well. that would be an additional $490 to replace. *tr

Headlights turn on and off intermittently - 2007 pruis. for evening hours driving, at the start of the trip the headlights are turned on and there were times that they remain on for the entire trip. other times, the lights will be on at the start of the trip and then they just turn off and do not come back on. you can manually turn the lights off and on and they will come back on. both headlights turn off together. i just noticed the occurrence at the end of the month of august 2010. i had to stop driving the car in the evening hours. the car has 32,000 miles, i called toyota and established a case number. i took it to my dealer. they said that they had seen this problem. they stated that the headlights needed to be replaced. after a discussion, they went ahead and replaced both headlights at their expense. the headlights appear to be working fine since the headlight bulbs were replaced and if they did any other work related to the problem it did not appear on the documentation that i received. since the lights turning on and off were intermittent and both lights went off rather than just one due the bulb burning out, i believe that their is a strong possibility that this problem with the lights will re-occur. *tr

Toyota prius 2007. headlights intermittenlty go out. both lights go out on their own. *tr

The third headlight bulb has just failed on my 2007 toyota prius...i've had it! under 60,000 miles! 3 bulbs? ridiculous. *tr

Auto model toyota 2007 prius - exterior lighting - headlight failure no accident - no consequences. suddenly the left headlight started to go out after working fine at initial turn on. the symptoms are exactly those described in nhtsa action number pe09019. after the light turns off, if the headlight switch is cycled - the light comes back on - only to fail some time later. it is an intermittent and sporadic failure. sometimes when fender is struck, the light will go out. taken to dealer - they were unable to repeat this failure. no parts replaced. will take prius back to dealer tomorrow. *tr

Headlight intermittently fails. *tr

Passenger hid headlight has failed multiple times. *tr

Driver side hid headlight repeatedly goes out while driving. have to stop vehicle and turn lights off and then back on to make them work again. dealer wants $700-$1,000 to replace parts without knowing if that will fix problem. car only has 46,627 miles. *tr

I have a 2007 toyota prius with hid headlights, 54,000 miles. today, (7/26/2010) i had the headlight bulbs changed for the 3rd time, under warranty. first time jan. '09, 2nd time, aug. '09, and now, july '10. first time was under vehicle warranty; dealer said replacements had 1 year warranty, so the last 2 times were covered. they go out at random. today, one of the bulbs was shattered. my own observation: these lights are so bright, that when one goes out, you don't even notice, (until you get pulled over by the police). this is an ongoing toyota prius problem, is not safe, and a recall should be initiated. this is my 3rd contact to nhtsa on this issue. *tr

I am about to replace the second headlight on my 2007 prius at a cost of approximately $600. the headlight, which costs approximately $175, has repeatedly failed which failure is apparently caused by a defect in the design and construction of the headlight. this is a serious safety hazard which toyota should replace immediately. in addition the car is designed so that the front bumper has to be removed in order to replace the headlight (a labor cost of approximately $400). the cost alone is somewhat of a deterrent to replacing the headlight. *tr

The hid headlight on the passenger side of my prius is starting to flicker and go on and off. the bulb is supposed to last 10 years but it's been only 3 years since i bought the car. the bulb or headlight electronics is defective but i've been told it could cost up to $1,000 to repair. it seems this is happening to a lot of prius owners. *tr

I own a 2007 toyota prius ; for the past 6 months my hid headlamps spontaneously turn off, and i need to turn the light switch to off then back on again, for them to re-light. this week it happened on a dark country road and i suddenly had no lights at all. thank goodness there were no cars or pedestrians on the road at that time and there was no damage. i brought it to my local toyota dealer today and they say my lamps have burned out and need replacement, to the tune of $550. *tr

2007 toyota prius headlight failure. this is my second complaint. problem has existed sine 2008. how long will it take for action? you have over 400 complaints on this issue. it is a real problem, and unsafe. will someone need to be killed? *tr

The headlights in my 2007 prius turn off without notice. sometimes a single headlight will go out,sometimes both will. there have been several occasions where i have found myself in total darkness while driving. i am able to get the headlights to come back on by turning the headlight off/on lever. the headlights always go out within the first minute or two of starting the vehicle, and continue to randomly go off as i drive. the car was taken to the dealer for repair. the lights went out at the repair shop as is noted in the invoice. both headlight bulbs were replaced at a cost of $345.00. (part # toy 90981-20029) it took 3 labor hours to replace these bulbs for which i was charged an additional $295.00. the invoice states: "h.i.d. ballasts and wires with connections are ok at this time." the toyota service advisor stated that they were having problems with the original bulbs and they now use a different bulb, however nothing was covered by a recall. while no accident occurred in our vehicle due to headlight failure, there was a significant possibility of an accident. there are many reports on the internet by other prius drivers of this same problem. *tr

Intermittent hid driver side headlight off while driving. recovers with restart of engine and/or turning headlights off and on again. when on it is dimmer than the passenger side light. *tr

There has been repeated failure of one or both headlights suddenly going off without warning. this has occurred numerous times under all driving conditions - local, highway, good weather and bad. there is no apparent action that causes the headlight failure. sometimes it is either headlight and other times both lights will fail. it is not a complete electrical failure in that the car still operates and the dash board stays lit. there was a burning odor after the last incident, but no fire. the car was shut off for a few minutes, restarted and driven away. *tr

2007 toyota prius 30,000 miles. individual hid headlights spontaneously turns off. will come back on if we turn lights off completely and then turn back on. *tr

I have been experiencing the same problem as most with the prius hid headlights. while driving in dark or low light times the headlights will fail nearly causing accidents. usually it is one headlight, but there have been several times in which both headlights have failed (serious issue). by turning the headlights off and back on temporary fixes the problem, yet the problem keeps occurring daily. in jan. 2010 toyota settled a class action law suit which only helped those personnel whose mileage was fewer than 50,000. what about the rest of the owners out there that are still left with this enormous safety issue. a safety recall needs to be done to protect all owners safety, not just those whose vehicle mileage is under 50,000. *tr

Passenger headlamp for my 2007 toyota prius goes out intermittently. if i turn the lights off and then on again it will re-light but only for a short period. i have taken it to the dealer who said they will have to replace the headlight and the computer and each costs over $250. *tr

I am experiencing intermittent headlight problems. the headlights would take turns going out. this would happen while driving. first, the passenger side, then the driver side, and sometimes both. if i turned the light switch off & back on, the headlights would come back on. the problem was very intermittent at first (starting at 41000 miles) but became a real nuisance at 49000 miles. i took the car into the toyota dealership at around 52000 miles. they said that it was the bulbs. i have replaced both bulbs and the problem still continues. *tr

My 2007 toyota prius headlamps on the passenger side burned out at 50000 miles then a month later the driver side burned out. after paying 275.00 for each new headlight to be replaced the passenger side has burnt out again with only 30000 miles usage. i purchased the car to save money on the fuel mileage but end up saving nothing due to service work on replacing headlamps. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2007 toyota prius. the contact stated the headlights would fail to illuminate intermittently. the dealer replaced the bulb, stating it was defective. the manufacturer advised they were aware of the failure and previously provided reimbursement for the light bulb but the offer was no longer effective. the manufacturer would not provide any assistance. the failure and current mileages were 37,432. updated 10/27/10. *lj

Lighting: 1) headlights: this is the date of the first time failure of my high-intensity headlights. driving up a remote curvy mountain road one headlight, my drivers headlight, failed as i was negotiating a hairpin corner and i almost cra shed as i instinctively took my hand off the wheel to turn on and off my lights. the defective light turned back on using this method. now, both headlights are failing, sometimes both at the same time. i use the same method to restart them, only now, they are nolonger functional so i cannot drive at night, or on roads during the day that require headlights on. dealer would not warranty them at first failure because i was 300 miles over warranty period. 2) taillights: have had to replace both as they burned out prior to 36,000 miles. 3) front running lights: also from about 30,000 miles on, i have replaced them each, 5 times as they burned out. now the fuse blows anytime i install a new front running light. *tr

After about five minutes, (varies greatly), one headlight will often go out. usually it is the left, but not always. sometimes it is the right. the car has hid headlights, and i usually run them at all times for safety. the headlights will flicker subtly back and forth between the two until one goes out. going back and forth between high and low beams changes nothing, but quickly turning them off and then back on will re-set the condition, that is, the headlights both come on. tapping on all known connections has no effect, and either driving or trying to duplicate the condition parked seems to give the same results, that is, the condition is easily duplicated while parked. *tr

The drive side headlight randomly goes out while driving. turning the headlights off and then back on will resolve the problem. this happens many times a month. last occurrence was yesterday. *tr

Left front headlight goes out after a few minutes. if you turn the lights off to let them cool, it will come back on for a few more minutes.

Toyota prius hid headlights go out intermittently. if you power them off and then on again, sometimes they'll work. since they go out without warning and irregularly, it's impossible to tell if they are actually on or off while driving. toyota technicians refuse to replace headlight if it is working when they test, leading to false sense of security on the part of the driver. *tr

1. only noticeable during nighttime driving. 2. the passenger side hid headlamp shuts off while driving. loss of lighting for pedestrians and road signs on right side of road and headlamp out while driving is illegal. 3. replaced headlamp but problem is still there. swapped bulbs with the driver's side problem remained on passenger side. turning the lights off and back on temporally fixes the problem but is very unsafe at night. *tr

Intermittent right hid headlamp. problem started about 40k miles. the light dims, flickers and goes out. turning lights off to on will fix issue temporarily. same problem reported by thousands. repair costs vary from $300 to $2000. the problem occurs daily. each time there is a risk of being in accident. toyota and nhtsa are aware of the problem but nothing being done about it. *tr

2007 prius hid headlamp goes out intermittently. one has already been replaced under warranty and the other is now going out after warranty expired. headlamps should last more than three years. *tr

The headlights on my 2007 prius come and go. the problem is a defect in the headlights and the fix is more than $500. for the headlights. this is really dangerous because i think there is a problem and i look they are okay. then someone tells me my headlight is off and it is but when i look at it later, they are working. i suspect that they have been doing this a long time but i did not realize it. this is dangerous. i want a recall!! this is worse than the pedal problem. *tr

My 2007 prius has the hid headlamps, which are too costly to repair and will randomly go out while driving at night...clearly dangerous. i try to have the bulbs replaced and toyota dealer says its a 200.00 to 300.00 dollar job to repair (money that i do not have) while the car was still under warranty the las vegas dealer fixed the issue ( or i thought they did) but less then two years later i am having the same problem and now toyota will not repair it cause it is not under warranty. this is wrong they tried and failed to fix now i guess i am no longer a good customer. why will they not fix a danger situation. [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6). *tr

Toyota prius 2007 with hid headlights. passenger headlight intermittently on and off. i have been reading about this problem and it seems to be a common one with no solution for repair. *tr