Problems with 2009 Toyota Prius EXTERIOR LIGHTING

Toyota prius 2009 headlights were on and off finally the left side went off totally. the seal outside the headlight didn't prevent of water came into the system and damaged it . also while driving the car accelerated and decelerated by itself . and while stopping the car jump. *tr

Driver's side headlight will go out without warning. later the light will go out again. the headlight has been replaced as well as the amplifier. the new light bulb was left on for 3 hours while car was parked but then when it was driven, the light went out again. *tr

Driving on a dark road i went from high beams to low and the entire lighting system went out. i was quick so cycled the headlight switch, everything came back on but the passenger headlight. tried replacing the light bulb, it still wont work. i paid extra for these h i d headlights. now i'm told 1000 dollars to fix them. *tr

Headlight will intermittantly go out. turns back on when lights are turned off and on but keeps recurring with no warning. *tr

There has been no injuries or vehicle damage. i left off total repair cost because the repair shop has not finished solving the problem. in 2013 i started have having headlight problems and have it about three months since. i have replaced the headlight bulbs several times on both sides. one time the headlights would operate opposite( one side would be high beam only and the other would be low beam only and when switching the switch inside to high beam the headlights would switch as to what they did only. on wed 8/20/14 the low beam quit working. i earlier purchased a new plug and 2 new bulbs in case i had a problem. i took the car to an independent repair shop( my only toyota dealer in my town can not be trusted) where i live. he installed the new plug and we tried each of the two new bulbs and they exhibited the same problem - the low beam was just a spec of light; not enough for the low beam. he tested the voltage in the ground side of the plug and the fuse position in the fuse assembly and it lit up his voltage tester with a spec of light. he had no idea what system sent the voltage to the low beam side for the passenger side headlight. i am taking the car back on wed 8/27/14 to finish the job. *tr

The hid headlights started to flicker and went off. repeatedly happened. first the passenger side then the driver side. i had the hid headlights replaced two days ago. the passenger headlight was still dimmed, the driver's side seemed fine. today, the driver's side went off again and won't turn back on. the passenger side is still working, but dimmed. *tr

Passenger head light started flickering on and off, i pulled over turned car off then back on, head light came on but was dim. i don't do much night driving and this was very concerning. i still have this issue, and have now found on line that this should be a safety recall. up to $400 to fix, just for a head light. you got to be kidding. as soon as the other head light starts acting up as well i won't be able to drive at night. i don't have $800-$1000 to replace head light. this is a real safety issue. there needs to be a recall. *tr

Left front headlight began to flicker, then failed completely on highway while driving at night. taken in for repair on 8/2/14. was told that entire hid assembly unit and computer sub-assy had to be replace. *tr

Right headlight does not stay on. had the filament changed 2-3 times and still burns out. this is not safe. cannot get a good answer as to why this keeps happening!!!

While driving at night, both headlights, without warning went out. immediately, i pulled to the side of the road and turned the headlight switch to off. then, paused a moment before relighting them, unfortunately relighting them normally failed. so again, i worked with the switch, only to discover that these would relight if and on if i held the lights on using the 'dimmer mode' to bright the road. unfortunately, mine like others, is unpredictable at best - so reproducing this incident 'on demand' is difficult at best. in reading other consumer complaints, this seems to be an ongoing and costly problem. after further review, i have discovered that this headlight challenge has been part of a class action lawsuit. shame on toyota for not issuing a recall on this matter - prius owners, as well as fellow drivers whom we share the road with are at high risk. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 toyota prius. the contact stated that while driving at 70 mph, the headlights failed without warning. the contact deactivated and activated the headlight switch and the headlights illuminated. the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the vin was not available. the failure mileage was 114,000.

Headlights either passenger or driver side will go out for no reason. turning the lights off and on will relight both headlamps, but only for a short period of time. *tr

On multiple occasions prior to the most recent incident date listed, the previously mentioned 2009 toyota prius has had intermittent complete or partial headlight failure. on multiple occasions that seem to be random in nature either the drivers side or passenger side headlight will fail individual while the counterpart (opposite headlight) will continue to operate. also, as random as one individual headlight failing both headlights have gone out or failed simultaneously. the operator has been able to rectify the immediate hazard by simply turning the main activation switch for the headlight from "on" to "off" and then to "on" again. this procedure will, on most occasions temporarily rectify the immediate hazard but the intermittent failure has and will continue. operator conducted research on the issue and discovered this is a common problem the 2005-2009 toyota prius is displaying. toyota corporate was contacted by the operator and stated that a customer care initiative was directed to all toyota service departments to reduce the cost of replacement bulbs. however, what is unique about this situation is a headlamp hid bulb on the drivers side was replaced approximately one year ago and is the more frequent headlamp failure occurring. this seems to invalidate the remedy that toyota corporate has devised which is to replace the bulbs. *tr

Left headlight started sporadically flickering in april 2014, then right headlight started flickering and going out in august 2014. bought replacement bulbs, which worked for 3 months, now both headlights will intermittently go out while driving. very dangerous to drive at night as they just suddenly go out with no notice. have discussed with mechanic who informed me that it is a "ballast" problem with the 2009 prius and a class action law suit existed, but since my car was outside of the 5 years 50k miles coverage the cost to repair would be somewhere around $1200.00 per light. toyota needs to fix this problem as a defect!!!

I had just bought my car on february 19, 2014 and noticed a headlight out on the way home. i called the dealership and they said they would replace it. i took it in on february 26, 2014 but they didn't have a replacement bulb. they were going to call me when it came in. the driver's side headlight would randomly shut off. on march 10, 2014 on the way home just after dusk the car in front of me slammed on their brakes to avoid a deer. i slammed on my brakes to avoid hitting them and my lights just went off. i could not tell how close i was to the car in front of me and had no clue if all my lights were off and whether the car following me could see me. i was scared. i mean i was really scared. i turned the lights off and back on and they worked. the dealership changed the driver's side headlight on march 13, 2014 and told me that a short in it had caused the headlights to shut off. i am scared to drive at night. on may 14, 2014 the passenger side headlight shut off for the first time since the incident. i am afraid a short in it will shut off both lights so i only drive at night when i absolutely can't keep from it. this car is going to get me killed if i drive at night. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 toyota prius. the contact stated that the headlights would stop working sporadically. the vehicle was taken to the dealer where the technician diagnosed that the bulbs needed to be replaced. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure and current mileage was 94,000.

The right headlight sporadically shuts off while driving. i have had this happen nearly every time i drive with my headlights on. i have been pulled over twice by a police officer because of this issue. i find that if i turn the headlights off and on again, the issue corrects itself, but then occurs again, sometimes during the same driving trip. not only do i have to incorporate extra time during my night commutes because i may be pulled over by a police officer, but this is dangerous and is a known issue. please correct this issue by having toyota recall the prius. *tr

My right headlight started going off without warning, now both lights are going off without warning. scary scary scary and dangerous. i have to turn the head lights on and off for them to come back on; it is dangerous when i have to drive at night. it makes if difficult to concentrate on the road, and it becomes hazardous and freighting. *tr

Left headlight went out while driving. then both headlights went out a minute later. turned lights off and back on and they were ok for a minute. then the left headlight went out again. this keeps on recurring . *tr

Headlight goes out randomly and requires the headlights to be turned off then on. *tr

My right headlight goes off without warning. i have to turn the head lights on and off for it to come back on; it is dangerous when i have to drive at night, and the headlight goes out,. this is a continuous problem, it make if difficult to concentrate on the road, and it becomes hazardous and freighting. it is also bothersome to others when i have to turn my lights on and off. *tr

I noticed that the driver side headlight appeared to be out, so i checked it and it was. when i turned the lights off and back on the headlight came on for a period of time and went off. i had the headlamps changed with oem part and the lights worked for a day and now it is out again, which might be ballast or something else. i have read many complaints online for the 2006-2009 models have premature headlight failure and great expense to fix. it is dangerous when i have to drive at night and i like to leave the lights on during the day for safety. *tr

We are having an issue with the left headlight going out after about 15 minutes of driving. we've taken it into the shop multiple times and have not been able to get the issue fixed. we took this to the shop the latest time and they told us it is a known issue with the toyota prius hybrid. *tr

I narrowly missed hitting a pedestrian in a crossing walk at 5am in the morning. the reason-both of my headlights had turned themselves off. i have had a problem with the right one going off and am able to turn it back on by turning the light s off, then back on. but now they both are turning off at different times and it is hard to tell until something like this happens.(it's hard to tell as this car has 2 foglights that i normally keep on, and they give the illusion that the headlights are on). the problem is not in the headlight itself. i know as i had the problem prior to a front end collision about 6 months ago in which they replaced both headlights.the problem has to be in whatever computer controls the headlights. this is a serious defect and should be manufacturer recall issue before someone gets killed. *tr

Same basic complaint as in other similar 'safety complaints'; for about the last year, headlights go dim, flicker, one or the other will go out for no apparent reason, and more distressing and importantly, in the last couple months, they will both just turn off completely and at the same time while driving down the road at any speed. i have to turn the headlight switch off and on to 'reset' the lights and get them back on. i took the vehicle to the official toyota repair shop; they would not acknowledge that it is a widespread problem. blamed the bulbs, which is in conflict with the owners manual instructions, and wanted to charge me $ 550 to replace only the two bulbs. this needs to be a recall item as it is very dangerous to have all lights suddenly go off without any warning, then having to fumble around in the pitch black to turn the light switch off and on again to 'reset' this failure. *tr

For some months now i have been having trouble with the right front headlight in my prius which is an hid lamp. the lights goes out and then when i turn the light switch off then back on again the lamp lights again. i have to do this numerous times while driving. it either eventually stay's lit or i just give up and anticipate a ticket. on occasion when i try to get the light to come back on the drivers side light goes out, and then i am without headlights until i repeat the process. it is not only dangerous while driving in the dark, but when you try to get the lamp to turn back on, people think your flashing them from behind which causes them to become aggressive. it is very stressful and i knew if i looked this up online i'd probably find that there was a recall. i was not surprised to find out that there were complaint identical to mine, but no recall has been issued against toyota to fix the apparent design problem. i am a 28 year volunteer firefighter and also a senior safety specialist for my company. why do we have to wait for a serious incident to occur before toyota is forced to fix the issue. i will not replace this expensive bulb since it appears that it only remediates the problem for a short period the of time before it happens again. i am entrusting in your organization to do something about the issue to ensure the well being of me, my family and those around us who either drive these models and/or become additional victims from our vehicles due to having to "completely" shut down the headlights in an attempt to get them back up. again this sometimes creates both headlights to go out until repeated. can that really be a bulb issue? i think not. please force this large company to do something about the issue before statistics climb on accidents and or injuries resulting from these headlight failures. thank you for your time and anticipated actions. *tr

Driving and my left headlight spontaneously turned off. if is not burned out, as it was working when i left, and stopping and restarting the car turned it back on. very dangerous as the road was dark, not to mention i don't want a traffic ticket. please stop ignoring this problem. *tt

Headlight on right side (passenger) fades out randomly - getting worse over past 6 months. now both lights go out. turning off/on *usually* fixes, but doesn't last. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 toyota prius. the contact stated that while driving at night, the driver's side head light failed. the contact turned the switch back on and then the passenger's side headlight failed. the vehicle was taken to the dealer for inspection where they stated that the hid headlights needed to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the failure mileage was 65,000.

Beginning in july 2013, the headlights on my 2009 toyota prius started flickering while driving at night and then both lights went off. the headlights continue to turn off while driving. sometimes it is one light and sometimes it is both lights. when it is one light, it is never the same light that goes out. *tr

We were driving on the interstate at 70 mph, when the headlights suddenly went out. it was dark and raining, and were unable to see the road edge. we pushed the emergency flashers and were able to see how close to the road edge we were. about two minutes later, the lights both came back on and we continued to drive to seek a safer area. every 15 minutes the lights would flicker. *tr

Headlights intermittently fail. bulbs are ok. headlight can be restarted by turning them off then back on. a dangerous situation! *tr

About two years ago one or another of my headlights would go off intermittently. when i turned the switch off and back on, they'd both be on. this was irritating but it was random and sporadic enough that i didn't take it in for service until both lights started going off in recent weeks. i then discovered on the internet the history and extent of this problem. the service people at the dealership only indicated that this problem had occurred with the 2005-2009 prius but weren't forthcoming with other background information. $500 later i have new lights. my plan is to have "problems" with them every 11 months as long as i own the car, if they don't go off on their own, so that i can get the problem fixed under the dealer's 12 month warranty. fortunately, most of my driving is downtown in a large city where other lighting is available. i did think whenever i was on the freeway at night i'd better have the lights checked. although there apparently isn't a body count with this problem, or is there?, it certainly would have been helpful to have received some written information from toyota or nhtsa that this problem is pervasive and could be very dangerous. *tr

I noticed some condensation in both front headlamps some time ago but just thought it was a cosmetic problem. about three days ago both my headlights went out. i took my car to the dealership and they informed me that the water inside the headlamps caused my hid lights to short out. i am out of the 36 month 36,000 mile warranty, but still within my extended warranty's limits. toyota is not going to cover the replacement of the light bulbs or change out the headlights since i'm past the original warranty coverage limit. i was quoted by my toyota dealership over $1,500 to repair this problem. i also found a memo from toyota (memo # t-sb-0188-11) that talks about this problem and states that under the oem warranty, it should be replaced at no charge to the customer. *tr

My driver side head light goes out at least once every time i drive with them on. it may go out several times before i arrive at my destination. i have to turn my lights off and then on again to have the light come on. it is very hard to see when the light is out and i have even been stopped by the police because i have only one headlight. as you can see by all the complaints from the people that have taken the time to file this form, it is not just a headlight bulb. every time i drive at night i'm worried that both lights will go out as some of the complaints have recorded. this is a safety hazard. toyota should be held responsible to find an answer and be forced to issue a recall before there is a death. *tr

When i turned on the car, the headlights would not turn on. both lights had been fully operational the day before. both high and low beams on both sides did not work, so it is definitely not the case that four separate bulbs or fuses all blew independently. i tried turning the headlight switch on and off several times, but this did not correct the problem. the fog lights do illuminate, but that is not enough illumination for safe driving in my area. *tr

Both low beams have gone out without any warning, but replacing bulbs and fuses doesn't fix the issue. *tr

Headlights at first seemed to only flicker then i had a headlight go out then i noticed that i could flip the lights on and off get it to come on. now its to the point we can not use this car at night. its become a safety hazard and i do t think its something i should pay to repair and think toyota is stupid for not recalling. *tr

The headlights have been going out randomly for the last few months but only one at a time. this evening while driving home from a late meeting, both headlights went out while driving at 55mph. i pulled off the highway and tried turning the car off and on again. headlights went on when i turned the car back on, so i resumed driving only to have the lights go out again! this time i flicked on the high beams and the lights came on. i stopped to grab a bite to eat figuring i could do the high beam trick again. when i started the car, the lights went on and high beams turned on when i engaged the lever. while driving home, less than 2 miles from where i started the car, headlights went out and the high beams did not work either when i attempted to turn them on. i pulled over to turn the car off and on again but with no luck this time. very slowly drove the last mile home on the less traveled road with my flashers on...this situation is incredibly dangerous. *tr

My passenger headlight will turn off while i am driving. now both headlights will turn off at once. usually one will come back on. this is very dangerous! this began in january 2013. *tr

I had just purchased my 2009 toyota prius the evening of friday december 28th 2012 and had only driven that weekend. then on the 31st i noticed when i was pulling into a gas station i had only one headlight working... didn't think to much about it. then when i was leaving noticed that both lights were on working. a few hours later i noticed a flicker like a light was going out. noticed again passenger headlight was going out.. i had the car back at the shop over a battery issue on january 2nd as my battery had suddenly died. when i took it up to toyota i mentioned the headlight was told oh nothing they can see. then months later it continued. then again every now and then.. i would flip the lights on and off and sometimes it wouldn't do it again for months... then in sept 2013 it started to do it on both sides. again contacted toyota nothing. then my teenager daughter had the car and called me hysterical saying no headlights were on. she had just gotten her license days prior. her first outing without me. then again battery issue went back to toyota was told not a clue. now reading the info i've come across with 2001-2009 prius headlight issues i'm pissed that toyota is aware of this and lied and said theyhad not heard of such a thing. now october 2014 i am no longer able to drive the car in the rain or at night. as i now have no headlights. i find this a major safety issue and considering how many people have stated this and the fact someone can be killed or injured seriously as one overlooks i think is a major serious issue and concern. i am not paying to have headlights replaced or electrical issues as this is something that needs to be recalled and fixed by toyota. *tr

Headlights go off by themselves. when i start the car both headlights go on, but after driving a little while the left or right, or sometimes both headlights will shut off. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 toyota prius. the contact stated that water penetrated the headlight's plastic covering due to improper sealing and caused the light bulb to fail. the dealer replaced the light bulb housing but the failure was not corrected. the passenger light bulb failed numerous times. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 90,000 and the current mileage was 100,000.

The passenger headlight comes on initially but during the drive will go off. i can turn the lights off and back on and the light comes back on. this is an ongoing problem and i don't know it has happened unless i pull up behind someone and see the reflection of my headlights on the car in front of me. *tr

The headlight(s) go off while driving without warning and it becomes hazardous and frightening. *tr

I purchased this 2009 prius from my elderly parents who didn't drive at night so the hid issue was not discovered until after warranty. my wife and i were driving at night in jan. 2012 and both headlights went out. i called toyota (limbaugh and hoover) in birmingham, al. about the safety issue and they said they weren't aware of any issues and toyota had no recall. at this point, i'm out approximately $400 and my time and the issue keeps coming back. can you please help? thank you. *tr

My 2009 prius has headlights that intermittently flicker or extinguish at random times. sometimes the right headlight will extinguish, sometimes it's the left headlight, and sometimes both extinguish at the same time. some times the light(s) come back on without any action, and sometimes it is necessary to turn the headlight switch off and right back on. to date, the lights have resumed normal operation when they are turned on and off, at least so far it has worked every time. this can be extremely dangerous and frightening especially on the freeway or a mountain road. this phenomenon seems to be increasing in its frequency of occurrence. why hasn't toyota been forced to recall the prius for this life threatening safety issue? i was told by the toyota dealer that it's a bad filament in the headlight, i've never seen a filament behave that way. *tr

Headlight and tail lights failed to work at start up, after a while the highbeams did work so car could be driving home. later that evening everything worked fine at startup. *tr

One week after being at the dealership for its routine oil/vehicle check-up (55,000-60,000), my red brake light, the yellow warning sign and the abs lights come up on my dashboard. towed it back to dealership since the brakes didn't work. they found i needed to change my brake actuator and the solenoid that is stuck. according to what i've read, this should not happen period paragraph but if it does it would be on a much older vehicle with a lot more miles with a stop and go history. according to the customer service representative at the dealership this is a malfunction of the part. when i called toyota they gave me the go around about being out of warranty. i need help. also there is a reflective line of light that shines on the driver side of the window from my dashboard. *tr

While driving at night, the passenger headlamp assembly (every bulb, not just the main high-intensity bulb) went out. wiggling the connector at the back of the headlamp assembly when the headlamp gets in this condition does not fix the problem. i can get the assembly back in working condition by turning off the lights and turning them back on again. this is dangerous! when the light came back on again, it was slightly flickering at first and now seems dimmer than the driver side light. i have also had connector-related issues on the rear brake lights, where they go out at random times. turning the lights on and off does not work to get the brake light working again. i have to manually tighten the connector at the back of the brake light assembly to get the light working again. *tr