Problems with 2010 Toyota Prius EXTERIOR LIGHTING

I have had to replace my low beams at least eight times over the last two years. the time between them burning out gets shorter every time. i have tried different brands and quality of bulbs, and i always replace them in pairs. my last two pairs are so dim that i cannot even see the road. i have been pulled over twice for these headlamps, and now i try to avoid nighttime driving, but it is not always possible. after some research i see that this is a common issue and known to toyota. i do not have the funds for this expensive wiring fix and i do not understand why this important safety issue does not warrant a recall.

Headlight out last year. replaced both. one headlight out this month. replaced the one with previous year good bulb. now, both low beams out, only high beams work. *js

I replaced both headlamps after having the passenger side low beam go out about two weeks ago. this morning on my way to work, in the dark, i had that same lamp go out again. i turned around to head back home when the driver side lamp went out as well. i was only a few blocks from home at least but this is could have been incredibly dangerous.

Headlights continue to burn out. we have changed one or both headlights at least six times since may 2015. this happens unexpectedly, going down the road at night one or both headlights will burn out. when you change them, will last a couple weeks to months. very scary when going down a two lane back country road at night. any help would be greatly appreciated.

Burning oil issue. front head light short circuit or burned out. leather seat separated twice.

Both headlights go out at the same time while driving. first time they just had to be screwed in but now a month later they are both out again. has there been a recall?

Recurring double headlight failure, sometimes intermittently. no warning of failure.

The low beam head lights constantly burn out. my car is at 108,500 miles, and i have replaced the low beam bulbs at least 5 times in the last 3 years. i have had this occur while driving on the interstate 5. another driver on the highway flashed lights at me, pulled up next to me, to indicate that my lights were out. i had to drive with the high beams on for over 20 miles. it was a very dangerous situation, because it was blinding to other drivers. however, if i had not done this, i would have been driving with no lights at all. this has happened to me three times after replacing the bulbs, which will last for a while ,but quickly stop working. i have owned several cars and have never had to replace the headlights even once.

We purchased the car used from a toyota dealership in spring of 2013. we had never had to replace the headlights until one side had stopped working in may 2015. as we always have done with our vehicles, we went to an auto parts store and bought the correct head lights for our make, year & model. we replaced both of them in may and in august (3 months later), both had gone out with the initial outage having occured while i was using them in the dark on a freeway. luckily i had brights that still worked but i have since had to replace both lights again and they still remain un-working. i am scheduling repairs, however, this seems to be a major defect either in the electrical engineering or possibly related to fuse shortages. we have made several phone calls to repair shops, other prius owners, as well as read many safety concern forums regarding this very popular issue even with 2010 models. i understand toyota seems to take no responsibility for the high-risk headlight failure in prius models up to 2009 but this seems flat out ridiculous and i should not be required to return home before dark or be forced to drive with my brights while oncoming traffic flashes at me as if i'm being inconsiderate.

Tl* the contact owns a 2010 toyota prius. the contact stated that while driving at night approximately 55 mph, the headlights were very deem and visibility was diminished. after inspecting the vehicle, the contact noticed that the passenger side low beam headlight was out and two days later the driver side low beam failed. the light bulbs were replaced. the contact mentioned that the low beam headlight bulbs were replaced a total of four times. the vehicle was never taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic to get a diagnosis. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 99,000.

I was driving home from havenlock, nc on us 70, us 258, us 58 and us 264. i noticed that my low beam headlights were very dim making it very hard to see road marking or signs. there is a stretch of us 58 where they are repaving and they are no road marking at all and i could not see where my lane (2 way traffic). i considered this a very serious problem that the headlight are dim and could have led to a very serious accident. i have noticed that others have complained about the same problem with the prius 2010. not able to see more than 30 feet ahead on a very dark night is very scary and had me shaking.

Vehicle's brake lamp bulbs stopped working (headlamps on/off no change except the upper bulb on the rear lights are illuminated w/headlamps/high beams on as they should be while the rest of the light is indifferent to brake pedal application, changing from park/drive etc). the bulbs were replaced but the issue persists, suspect it is something to do with the wiring harness. please remedy because any electrical diagnostic is hundreds of dollars at the dealership and may not even be obligatory if a known issue & cost effective solution exist. regardless of cost toyota should offer any remedy that protects the safety of their consumers. i just don't want to have to pay a bunch of money to determine the problem was a loose screw. anyway, faulty brake/tail lights increase the possibility of collision & endanger other drivers when a defect of this nature presents itself. both right & left are affected, there is no visible warning the vehicle is slowing rather than driving, stopped, idling, or accelerating.

I purchased the toyota certified pre-owned prius in july 2013. i first had an issue with the headlight in august 2014 when the headlight kept coming loose from it's casing. this happened again on april 24, 2015 only this time the headlight fell to rest on some plastic and caused the headlight assembly to start on fire. no one was injured. i used a fire extinguisher to put out the fire. i believe the socket part of the headlight assembly was defective. *tr

Since owning the vehicle, i have experienced the low beam headlights burn out within 9 months. recently, one bulb burned out within 3 months. i was pulled over by the city police, driving with one headlight out is not only a safety issue, but could result in a citation. *tr

Low beam headlights repeatedly stop working. replaced bulbs multiple times. they stop working every few months. last week, they both extinguished at the same time. had to drive home in the dark, until i realized the high beams worked. toyota won't repair the defect.

on february 27, 2015, our house burned in the middle of the night while we were asleep. the fire started in the near vicinity of the right front headlight of the 2010 toyota prius. the car had been serviced just before the fire on february 25, 2015 at the local toyota dealership. the car was off at the time and the key was not in the car at the time of the fire. while we were sleeping, the car evidently caught fire spontaneously at approximately 2 a.m. while it was parked in the garage. the garage door was closed. by the time we woke up, the garage was fully engulfed in flames. we were able to escape the fire. however, our house was too severely damaged (fire, smoke and water) after the fire to be livable, and it is currently being rebuilt. our family of four (husband, wife and two children, 15 and almost 11 years old) is currently living in a rental house. we lost all three of our cars (the other cars were a dodge durango and a honda accord) and a majority of our possessions. damages are estimated to be likely in excess of $500,000 including house, cars, damage to landscaping, personal property, furniture, clothing, etc. our homeowner's insurance is seeking a subrogation claim against toyota for the expenses incurred regarding our claim. the prius is scheduled to have a deconstructive exam soon with multiple parties present and is currently being held as evidence.

I recently replaced one of the low beam headlights, only to discover a few weeks later that both of the low beams had burned out. i've never had two headlights burn out at the same time! tonight i discovered that another of the low beams has burned out. that means that this bulb burned out in less than two months and only about 1000 miles. i am afraid to use my headlights during the daytime for fear that they will burn out and not be available when i need them to see again at night. this must be a wiring/configuration defect! please do something about this! *tr

The headlight hid start to go on and off finally the left side went off . also while driving the car desacelerated and increased speed by itself. *tr

Both low beams went out at same time at night. high beams operational. bulbs had been replaced a month ago. a quick search finds many instances of this happening. it shouldn't be the bulbs. makes for very dangerous driving. *tr

Low beam headlights stopped working during night driving. had to drive home with high beams only at night. felt endangered and very unsafe both for myself and the public. *tr

After returning to vehicle, low beam headlights failed to properly illuminate. i replaced both bulbs with new ones, and they still fail to cast enough light. the bulbs appear to be on, but are too dim to be effective. *tr

I was driving back home from work on a country road at night when my low beam lights both went out. i had to drive home with my high beams on. this is the 4th set of headlights in a year that we have replaced. *tr

The dash display mph and mileage totally went black. looked it up on the internet and seems like it is a common problem for the 2010 toyota prius. sounds like toyota use to cover this before this year model, but not now, even though it is still happening. they may have done their dash alittle different, but it is still having the same problem. *tr

My low bean headlights keep burning out on my prius. i have replaced them with oem replacement bulbs and other high quality after market bulbs and no matter which one it is it continues to burn out. they continually burn out after very little use and in a very short time frame. i make sure i follow the recommended handling and installation procedures to ensure i don't compromise or wrongly install the bulbs. this is a major hazard while driving down the road. i never know when my headlights are going to fail. this has occurred at night and in weather where headlights were needed. this is a major safety hazard and from reading forums, this is a common problem with 2010 toyota prius. this is a safety issue that needs to be addressed by toyota.

Headlights started getting dim. replaced bulbs with new hid bulbs. headlights still dim. dealer claims water is in both headlights. requires me to replace both headlight assemblies for $1,000. not covered under warranty. as an engineer i claim poor design.

Passenger low beam headlight went out first then a few months later the driver low beam headlight went out and has now gone out for the 3rd time. had to use high beams all the way home cause i could hardly see anything with low beams. have been pulled over a few times by the cops for this problem. pulled over 2 times in just one night because of this problem. *tr

Driving home at night going approximately 40 mph both low beam head lights went out at the same time. turned on the high beam and they worked ok. bought new bulbs the next day and installed but did not resolve the problem. *tr

I do not have the need to do much night driving. last saturday, while returning from a family visit, night had approached. the dim lights were next to worthless. the cars approaching me from behind lit my path. i had visited toyota a few weeks back and they advised me the headlight bulb was loose. i tightened it, but that night, the illumination of the headlights was lacking. i returned to toyota today and they tell me these headlights have a "projector" that is bad...both sides! there is no recall or manufacturer's defect that covers the replacement. they will gladly replace these for $852.00. i have regarded toyota as a top contender in car manufacturing. i am terribly disappointed and appalled that this safety issue is not covered by toyota. *tr

2010 toyota iv prius: returning home at night in a dark, rural country area of pennsylvania. windy, two-lane road with frequent opposing traffic. left front headlight goes out making it very difficult to see with remaining headlight. switched to high beams which worked ok until opposing traffic appeared and had to switch back to low beam (singular). a dangerous situation with opposing headlights in your eyes and not enough light from my own car to illuminate the road in front of me. later, it turned out that the headlamp bulb was ok and "something" was making it either intermittent or go out completely. sometimes striking the headlight lens assembly with the heel of your hand would get the light to come back on. my wife recently was cited for driving with a headlight out in our local area. this is not a safe situation and the local dealer says he can't help us. *tr

I purchased the car new in 2010. about a year ago, the headlight bulbs started burning out repeatedly, as well as the marker bulbs and the license plate bulbs. the last incident was chilling. i returned from a trip, got off the plane, picked up my car at airport parking, turned on the headlights and they were both out. i had to drive 45 miles home at 10 pm either without headlights or with my brights on. it was terrifying. the bulbs had been replaced within the previous 6 months. this is a serious defect that nhtsa and toyota must address. i have friends who are having similar problems. additionally, the headlight casings are marred, which diminishes visibility. toyota clearly has used defective parts to encase the headlights. again, my friends with priuses have the same issue.

Low beam headlights both went out at the same time while driving down the road. the driver's side has since been replaced twice over the last 6 months and is now out again and the passenger side has been replaced twice. *tr

I was leaving a parking space and exiting the parking area when both headlights went off leaving me in the dark. i pulled over and turned them on and off several times but nothing happened. i had the running lights, the turn signals, the high beams but no low beams. i drove home with my high beams on. i went today and replaced both bulbs then tried the lights again. nothing. i took the bulbs back and exchanged them and still no headlights. *tr

One of the headlights (low beam) stopped working sometimes in 2013, then it came back. over the course of 2013-2014, the front right light went out and i had the light bulb replaced. then it died again. i replaced both bulbs based on the aftermarket recommendation but the lights are not bright enough. the front left parking light also died twice. something is screwy with the electrical for the lights. *tr

(40) fleet 2010 toyota prius. consumer writes in regards to vehicles headlights malfunction. *smd the consumer stated he had to routinely replace 7-8 headlamps per week on the fleet of 40 vehicles. the dealer informed the consumer the frequent burnout of the bulbs was likely due to wither security officers not properly caring for the vehicle or the vehicles being used more frequently for personal use. also, the wiring harness failed on the vehicles. the consumer stated there is currently 1 vehicle in the shop now, and the dealer quoted a price of $8,000.00 to replace the wiring harness.*jb

The low beam bulb lamp came loose from its housing - melting the socket, and while still "working" did not provide proper illumination for night driving and perhaps posed a fire hazard. upon taking to the dealer, they replaced the entire unit (for $720.08) and have ordered a retrofit bracket (it is on back order) that they will installed to prevent re-occurrence. seems there is a problem - they know it - but the public bares the cost and possible safety issues associated with the problem. they are not taking any proactive action to install a retrofit bracket to prevent the working lamp on the opposite side of the car from dislodging and causing a similar problem. *tr

The driver's side headlight went out in late march 2014. it was replaced by the dealer on march 29. on april 12, both headlights went out while driving in the dark. on april 13, the smaller lights above the headlights were also out. they continue to not work. the lights in the rear of the car are functioning. *tt

My 2010 prius has had an ongoing problem with the main headlamps blowing, becoming inoperative and effectively leaving me with diminished visibility. this has happened approximately every 3 months since march 2014. either one or both headlamps will blow. this is due to a known problem with this model and is covered under a toyota/nhtsa service bulletin (tsp-0204-12). in my case, i purchased the car used, from a toyota dealer with the toyota certified car warranty, but this failure of the wiring harness is apparently not covered. judging by the percentage of complaints in the safercar.gov database for this model, this is a common problem and my experience has been typical. in the most recent incident, it was raining heavily and i ended up driving 150 miles with a blown headlamp, unsafe for me and unsafe for those whom i shared the road with. *tr

Both headlights (low beams) failed simultaneously, resulting in the owner having to sleep in the car overnight until sunrise. there have been 17+ similar reports onhttp://www.arfc.org/complaints/2010/toyota/prius/exterior_lighting/problem.aspx. *tr

My daughter was driving hone from work and got on the freeway early monday morning approximately 1:05 am and suddenly the headlights went out. she tried turning them back on and off and on again but still no lights, so she had to drive home in the dark with no head lights. she was almost hit by other drivers because they could not see her. it was a scary ordeal for her and my headlights are still not working. i just purchased this vehicle on december 10, 2013. *tr

I purchased a certified used 2010 toyota prius from the east coasts number one certified used toyota dealer. i was presented with papers showing all the checks performed with a certified used toyota and that the vehicle i was purchasing had pass all the inspections. i test drove the vehicle during the day and did not use the headlights. once i was home (over 3 hours away) i used the headlights for the first time in the next few days. the driver's side lights were very dim. i took the low beam bulb out and notice a lot of corrosion on the bulb and moisture in the headlamp assembly. i let it dry out and replaced both the drivers and passenger side low beam light bulbs. over the summer i noticed a few time moisture would build up but would be gone within a few days. now during the winter the moisture has frozen inside the driver side headlamp assembly and impedes on the effectiveness of the headlamp. my visibility is reduced and has now become a safety issue. i have not owned the vehicle for a full year yet and even purchased the top of the line extended toyota warranty. my local dealer stated it was not covered under any warranty and that would cost around $500 to be replaced. toyota has a technical service bulletin on this issue and should repair at no cost to owners due to a safety hazard. *tr

The headlights burn out on a regular basis. shortly after replacing the bulb it will burn out again (usually within a week). at times both sides burn out at the same time without warning causing a safety hazard. this is a known problem for toyota prius products. we have contacted the company who states this problem was resolved with the 09 model year and refuse to admit or assist with repairs of the known electrical defect. *tr

After leaving a skating event with 4 kids in my car at approximately 8:30 pm, i noticed that i had no headlights which had worked 2 1/2 hours prior. both lights went out at the same time. all other lights worked, including high beams which i used to continue driving that evening. i called the local toyota dealer who informed me that "this was a common problem in the 2010 prius. i made the appointment to take my car in for repair and was informed that it would be $800 to fix the problem since my car was out of warranty. when i dropped my car off, the service rep showed me a spec sheet stating that i needed a "headlamp durability enhancement" (spec sheet was issued oct 2012) and stated that the problem was "low beam headlamp bulb lifetime was shorter than customer expectation". that wasn't the problem, the problem was that both lights went out at the same time which is a safety issue. i requested to have the old parts returned and an experienced friend went with me to question why i was charged for joints when none had not been taken off my car. i was told that this was not on my car previously and that i could review a technical service bulleting (tsb-0204-12) on the toyota website which i cannot locate this document anywhere online. a formal recall for this problem was never issued even though toyota knew that this was a recurring problem in the 2010 prius model. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2010 toyota prius. the contact stated that the low beam headlights failed and had to be replaced every few months. the vehicle was not diagnosed. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the failure mileage was 95,000 and the current mileage was 100,000. updated 6/17/14*cn

The headlights went out suddenly while driving. my husband changed the bulbs but that didn't help. all fuses are good. i read online that it is the relay and that many other prius owner's have been having the same problem. *tr

Last night, at 10 pm, on getting back to into my car to drive to my house 7 miles away, both the headlights did not work. the high beam lights were working, but the regular headlights did not. as a result, i was driving in dark on a single lane highway, and it was a very scary experience. *tr

While on vacation on aug 3, 2013, we were driving in the smoky mountains in gatlinburg, tn, via the scenic loop down from cades cove. i was driving and my husband, our 13 year old son (only child) and his 13 yr. old buddy (my friend's only child) were the passengers. the route was a steep mountainside with typical winding mountain roads, pitch dark at ~8:30 pm. suddenly, both headlights went out, together, at the same time. the dashboard showed that the headlights were on, no warning signs came on. i had driven through a tunnel a bit earlier and the headlights were both working. panicked, i pulled over at the next lookout ledge, turned the car's power off and on several times, turned the lights off and on several times while the car was running - nothing. no cellphone service was available in the area. as i was hysterical and terrified beyond my wits, my husband took over driving duty and drove with the emergency flashers on. after a few miles of sheer panic and incoherence, it occurred to us to try the high beam, which fortunately worked and we are alive to tell the story today. as soon as we got cellphone signal we left messages for our friends in case we died they would know why. get a grip, toyota! i loved my prius - this is my 2nd prius, but i am now petrified to step in this car again. i found thousands of similar complaints online regarding both the prius headlights failing at once, so toyota you know i am not an isolated case. horrible, dangerous problem with the 2010 prius, you are risking lives! *tr

When flashing the low beams/high beams on/off i routinely blow the low beam bulbs. not both at the same time but eventually both will blow. i understand from reading forums that this is a known problem however toyota will not address it unless you are under the 36k warranty. this should be a mandatory recall.

Both headlights failed to go on. both functioned the day before. high beam lights still functioned. extremely dangerous drive home. *tr

Repetitive and frequent low beam bulb failures. replacement bulbs lasting only 3 to 6 months before needing to be replaced again. always drive with the headlights on low beam during the day.

My commute is 62 miles, one way. tonight i realized my low beam headlights were not working. my high beams work. i drove the 62 miles with my high beams on. the fuses were fine. it is odd that both low beam lights were out at the same time but the high beams were fine. i searched online some and there were numerous similar problems with the prius low beam lights. *tr