2005 Toyota Prius Exterior Lighting

LEFT HID HEADLIGHT ON MY PRIUS KEEPS GOING OFF AT RANDOM, SOMETIMES IT HAPPENS FAST, SOMETIMES IT DOESN'T HAPPEN AT ALL. BY CYCLING THE HEADLIGHTS ON/OFF TURN THE LIGHT BACK ON. THIS SEEMS TO HAPPEN TO MORE THAN JUST MY PRIUS BECAUSE I HAVE PERSONALLY SEEN MANY PRIUSES WITH THEIR PASSENGER SIDE (LEFT) HEADLIGHT OUT. *TR

THE HEADLIGHT ON THE PASSENGER SIDE JUST TURNS OFF FOR NO REASON. I SAW IT OFF WHEN STOPPED. IT HAS DONE IT SEVERAL TIMES AFTER ABOUT A HALF HOUR OF DRIVING. IT GOES BACK ON, BUT I KEEP THE FOG LIGHTS ON JUST IN CASE IT HAPPENS IN THE DARK. I THINK IT COULD EFFECT BOTH HEAD LIGHTS AND CAUSE A SAFETY PROBLEM AT NIGHT. I DRIVE ON UNLIT STREETS AT NIGHT. *TR

MY CAR LIGHTS KEEPS GOING OFF WHILE DRIVING AT NIGHT. *TR

THE RIGHT HEADLAMP WORKS INTERMITTENTLY AND HAS BEEN FOR SOME TIME AND LATELY THE LEFT IS JOINING IN. I HAVE ASKED ABOUT THIS NUMEROUS TIMES OVER THE PAST COUPLE OF YEARS WHEN IN THE DEALERSHIP FOR OTHER SERVICES. IT ISN'T A PROBLEM ANY TIME I HAVE BEEN IN THEIR PRESENCE; BUT THEY NOTED IT IN MY FILE. LIKEWISE, AS I CROSS MY FINGERS YEARLY, THEY HAVE BOTH BEEN WORKING DURING INSPECTION. THOUGHT I WAS CRAZY UNTIL I SEE TONS OF COMPLAINTS ON THE INTERNET AS WELL AS INFO THAT YOU HAD AN INVESTIGATION BUT CLOSED IT SAYING THIS ISN'T A SAFETY ISSUE. JUST WANT IT TO GO ON RECORD WITH YOU AS WELL BECAUSE IF SOMETHING HAPPENS, YOU AND TOYOTA WILL BE SUED. THIS IS OBVIOUSLY A PROBLEM WITH UPWARDS OF 2K PEOPLE (THAT YOU KNOW OF) AND SEE NO SAFETY ISSUE IN SOMETHING AS IMPORTANT AS LIGHTING? CARS DO NOT PASS INSPECTION WITH INADEQUATE LIGHTING AND REQUIRE REPLACEMENT; BUT, YOU SEE NO VALIDITY IN A LIGHTING ISSUE THAT THE CONSUMER IS UNABLE TO SOLVE BY REPLACEMENT OF THE LIGHTING UNIT?? JUST LIKE THE GOVERNMENT, MAKES NO SENSE! *TR

MY 2005 PRIUS BEGAN TO HAVE PROBLEMS WITH THE DRIVER'S SIDE HEADLIGHT. WHEN I FIRST TURN MY LIGHTS ON, THE HEADLAMP WORKS, BUT AFTER A FEW MINUTES OF DRIVING, IT GOES OUT. SWITCHING TO HIGH BEAMS DOESN'T MAKE ANY DIFFERENCE, BUT IF I TURN OFF MY LIGHTS AND TURN THEM RIGHT BACK ON, THE HEADLAMP WORKS FOR A SHORT WHILE. I HAVE RESEARCHED THIS ON PRIUS FORUMS, AND IT IS A VERY COMMON PROBLEM. THE DEALER WANTS $2600 TO FIX IT. I THINK IT IS A MANUFACTURING DEFECT AND SHOULD BE RECALLED AND FIXED AT NO CHARGE. *TR

HEADLIGHTS WILL RANDOMLY TURN OFF AND ON. SOMETIMES THE LEFT HEADLIGHT WILL GO OUT, SOMETIMES THE RIGHT, AND OCCASIONALLY BOTH LIGHTS WILL GO OUT AT THE SAME TIME. THE HID BULBS ARE NOT TO BLAME. THESE BULBS, WHEN THEY DO GO OUT, THEY BURN OUT AND NEVER COME BACK. THIS ISSUE IS A CONTROL PROBLEM/DESIGN FLAW OF THE VEHICLE. IF THE NHTSA WOULD LOOK IN ITS DATABASE IT WOULD SEE THIS IS NOT AN ISOLATED INCIDENT. IF YOU ARE WAITING ON A BODY COUNT YOU WILL NOT HAVE TO WAIT LONG. MY WIFE WAS DRIVING ON HWY 66 AT 7:30 PM ON MARCH 4TH WHEN A LOOSE COW ENTERED THE ROAD, THEN THE LIGHTS BLINKED OUT. A 2,000 LBS ANIMAL AND A 2,600 LBS CAR DO NOT INTERACT WELL TOGETHER. I SUSPECT YOU WILL KEEP IGNORING THIS AND BE A PATSY FOR TOYOTA. I PLAN ON FILING A SMALL CLAIMS AGAINST TOYOTA AND, IF I CAN FIND A LAWYER WHO WILL TAKE YOU ON, SUE THE NHTSA FOR NOT DOING THEIR JOBS. *TR

BOTH HEADLIGHTS WENT OUT DURING NIGHT TIME DRIVING. I IMMEDIATELY BRAKED BECAUSE I COULD NOT SEE ANYTHING IN FRONT OF ME. IT IS A VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION IN THAT MY 9YEAR OLD AND 12 YEAR OLD PANICKED. WHEN I SWITCHED THE LIGHTS ON AND OFF THEY CAME BACK ON. THE INCIDENT RE-OCCURRED AN ADDITIONAL 3 TIMES ON THE WAY HOME. I CONTACTED THE MANUFACTURER AS WELL AS THE DEALER. BOTH SAID THEY COULD NOT DO ANYTHING ABOUT THIS TYPE OF FAILURE SINCE IT IS OUTSIDE THE WARRANTY PERIOD. I COULD UNDERSTAND A LIGHTBULB GOING OUT, BUT BOTH GOING OUT AT THE SAME TIME IS A HORRIFIC DANGEROUS SITUATION. I BELIEVE THERE IS AN INHERENT DEFECT FROM THE MANUFACTURER. *TR

DRIVING ON I-405 WHEN THE LEFT HEADLIGHT BEGAN ACTING INTERMITTENTLY. BROUGHT TO THE ATTENTION OF THE DEALER WHEN STOPPED BY TO INQUIRE ABOUT THE PROBLEM. WAS TOLD THAT THE DEALER WAS UNAWARE WHAT THE PROBLEM COULD BE AND THAT THEIR ONLY SUGGESTION WAS TO REPLACE THE BULB, BUT THAT WOULD COST $500 AND WOULD NOT GUARANTEE FIXING THE PROBLEM. BROUGHT CAR BACK TO DEALER SEVERAL TIMES DURING 2007 AND OVER THE FOLLOWING YEARS TO DISCUSS THIS ISSUE WITH THE HEADLIGHT... YIELDING THE SAME RESULTS FROM THE DEALER. MANY TIMES DURING NIGHT DRIVING THE LEFT HEADLIGHT WOULD GO OUT. FINALLY, IN MARCH, 2013 BOTH HEADLIGHTS WENT OUT WHILE ON I-405 AT NIGHT. HAPPENED TWICE DURING DRIVE HOME WITH 3 SMALL CHILDREN IN THE CAR. HAD HID BULBS REPLACED AS CONSIDERABLE EXPENSE ($657.88) ONLY TO FIND OUT TOYOTA IS COMPLETELY AWARE OF THIS PROBLEM FROM A CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT. I AM SHOCKED THEY PUT MY FAMILY AT RISK BY FAILING TO NOTIFY US OF THIS PROBLEM, EVEN WHEN PROACTIVELY CONTACTING THE COMPANY WITH THE EXACT SAME SYMPTOMS CONTAINED IN THE LAWSUIT. *TR

WHILE DRIVING THE PASSENGER HEADLIGHT GOES OUT AT UNEXPECTED TIMES. TRYING TO ACTIVATE THE HIGH HEADLIGHTS DOES NOT MAKE THE LIGHT COME BACK ON. THE ONLY WAY THE LIGHT COMES BACK ON IS BY TURNING THEM OFF AND ON FROM THE SWITCH, AND MOST OF THE TIME THE LIGHT GOES OUT AGAIN IN A VERY SHORT TIME. *TR

MY HID HEADLIGHT TURNS OFF, IT CAN BE TURNED BACK ON BY TOGGLING THE LIGHT SWITCH. I HAD PREVIOUSLY REPLACED THE BULB, HOWEVER IT COST OVER $400 TO GET IT FIXED. IT IS DANGEROUS TO DRIVE LIKE THIS, TOYOTA DOES NOT SEEM TO ASSUME RESPONSIBILITY THAT THERE IS A DEFECT. THERE WAS A CASH SUPPORT BUT ONLY FOR 2006 TO 2009 MODELS. THERE SHOULD BE AN INVESTIGATION INTO THIS PROBLEM. *TR

DRIVER SIDE HEADLIGHT KEEPS SHUTTING OFF. IF I TURN OFF LIGHTS AND TURN BACK ON, IT COMES BACK ON FOR A LITTLE WHILE. SHUTS OFF ABOUT 6 TIMES IN 25 MILES. *TR

WHILE DRIVING, BOTH HEADLIGHTS WOULD GO OFF. THEY WOULD COME BACK ON WHEN TURNING THE LIGHT CONTROL OFF THEN BACK ON. A FEW MINUTES LATER, THEY WOULD GO OFF AGAIN AND TO GET THEM BACK ON I HAD TO SWITCH OFF/ THEN BACK ON. IT DID NOT SEEM TO BE DEPENDENT ON FAST I WAS DRIVING OR IF A BUMP IN THE ROAD CAUSED THE HEADLIGHTS TO GO OFF. WE TOOK CAR TO DEALER AND WAS TOLD EVERYTHING CHECKED OUT AND BOTH HEADLIGHT BULBS NEEDED TO BE REPLACE @ $175.00 EACH FOR PARTS PLUS LABOR TO DROP FONT BUMPER SO HEADLIGHTS COULD BE INSTALLED. TOTAL BILL CAME TO $485.00 TO REPLACE TWO HEADLIGHTS THAT WORKED INTERMITTENTLY. *TR

I WAS DRIVING ON THIS PARTICULAR DAY AND BOTH HEADLIGHTS JUST SHUT OFF. I WAS DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY GOING ABOUT 70 MILES AN HOUR. I SLOWED DOWN AS MUCH AS I COULD. ONLY ONE CAR WAS BEHIND ME AND BY CHANCE HE HAD SEEN MY LIGHTS GO OFF AND STARTED TO FLICKER HIS LIGHTS AS HE PASSED ME. LUCKILY THEIR WASN'T ANY CARS ON SITE BECAUSE IT WAS ABOUT 2 AM IN THE MORNING AND THEIR WASN'T ANY TRAFFIC. I WAS ABLE TO PULL OVER UNDER A HIGHWAY STREET LAMP ON THE SHOULDER. I TURNED OFF THE LIGHT AND BACK ON REPEATEDLY UNTIL ABOUT THE 7TH OR 9TH TRY THEY CAME BACK ON. SINCE THEN I HAVE INTERMITTENT LIGHT TURNING OFF ON EITHER HEADLIGHT AT RANDOM TIME. THE DIMMING CAN GO FOR WEEKS WITHOUT SHUTTING OFF AND CAN ALSO GO ON FOR A FULL WEEK WITH THE HEADLIGHTS DAILY. I KNOW THIS IS HAZARD BECAUSE THE TIME WHERE BOTH HEADLIGHTS WENT OUT IT COULD HAVE ENDED IN A DIFFERENT WAY OTHER THEN PULLING OVER SAFELY ON THE SHOULDER. ALSO THE INTERMITTENT LIGHT TURNING OFF OF THE LIGHTS IS ALSO A HAZARD BECAUSE IT DECREASES VISIBILITY BOTH FOR ME TO SEE THE ROAD AND OTHER DRIVERS TO SEE ME. *TR

THE BRAKE LIGHT WENT OUT ON THE DRIVER SIDE. LUCKILY I WAS PULLED OVER BY A POLICE OFFICER WHO WAS COURTEOUS TO LET ME KNOW THE REAR DRIVER-SIDE BRAKE LIGHT WAS OUT. I BELIEVE THIS A HAZARD THAT TOYOTA HAS FAILED TO CORRECT BECAUSE THE LED BRAKE LIGHT BULBS ARE NOT REPAIRABLE/REPLACEABLE, AN SINCE THE LED HAD FAILED AND THE DRIVER-SIDE TAILLIGHT ASSEMBLY IS NOW USELESS AND NON-FUNCTIONAL. I WENT TO THE TOYOTA DEALER AND THEY QUOTED MY 800 DOLLARS TO REPLACE THE TAILLIGHT INCLUDING LABOR. I DON'T LIKE HOW THE LED BRAKE LIGHT IS INTENDED FOR OVER 100,000 HOURS OF LIFE BUT HADN'T LASTED MORE THAN FOUR AND A HALF YEARS OF USE. AND THE WORST PART OF THE SITUATION IS THAT THE LED BULBS ARE NOT REPLACEABLE/REPAIRABLE AND THUS A GREATER DIFFICULTY TO REPAIR AND BRING BACK TO SAFE OPERATING CONDITION. *TR

LAST FRIDAY NIGHT BOTH RIGHT AND LEFT HEADLIGHTS BURNED OUT WITHIN FIVE MINUTES OF ONE ANOTHER. THANKFULLY I COULD LIMP HOME WITH THE HELP OF STREET LIGHTS. I DISCOVERED TODAY AT TOYOTA DEALERSHIP THAT THE COST OF TWO NEW HID OSRAM XENARC D2R 35 W 66050 ($ 175/BULB) AND LABOR ($ 113/HR) PLUS SALES TAX WAS $ 467.31. I CHECKED THE COST OF THE HID BULBS ONLINE. AMAZON OFFERS A PAIR OF THESE BULBS FOR $ 159.99 PLUS FREE SHIPPING. TOYOTA'S GENUINE PART MARK UP IS AN ASTOUNDING 217% IN THIS COMPARISON. FURTHER, THE TOYOTA PARTS/SERVICE SAID THAT THEY NEED TO TAKE OFF THE BUMPER - UNLIKE THE OWNER'S MANUAL INSTRUCTIONS FROM THE SIDE OF THE HEADLIGHTS - TO REPLACE THE BULBS. TOYOTA HEADLIGHTS CAN BE DANGEROUS IF THEY BURN OUT SIMULTANEOUSLY AND REPLACEMENT COST IS RIDICULOUS AT THE DEALERSHIP! *TR

LAST SEPTEMBER WE NOTICED THE DRIVER SIDE HEADLIGHT WAS OUT. WHEN WE TURNED THE CAR OFF AND ON, THE LAMP CAME BACK ON. WE TOOK THE CAR TO THE DEALER WHO COULD NOT FIND ANYTHING WRONG. WE HAVE SEEN A LOT OF SIMILAR COMPLAINTS ON THE INTERNET WITH NO RESOLUTION. OTHERS HAVE SPEND BIG $$$ TO FIX, HOWEVER AFTER SPENDING THE MONEY, THE PROBLEM REMAINED. PLEASE ADVISE. *TR

THE HEADLIGHTS STARTED GOING ON AND OFF INTERMITTENTLY. BOTH BULBS WERE REPLACED RECENTLY. THE CAR HAS AN HID HEADLIGHT SYSTEM. *TR

ONE HEADLIGHT GOES OUT - THIS HAPPENS SEVERAL TIMES A WEEK. CHANGING THE BULBS ONLY SOLVES THE PROBLEM FOR A FEW MONTHS. THIS IS A COMMON COMPLAINT IN SECOND GENERATION PRIUS MODELS. *JS

WHEN I STARTED MY 2005 TOYOTA PRIUS, I GOT A WARNING ON THE DASHBOARD AND THE MULTI-FUNCTION DISPLAY THAT THE AUTOMATIC HEADLIGHT LEVELING SYSTEM HAD MALFUNCTIONED. THIS IS A SAFETY FEATURE THAT CORRECTS THE AIM OF THE HEADLIGHTS IF YOU ARE DRIVING WITH AN UNUSUALLY HEAVY LOAD, SO THAT YOUR LIGHTS DO NOT MOMENTARILY BLIND ONCOMING DRIVERS. UNFORTUNATELY, WHEN THE SENSOR IN THE HEADLIGHT LEVELING SYSTEM FAILS, THE HEADLIGHTS AIM THEMSELVES TO A DEFAULT POSITION THAT IS UNSAFE; THE HEADLIGHTS AIM DOWNWARDS, AND ILLUMINATE THE GROUND 20 FEET IN FRONT OF THE CAR AND NO FARTHER. IT IS NOT SAFE TO DRIVE IN THE DARK FASTER THAN 20 MILES AN HOUR WITH THE HEADLIGHTS LIKE THIS. THE PROBLEM BEGINS WITH THE SENSOR IN THE 2004 AND 2005 MODEL PRIUSES, WHERE A GASKET FAILS AND THE INTERIOR PARTS OF THE SENSOR CORRODE AND FAIL. TOYOTA KNOWS ABOUT THIS PROBLEM AND NOW OFFERS IMPROVED REPLACEMENT PARTS AND HAS ISSUED THE TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN BELOW. HOWEVER, REPLACING THIS PART AT A DEALER CAN COST UPWARDS OF $500, DISCOURAGING MANY OWNERS FROM MAKING THE REPAIR, LEADING TO UNSAFE DRIVING CONDITIONS FOR PRIUS DRIVERS AND EVERYONE ELSE ON THE ROAD. THERE IS NO MANUAL OVERRIDE TO MAKE IT SAFE FOR A DRIVER TO DRIVE IN THE DARK. IT SEEMS LIKE POOR ENGINEERING THAT TOYOTA HAS IMPLEMENTED A SAFETY DEVICE THAT, WHEN IT FAILS, CREATES A MORE UNSAFE CONDITION THAN IF THE SAFETY DEVICE WERE NOT THERE. NOT TO BE OVERLY DRAMATIC, BUT IT WAS A FAILED GASKET AND FAILED SENSORS THAT BROUGHT DOWN THE SPACE SHUTTLE. A REPAIR SUGGESTED ONLINE INVOLVES SPRINGS FROM BALLPOINT PENS, BUT THIS IS RIDICULOUS. A REPAIR WITH THE IMPROVED TOYOTA PART OUGHT TO BE MADE AFFORDABLE, IF NOT FOR FREE. US TSB EL004-06 APRIL 28, 2006. AUTOMATIC HEADLIGHT LEVELING SYSTEM WARNING LIGHT "ON" OR FLASHING. 2004-2005 PRIUS W/HID HEADLIGHTS. REPLACE REAR VEHICLE HEIGHT CONTROL SENSOR WITH IMPROVED ONE. *TR

MY PASSENGERS SIDE HEAD LIGHT WENT OUT. IT CAME BACK ON WHEN I TURNED THE SWITCH OFF AND BACK ON AGAIN. IT HAS HAPPENED THREE MORE TIMES SINCE, TWO OF WHICH WERE THIS MORNING ALONE (12/28/2012). *TR

I THOUGHT MY HEADLIGHTS NEEDED TO BE ADJUSTED, SO I TOOK THE CAR TO HAVE IT DONE. THE SHOP TOLD ME THAT THE PROBLEM COULDN'T BE FIXED BECAUSE IT WAS THE AUTO LEVELING SENSOR IN THE REAR OF THE CAR. AFTER A FEW MORE WEEKS OF DRIVING LIKE THAT, A WARNING LIGHT CAME ON THE DASH BOARD AND THE DISPLAY IN THE CONSOLE. I ORDERED THE PART AND HAD IT REPLACED. IT SOME WHAT RESOLVED THE PROBLEM, BUT THE LIGHTS STILL NEED ADJUSTING. THEY ARE STILL NOT POINTING HIGH ENOUGH TO LIGHT THE ROAD APPROPRIATELY. THE SHOP SAYS THAT THERE IS NO WAY TO ADJUST THE LIGHTS FURTHER THAN WHAT THE SENSOR DOES. *TR

HEADLIGHTS TURN OFF UNEXPECTEDLY. TURNING SWITCH OFF AND THEN BACK ON TEMPORARILY RESETS AND THEY WORK FOR 5 TO 10 MINUTES THEN GO OFF AGAIN. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 TOYOTA PRIUS. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT VARIOUS SPEEDS, THE HEADLIGHTS INTERMITTENTLY FAILED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A PRIVATE MECHANIC WHERE THE FAILURE COULD NOT BE DIAGNOSED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT CONTACTED ABOUT THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 75,000.

FRONT RIGHT LIGHT FLICKERS OFF/ON OCCASIONALLY. TOYOTA SAYS I NEED TO REPLACE BOTH BULBS AT APPROXIMATELY $540 IN TOTAL COST. *TR

I BELIEVE THERE IS A SERIOUS AND UNDISCLOSED FLAW IN THE TOYOTA PRIUS HID HEADLAMP SYSTEM. I HAVE NOTICED THE HEADLAMPS WILL EXTINGUISH INDIVIDUALLY AND UNEXPECTED IN AN INTERMITTENT MANNER, CAUSING A SIGNIFICANT SAFETY HAZARD TO DRIVER AS WELL AS OTHER VEHICLES. I HAVE CONTACTED TOYOTA ABOUT THIS, AND ALTHOUGH THEY HAVE EXTENDED THE WARRANTY WITH THIS OBVIOUSLY FLAWED DESIGN, THEY REFUSE TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE DESIGN AND REPAIR THE SYSTEMS. I HAVE OWNED SEVERAL OTHER VEHICLES WITH HID HEADLAMPS, NEVER HAVE THEY BECOME INTERMITTENT, WHICH IS INDICATIVE OF A DESIGN FLAW OR A SERIOUS MATERIALS PROBLEM WITH THE IGNITER SYSTEM FOR THE HID HEADLAMPS. I BELIEVE THAT TOYOTA SHOULD BE HELD RESPONSIBLE AND RECALL THE HID HEADLAMP SYSTEMS AND TAKE THE NECESSARY CORRECTIVE ACTION. *TR