High intensity discharge headlights intermittently going out. No rhyme or reason as to when the outage occurs but turning the circuit off and back on again will re-illuminate the hid headlight...but for how long??
2004 Toyota Prius lights complaints
Page 7 of 7: complaints 161 to 184 of 184, newest first, as owners wrote them.
The hid headlight on my 2004 toyota prius has not been working right on the passenger side for a while. It was going off from time to time. But, now it appears not to be working at all. I took the car to the auto shop and was told that this is a common problem with many prius cars and that it will cost $457.99 to replace the unit. This appears to be an ongoing issue/defect with many prius cars, which needs to be addressed asap since this is a huge safety issue. There should be a recall on toyota prius headlights since there seems to be a great deal of complaints on this issue which involves the safety of the consumers. Thank you very much for your immediate attention to this matter.
For the last 30,000 miles on my 2004 toyota prius, left hid headlight keeps going off. However, when I switch headlights off and back on, it would go on, and stay on, for couple minutes, sometimes hours. After that it goes off again. At toyota dealership they told me that computer with the headlight assembly must be replaced. It would cost me around $400. My car is still under warranty, but they said it does not cover it, even though at the day of the purchase of my car, I bought "bumper-to-bumper" additional warranty. Why the headlights are not covered remains a mystery. Research that I did on the issue, showed that many people are having the same problem with their toyotas and have no choice but spend hundreds of dollars on something that looks like a defect in the headlight assembly. I think toyota should make a recall for this particular part.
Drivers headlight continuously goes out. I can replace bulbs and it may last 1 week. I can turn my headlights off and back on then it will start working but no more than 1/2 a mile. This is definitely a safety hazard with going down the road and flipping your headlights on and off to get them to work. Took to dealer he told me that most prius was having this problem but it would cost around 500 to get it fixed. After researching I found a message board with 35 pages address the same complaint with the headlights. Not having both headlights operational is a safety problem that needs to be addressed with the root cause ascertained and repaired by the manufacturer.
Driver-side hid headlamp in 2004 toyota prius was noticed to be very, very, dim (effectively off) around 2008/10/14. Turning headlamps off and on restored brightness. But the problem recurred at unpredictable times--frequently enough to be a serious safety problem. Frequently the driver can't tell while driving, whether one headlamp is off, and obviously it's unsafe to fix it by turning it off and on while driving. Toyota dealer replaced driver-side headlamp on 2008/10/15, for $600! On 12/15 the driver noticed the same headlamp again was misbehaving in exactly the same way, and the problem has recurred since then at apparently random times. Priuschat.com's many posters about this problem make it unlikely that just the bulb is the problem. Probably the ballast. But toyota won't comment. I do still have the original bulb, and the box from the new bulb. Lisa at toyota corporate customer experience center replied around 2008/10/18 that toyota would reimburse half of the $600. But as of 2009/1/3 no reimbursement has been gotten. I called toyota corporate again on 2008/12/16 and damian said he must forward my new complaint about the repeated failure to lisa, and that she was "required" to respond in one business day. She has not responded as of 2009/1/3. There are many complaints about exactly this problem on priuschat.com at http://priuschat.com/forums/care-maintenance-troubleshooting/34584-headlight-problem-26.html.
Random headlight failure. When fog lights are not on total failure of headlights has occurred. Right, left or both headlights will go out with no correlation to weather, speed, temperature, location of lamp or time of day. Quickly turning the light switch off then on will reilluminate both lamps. The lamps may go out again, stay lit, the same lamp will go out or the previously lit lamp may fail and the previously failed lamp may light. There is a reduced interval between failures . Lightbulb replacement has been suggested but this has not solved the problem for similar complaints.
Prius 2004 headlight goes out periodically. Turns back on only when all lights are shut down and turned on again.
I own a 2004 toyota prius. I just paid $332.50 to have my 2 headlights' hib bulbs replaced - and that didn't include the parts cost because I provided the hid bulbs from an online auto parts supplier. The symptoms were the same as noted by so many other prius owners: frequent loss of light from the headlight, and recovery by rotating the light switch off then on again...only to have it re-occur a few minutes later. Each headlight had its own pattern of inconsistency, but both had the dysfunction. I have received two traffic citations for driving with a headlight out. The dealerships in glen burnie, maryland and in laurel, maryland both quoted me a price for one hid bulb of $351.02 I was able to find the exact bulb online at partsquick.com for a price of $57.27 that's right, the dealership wanted to charge me $293.75 more per bulb. I purchased two online, which - with free shipping - cost me $114.54 for both. Do the math...for two light bulbs only (not counting labor) online I saved $587.50 had I not purchased the bulbs online, the total out-of-pocket to replace both headlamp bulbs would have been: $ 702.04 parts ($351.02 x 2) $ 332.50 labor $1,034.54 total the dealership told me they couldn't guarantee that the bulbs were the problem, nor that replacing the bulbs would solve the problem, but that toyota instructs them to replace the bulbs first. This is insane, and certainly unsafe.
Right headlight quit working I got a ticket out of the deal and the toyota dealer wants almost $1000 to fix the problem. Ridiculous the front bumper has to be removed. Many others have had the same problem sounds like a dealer recall to me.
Right headlight intermittent took it to the dealer said I don't have a problem functions perfectly. Well I now have a ticket to prove other wise. Turn the headlights off it will come on then die. Now the light just plain doesn't work. Dealer wants $886 to replace. Sounds like a dealer recall problem with a majority of prius hid systems. It is also a safety issue.
I was quoted $466 just for the price of my bulb for the headlight of my toyota prius. For a non luxury car it so expensive that a lot of people will choose to make due with their flickering one. It is outrageous that toyota did not give a more affordable choice. It is going to be more dangerous out there.
I have a 2004 prius and the front right headlight is working only intermittently. This happens at least three or four times a week; I haven't seen any pattern. I had my dealer check the light and its connections and I was told that the hid light bulb was not working and that it needed to be replaced and that I could only replace them as a pair. The reason being that they are somehow connected to each other and that one failing would lead to the other failing as well. The cost was an outrageous $452 each with labor and that my extended warranty doesn't cover it!
Driver's side high intensity discharge headlamp began switching off about a month ago. Last weekend while traveling at night, the headlamp went out about 15 times in 3 hours. Each time turning the headlamp switch off and back on temporarily solved the problem. I brought the car to the dealer and they replaced the hid bulb for $355. I had the same problem with the passenger side headlamp six months ago and replacing the bulb has solved the problem (to date). This is a disconcerting issue. I have not received an explanation as to why this occurs as opposed to a normal headlamp just burning out and then being able to replace it for twenty bucks.
Passenger xenon headlight function erratic despite bulb replacement.
Toyota 2004 prius - passenger-side hid headlight went out. Dealers want about $650 to fix!!! (includes having to take the bumper off.) the cost is an outrage. I can't afford it. These bulbs have apparently failed on many priuses, so dealers are cashing in.
While driving (or sitting idling) one (or both) of the headlights will go out. I have verified that the light goes out completely and does not just dim. When only one headlight goes out, turning the headlight switch off then back on will re-ignite the headlight. When both headlights go out, they will not come back on by turning the switch off and on. It takes 4 or 5 attempts at switching off/on before they come back on. I must drive at night time, and this problem causes me to be plunged into darkness suddenly while driving (a very dangerous and frightening experience). The dealer did not know the cause of the problem, but was very willing to sell me 2 headlight bulbs for $790.00 and if that did not fix the problem, come back and buy 2 control units for $950.00.
Hid headlamps cut out while driving, causing a potentially serious safety issue.
Driver side hid headlight goes out, but reignites (most of the time) after headlight switch is turned off and then back on. Recently, the drivers side light was out (and would not reignites), and the passenger side light went out as well, leaving me without headlights. The passenger side light did reignites after turning the switch off and back on.
Passenger headlight on 2004 toyota prius goes out intermittently. I have noticed this about 8 times. On one occasion I was in a vehicle in front of the prius and the headlight went off after 15 minutes of operation. It came back on after the vehicle was turned off and restarted. I took it to the dealer today, expecting a diagnosis and they put in a new hid bulb ($324.00). I had them save the old bulb because I am doubtful a new bulb will solve what appears to be an electrical short circuit problem. Not having both headlights operational is a safety problem that needs to be addressed with the root cause ascertained and repaired by the manufacturer.
Tl*the contact owns a 2004 toyota prius. While driving in any type of weather, one headlight would dim followed by the other. However, both headlights could dim simultaneously. The failure occurs intermittently. The vehicle's speed was not a factor. During the failure, all of the other lights were operational. The contact has had the lights repaired due to safety concerns. The current mileage is 90,000 and failure mileage was 70,000.
With light braking I can stop my 2004 prius without ever illuminating the brake lights. This risks a rear end collision. The lights illuminate after the brake pedal has been depressed a little more than 1/2 inch. The service manager at my dealership claimed that there was no adjustment and would not take the car into the shop. An incident date, as required on this form, is not applicable. This is happening every time I brake.
Tail lights on my '04 prius are slowly melting , and as a result, the decorative black plastic inside the assembly is obscuring the brake lights to the point that they are barely visible. I will need to replace these soon; toyota refuses to do it, saying I am out of warranty.
Headlights unexpectedly aim downward in my 2004 prius equipped with the high intensity arc headlights. This causes a serious, dangerous, nighttime driving condition.
1) on a 95 degree day the car was parked in the sun. 2) brake light assembly deformed in the heat obscuring some of the 6 LED reflectors. The black plastic used in the assembly does not hold up to the heat. 3) I complained to toyota corporate in california to fix the source of the problem. Nothing done to date.
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