Headlights problems of the 2005 Toyota Prius - part 1

The headlights on my 2005 Prius continue to go out. We replace the bulbs but even with brand new bulbs will be driving and after about 60 seconds of headlights being on the light will turn off. Sometimes only one turns off but often bolt turn off and we're in complete darkness driving on the road. We have to toggle the headlight control off and on several times before they turn on again, which leaves us driving in complete darkness and it's a big safety hazard! again, brand new bulbs have this issue, too. Getting the whole headlight and computer behind it replaced is very expensive. This is a big safety issue and it has been happening and getting worse for over a year.

The passenger side front headlight started going off automatically after a while of turning on. If I turn it off and on again, it lights up and then first dims and then turns off on its own. The lights have been replaced and it did not solve the problem. This is very dangerous for night time driving as the drivers will never know when the headlights will go out. This is not a random incident; it is one of the most common problems of gen 2 Prius (04-09) that I found online. I am attaching a document that lists some online forums where other Prius owners have reported similar problems. Toyota settled a lawsuit for 06-09 Prius, yet there is no recall for the headlight issue of gen 2 Prius.

While driving driver side headlight will go out, followed by passenger headlight. Both will return on when the headlights are turned off then on again, only to occur again within 10 minutes. Both headlights have been replaced within the last 10 days.

Headlight failure. . . . . While driving. I start out with my lights on, and randomly driving down the road one headlight, or the other, will go out, or both will go out. I replaced the bulbs, have had mechanics go over the car. . . . . . Before I joined a Prius chat and learned this is a "known issue". . . . . But still no recall? I've been pulled over by various law enforcement 4 times in the last 4 months! . . . . . . . . . . Below it asks for a date on the incident. . . It happens frequently. It's been happening for at least a year.

Headlights come on intermittently. Usually they work fine, but every so often since my friend first told me my lights were out last week, they don't turn on whether the car is running or not. It can happen to one or both lights at a time, and is unpredictable, making me afraid to drive at night. I took it to the mechanic's today, but the lights were working and he couldn't determine the problem. The bulbs are fine, as long as they are able to turn on, and the mechanic agreed the bulbs do not need replacement.

Headlights go out while driving, it takes turning them on and off a few times to turn them back on. It is random, sometimes passenger side, sometimes drivers side, sometimes both. Toyota settled a class action lawsuit with 2006 - 2009 Prius, mine is 2005, but this is a safety issue and is extremely dangerous. When both headlights go out, it may take several tries to get them to come back on, leaving me without headlights as I'm driving my kids to school early in the morning in the dark, going 65mph down the highway. Currently saving to get fixed(car was a gift). I called Toyota for an estimate on this known problem and they said they I would have to bring it in and they would charge me $85 for them to diagnosis the problem. Toyota is not taking any responsibility for this problem, which clearly they are aware of and somehow skirted out of a recall or any liability for all models.

The hid headlights work upon start up then shut off after about 10 seconds. Replacing the bulb does not fix it. This is a safety issue as the headlights dont stay lit during nighttime hours.

The headlight will go out, and it will come on again if you turn the headlights off and turn them back on again. This will happen multiple times in an evening, and it happens every time the car is driven.

Driver side headlight keeps going out and I have to turn off headlights and turn them back on to make them work. This is not safe at all. It happens standing still and driving.

Headlight goes out repeatedly. Headlight works again after headlights are turned off then on again. Started with the same one headlight going out. Now the other. Sometimes both go out, including at night. Each time the headlights must be turned off then on again and they work for a while longer. Lights go out when stationary and when driving.

The headlights are prone to turning to off randomly, sometimes one side, other times both sides. After turning them on/off at the steering column they will come back on for a while then the issue starts over. This problem occurs with the vehicle either moving or in the stationary mode. No headlights when driving at night is a definite safety hazard. So far, Toyota refuses to honor a fix!.

Headlight came off and on while I'm driving all fuse ok all bulbs ok looking on the web appears like this is a common problem on this vehicle also radio light same problem.

The contact owns a 2005 Toyota Prius. While driving 25 mph at night, the headlights failed to work without warning. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted at 800-331-4331 and stated that the VIN was not included in a recall. The approximate failure mileage was 181,308.

The headlights are continually replaced (once every 6 months for the last year and a half or more), and replacements of authorized parts keep failing, consistent with issues presented in this forum: https://priuschat. Com/threads/headlight-problem. 34584/. I have checked and rechecked with dealership but they only offer $500+ replacement and no recalls or fixes for the general issue.

My headlight intermittently goes off while driving & then back on. I paid a local mechanic to check it out; he couldn't find any loose connections, etc. But did advise me of a class action suit for this exact problem on the 06 - 09 model yrs. I've contacted both a local dealership & Toyota corp. Who both refuse to fix it at no cost to me (see attached response from Toyota corp.

Left headlight is dim, goes out, comes back on when lights are turned off and then on again, but then dims and eventually fails again. This happens whether in motion or stopped, regardless of speed, and whether turning or going straight. I read that this is very common among 2005-2009 Priuses, and a design change in 2010 fixed it. That means it is caused by a design problem, and Toyota should do a recall to fix it.

The headlights are going on and off while driving. They will stay on for a few minutes and then the left or right one will go out so then I'll reset the lighting and it will come back on and then I will go out again. Sometimes the right sometimes it's the left sometimes it's both.

Takata recall im having a problem in headlight of my Toyota Prius 2005 the driver side always missed up and once I turn it off and on it works for a while then same problem I been pulled over by the police many time I have changed the light but same problem its also dangerous sometimes when im driving in a curve where is no light and the light turned off I found my self in the shoulder that really weird.

Headlights go off, one at a time, intermittently, while driving on any road. If I turn the lights all the way off and then back on again they will usually stay on for 15 minutes before going off again. I am not aware that they have both gone off at once, but I have not driven the car at night yet.

I was driving through nevada at 11 pm at night towards reno (approx. 180 miles away) on I-80 at 75 mph when suddenly my headlights went out. I immediately tried turning the lights off and on manually with my left hand, and the lights came on again (I couldn't see anything in the dark, scared out of my mind). Then, about 2 minutes later the same thing happened (I was driving slower this time). I did the same turning off and on again, and the lights came back on again, although somewhat dimmer. A few minutes later (5 minutes?) I was passed by a vehicle, that then slowed down and came in behind me, and then turned on the police lights and I immediately pulled in an exit ramp (fortunately there was one right there). After the policeman checked my license and registration, he informed me that one of my headlights was out. He asked me to try and flick on and off the lights a couple of times, and to try the brights, but none of this brought it back into working order. He then out of the blue mentioned to me (without me bringing this up) that the Prius' were notorious for having intermittent issues with the headlights, especially on the passenger side of the car (which is the side that was out, coincidently). He let me proceed using one headlight without ticketing me. A few miles later I pulled into a rest area and turned off the car for a few minutes while I went to the bathroom, and when I got back into the car and turned on the headlights they both came on, but within 20 seconds the passenger side light went out again. When I got home the next day and turned on the headlights they were both working again. This intermittent failure of the passenger side headlight has occurred a few times in the past, and I have had the toyoto dealer look into it and they claimed that it was fixed. However, this time it was life threatening.

Headlights will randomly go out while driving. Most of the time it is only one headlight but sometimes both go out. To "re-light" them you have to turn the headlights off and then back on. Replacing the bulbs does not solve the problem. At night this has almost led to disastrous effects and, from a risk management perspective, it is only a matter of time before something bad does happen as a result of losing your external headlights while driving at night. It happens whether the car is stationary or in motion. Some element of this happens every time I drive the car (multiple times per day).

The headlights (hid) stop functioning intermittently. One or the other or both will randomly shut off. The lights will come back on if they are turned off then on again. The issue has been happening for several months.

Driver's side headlight went out in 2015 and was replaced by local mechanic. Before it went out it had flickered but came back on. I was driving at night when it went out and was pulled over by police. Fortunately I only got a warning. March 2016 the headlight went out again (I noticed it in my driveway) and was replaced at a Toyota dealership on 21 March 2016. That very day, the headlight went out again (noticed it in my driveway). It would come on periodically but kept going out. 25 March 2016 the Toyota dealership replaced the "computer sub-assy, h" for $458. 52. 28 March 2016, the headlight is out again (noticed it again in my driveway).

Left and right headlights sporadically turn off which is extremely hazardous when driving at night in roads without street lights. Definitely a safety issue which Toyota must issue a recall. Light bulbs are not the issue. The issue is in the computer or balast that controls the lights.

While driving the passenger side headlight went out, I replaced the bulb and the problem continued. It turns off shortly after starting the vehicle wether it is driving or sitting, when I turn lights off and on again light will turn back on for a moment and turn off again, this happens while I am driving and I am afraid to drive it and be pulled over for not having working headlights.

While drivin both headlight turn of intermittently while I can turn off and back on they come on to one or the other or both going back off sometimes and sometimes they work perfectly this is very dangerous as you only use headlights at night.

Last night while drive 1. 5 hours home, the driver's side headlight would shut off, and if I noticed and flipped the lights off then on, it would come back on. If I didn't notice, then the passenger light would also go out leaving me in darkness. I began timing the interval, and it came out to be intermittent between one and two minutes, regardless of terrain, speed of vehicle, smooth or bumpy roads, straight or curvy roads, etc.

Passenger side headlight is intermittent. This has happened at least twice before and I believe the bulb and some other electronics had to be replaced. The dealer charges a huge amount for this repair.

We were on the overpass going from highway 87 to us 101 north in san jose going about 70 mph heading to the san fransisco airport. It was 8pm, and very dark. The headlights just shut off, while the dashboard indicator said that the lights were still on. We tried frantically tried turning the lights on and off again to see if they would come on, and they didn't. We took the next exit and stopped in front of a hotel were we could see the headlights in the window, and they were off. We turned the car off, counted to 10, then turned the car back on. The lights came back on. We turned on the foglights in case the headlights turned off again. They stayed on all the way to the airport and almost all the way home. They turned off for about 1 mile, and then turned back on.

Passenger side headlight will not stay on, it will stay on about 5 minutes and then it goes out ! what is the problem ???.

While driving in any direction in all conditions, the left headlight began flickering in may 2015, shortly after left headlight began flickering. They do not work at all now.

The headlights on my 2005 Toyota Prius go out on a much to frequent basis. I have replaced both headlights multiple times. This last time, I took the car to the dealership (northshore Toyota) to ask if they could check the headlights. I thought it could be a bad connection. They checked the headlights and said they both needed replacing, although one was working when I brought the car in for service. They did not mention anything about an issue with the headlights, and gladly took our money for replacing the lights. Upon further research, I learned that this is a problem with headlights on Toyota Prius. I feel this is a safety issue and should be addressed by the manufacturer.

Noticed passenger headlight appeared to be be out intermittently. Would turn back on after restarting lights. Consistently winks out and will restart after turning lights off and on again. Also noticed now that the drivers headlight will also go out and both lights are off at certain times, night or day.

Left headlight will intermittently go off. There have been a couple of instances where both lights have gone off on the highway at night.

Traveling along at night and headlight suddenly stopped shining. Drove about 100 miles using other people's headlights. Winter conditions.