general problems of the 2006 Toyota Prius - part 2

I drive a 2006 Toyota Prius. I have experienced odd skid-like behavior while applying the brakes on bumpy roads or loose gravel. Most notably this happens at low and decelerating velocities (maybe 15 mph?) when the vehicle encounters broken pavement or loose gravel. It is often associated with the Prius' 'slippery surface' icon on the dash being lit. When this occurs it feels like the brakes do not function for a brief period. I have not had an accident as a result, but the experience has occurred at least 4 times over the four months I've owned it. Also, the front hid headlamps flicker on and off periodically making it dangerous to drive at night. I will report these problems to Toyota and based on the high volume of identical complaints I believe they should cover the cost of fixing these problems.

I have a 2006 Prius. The hid lights flicker and turn off about two times a day while I am driving. These lights are supposed to last ten times longer than regular lights. The light failure is particularly dangerous at night when the lights can suddenly turn off.

Intermittent failure of hid headlamps on 2006 Toyota Prius.

Toyota 2006 Prius. Both hid head lamps intermittantly go off, but usually not at the same time. Currently have 75k mi on car. Problem started when car had approx 55k miles on it.

Toyota is charging over $250 for replacement of one hid light buld. This makes it very difficult to replace a piece of required safety equipment on the 2006 Prius.

Hid lighting giving problems on 2006 Prius. They will occasionally blink or go off entirely. Less than 20k miles on the car.

2006 Prius (45,000 miles) hid failure. Both passenger and driver's side hid headlamp turn off after running car for about 10 minutes. Dealer quotes extremely expensive to remedy problem, considering it is a major safety issue for night driving.

Faulty hid lightbulb about a year ago, I replaced the driver side hid lightbulb and now I have to replace the passenger side hid lightbulb. Similar symptoms leading up to both replacements: the light sometimes works and sometimes does not. If I notice that the light is not working and switch the lights off and back on, sometimes the faulty light will work and other times it will not. The light never seems fully burned out as it works intermittently. At night, this can pose a safety issue. Toyota has not been able to explain this issue and has only recommended replacing the lightbulb, which is quite expensive.

Like many other Prius owners, I began to experience headlamp problems after about 4 otherwise very satisfactory years of driving my 2006 Prius. One of the lamps (the right so far) goes off irregularly during operation, and I can't tell when it has gone. This condition creates a safety hazard for other drivers because (1) in the dark a "one-eyed" car could be looming on either side of the one visible light, and (2) to reduce the risk (I think!) I routinely drive with brights on which blinds on-coming drivers. Blogs on this subject make a fix sound too uncertain and expensive to entrust to a dealer or do myself. Nhtsa should take another look.

I noticed that my right hid headlamp on my 2006 Toyota Prius was not working when I parked my car. I cycled the lights and the lamp came on, but it did appear to be dimmer than the left headlamp. I made an appointment for Jan 2nd, 2010 at my local Toyota dealership. Note that I had the same problem with my left headlamp in Feb of 2008. The dealership replaced the bulb under warranty, but indicated that the replacement would have cost $500+ if not for the warranty. I did not file a complaint with NHTSA on the first failure.

Hid head lamps turn off at random, one or the other, sometimes both at the same time. Turn off the lights and turn them back on and they relight.

Prius hid bulb failed before its estimated lifetime. These bulbs are very expensive (us$ 300. 00) plus labor (us$ 200. 00) and they failing over and over again. This item should have been recalled by Toyota and replaced for free, since customers paid premium price up front for security benefits of the accessory in question.

Passenger side head light goes out randomly. When the lights are turned off and then back on it will work for "some" period of time, could be seconds or days. Car has been taken to the dealership multiple times for diagnostics and alleged repairs yet the problem continues. Dealer has replaced bulbs & replaced some module within the circuitry. Continues to fail.

Approx. 50,000 miles on odometer. 2006 Toyota Prius. Right headlamp go of and an. Finally died.

Hid bulb flickering, works on and off all the time on my 2006 Toyota Prius Toyota dealer asks about 400 dollars to replace one bulb.

2006 Prius high-intensity discharge (hid) lamps cut out - turning the lights off and on will temporarily fix the problem. First passenger side in September 2008 at around 50k miles, now driver side November 2009 at 60812 miles - vehicle is at dealership right now so I do not have access to the VIN. Both times the dealer replaced at no charge (lawrenceville Toyota, 2871 rt 1, lawrenceville, new jersey 08648 609-883-4200). I just wanted it reported because it seemed a safety hazard and there appears to be others experiencing this issue as well.

I purchased a new 2006 Prius in July 2006. Prior to the warranty expiring (about 30,000 miles), I noticed that one or the other head light would turn off. Turning the head lights off and on again caused the light to turn on again. I was driving to work at night on a very curvy road and both lights turned off at the same time. Turning the lights switch off and on caused the lights to come one again. The Toyota dealer admitted that there had been a batch of defective bulbs. I had the lights replaced under warranty. At 59,000 miles the same problem is starting over. Only one light at the moment, but I expect the other one to start doing the same thing. Driving with one head light is very dangerous as well as subjecting you to an equipment violation ticket.

2006 Toyota Prius hid head lights turn off on their own while driving at night. Light bulb defect is intermittent. When brought to repair facility, both bulbs working fine.

I have a 2006 Toyota Prius with package #8 which includes high intensity discharge (hid) headlamps. The passenger side front headlamp keeps going out. I have taken it to the Toyota dealer twice before and the tech was not able to duplicate the problem. I took photos of when the light is out as proof. I took it in again today and the tech tells me that the bulb needs to be replaced and its going to cost $500 for one lightbulb + install labor!!! I bought the platinum extended warranty which doesn't expire until Feb 2012 or 100k miles. Of course, the warranty does not cover the electrical/light issue. The light sometimes works. There is no rhyme or reason why it does some of the time and not others. This appears to be a defect which Toyota should do something about. It's a major safety issue. I am fearful of driving at night because it is unsafe and I can't rely on the light to work. I took it to another Toyota dealer this afternoon and that tech says I need to replace the hid computer for ~ $1,000. Are you kidding me??.

Intermittent failure of right headlamp on 2006 Toyota Prius. Headlamp goes out and various times and various driving conditions. Turning off headlamps and back on resets the headlamp. The headlamp will again go out and have to be reset.

I own a 2006 Prius with hid headlamps. One of the lamps has been intermittent for over well over 2 years. I have been to the dealer and have not been able to recreate the problem. When I do find out that the light is not operating, I simply turn off the lights and turn them back on and the lamp works. Not sure for how long, because I cannot see whether or not the light is working until I am behind a car where I can see the reflection.

Headlamps flicker intermittently until one or the other remains off. This happens every time I drive my vehicle with the lights on. 11/6/2009 I was pulled over by local leo and provided a formal warning to have the issue resolved. If I turn the headlamps off and back on, both lights stay on -- for a while. Dealer says this is a known issue with 2006 Prius but will not repair because I'm ~2 months out of warranty.

I own a 2006 Toyota Prius. . . Both head lights go out while driving at night. Sometimes one goes out, then the other goes out, and then sometimes both go out. I have to turn the switch off then back on to reset the lights. Sometimes the lights would flicker, then extinguish completely. Sometimes I don't know they are extinguished until I come up on another car. This is an extremely dangerous situation, I notice this is a problem on many Prius'. Please take this situation seriously before someone is killed! thank you.

2006 Toyota - Prius both head lights go out while driving at night. Sometimes one goes out, then the other goes out, and then sometimes both go out. I have to toggle the switch to reset the lights. Sometimes the lights would flicker, then extinguish completely. This is a high risk driving situation, especially when driving at highway speeds & I encounter curves in the road.

The right front hid headlamp of my 2006 Toyota Prius keeps cutting out and then comes back on when I turn the lights off. I have replaced both bulbs, but the same thing has happened. The problem started in 2008, stopped after I changed the bulbs and started again not even a year later.

Contrary to your investigation report, both hid headlamps failed simultaneously at interstate speed. Only light remaining were fog lamps. Head lamps reset after toggling switch. The problem has happened more than once. Please reconsider investigation or recall.

Hid headlamp goes out while driving after it becomes hot.

2006 Toyota Prius hid head lights are suddenly turning off while driving, and to correct the problem I have to turn the lights off then back on again. But they will fail at least 30 times in a hour, while driving.

After several attempts to have Toyota cover the cost of replacing hid lamps in my 2006 Toyota Prius they finally did so at no charge for parts but charged $100 labor stating that I could get that refunded by Toyota provided a recall on the lamps was issued. The problem is that the lamps go out intermittently while driving. When or if the driver detects that one lamp goes out then by turning the switch on and off quickly the lamps always restart but again they will go out again maybe in 15 minutes or maybe never. As a driver you may not notice it until they both go out. I had been driving my car fro over a year before the dealer finally admitted that they were aware of the problem. Replacing the lamps fixed the problem immediately. The incident date below is the repair date.

I have an intermittent problem with passenger side hid light on my 2006 Toyota Prius. Several people have informed me that the light was out. When I checked the light it was back on and working. I find from the internet that this is a huge problem with the 2006-2008 Prius. I am attempting to get the Toyota dealer to solve the problem. It is a highway safety issue that Toyota needs to resolve with a recall.

Hid lights intermittently failed. Sometimes turning them off and then back on would temporarily "fix" the problem. Replaced driver's side light several months ago. Just replaced the passenger side light today at the dealer, costing over $250.

On my 2006 Toyota Prius, the hid headlamps frequently flicker and turn off at differing times. I've had the connections checked in case something was loose, but all connections were tight. I'm worried the lights will shut off when I'm in an area with no streetlights to light the road, thus potentially causing harm to myself and my occupants.

Hid headlamps on a 2006 Toyota Prius will shut off at random times. Turning the lights off then back on will re-engage the headlamps. There have been times where both lamps have shut off at the same time.

Driver's side hid headlamp shuts off after being on for a short time. Turning the headlamps off and back on restarts the headlamp. This started at around 40,000 miles and now the passenger's side headlamp is occasionally showing the same symptoms.

While driving my 2006 Toyota Prius the lights flicker and sometimes go off.