146 problems related to headlight switch have been reported for the 2006 Toyota Prius. The most recently reported issues are listed below.
Head lights randomly go out without warning. Turn switch of then on and they go back on for awhile. Sometimes one headlight. Sometimes other or both. Not safe when driving in dark and lights disappear in mountains on vacation at night!!!.
Right front headlight occasionally goes out. Sometimes it works when I switch the lights on and off and on again but mostly it has me driving down the street at night with only the left headlight visible. I'm scared to drive at night, knowing that my right headlight will most likely act up again. I even took everything apart trying to get to this headlight to change the bulb but found that the current bulb was working fine. Please do something!!! I cannot stress how important it is to have working headlights and I definitely don't want to get pulled over by a cop and issued a ticket!!.
Headlight, drivers side, will go out occasionally while driving. It will come on again if the headlight switch is turned off then on.
The headlights on my Prius sometimes don't come on or may come on and turn off while I'm driving. It's usually the driver's side, but the passenger's side has done it once. If I notice it, I can usually turn off the lights and turn them back on and then they both work. It has happened both when I first turn on the lights (while stationary) and also when I have been driving for a few minutes. The problem is becoming more frequent. Hitting bumps or pressing connectors has no effect. It does not appear to be a loose connection. The bulbs work fine after cycling the switch. This has happened multiple times.
The right headlight intermittently goes out. It has happened upon start up, and while driving. It is usually noticed when sitting behind another vehicle (seeing headlight reflection in front vehicle's rear), someone tells me, or, I remember to check. When it's realized, turning the switch off, and on again, makes the light come back on. It doesn't appear to be any particular weather, situation, or length of drive that causes it. It started at least 1 and 1/2 years ago. It was first noticed 12/16/16.
I noticed in the past month that the headlights turn off unexpectedly while driving. First the driver side then both headlights then the passenger side. They go back on when I turn the switch off and then on and the problem is unexpected and not reproducible. I was told at the dealer that the headlights needed to be replaced. They would not acknowledge there is any known issue with the headlights turning off by themselves. I replaced both headlights 2 days ago and will monitor the situation.
My 2006 Toyota Prius drivers side headlight goes out completely. It turns on when first engaging the light switch and turns off when in transit. It will relight after I turn the lights off and then back on again. My dealership has stated there is no issue with my headlights and provided me an inspection sticker for the vehicle. I need this issue to be fixed.
The headlight continues to turn off on it's own while driving. Recurrent intermittent problem for months. The light comes back on after turning the switch on/off.
The right side headlight turns off intermittently. I can make it work again by turning the light switch off, then on again. I have tried to get it fixed, but the problem will not replicate at the mechanics. Therefore, I cannot get it fixed. If it was the headlight, it would not turn back on. However, I believe my car has high intensity bulbs, so I am not sure.
As I was driving my 2006 Toyota Prius at night, I noticed the road seemed "dim" on the right side. I turned the lights off then back on and it was brighter. Later I noticed the same thing and pulled off the road to find the right headlight was not on, but it came back on after turning the switch off and on again. This has happened several times over the past couple of months, sometimes affecting the left headlight as well. Once, last month, as I was driving down the highway, both headlights turned off! fortunately I was able to quickly flip the headlight switch off and on to remedy the situation. The headlight bulbs have been checked and do not seem to be the problem. Help!.
Headlights, go on and off on their own. Sometimes only one will go off, sometimes both. Happens with high beams as well. Lights come back on if I switch them completely off and then on again. May stay on for 30 minutes, may only stay on for a couple minutes. Very dangerous as the lights have gone off at night time causing loss of visibility.
Both of my hid headlights went out (turned off) during normal highway driving. Since then, the lights have continued to turn off randomly during normal driving. When I turn the switch off and then back on, the lights operate fine for a while, then go back off. This is a very dangerous issue and I see it is a common issue.
I have the problem with hid headlight 1. 5 year ago and replaced it based on the dealer's suggesting. Laterally, it went out so often but not complete out because I can turn off/on headlight switch. I do not know when it will be out or where it will be out. On the highway or in the remote country road. I am worry about my own safety as well as other safety.
I was driving down a dark unlit road when both headlights went out without warning. Luckily there were no cars behind me as I braked as fast as I could without being able to see anything. It was the same as if I had all of a sudden just closed my eyes and tried to navigate to a safe stop somewhere on the side of the road without hitting something. I would say that this was the scariest moment I have had driving in 30 years of driving. The lights came back on after turning the light switch off and back on again, so this is definitely a control problem of some sort. I love my Prius, but this is just an unacceptable design problem. Of course I would much rather just have standard light bulbs that were not at risk of failing rather than this supposed upgrade.
Just purchased this vehicle. When driving, for no apparent reason the left headlight has intermittently turned off about 8 times. When I turn the headlight switch off and on, the left headlight works again. It has been occurring more frequently over the last two weeks. More recently (twice this week), both headlights suddenly went off for no reason while driving at night. When I turn the headlight switch off and on, the headlights work again.
The first time I noticed the problem, my car was parked in the driveway after returning from shopping, still running, when my son noticed the right headlight was out. For some reason, I reached in and turned the light switch off, and then back on, and the light was fine. I figured it was an anomaly. From then, one or the other headlight would disappear every couple of months or so, but always reappear with a toggle of the light switched. I was severely underemployed, and simply could/can not afford the $500 parts & labor the Toyota dealer wanted to replace both headlights. I just kept toggling and hoping for the best. I recently returned to full-time work, but with a commute of 1. 25 hours each way. It was fine during daylight savings time, but now, I am toggling constantly, and both headlights are going out at the same time. I am traveling dark, country, roads, from fresno, CA to coalinga, CA to work at the pleasant valley state prison. I don't want to become a highway fatality statistic simply because NHTSA doesn't have the "[xxx]" to force Toyota to recall these dangerous headlights. I was unemployed or underemployed for 4 years following a lay off in the summer of 2009. I simply cannot afford to pay the $500 out of pocket, and I really don't have any credit left. Your inaction, NHTSA and Toyota, puts my life on the line twice a day. You both will probably have my blood on your hands. [xxx] you! information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).
My wife and I purchased a used 2006 Toyota Prius. After about 6 months one headlight would go out. We could cycle the switch and the headlight would work again. After replacing the bulb with a original bulb. Both headlight have gone out. I took the vehicle to our local Toyota dealership. They quoted a repair of $3800. I began looking for a lees expensive shop to do the repairs, when the owner of a shop[ informed me that Toyota had settled a class action lawsuit concerning the hid ( high intensity display) units. That settlement has now passed the date to submit a claim. All claims had to be submitted by may 30th 2011. We had not purchased our vehicle at that time. Why has there not been a recall done on these vehicles? obviously Toyota is aware that there is a problem with in the system or they would not of settled the class action suit. We now have a vehicle that we paid $15000 for that can not be driven at night or when it is raining out, because the faulty headlight installed by the manufacture. How can the government allow a major vehicle manufacture to allow these cars to stay on the road, and risk serious injury?.
The headlights will shut off randomly while I am driving, the solution I have found is to flip the switch on and off again and they turn back on, but this only works temporarily and they soon shut off again. This can be very dangerous especially when driving on a dark road at night along a curve. The Toyota specialists recommended that I replace the bulbs but that did not fix the problem.
The front and back lights on the right side (passenger) side failure sporadically. At first I thought it was only my rear light. Now I'm starting to notice that it is my right side front headlight too. Tonight I noticed that both the front and rear lights on the right side were out. When my front headlight fails, I can turn the light switch off and back on. When I turn it back on, the light works again, but I'm not sure for how long. This is a safety issue. I've read online forums and this does not look to be an isolated incident.
One headlight goes off after 1-2 min of staying on. Switching it off and then on brings it on. The cycle repeats.
Tl- the contact owns a 2006 Toyota Prius. The contact stated while driving various speeds at night the headlights were activated and unexpectedly failed to illuminate. The headlight on/off switch was engaged intermittently in order for the headlights to function. The vehicle failure was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the defect. The approximate failure mileage was 70,000. Rvk.
Multiple hid headlight failures started appearing after 5. 5 years and 110000 miles. Dealer wanted $500 per bulb (frontier Toyota) to replace the bulbs with no guarantee that would fix the problem. After researching bulb changing procedures I found the front end does not require removal if you have small enough hands and some patience. I purchased 2 new aftermarket hid bulbs for $55 and replaced the "old" bulbs. The new bulbs lasted about 3 commutes before one, then the other started turning off on me. Now the headlights act the same as before, headlights randomly turning off after 2-5 minutes on the dark road. Re-cycling the headlight switch brings them back to life for another 3-5 minutes. Now I am faced with replacing one or both ballast units that drive the bulbs. This will required removing both headlight assemblies to access the ballast boxes which are mounted to the sides of the assemblies facing outward towards the fenders ! this will require bumper facia removal to remove the light assys. Lovely & expensive. If after replacing both ballast assemblies doesn't work, I will be forced to replace the vehicle's ecu, or brain ! another expensive checklist item. Good thing I am capable of doing this myself as I can save the greedy labor charges, but its not right that Toyota gets off scott free. They should recall all Prius' no matter the mileage or age. This is a highway safety matter and the latest olive branch from the judge was nothing more than a wrist slap.
The headlights are defective. This seems to be an issue with second generation Prius and there is a lot of internet chatter from affected individuals. The headlights are showing intermittent on/off. The headlights go off automatically. They start working again after switching them off and then back on. However, this needs to be done every few minutes.
Was driving on very dark street. My headlights seemed very dim so I switched them to bright. Both immediately went off. My service dealer stated that they both went out and wanted to charge more than $300 to replace. After much discussion replaced for cost of labor. I subsequently received a letter informing me of a recall or possible problem with the lights and Toyota would replace. I submitted my invoice and received a refund. However, once again they are not operating properly. Sometimes they are on, others they are off or one will be out and the other working. Condensation has built up and changing the bulb has not helped. I have now been told it will cost me about $1000 to have lights repaired.
The hid headlights on this vehicle are intermittent. Either or both headlights fail without warning, and re illuminate by cycling the headlight switch. So far one dealer repair attempt has not been successful in fixing the problem. Repairs for this headlight system are very expensive, and not always successful.
The contact owns a 2006 Toyota Prius. The contact stated that the driver's side headlight failed and the illumination became dim. When the headlight switch was turned on and off several times, the headlights would regain illumination power. The failure was experienced numerous times. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who advised that the light bulbs needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made ware of the failure. The failure mileage was 50,000 and the current mileage was 68,000.
2006 Toyota Prius hid headlights intermittently fail. Initially the problem would occur once out of every 5 times when using the headlights. . . Now the failure occurs every time and switches between passenger & drivers headlight failing -- have not had both fail at the same time. Passenger side is usual culprit. System resets and can last for hours of nighttime driving just by turning lights off then on again. Vehicle has not been involved in any accidents and I have followed the routine Toyota service schedule. Toyota expects owners to fork out large sums of cash to replace bulbs but are not addressing the underlying safety issue that intermittent headline failure causes. Safety recall is in order!.
2006 Prius drivers side headlight intermittently stops working. If I shut off and restart from the switch they start up again.
2006 Toyota Prius with hid headlights. After 4 years of ownership both hid lamps have failed at 72,000 miles. The lights were working when I leave the garage however when I returned home they were dark. Turning the headlight switch off and back on seemed to correct the problem. I do not know how long they were off or how often this has happened but it is not acceptable to have both hid lamps to hail intermittently and unexpectedly after only 4 years. This style lamp should last years and years. Cost to replace lamps at dealer over $1,000.
Upon arriving home, I was informed the left hand headlight was not working. By switching the light off and then on, I was able to get the light to work. This has happened intermittently on numerous occasions since that time, although not just the left light. The right hand side will also flicker off and then the headlight stalk has to be turned off and on to get the light to illuminate again. This issue cannot be duplicated by me, as the lights seem to have a life of their own. What frightens me is that the lights will also go through this erratic behavior while I am driving the vehicle at night, not only when the car is stationary. I did receive info on getting Toyota to assist in the cost of bulb replacement, but since I work constantly in real estate sales, I did not have an opportunity to bring the vehicle to my dealer, and had not used an outside mechanic to make repairs. Also I had been able to get the headlights to work with the re-switching process. Because the situation has escalated and I find it occurring more frequently, I visited the dealer this morning only to be told they had no liability after the extended 50000 mile limit, and my car now has 85000 miles! it seems to me Toyota knows they have an issue with the ecu which controls this headlight function, but are not going to rectify the situation until the NHTSA forces them. This is a very dangerous problem and I do not want to end up trying to drive with no lights in the dark!!.
Driving at night with headlights on. Left headlight flickers, a few seconds later the right headlight goes dark. Less than a minute later, the left headlight goes dark. No headlights while driving on hwy 85 in san jose. I slowed and then checked to see if the light switch worked. I turned the headlight switch to off, then back on and the headlights came back on. After less than a minute, the lights repeated their failure process again. I repeated the switch off/on, multiple times until I reached my destination. I cannot operate the vehicle when it is dark.
I own a 2006 Toyota Prius. I purchased the vehicle new. It has approximately 57,000 miles. For the past six months, the front headlights will randomly stop working - sometimes the driver's side, sometimes the passenger side, sometimes both headlights. If I turn the headlight switch off and back on the lights will come back on. It is my understanding that over 1,000 Prius owners have reported this same problem to NHTSA. Please add my report to this database.
My front headlights (hid) are unreliable. While driving, they go off spontaneously. By turning the on/off switch "off" and then "on," the lights go back on. Sometimes the lights go out within minutes of turning the headlights on, sometimes it happens after 5-10 minutes of driving, sometimes it doesn't happen at all. It is most frequently the driver side light that goes out, but the passenger light goes out as well, and on at least two occasions, both lights went out at the same time. Often, because the roads are lit with street lamps well enough for me to see the road, I don't even realize my light(s) are out. This is extremely dangerous as my visibility to other, oncoming, cars is seriously reduced. I took the car to the dealer who suggested replacing both headlamps (at a cost of $172/each + $234 labor) but wouldn't guarantee that would solve the problem. The bulbs themselves are fine (and could conceivably continue working for another 5 years), so replacing them does not seem prudent as the problem would likely re-occur with new bulbs. I initially noticed this about 6 months ago, but it is happening more frequently now (several times a week vs. Once or twice a month six months ago).
On my 2006 Toyota Prius, the headlights randomly switch off, sometimes one at a time, sometimes both. The lights will both turn back on if I switch the lights off and back on. The lights switch off again anywhere from a few minutes to a few days after this 'reset. ' the car had been driven for only 20,000 miles when the first incident occurred.
My headlights flicker or fail with no warning, usually just one but sometimes both. If I flip the switch on and off they usually come back on but sometimes it takes some time. I run them during the day for safety, so I cannot tell when one will randomly cut off. This also puts me at risk of a traffic violation.