Headlights problems of the 2014 Toyota Prius

Four problems related to headlights have been reported for the 2014 Toyota Prius. The most recently reported issues are listed below.

1 Headlights problem

Failure Date: 11/18/2019

The driver side headlight, running high beams and low beams, have stopped working despite changing the bulbs. It seems to be an issue with the ballast going out and/or just not working anymore. This seems like a major safety issue.

2 Headlights problem

Failure Date: 03/10/2018

Instrument panel lighting is dim . The brightness control does not respond when turning it up. It is consistently dim when the vehicle is on, in motion or not. The panel does get brighter when the headlights are turned on, but not during daylight . Speedometer lighting is difficult to read.

3 Headlights problem

Failure Date: 10/02/2017

The headlights on Prius are not bright enough to see the road ahead of the car. The are on but somewhat dim. Other drivers can see the lights, but the lights are not bright enough to illuminate the road in front of the car. This occurred after I took the car in to the dealer to complain about a series of electrical related problems that all started happening at the same time. The dealer replaced the headlights after they determined the headlights had burned out. Immediately, I noticed that during times when I was driving at night, the night visibility was not what it had been prior to problem first occurring. I have taken the car back to the dealer bu they say there is nothing wrong with the headlights.

4 Headlights problem

Failure Date: 02/23/2016

When the headlights - not drl - are on and the dash lights are on low the instrument panel lights go dark while crossing under shadows (bridges, trees, etc. ) in daylight and at night when going from bright lights on highway exchanges back to dark. Toyota dealership was able to reproduce the day-to-shadow problem in the shop (shop manager) the service manager was able to reproduce the day-to-shadow problem on a 2065 Prius v. I was told that this must normal for newer Priuses as no one else has complained about it. It can also appear to happen during daylight hours when wearing polarized sunglasses. The dash lights are on high, the headlights are driving under the underpass the panel light lowers so much they appear to go out. The car is a new-used car. The problem did not appear during test-drives, all taken in bright texas sun. The first time this occurred was on a sunny morning while driving through a park. As I went from bright light to shade the dash lights would go dark. It frightened me, but I forgot about it, until I was driving on I-35 in rush hour traffic at 4pm on a sunny day: the interstate in downtown has upper and lower levels; while on the lower-level the instrument panel would go dark, then light as the shadows were exacerbated by those cast by tall buildings near the interstate. It occurred most recently after leaving the dealer yesterday. Driving on I-410 in san antonio on an overcast day, everytime I drove under an overpass, the dash, radio, climate lights all went out. At night, it occurred when traveling on us-281 near lockhart, once I was under full-light, the dash lights, etc. Went out until I had been driving in the dark for about 10-20 seconds.


Other Exterior Lighting related problems of the 2014 Toyota Prius



Safety Ratings of Prius Cars
Fuel Economy of Prius Vehicles
Prius Service Bulletins
Prius Safety Recalls
Prius Defect Investigations