Headlights Problems of Toyota Tacoma - part 2

My vehicle¿¿s daytime running lights (drl), which are located in the headlight assembly, are burning through the lenses. The lens in front of the bulb is discolored and seems to be melting due to overheating. The plastic is dark and looks burned. Because of the defect there is concern for driver safety as there seems to be an obvious fire hazard that has not been addressed by Toyota. This problem exists in both of my front headlights.

See all problems of the 2009 Toyota Tacoma 🔎.

Excessive heat from daylight running light bulbs cause my vehicle headlight lenses to slowly burn and crack.

Both headlight assemblies are melting from inside from the daytime running lamp bulb heat. All components are stock as-built items, no modifications of any kind. Attempting to get Toyota to replace assemblies at this time. Vehicle is a few months out of warranty time but well within miles. The headlight assemblies will eventually melt away and perhaps catch fire if this is not properly rectified. There is surely a design flaw in these headlight assemblies.

See all problems of the 2010 Toyota Tacoma 🔎.

Daylight headlight burned and broke in two parts.

The driving lights on my 2010 Toyota Tacoma have burnt both headlight lens and cracked one. The service manager immediately commented aloud that this was a design issue and the dealership had seen this problem in other like vehicles. A call to Toyota received a rapid no! to assuming any responsibility. Toyota refused to replace the headlight lens due to the vehicle being out of warranty due to mileage. On November 09, 2013, the Toyota rep offered to replace one lamp assembly but the owner had to purchase the second one and assume all labor costs. This is not acceptable considering that this is a manufacturer's design defect. It is unknown if this problem occurred during warranty or at what point afterwards. The vehicle has been regularly serviced at the dealership as per owner's manual yet no technician reported the burnt and cracked lens problem. It was the owner who first noticed the problem April 29, 2013, two days after the vehicle was serviced at the dealership. However that same week, the owner was diagnosed with aggressive cancer and an immediate treatment plan prevented the owner from pursuing the lens issue.

The contact owns a 2010 Toyota Tacoma. The contact stated that he noticed a smell emanating from the front of the vehicle. Upon further inspection, he noticed that the base of the headlight bulbs had melted as well as the socket. The vehicle was taken to a dealer for diagnosis and was informed that the wiring harness would need to be replaced. The manufacturer was notified but offered no assistance. The failure and current mileage was 45,000. . . . Updated 07-10-13 the consumer stated the problem was not the headlight bulbs, but with the daytime running lights. They were located in the in headlight assembly. The and base of the bulbs and sockets had melted. The headlight assembly was cracked from the heat. Toyota helped pay for the replacement of the headlight assembly. One week later, the problem returned. Updated 07/18/13.

2005 Toyota Tacoma. Consumer writes in regards to vehicle headlights. The consumer stated the plastic covers that covered the headlights had turned yellow. The consumer stated the covers should have been made out of glass, instead of plastic.

See all problems of the 2005 Toyota Tacoma 🔎.

Daytime running lights are causing melting and cracking of the lens covering from the inside. I took my vehicle to a Toyota dealership in tampa, florida. Vehicle was inspected. I called Toyota customer service on November 28, 2012 and explained that this is a fire hazard and requested it be repaired. Toyota customer service called me back on November 28, 2012 and said that because the "original factory warranty" had expired so that there would be no remedy offered by Toyota. This problem is well documented online on various Tacoma / Toyota owners' sites. Personnel at the dealership told me that the "replacement part" had been re-designed to eliminate this problem. . . . So Toyota is aware of the problem. The headlight is progressively getting worse. It seems that the daytime running lights were not properly engineered in this model. Because of the defect there is a clear conscience the melting lenses create an obvious fire hazard. The Toyota dealership where I purchased my Tacoma in the tampa florida area advised me that Toyota has no recall of extended warranty for this "known" problem. I was very dismayed to hear this because the issue is clearly presents a threat to the driver. Because of this situation I have to make a decision on what options are available to me. Either I replace the entire headlight assembly with the Toyota factory assembly which is already known to have a defect or I figure out a way to disable the daytime running lights to cut back on the head that builds up with them constantly being on. I would rather not disable the daytime running lights because I believe that they do provide significant safety value. I am not sure what I am going to do at this point but clearly action is needed. I would like Toyota to step up to the plate and replace the defective potentially harmful headlight assemblies.

Daytime running light bulbs on both headlight assemblies have burned straight through the orange plastic covers, causing them both to bubble, and crack in half. This is now causing the entire headlight assembly to fog over! bought truck brand new from dealer so these are the original, factory equipped headlamp assemblies. They have never been changed.

Tl- the contact owns a 2009 Toyota Tacoma. The contact stated that the headlight lenses melted and cracked. The vehicle was taken to a dealer for inspection but they only took pictures. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified and they stated that the vehicle was out of warranty. The failure mileage was 37,383. Ap.

The contact owns a 2009 Toyota Tacoma. The contact stated that the daytime running lights would cause the headlight lens to overheat, melting the plastic lenses. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who advised that there was a bulletin from the manufacturer that stated if any headlight was defective they have to replace both headlights. The dealer will repair the failure of the parts free of charge, but the contact has to pay for the labor. The manufacturer was notified and advised the contact that there were no recalls and offered no further assistance. The vehicle was not repaired. The VIN was unknown. The failure mileage was 37,800.

The contact owns a 2010 Toyota Tacoma. The contact stated that while parked, he noticed that the headlights were burning through the lens and socket. As a result, both components were cracking. The contact also stated that the turning signals would not illuminate. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for a diagnostic testing. The technician stated that both headlight assemblies needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and advised that the vehicle was not included in any recalls. The vehicle was repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 98,000 and the current mileage was 101,000.

The running / parking lights are burning through and melting the lens covers on both sides of headlight assemblies. There are visible burn marks and cracks on the lens for both sides of the vehicle.

The drl (daylight running lights) bulbs were designed to close to the lens cover and the bulb is to hot. It burnt / melted the lens on both the right and left headlights. It leaves a dark spot ( approx 2. 5 inches in diameter) . It happened when the outside temp was hot (greater than 105 deg f) and the running lights were on (they come on automatically when truck is started). I have looked on line (google search) and a lot of people are experiencing there headlights having a melted / burnt spot on both the right and left sides. The local dealer says there is no fix or recall currently. I have read that some people were getting this problem fixed if the mileage or time was within the warranty. Mine occurred after. I believe this could be a fire concern and the burnt spot is semi blocking the performance of the drl. The drl is so people can see you coming. There needs to be a recall!.

The contact owns a 2012 Toyota Tacoma. The contact stated that the driver's side headlight failed to illuminate properly and the light was distorted. The vehicle was taken the dealer for diagnosis. The dealer stated that there was no defect with the vehicle. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 10.

See all problems of the 2012 Toyota Tacoma 🔎.

The daytime running lights have burned into the inner areas of my headlight assemblies and it continues to get worse. Seeing as they cannot be turned off and they continue to get worse I fear they may one day cause a fire or further damage. I have talked to the dealer, Toyota corporate and they will do nothing and show no concern for the issue, I drive alot of miles and purchased a Toyota due to dependabilty. When the problem was 1st talked to with Toyota the truck was only 1 1/2 years old but had around 40,000 miles to which their excuse was that it is outside the warranty period. Please note that Toyota knows this is an issue as they have issued a TSB stating the problem exists and the model year 2012 and forward these are re-designed to eliminate this problem. However there are thousands of these trucks on the roads frm 2005 to 2011 that had the dtrl option and the owners can do nothing to stop this issue from occuring or guarantee their and their families safety. When I talked to Toyota they did offer to replace 1 assembly if I paid for the other at a cost of $450? why should I be required to pay to fix their poorly engineered parts that they know are an issue? you can find aftermarket light assemblies for around $80 online and I cannot believe that it costs Toyota $450 to produce this assembly, they were not making me a deal and paying for 1, I was paying for both! Toyota should recall these assemblies and replace as at this point it shows that Toyota has no plans of doing the right thing and correcting the known problem without being told they have to.

See all problems of the 2011 Toyota Tacoma 🔎.

Day time running lights overheating and melting the plastic inside headlight which looks like it is burnt and black causing headlight to crack and damage to the bulbs. I have replaced driver side now and passenger side has started to melt.

Tl * the contact owns a 2009 Toyota Tacoma. The contact stated that the headlight lens would continuously overheat and become cracked. The contact was concerned that the vehicle would possibly catch on fire since the bulb was so close to the lens. The vehicle was not taken for inspection or repairs. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 50,000 and the current mileage was 100,000. Updated 3/13/cn.

The contact owns a 2009 Toyota Tacoma. The contact stated that the daytime running lights were melting the headlight lenses. The vehicle was taken to a dealer for diagnosis and the contact was informed that the lenses would need to be replaced. The manufacturer was notified and offered to pay for the cost of the lens but not for the labor costs. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure and current mileage was 51,000.

The contact owns a 2009 Toyota Tacoma. While examining the vehicle, the contact noticed that the daytime running lights were beginning to melt the headlight housing. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The VIN was not available. The current and the failure mileage was 60,000.

After completing an oil change on my 2009 Toyota Tacoma in October of 2011 I noticed that the amber lens in the headlight was discolored and seemed to be melting due to overheating. Over the past year I have been monitoring the situation and noticed that the melting and cracking of the amber lens inside of the headlight is progressively getting worse. It seems that the daytime running lights were not properly engineered in this model. Because of the defect there is a clear concern for driver safety. The melting lenses create an obvious fire hazard. The Toyota dealership where I purchased my Tacoma in the metro atlanta area advised me that Toyota has no recall of extended warranty for this "known" problem. I was very dismayed to hear this because the issue is clearly presents a threat to the driver. Because of this situation I have to make a decision on what options are available to me. Either I replace the entire headlight assembly with the Toyota factory assembly which is already known to have a defect or purchase and aftermarket headlight assembly and hope the it is engineered better than the Toyota one, or I figure out a way to disable the daytime running lights to cut back on the head that builds up with them constantly being on. I would rather not disable the daytime running lights because I believe that they do provide significant safety value. I am not sure what I am going to do at this point but clearly action is needed. I would like Toyota to step up to the plate and replace the defective potentially harmful headlight assemblies.

The contact owns a 2009 Toyota Tacoma. The contact stated that the head light bulbs were overheating and causing the lens to melt. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the technician verified the failure and stated that the headlight assembly needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was unknown and the current mileage was 77,000.

Daylight running lights burn /melt the lens due to excessive heat, in less then 30k miles. I believe Toyota has a design problem with the drls. Every Tacoma with the drl option will eventually have this problem. The compartment that holds the dlr light is small, with no ventilation, and the lamp dissipates approximately 28 watts of heat, which is focused toward the lens (along with the light). It is simply too much heat in too small an area, and the heat is sufficient to melt the plastic lens in front of the lamp. Since the drl is part of the headlight assembly, the cost of parts is reported to be around $700 plus labor. I believe that lenses (with proper lamps) should never melt. Asking Tacoma owners to pay $700 +, every 30k miles is outrageous! my headlight assemblies were replaced under warranty, but they are sure to fail again if something is not done to correct the design of the dlrs. It appears that Toyota is ignoring the problem and hoping most people won't recognize the problem until after the vehicle is out of warranty. Now I am concerned that this condition will eventually lead to an electrical fire.

On the headlight assembly of my vehicle both of the running light lenses are melting. They first started to bubble and I noticed it at approximately 40,000 miles. I took it into the dealership to have it checked out and they said that the warranty would not cover it and offered no fix. Recently, I looked at the lenses again and they are now cracked and burnt. The plugs that the bulbs are in are burnt as well. Toyota told me they would pay half of the damages, but not the whole thing. In Toyota's service bulletin that they published in 2011, it states that the 2005-2011 vehicles have defective headlights and came out with a new designed headlight for them. With that said, my Tacoma is a 2009 model. One of my biggest worries regarding this defect is the fact that I like to go on road-trips in my vehicle which sometimes requires me to drive for long periods of time. I am concerned that over time the lenses will melt completely and cause a fire or short in the wires. I have three small children and I should not have to worry about defected headlights catching fire and endangering them. The last time I went to the Toyota dealership, I walked around and looked at the used Tacoma's and found the same issues on almost all of vehicles. Like I said my biggest thing is my safety and Toyota knows that they manufactured a defective headlight and refuse complete responsibility for it.

2007 Toyota Tacoma double cab with daytime running lights. The orange plastic lens material has cracked and burned due to the excessive heat from the bulb. The effects were noticed around 60,000 to 70,000 miles. Running headlights during the day to avoid having running lights on.

See all problems of the 2007 Toyota Tacoma 🔎.

The contact owns a 2009 Toyota Tacoma. The contact stated that the signal lights started to separate from the vehicle and the lens lost color. Also, the contact mentioned that the headlights were dim. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failures. The approximate failure mileage was 60,000.

Tl-the contact owns a 2008 Toyota Tacoma. The contact stated both front daylight running light lens and headlight housing wires melted. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer for inspection. An additional investigation was performed by the district service manager who informed the defect was abnormal. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the problem. The failure mileage was 20,000. Js.

See all problems of the 2008 Toyota Tacoma 🔎.

The contact owns a 2007 Toyota Tacoma doublecab. The contact noticed that the daytime running lights were melted and fractured. The dealer did not offer any assistance since there were no recalls. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure nor was the vehicle diagnosed or repaired. The current mileage was 70,000. The approximate failure mileage was unknown.

Front left and right signal light lens melted and cracked. Unit was inspected by an authorized dealer and determined to replace both headlights under warranty due to defect lens. Approximately a year later lens melted and cracked again. Called Toyota to report and find out if there is a recalls for this issue. Toyota representative initiated a report and informed me that there is not a recalls for this issue at that time and will not be replaced due to vehicle is not under warranty. At this time I am not sure at what point this lens melting; due to the light bulb heat may cause a fire and I am taking under consideration to remove the signal light bulbs which will make signal lights nonoperational. It has to be a bad manufacture headlight design that is causing that area to melt and an investigation should be initiated for recall consideration. Your response will be appreciated.

Daytime running lights lens is melting and cracking, this looks like it could start a fire. Toyota dealer has recognized this as a defect, informed the headlight assembly must be replaced, but not covered by Toyota. Toyota and dealer has offered to pay half of the replacement, but still very costly, for a Toyota defect!.

The contact owns a 2009 Toyota Tacoma. The contact stated that the passenger's side headlight housing melted. The vehicle was taken to a private mechanic who confirmed the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified. The failure mileage was 25,000 and the current mileage was 80,000. The VIN was not available.

The contact owns a 2007 Toyota Tacoma. The contact stated that there was excessive corrosion on the frame where the wiring of the vehicle was located. Additionally, the headlights flickered while driving at different speeds. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 8,000.

The contact owns a 2006 Toyota Tacoma. The contact stated that the headlight assembly was entirely melted. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the headlight assembly needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired but the failure reoccurred. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure approximate failure mileage was 15,000 and the current mileage was 62,000.

See all problems of the 2006 Toyota Tacoma 🔎.

2007 Toyota Tacoma 4 dr. 4x4:the low beam headlights are designed with only illumination on the lower part of the roadway blocking short distance, night time visibility with a black line and dangerously limiting reaction time. When going down an inclined roadway that approaches an uphill change in the cartway, there is no opportunity to see more than thirty (30) yards in front of the vehicle due to a distinct loss of visibility created by a shield in the headlight lens assembly directly in front of the lamp bulb. There was no consideration given to driving on hilly roads when this headlight was designed. One would never have enough reaction time to avoid hitting a pedestrian or animal, even driving at thirty (30) mph due to the very dark line in the headlight system created on low beam only. There are many times when one cannot drive just with the high beams. This is a very dangerous design and presents a very serious night time safety visibility issue. Toyota should recall these vehicle from 2005-2007 to replace the headlight assembly before someone is killed. I have never seen such an engineering blunder that was not known during daytime test drives. Updated 01/07/08. Updated 12/12/07.

Since all new vehicles and prior were standardizing plastic headlights why is it that the clouding/hazy headlight is not a safety recall issue or a replacement issue? you can use the restoration kits but after so many applications it will not work anymore. My vehicle has started with the clouding/hazing and I have been using kits but the symptom still comes back. Will this be addressed?.

See all problems of the 2003 Toyota Tacoma 🔎.