2005 Toyota Prius Exterior Lighting
Owner-reported problems and safety issues filed with NHTSA. Review common failures, severity levels, and complaint trends over time.
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The contact owns a 2005 Toyota Prius. The contact stated that while replacing the instrument cluster, the contact discovered that the turn signals were inoperable. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who determined that an unknown part needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 143,500.
HEAD LIGHT ARE INTERMITTENT; SAME PROBLEM AS 2006 AND LATER RECALL
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.
HEADLAMPS RANDOMLY TURN OFF WHILE DRIVING, BUT USUALLY ONLY ONE AT A TIME. LAST NIGHT (12/18/18), BOTH LIGHTS WENT OUT AT THE SAME TIME AND I WAS UNABLE TO SEE THE ROAD AS IT WAS POORLY LIT. WHEN LAMPS DO TURN OFF WHILE DRIVING, TURNING THEM OFF AND ON A FEW TIMES WILL USUALLY GET THE IT TO COME BACK ON. THIS IS DEFINITELY A HAZARD AND A RECALL IS ABSOLUTELY REQUIRED.
HEADLIGHTS INTERMITTENTLY GO OUT WHILE DRIVING. IMMEDIATELY WILL COME BACK ON WHEN SWITCHED OFF AND THEN ON..
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.
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.
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.
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 HEAD LIGHT ON THE DRIVERS SIDE RANDOMLY GOES OUT. IF I TURN THE LIGHT SWITCH OFF AND ON IT MAY COME BACK ON. NEW LAMPS HAVE NOT FIXED THE PROBLEM. THIS PROBLEM HAS HAPPENED AT NIGHT WHILE DRIVING ON THE INTERSTATE.
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 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
TL* 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.
INTERMITTENT HID/XENON HEADLIGHT OPERATION. MUST CYCLE POWER USING HEADLIGHT ON/OFF SWITCH TO REIGNITE HEADLIGHT. HAPPENS OCCASIONALLY DURING COLD STARTS IN THE MORNING AS WELL AS DURING VEHICLE OPERATION.
HEAD LIGHTS DIMS AFTER 2 MINUTES OF DRIVING THEN FEW SECONDS LATER COMPLETELY SHOTS OFF.
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. *TR
THE PASSENGER SIDE HEADLIGHT HAS GONE OUT 3 TIMES IN A 3 YEAR PERIOD. EACH TIME THE BULB HAS BEEN REPLACED AT SIGNIFICANT EXPENSE ($300 AT THE DEALERSHIP), BUT HAS GONE OUT AGAIN AFTER A PERIOD OF SEVERAL MONTHS. THE LAST TIME IT HAPPENED WAS 11/2014. SINCE THEN WE HAVE BEEN UNABLE TO USE THE CAR AT NIGHT DUE TO THE OBVIOUS SAFETY ISSUE IT PRESENTS. WE CANNOT AND WILL NOT CONTINUE TO SPEND HUNDREDS OF DOLLARS TO REPLACE THESE BULBS WHEN THERE IS CLEARLY A DEFECT IN THE SYSTEM. BASED ON THE HUNDREDS OF SIMILAR REPORTS I HAVE SEEN ONLINE ABOUT THIS VERY ISSUE, I KNOW MY STORY IS NOT UNIQUE. I REQUEST THAT A RECALL BE ISSUED FOR THE AFFECTED MODEL YEARS, WHICH INCLUDES 2005!
MY DRIVER'S SIDE HEADLIGHT DOESN'T STAY ON. IT WILL GO ON FOR A MINUTE THEN TURN OFF. IF I TURN THE HEADLIGHTS OFF AND ON, IT STARTS BACK UP AGAIN, THEN GOES OUT AGAIN. I REPLACED THE HEADLIGHT CONTROL AND IT STILL CONTINUES. IT DOES THIS IF I'M DRIVING OR NOT. *TR
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 TOYOTA PRIUS. WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS STATIONARY, THE BRAKE LIGHTS MALFUNCTIONED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED NOR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE ISSUE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 130,000.
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.
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).
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Quick Summary
The 2005 Toyota Prius has 292 Exterior Lighting complaints on file. 1 crashes have been reported. Review the timeline above for detailed owner experiences.