2006 Toyota Prius ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,EXTERIOR LIGHTING

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. *TR

AFTER OWNING MY USED 2006 TOYOTA PRIUS FOR A WEEK, I HAD MY 1ST INCIDENT: I WAS DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD AT NIGHT, AND RIGHT HEADLIGHT WENT OUT, WHILE LEFT HEADLIGHT REMAINED ON. TURNED THE HEADLIGHT SWITCH TO 'OFF' POSITION, AND THEN TO 'ON' POSITION. THE HEADLIGHT CAME BACK ON FOR ABOUT 5 MINUTES, AND THEN WENT OFF AGAIN. ABOUT 2 WEEKS LATER, I STARTED HAVING THE SAME ISSUE WITH BOTH HEADLIGHTS. I USED THE SAME METHOD AS ABOVE IN ORDER TO GET THE HEADLIGHTS TO COME BACK ON. IT DOES NOT SEEM TO MATTER WHETHER OR NOT I HAVE JUST STARTED THE CAR, OR WHETHER IT HAS BEEN RUNNING FOR A WHILE... THE BULBS GO OUT WHEN THE CAR IS 'COLD' AND WHEN IT HAS BEEN RUNNING FOR A WHILE. I TOOK THE CAR TO MY REGULAR MECHANIC TO SEE IF IT WAS THE BULB, ETC. ( AS ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS WILL NOT BE COVERED UNDER MY USED CAR WARRANTY ). I ALMOST WRECKED THE CAR GOING AROUND A DARK CURVE IN THE ROAD THE OTHER DAY, WHEN BOTH HEADLIGHTS WENT OUT. I HAVE ALSO BEEN PULLED OVER TWICE FOR IMPROPER EQUIPMENT... BUT FORTUNATELY, I WAS NOT FINED. I EXPECT THAT I WILL EVENTUALLY GET A FINE IF THIS PROBLEM DOESN'T GET FIXED... OR WORSE... I COULD HAVE A WRECK AND BE KILLED... AS MOST OF THE DRIVING I DO IS AT NIGHT, AND OFTEN... I DRIVE ON COUNTRY ROADS THAT HAVE NO STREET LIGHTS... NOT TO MENTION... DEER RUNNING OUT IN THE ROAD. *TR

2006 TOYOTA PRIUS. MY HEADLIGHTS FAILED ON MOUNTAIN ROAD WITHOUT ANY WARNING. I WAS DOING ABOUT 50MPH AND SWERVED INTO THE SHOULDER TO AVOID GOING OFF CLIFF. THIS VEHICLE IS A DEATH TRAP AFTER DARK AND SOMEBODY IS GOING TO LOSE THEIR LIFE BECAUSE TOYOTA DOESN'T SEEM TO TAKE THIS SERIOUSLY. I CALLED THEIR CONSUMER HOTLINE AN WAS TOLD I WOULD HAVE TO FOOT THE BILL OF NEARLY $900.00. I WAS THEN TOLD BY TOYOTA TO HAVE THE CAR REPAIRED AND THEY WOULD REIMBURSE ME. I FOUND A TOYOTA DEALER TO DO REPAIR FOR $502.00 AND NOW TOYOTA TELLS ME THIS WAS NOT A PARTICIPATING DEALER EVEN THOUGH IT WAS AN AUTHORIZED FACTORY TOYOTA DEALER. IT TRULY SEEMS LIKE TOYOTA IS TRYING TO AVOID THIS PROBLEM. I NOW WANT TO SELL THIS CAR ASAP BUT AM CONCERNED FOR THE SAFETY OF THE PERSON WHO WILL ULTIMATELY BUY IT FROM ME. I'M WONDERING IF I COULD FACE A LAWSUIT FOR KNOWINGLY SELLING A CAR WITH THIS SERIOUS SAFETY DEFECT ? PLEASE HELP US !!! *TR

THE LEFT AND RIGHT HEADLIGHTS SOMETIMES GO OUT INDEPENDENTLY OF ONE ANOTHER. OTHER TIMES THEY BOTH GO OUT. OF COURSE, THIS IS NOT GOOD WHILE DRIVING IN DARKNESS. FLIPPING HEADLIGHT SWITCH TO OFF AND BACK ON FIXES THE PROBLEM, BUT SOMETIMES IT'S ONLY A TEMPORARY FIX AND I HAVE TO DO IT AGAIN A FEW MINUTES LATER, AND OTHER TIMES BOTH LIGHTS REMAIN ON. FOR UNEXPLAINED REASONS, THE PROBLEM IS OCCURRING MORE FREQUENTLY NOW. IT SEEMS THAT THIS IS NOT UNCOMMON IN THE PRIUS AND I, MYSELF, HAVE SEEN OTHER CARS WITH A HEADLIGHT OUT HERE IN THE BURLINGTON, VT AREA. IN FACT, A CO-WORKER TOOK HIS INTO THE SHOP AND THEY SAID IT WAS A BAD BULB. WHAT I'M READING IS THAT IT'S NOT THE BULBS.*TR

MALFUNCTION IN HID HEADLIGHTS FOR TOYOTA PRIUS IS CHRONIC - ALWAYS FLASHING OFF AND ON - MOSTLY OFF. THEY WERE REPLACED ONCE IN 2007 FOR FREE WHILE UNDER WARRANTY. THIS HAS BEEN OCCURRING CONSTANTLY FOR THE PAST 6 MONTHS AND ALTHOUGH I HAVE A 5Y/100,000 MILE WARRANTY, THE DEALERSHIP SAID THIS WAS ONLY COVERED UNDER THE 3 YR/30,000 MILE WARRANTY AND WANTS TO CHARGE ME TO FIX THIS ISSUE THAT IS CHRONIC WITH THE PRIUS. *TR

DRIVER'S-SIDE HEADLIGHT SUDDENLY TURNS OFF WHILE DRIVING, USUALLY WITHIN 5-15 MINUTES OF DRIVING. THIS OCCURS DURING BOTH CITY AND HIGHWAY DRIVING. SINCE APPROXIMATELY MAY 2008, FRIENDS AND FAMILY DRIVING IN FRONT OF ME DURING GROUP TRIPS WOULD PERIODICALLY MENTION THAT ONE OF MY HEADLIGHTS WAS OFF. I WOULD LATER CHECK THE HEADLIGHTS AND FIND BOTH OPERATIONAL. EVENTUALLY, I STARTED TO NOTICE, THROUGH LOOKING AT THE REFLECTION IN OTHER CARS, THAT MY DRIVER'S SIDE HEADLIGHT WOULD INDEED BE OFF. TURNING THE LIGHTS OFF VERY QUICKLY AND TURNING THEM BACK ON AGAIN WOULD USUALLY SOLVE THE PROBLEM. HOWEVER, AS TIME WENT ON, THE OCCURRENCE BECAME MORE AND MORE FREQUENT. NOW, MY DRIVER'S SIDE HEADLIGHT TURNS OFF SUDDENLY, EVERY TIME I DRIVE, WITHIN 15 MINUTES OF TURNING ON. FLICKING THE LIGHTS OFF AND ON DOES TURN BOTH LIGHTS BACK ON, BUT THE PROBLEM RETURNS AGAIN WITHIN 5-15 MINUTES. I AM VERY CONCERNED ABOUT THIS PROBLEM BECOMING PROGRESSIVELY WORSE, AND I HAVE READ MANY ACCOUNTS ONLINE OF BOTH HEADLIGHTS EVENTUALLY FAILING, WHICH IS ESPECIALLY WORRISOME. *TR UPDATED 04/16/09.*JB

I HAVE 2006 PRIUS. THE PASSENGER SIDE HEADLIGHT IS INTERMITTENT. I HAVE NOTICED THIS FOR ABOUT 2 MONTHS NOW. IT HAS 35,000 MILES. HAVE BEEN READING THIS IS QUITE COMMON IN 2006 PRIUS YET TOYOTA HAS NOT OFFERED RECALL. OBVIOUSLY DRIVING WITH A HEADLIGHT OUT IS NOT ONLY A SAFETY ISSUE BUT A LEGAL ISSUE AS WELL. *TR

TOYOTA IS FAMILIAR WITH THE HID LIGHTS ON THEIR TOYOTA PRIUS' AND EVEN ISSUED A TSB (T-SB-0030-08) AND IS STILL REQUIRING THE END USER TO PAY UPWARDS TO $800 FOR THE REPAIR. WITHIN THE LAST FEW WEEKS, I AM HAVING TO TURN MY HEADLIGHTS ON AND OFF IN THE DAY OR DURING THE NIGHT SO THAT I CAN HAVE BOTH LIGHTS ON. IT'S AN INTERMITTENT ISSUE AND MANY OTHER OWNERS ARE COMPLAINING ABOUT THE SAME ISSUE. IT IS A TREMENDOUS SAFETY ISSUE ESPECIALLY WHEN DRIVING AT NIGHT. FOR THE 2010 MODEL PRIUS, TOYOTA HAS EVEN TAKEN OUT THE HID LIGHTS. WHAT IS REALLY GOING ON HERE. I AM NOT A HAPPY CONSUMER. *TR

ABOUT A YEAR A GO MY PASSENGER SIDE HEADLIGHT STARTED TURNING ON AND OFF RANDOMLY ON MY 2006 TOYOTA PRIUS. I TOOK MY CAR TO TOYOTA OF BERKELEY I-80 JUNCTION SERVICE CENTER TO FIX THE PROBLEM. I WAS TOLD THAT TOYOTA WOULD BE MORE THAN HAPPY TO DO A FULL DIAGNOSTIC ON MY CAR AT THE COST OF $125 TO SEE WHAT THE PROBLEM WAS BUT SINCE MY LIGHT WAS ON AT THAT TIME THEY DID NOT THINK THEY COULD DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM. MY PASSENGER SIDE HEADLIGHT HAD BEEN RANDOMLY TURNING OFF WHILE I WAS DRIVING AND IN ORDER TO GET MY LIGHT TO TURN BACK ON I WOULD HAVE TO STOP MY CAR, TURN MY LIGHTS OFF, THEN TURN THEM BACK ON, AND OCCASIONALLY THIS WOULD CORRECT THE PROBLEM. RECENTLY MY HEADLIGHT WENT OUT COMPLETELY AND I TOOK MY CAR TO TOYOTA OF DUBLIN SERVICE CENTER TO HAVE ONE OF MY HEADLIGHTS REPLACED. I WAS THEN SHOCKED TO LEARN THAT MY CAR HAD HID LIGHTS THAT COST $400 PER BULB PLUS LABOR TO REPLACE. MY FRONT BUMPER NEEDED TO BE REMOVED IN ORDER TO GET TO THE LIGHTS THEREFORE IT WAS NOT A SIMPLE JOB AND WOULD TAKE A FEW HOURS TO COMPLETE. HEARING THIS APPALLED ME! WHEN I PURCHASED THE CAR AND THE EXTENDED WARRANTY I WAS NEVER TOLD ANYTHING ABOUT REPLACING THE LIGHTS AND HOW MUCH IT WOULD COST. THIS IS A RIDICULOUS CHARGE FOR LIGHTS THAT DO NOT LAST THREE YEARS. I BELIEVE THAT THERE IS MORE WRONG WITH THIS CAR THAN JUST A LIGHT THAT NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. I FEEL THAT THE FAULTY LIGHTS IN THE 2006 TOYOTA PRIUS ARE A SAFETY HAZARD AND NEED TO BE RECALLED. I AM A SINGLE MOTHER WITH TWO YOUNG CHILDREN. I DO NOT FEEL SAFE DRIVING MY CAR WITH MY CHILDREN, NOR DO I FEEL GOOD ABOUT SELLING MY CAR TO AN UNKNOWING BUYER, AND I DO NOT HAVE THE MONEY TO KEEP PAYING REPAIR BILLS IN THE AMOUNT OF $1000 OR MORE TO REPLACE HEADLIGHTS! I AM ASKING FOR AN IMMEDIATE RECALL OF THE 2006 TOYOTA PRIUS SO THIS SAFETY HAZARD CAN BE CORRECTED. *TR

I HAVE A TOYOTA PRIUS 2006. ITS HEADLIGHT BULBS ARE NOT WORKING. LIGHTS GO ON AND OFF. SOMETIMES WE DON'T EVEN KNOW IF THEY ARE OFF AND OTHER DRIVERS BLINK US ON THE ROAD TO WARN. TOYOTA DEALERSHIP IS TELLING US THAT WE NEED NEW HEADLIGHT BULBS. I HAVE EXTENDED WARRANTY THROUGH TOYOTA. TOYOTA DENIED COVERAGE FROM MY BULB REPLACEMENT. THIS PROBLEM HAS BEEN REPORTED BY MANY PRIUS OWNERS. TOYOTA NEEDS TO RECALL THE DEFECTIVE BULBS AND TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR THIS DEFECTIVE PART. THIS IS A DANGEROUS NEGLECT BY TOYOTA AND CAN RESULT IN SERIOUS INJURIES AND DAMAGES TO ITS CUSTOMERS. *TR

I'VE GOT A PACKAGE 6 2006 PRIUS WITH MULTI-REFLECTOR HALOGAN AUTO-OFF HEADLAMPS. THE HID LAMPS ON THIS MODEL PRIUS ARE NOTORIOUS FOR FAILING WITHIN THREE YEARS. SEE HTTP://PRIUSCHAT.COM/FORUMS/CARE-MAINTENANCE-TROUBLESHOOTING/34584-HEADLIGHT-PROBLEM.HTML. THE PASSENGER SIDE HEADLIGHTS KEEPS GOING OUT. I CAN'T REALLY TELL WHEN OR HOW IT GOES OUT SINCE I CAN'T SEE IT. I'LL NOTICE IT WHEN I SEE THE REFLECTION IN THE BACK OF ANOTHER CAR. WHEN I TURN THEM ALL THE WAY OFF AND BACK ON THE LIGHT COMES BACK. SOMETIMES ON LONG TRIPS IT WILL STAY ON THE WHOLE TIME, SOMETIMES IT WON'T. SOMETIMES ON SHORT TRIPS IT WILL GO OUT, SOMETIMES IT WON'T. IT IS NOT AN EVENT I CAN MAKE HAPPEN. VERY SIMILAR TO OTHER POSTED DESCRIPTIONS. *TR

INTERMITTENT LOSE OF HEADLIGHTS THAT CAN BE EITHER THE DRIVER'S OR THE PASSENGER'S LAMP. SYSTEM CAN BE RESTORED BY RECYCLING THE HEADLIGHT SWITCH. *TR

HID BULB INTERMITTENTLY SHUTS OFF IN MY 2006 TOYOTA PRIUS. TOYOTA WANTS TO REPLACE BULB ($162.50 EACH). HOWEVER, ACCORDING TO THE BLOGS, THIS IS A RECURRING PROBLEM WITH PRIUS'S AND MAY BE A "CONTROLLER" PROBLEM, NOT A BULB ISSUE. *TR

TO DATE WE HAVE NOT HAD AN INCIDENT, HOWEVER I BELIEVE THE FAILURE OF OUR HEADLIGHT AND THE LACK OF TOYOTA TO CORRECTLY IDENTIFY AND CORRECT THIS PROBLEM IS UNACCEPTABLE. THE FAILURE OCCURS EVERYDAY WHILE DRIVING THE VEHICLE. WE WERE TOLD BY THE DEALERSHIP TO REPLACE THE BULB. THE COST OF THE REPAIR IS OVER $500.00. AFTER READING MANY COMPLAINTS, THE WIRING OR CONNECTION SEEMS TO BE THE PROBLEM, NOT THE BULB. *TR

MY FRONT HEADLIGHT DOES NOT ALWAYS WORK RELIABLY. IT WILL STOP WORKING SOMETIMES WHEN I AM DRIVING, BUT MAY RETURN TO NORMAL OPERATION WHEN I POWER OFF THE CAR. WHEN I TRIED TO GET THIS REPAIRED, THE TECHNICIAN COULD NOT FIND ANYTHING WRONG. AFTER RESEARCHING ON THE DISCUSSION BOARDS, I HAVE LEARNED THAT THERE ARE MANY OTHER PRIUS DRIVERS THAT HAVE THIS SAME PROBLEM. THE CAR IS ONLY 2 YEARS OLD. I BELIEVE THAT THERE IS A DESIGN ISSUE WITH THE HEADLIGHT DRIVE ELECTRONICS. *TR

HIGH INTENSITY HEADLIGHT PROBLEM ON 2006 PRIUS. LIGHT GOES OFF INTERMITTENTLY. SOMETIMES WILL COME BACK ON AFTER FLICKING ON AND OFF A FEW TIMES. SOMETIMES WILL NOT COME ON AT ALL. REPLACED PASSENGER SIDE AT AROUND 26,000 MILES AND DRIVER'S SIDE A FEW MONTHS LATER. COVERED BY WARRANTY THOSE TIMES. NOW AT 53,000 PASSENGER SIDE IS OUT AND DEALER IS CHARGING $300.00 TO REPLACE HEADLIGHT. DEALER STATED THAT THEY HAVE HAD MANY OTHER CUSTOMERS WITH SAME PROBLEM. AS OF TODAY THERE IS NO RECALL. *TR