2007 Toyota Prius Exterior Lighting
Owner-reported problems and safety issues filed with NHTSA. Review common failures, severity levels, and complaint trends over time.
Complaint Timeline
Chronological view of owner reports
PASSENGER SIDE HEADLIGHT GOES OFF INTERMITTENTLY. IF I NOTICE THE HEADLIGHT IS OUT I CAN TURN MY LIGHTS OFF THEN BACK ON AND THE HEADLIGHT THAT WAS OUT WILL COME BACK ON. I NOTICED IT FOR THE FIRST TIME A COUPLE OF DAYS AGO. *TR
HEADLIGHTS HAVE FAILED 3 TIMES - DEALER CHARGES $100 TO CHANGE THE BULBS. CAR IS STILL UNDER FACTORY WARRANTY. *TR
DRIVER'S HID HEADLAMP INTERMITTENTLY GOES OFF WITHOUT NOTICE. TURNING THE HEADLIGHT SWITCH TO THE "OFF" POSITION AND THE "ON" SOMETIMES SOLVES THE PROBLEM TEMPORARILY. MANY OTHER COMPLAINTS FROM OTHER OWNERS DESCRIBING THE SAME FAILURE. *TR
I HAVE A 2007 TOYOTA PRIUS WITH 24,000 MILES ON THE CLOCK. MY DRIVER'S SIDE HIGH INTENSITY DISCHARGE HEADLAMP HAS FAILED PREMATURELY. MY TOYOTA DEALERSHIP HAS QUOTED ME $193 FOR A REPLACEMENT HEADLAMP AND OVER $350 TO HAVE THEM REPLACE IT. THIS IS OUTRAGEOUS. I HAVE ALSO SEEN ON VARIOUS ONLINE BULLETIN BOARDS THAT THIS IS A CONSISTENT PROBLEM WITH PRIUS AND THAT TOYOTA IS NOT ACCEPTING RESPONSIBILITY FOR WHAT IS CLEARLY A DEFECT. *TR
VEHICLE: PRIUS 2007. MILEAGE: 33,285 PROBLEM: UNPREDICTABLE INTERMITTENT AND SPONTANEOUS TURNING OFF OF LEFT FRONT HEADLIGHT DUE TO OVERHEATING OF THE TRANSFORMER CONTROL LOCATED DIRECTLY UNDER THE HEADLIGHT. FROM THE INTERNET DISCUSSION GROUPS RE THIS PROBLEM I BELIEVE IT IS WIDESPREAD, POTENTIALLY A DANGEROUS SAFETY ISSUE, AND TO MY KNOWLEDGE NOT RECOGNIZED AS SUCH BY TOYOTA. I FEEL THIS SHOULD BE INVESTIGATED. *TR
2007 TOYOTA PRIUS - 33000 MILES - DRIVER SIDE HEADLIGHT KEEPS GOING OUT INTERMITTENTLY CAUSING POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS NIGHT TIME DRIVING CONDITIONS. IF I TURN THE LIGHT SWITCH ON AND OFF THE LIGHT COMES BACK ON BUT GOES OFF AGAIN A SHORT TIME LATER. *TR
WHILE DRIVING ON INTERSTATE 405 IN PORTLAND, OR, THE HID HEADLIGHTS ON MY 2007 TOYOTA PRIUS SUDDENLY TURNED OFF. SWITCHING THEM OFF AND THEN ON AGAIN CAUSED THE LAMPS TO WORK AGAIN TEMPORARILY, WITH THE LEFT AND THE RIGHT LIGHTS TURNING OFF AT RANDOM. FORTUNATELY, I WAS IN A WELL LIT AREA OF THE INTERSTATE AND NO HARM RESULTED FROM THIS INCIDENT. *TR
THE HEAD LIGHTS FAILED AFTER A SHORT PERIOD OF DRIVING AT NIGHT. THE INCIDENT RECURS OFTEN AND IT IMPACTS ON OUR SAFETY AND THE SAFETY OF OTHER DRIVERS. *TR
I HAVE A 2007 PACKAGE 5 TOYOTA PRIUS AND THE HEADLIGHTS KEEP GOING IN AND OUT. THIS HAPPENS RANDOMLY WHILE I'M DRIVING AND ALTERNATES HEADLIGHTS. USUALLY IF I SWITCH THE LIGHTS OFF AND TURN IT BACK THEY BOTH COME ON. THIS WAS BROUGHT TO MY ATTENTION BY A FRIEND WHO NOTICED I HAD ONE HEADLIGHT OUT. OTHERWISE I'LL RANDOMLY NOTICE IT IN THE REFLECTION OF THE CAR IN FRONT OF ME. LAST NIGHT BOTH HEADLIGHTS WENT OUT WHILE I WAS DRIVING ON THE INTERSTATE. THIS IS VERY DANGEROUS AND WE AS DRIVERS MAY NOT EVEN NOTICE. IT PUTS ME AS WELL AS OTHER DRIVERS AT RISK. I LOOKED ONLINE AT FORUMS AND IT LOOKS LIKE THIS IS A COMMON ISSUE FOR THE PRIUS' AND IT COSTS $2000+ TO REPAIR. I THINK THAT TOYOTA SHOULD HAVE TO ISSUE A RECALL FOR THIS BEFORE SOMEONE GETS SERIOUSLY INJURED. THEY SOLD A FAULTY PRODUCT AND SHOULD BE RESPONSIBLE FOR RESOLVING THE ISSUE. *TR
I HAVE A 2007 TOYOTA PRIUS. THE LEFT HEADLAMP REPEATEDLY FAILS WITHOUT WARNING. RECENTLY, BOTH HEADLAMPS BLINK AND GO OUT. *TR
HID HEADLIGHT GOES OUT INTERMITTENTLY. *TR
I HAVE A 2007 TOYOTA PRIUS WITH HID HEADLIGHTS. RECENTLY THE DRIVERS HEADLIGHT WILL GO OUT FOR A SHORT TIME (10-20 MIN) THEN COME BACK ON. IT WILL DO THIS INTERMITTENTLY. *TR
NOTICED THE PASSENGER HEADLIGHT ON MY 2007 TOYOTA PRIUS WAS OUT. I TURNED THE LIGHTS OFF AND BACK ON AND THEY CAME ON. NOW IT FREQUENTLY GOES OFF, BUT WILL COME BACK ON WHEN I TURN THEM OFF AND ON. WE PRICED A NEW BULB, WHICH IS IN EXCESS OF $150. BUT NOW WE ARE CONCERNED THAT WILL BE A WASTE OF MONEY. IF WE REPLACE THE BULB AND THE PROBLEM IS SOMETHING ELSE LIKE WIRING, ETC...THEN WHAT?!? *TR
I OWN A 2007 TOYOTA PRIUS. THE LAST FEW WEEKS MY HEADLIGHTS FLICKER AND THEN TURN OFF WITH NO WARNING. SOMETIMES ONLY 1 LIGHT GOES OUT BUT USUALLY THEY BOTH DO GIVEN THE TIME. THIS IS A HUGE SAFETY HAZARD IF YOU ARE ON A CURVE ROAD AND THEN ALL OF A SUDDEN SEE NOTHING. TOYOTA DEALER SAYS MY WARRANTY GOLD PLUS 6 YEARS 100K MILES DOES NOT COVER THIS. *TR
I OWN A 2007 TOYOTA PRIUS WITH 62,000 MILES. AT 45,000 MILES I NOTICED THE HID HEADLIGHT WOULD GO OUT A SHORT TIME AFTER THEY WERE TURNED ON. IF THE LIGHT WERE TURNED OFF AND BACK ON THE HEADLIGHT WOULD STAY ON FOR A SHORT TIME AND THEN GO OUT AGAIN. TOYOTA SAID I COULD TRY CHANGING THE BULBS. I HAD BULBS REPLACED AT 60,000 MILES WITH THE APPROPRIATE HID BULBS. THE HEADLIGHT ON THE DRIVER SIDE STILL GOES OUT A MINUTE OR TWO AFTER TUNING THE LIGHTS ON AND WILL LIGHT UP AGAIN IF THE LIGHTS ARE TURNED ON AND OFF; HOWEVER, THE HEADLIGHT GOES OUT AFTER A MINUTE OR TWO. THROUGH THE INTERNET I HAVE LEARNED THAT THIS HAS BEEN A CHRONIC PROBLEM THAT MANY OTHER TOYOTA PRIUS OWNERS HAVE EXPERIENCED. *TR
2007 TOYOTA PRIUS, PURCHASED NEW, NOW 46K MILES, HID HEADLAMP FAILURE, STOPPED BY POLICE, HARD TO TROUBLESHOOT, OEM PART TOO EXPENSIVE, LOOKING FOR AFFORDABLE REPLACEMENT, UNSAFE / ILLEGAL TO DRIVE WITH ONE HEADLAMP. *TR
2007 PRIUS. ~43K MILES NOTICED INTERMITTENT OUTAGES ON PASSENGER SIDE HEAD LIGHT. MENTIONED THIS TO DEALER, WHO SAID HE COULD CHANGE THE BULB, BUT IT COULD BE THE COMPUTER, AND THAT WAS AN EXPENSIVE REPAIR. A FEW MONTHS LATER, NOW AT 53K MILES, BOTH HEADLIGHTS WENT OUT WITHOUT WARNING. COULD TURN THEM OFF AND ON AGAIN, AND THEY WOULD WORK FOR ABOUT 90 SECONDS BEFORE ONE OR BOTH OF THEM WOULD FAIL AGAIN. DRIVING DOWN THE HIGHWAY AND BEING CAUGHT IN PITCH BLACK FOR THE FEW SECONDS NECESSARY TO TURN MY LIGHTS OFF THEN ON AGAIN WAS NOT SUSTAINABLE. I WAS 2 HOURS FROM HOME AT 9:30 PM. HAD TO FIND ALTERNATIVE LODGING, AND CONTINUE TRIP IN DAYLIGHT. *TR
THE HID HEADLIGHT IN MY 2007 TOYOTA PRIUS ISN'T WORKING QUITE RIGHT! AFTER A FEW MINUTES OF RUNNING THE HEADLIGHTS, THE DRIVER'S SIDE JUST TURNS OFF. IF I TURN THE HEADLIGHTS OFF AND BACK ON AGAIN, IT WORKS JUST FINE. I'VE READ THAT THIS IS A DOCUMENTED PROBLEM SO I WANTED TO HAVE MY PROBLEM PUT ON RECORD. *TR
2007 PRIUS HID LAMP FAILURE. DRIVER SIDE (LEFT). INITIALLY TURNS ON AND THEN IMMEDIATELY DIMS TO NO LIGHT. *TR
ON MY 2007 TOYOTA PRIUS, I AM HAVING INTERMITTENT FRONT HEADLIGHT (HID) FAILURE. I HAVE LESS THAN 30K MILES ON THE CAR AND HAVE NOTICED THAT THE FRONT DRIVER'S SIDE HID WORKS AND THEN DOESN'T WORK, THEN COMES BACK ON. I HAVE NOT GONE INTO THE DEALERSHIP YET, BUT I HAVE READ HUNDREDS OF FORUM POSTINGS AT HTTP://WWW.HYBRIDCARS.COM/FORUMS/REPLACING-HEADLIGHT-BULB-T910.HTML THAT ALL HAVE HAD THE EXACT SAME PROBLEM WITH NO RESOLUTION FROM TOYOTA. THIS IS A SAFETY HAZARD!!! *TR
THE HEADLIGHT ON THE PASSENGER SIDE OF MY 2007 TOYOTA PRIUS GOES ON AND OFF WHILE DRIVING. THIS CAN HAPPEN AT DIFFERENT TIMES WITHOUT ANY REGULAR PATTERN WHICH CAN CAUSE ME TO GET PULLED OVER BY THE POLICE. THE SAME THING OCCURRED WITH THE HEADLIGHT ON THE DRIVER'S SIDE AND HAD TO BE REPLACED. THIS IS A DANGEROUS SAFETY DEFECT. *TR
I HAVE A 2007 PRIUS WITH HID HEADLIGHTS. WHILE DRIVING EARLY ONE MORNING, I NOTICED THAT THE PASSENGER SIDE HEADLIGHT WAS OUT. WHEN I LEFT WORK THAT NIGHT, I NOTICED THE LIGHT WAS BACK ON. IN THE FOLLOWING WEEKS, THE HEADLIGHT WOULD INTERMITTENTLY FAIL AND THEN COME BACK ON IF I CYCLED THE HEADLIGHT SWITCH. DEALER COULD NOT REPEAT THE PROBLEM BUT GAVE ME AN ESTIMATE TO REPLACE THE BULB. THIS NOW OCCURS REPEATEDLY EVERY TIME I USE THE HEADLIGHTS ' THE LIGHT GOES OUT, I CYCLE THE SWITCH, AND THE HEADLIGHT COMES BACK ON FOR A WHILE. FIRST OCCURRENCE WAS AT ABOUT 37,000 MILES. CAR NOW HAS ABOUT 41,000 MILES. SO FAR THE DRIVER'S SIDE HEADLIGHT HAS NOT HAD THIS PROBLEM, BUT IF IT DOES, I COULD SUDDENLY FIND MYSELF DRIVING WITHOUT ANY HEADLIGHTS. *TR
THE HEADLIGHTS ON MY 2007 PRIUS GO ON AND OFF BY THEMSELVES. I BOUGHT THIS VEHICLE IN THE USA AND MADE NO MODIFICATIONS. TURNING THE LIGHTS OFF AND THEN ON MANUALLY RESETS THEM AND THEY WORK FOR AN UNKNOWN PERIOD OF TIME UNTIL THEY GO OUT AGAIN. THESE ARE HID LIGHTS. *TR
I HAVE A 2007 TOYOTA PRIUS, AND THE DRIVER'S SIDE HID HEADLIGHT GOES OUT INTERMITTENTLY WHILE DRIVING. I HAVE HAD AN ESTIMATE DONE ON THE REPLACEMENT OF THIS HEADLIGHT, AND IT WAS OVER $800. THIS IS A MAJOR SAFETY HAZARD. *TR
PRIUS HEADLIGHT FAILURE. POSSIBLY RELATED TO PRELIMINARY EVALUATION PE09-019. FOR ABOUT THE LAST 12 MONTHS, I'VE NOTICED IN REFLECTIONS IN BUMPERS, AND STORE GLASS, ETC... THAT EITHER ONE OR THE OTHER OF MY HEADLIGHTS HAVE BEEN TURNING OFF WHILE DRIVING. IT'S MORE THAN JUST AN ANNOYANCE DUE TO THE FACT THAT I CAN BARELY SEE WHEN ONE (POSSIBLY BOTH?) OF THE HEADLIGHTS IS OUT AND I'M DRIVING ON A ROAD THAT DOES NOT HAVE STREET LIGHTS. AT FIRST, I WAS GOING TO ORDER A BULB, BUT THEN WHEN I TRIED TO FIGURE OUT WHICH ONE WAS OUT, THEY WOULD BOTH WORK. I WAS TOLD BY A POLICE OFFICER ON MY LAST TRIP TO MAINE THAT I HAD A LIGHT OUT (NOT A TRAFFIC STOP), AND I EXPLAINED THE ISSUE, AND HE SUGGESTED I CHECK TO SEE IF THERE WERE ANY RECALLS. I FOUND PE09-019 DURING A WEB SEARCH, AND WOULD LIKE TO HAVE MY COMPLAINT ADDED. THE MORE INVESTIGATION I DO, THE MORE I REALIZE THAT THIS HAPPENS JUST ABOUT EVERY TIME I DRIVE. *TR
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Quick Summary
The 2007 Toyota Prius has 929 Exterior Lighting complaints on file. 2 crashes have been reported. Review the timeline above for detailed owner experiences.