10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
5 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
1 / 0
Average Mileage:
53,962 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2006 Toyota Prius lights problems

lights problem

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2006 Toyota Prius Owner Comments (Page 28 of 42)

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problem #281

Apr 102006

Prius

  • 15,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

I have a 2006 Toyota Prius with hid headlight system that constantly goes out. I am without headlights until I turn off the unit and turn them back on, this only last for a little while and I have to repeat the process. I have brought the car to Toyota dealer numerous times to have them fix the issue and they return the car to me without trying to resolve the problem. It is a very dangerous incident that can possibly cause and accident or serious injury. 1. normal driving, nothing out of the ordinary leads to the lights going out. 2. 10 minute drive... occurs atleast half the driving time. 3. taken to Toyota dealership 3 times to investigate and repair with no resolution.

- Honolulu, CA, USA

problem #280

Mar 012009

Prius

  • 65,000 miles
2006 Toyota Prius, passenger side headlight goes out intermittently. Turning off and back on seems to correct.

- Leominster, MA, USA

problem #279

May 182009

Prius

  • 50,000 miles
Headlights fail intermittently.

- Minnetonka, MN, USA

problem #278

Jan 012008

Prius

  • 60,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Beginning February 2008, both hid headlights on my 2006 Prius would randomly turn off -- sometimes both at the same time if I'm not careful watching them. Turning the hid headlights off and back on will turn the headlights back on, but they will randomly turn off again. I've asked Toyota to investigate and they told me that it would cost $800 to replace the hid bulbs, as it requires removal of the front bumper to replace. They told me that they could not guarantee it would fix the problem, and that some other parts might need replacing as well. I believe this is a manufacturing defect as there are now over 500 complaints of this nature. In addition, one of my rear positioning lights is out. I've received fix it tickets for one headlight out and also this rear positioning brake light. Please issue a recall! as this is very unsafe that headlights can randomly turn off!!

- San Francisco, CA, USA

problem #277

Jul 012008

Prius

  • 1,796 miles
1) intermittent failure of the headlights (hid). Typically, passenger headlight will go out but now affecting driver's side headlight too. Sometimes, they will start working when the lights are turned-off and then on. It has been diagnosed as both problems with the ECU and the hid bulbs. 2) intermittent electrical failure affecting ability to put the car in park. I receive a message warning me that the "P" park could not be engaged and to park it on a flat surface (which I virtually always do). Some of these problems first manifested when the car was at 1,796 miles and 2 months old (documented by the dealer with a request to Toyota for technical assistance) but they were uncertain as to the problem and suggested we monitor it. Now, it is a frequent occurrence and a significant safety issue. It is 37 months since purchasing the car and it has 43K miles. I have an (essentially) worthless Toyota, 7-year, platinum, 100K mile warranty with 0 deductible, which will only cover the ECU (cost $678.66) but I will have to pay $927.02.

- Cypress, CA, USA

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problem #276

May 102009

Prius

  • 8,000 miles
Right rear tail light keeps going out. I have had it replaced or replaced it myself 7 times in the past 3 years with extended life units. It has been the only unit to go out in my vehicle. I have also noticed other Toyota Prius with the same tail light out in the past year and a half to two years. In six of those incidences, I was ticketed by the police.

- Rosharon, TX, USA

problem #275

May 302009

Prius

  • 61,515 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

2006 Toyota Prius headlights intermittently fail while driving. The hid headlights in our 2006 Prius will fail at an unpredictable interval. Both headlights will become inoperative individually, and at times simultaneously. This can be temporary remedied by cycling the headlight switch to the full off position, then back on. When headlight failure occurs while traveling at highway speeds this is very dangerous. On a trip from petersburg, va to alexandria, va, the headlights failed no less than 20 times. Not only is this a safety violation but the unpredictable nature of this issue may result in a traffic violation fine.

- Alexandria, VA, USA

problem #274

May 072009

Prius

  • 50,000 miles
I was informed by the service manager at the Toyota dealer during a routine oil change that my driver's side headlight was beginning to fail. He warned me that it was flickering a bit after being turned on, and that this is commonly the beginning of the end for the bulb. I had noticed the flickering for many months, but was not aware that the bulb was actually going out completely. The headlight is now failing regularly, after just a few moments of being on. It will come back on again if turned off and then back on. I fear this as a safety issue, as well as the potential for me to get a moving violation from the police. Nothing has been done yet to fix the failure, as the dealer told me this was not covered. This issue falls under NHTSA recall campaign number: PE09019.

- Imperial, PA, USA

problem #273

May 142009

Prius

  • 47,955 miles
While driving my 2006 Toyota Prius, the right headlight randomly turned off without warning, which could be very dangerous. Turning the light off and then back on would relight the light. The light finally went out and stayed out. I had the bulb replaced, which has temporarily fixed the problem. Researching the problem on line shows there are many Prius owners who experienced the same problem and are being charged $1000 to $2000 to repair. If both headlights go out at the same time, which has happened on some Prius's, this could cause a deadly accident. I believe this warrants an ODI investigation and a Toyota recall to fix this dangerous problem.

- Hadley, NY, USA

problem #272

May 272009

Prius

  • 43,000 miles
The headlights on my 2006 Toyota Prius go out intermittently. I have arranged to have the headlights replaced, but in researching this problem, I have discovered that this seems to be incredibly common. I only have 43,000 miles on my car, so this is too soon to have to be replacing headlights at over $300 apiece - probably over $800 with labor. Having headlights suddenly go out is incredibly dangerous, and there should be a recall.

- Sterling, VA, USA

problem #271

Jan 222008

Prius

  • 65,295 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The headlights on my 2006 Prius suddenly go off while I am driving at night. I asked the service department at Toyota of morristown in morristown, NJ to inspect the headlights at my 60K mile service and I was told there was no problem found. I continue to experience this problem. The driver's side light seems to only operate at 50% capacity when it does work.

- Hoboken, NJ, USA

problem #270

Jan 012008

Prius

  • 40,000 miles
One or both headlights fail with no warning at increasing frequencies. Now almost every night. When I turn them off and back on they will work again for a period of time as short as five minutes. This has been occurring for about one year now.

- Hartford, CT, USA

problem #269

May 212009

Prius

  • 45,540 miles
Intermittent hid headlight failure, initially affecting only one headlight. Most recent incident affected both headlights simultaneously while driving at night. Problem is resolved (temporarily) by switching off headlights and switching them back on, indicating that the bulbs and fuses are still functional.

- Frederick, CO, USA

problem #268

May 152009

Prius

  • 59,800 miles
2006 Prius hid lights intermittent. While driving on a dark road on the way to work my lights went out, I turned off and turned on my light switch to get the lights to go back on. Luckily the road at the time was straight. If not I could had easily driven off the road and possibly traveled into a ditch and flipped over.

- San Antonio, TX, USA

problem #267

May 192009

Prius

  • 45,000 miles
I own a 2006 Toyota Prius with high intensity discharge headlights. I have had numerous issues with the headlights malfunctioning. I have had one assembly completely replaced on the passenger side of my auto. Currently, the driver side light is also going out. The dealer has refused to repair the driver side light as Toyota has deemed the issue is not covered under my warranty and would result in an out-of-pocket cost of over $400. This poses a serious safety issue as the lights only work on an intermittent basis. Based on my research, I have determined that this issue is a pervasive issue with the 2006 Toyota Prius. There is a 130 page message board thread about the issue here: priuschat.com/forums/care-maintenance-troubleshooting/34584-headlight-problem.html. I strongly believe that this is an inherent issue that Toyota should address for all of the owners of a 2006 Toyota Prius with hid headlights. Thank you for your time.

- Tampa, FL, USA

problem #266

Jan 102009

Prius

  • 45,000 miles
I am filing a complaint regarding my 2006 Toyota Prius with regard to the headlights. I am experiencing the headlights turning off unexpectedly while driving at night. I have approximately 50,000 miles on the vehicle. I was told at the Toyota dealership in anaheim, California that it would cost me almost $500 to replace the headlamps but have since read that this is an ongoing problem with other Prius owners with approximately the same model year and mileage. I feel that this should be the responsibility of Toyota to recall this problem and have it fixed.

- Anaheim, CA, USA

problem #265

Aug 012008

Prius

  • miles
Both of my headlight go off while I am driving from time to time, incident happening more and more frequently.

- Grand Prairie, TX, USA

problem #264

Nov 012008

Prius

  • 32,000 miles
2006 Toyota Prius hid headlights will flicker and eventually shut off after minutes of driving, I can turn them back on by flicking the headlight switch off then back on again but they randomly shut off causing a safety concern when driving at night.

- Rohnert Park, CA, USA

problem #263

Apr 302009

Prius

  • 30,000 miles
Headlights (both, but so far just one at a time) turn off intermittently. Can't tell when it happens. Notice it in a reflection from the car in front. Can turn lights off and then on again to make them work. Just never know for how long.

- San Rafael, CA, USA

problem #262

May 082009

Prius

  • 69,750 miles
I own a 2006 Toyota Prius. The left front headlight failed and was replaced on November 10, 2007 for $522.05. It failed again on May 8, 2009 and was replaced today for $274.28. The right headlight failed on January 1, 2008 and was replaced for $$187.50. The right headlight failed again on February 16, 2009 and was replaced for $272.64. There are nearly 500 NHTSA registered complaints regarding sudden loss of headlights on the 2005-2008 hid headlight equipped Toyota Prius automobiles. These complaints all describe an identical defect in the headlight systems of these cars: One or both headlights will unexpectedly shut off while driving the automobile. Clearly, having one or both headlights unexpectedly shut off while driving, especially at night, is a serious safety issue. In addition to the almost 500 registered NHTSA complaints there are hundreds of internet forum posts documenting the Toyota Prius hid loss of headlights issue. The NHTSA registered complaints and the forum posts provide a wealth of data describing the problem including: Accounts of suddenly having both headlights shut off while driving at night in traffic, Toyota's inability to provide a definitive overall fix, Toyota service department's failed attempts to correct the problem on individual cars, consumers paying for parts and service that do not correct the problem, consumers being forced to call Toyota corporate in order to get at least partial reimbursement on the up to $1,800 repair costs, repairs that last only few thousand miles, etc.

- Sacramento, CA, USA

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