2006 Toyota Prius complaints

PURCHASED CAR IN 5/2006. 11/2008 AT AROUND 45,000 MILES NOTICED FRONT LEFT HEADLIGHTS WOULD TURN OFF INTERMITTENTLY. TURNING HEADLIGHTS OFF AND ON WOULD TURN LEFT HEADLIGHT BACK ON. OFF AGAIN. CAN'T FIGURE OUT WHAT TRIGGERS IT. HIGH BEAMS WORK. *TR

ON MY 2006 TOYOTA PRIUS, ONE HEADLIGHT INTERMITTENTLY GOES OUT, BUT CYCLING THE POWER SWITCH WILL MAKE IT COME BACK ON. IT SEEMS TO OCCUR MORE AFTER THE CAR AND HEADLIGHTS HAVE BEEN USED, TURNED OFF FOR A SHORT WHILE, AND THEN USED AGAIN. SOMETIMES THE LIGHT WILL GO OUT FIVE TIMES IN ONE MINUTE, AT OTHER TIMES IT WILL STAY ON FOR HOURS WITH NO PROBLEM. OTHER OWNERS HAVE HAD BOTH LIGHTS GO OUT RANDOMLY AND SOMETIMES BOTH AT ONCE, WHICH SEEMS LIKE A HUGE SAFETY ISSUE. I HAVE NOT DONE ANY REPAIR TO DATE, AS TOYOTA SO FAR HAS NO DEFINITIVE SOLUTION TO THE PROBLEM AND DEALERS HAVE HAD PEOPLE PAYING $800 TO $1500 TO REPLACE A VARIETY OF PARTS, AND WITH SOME OWNERS REPORTING THAT THE PROBLEM HAS OCCURRED AGAIN LATER AFTER A REPAIR. *TR

2006 PRIUS HID HEADLAMPS GO OUT BUT CAN BE RECOVERED BY TURNING SWITCH OFF AND THEN BACK ON. SOMETIME JUST 1 LIGHT WILL GO OUT AND OTHER TIMES BOTH WILL GO COMPLETELY OFF. VERY DANGEROUS WHEN IT HAPPENS AT NIGHT TIME, YOU WILL BE DRIVING DOWN THE HIGHWAY AND ALL OF THE SUDDEN BOTH HEADLIGHTS GO OUT. HAVE TAKEN TO THE TOYOTA DEALER 3 TIMES. THEY HAVE REPLACED BULBS AND SWITCH BUT IT DID NOT FIX THE PROBLEM, HEADLIGHTS STILL GO OUT WHILE DRIVING. I HAVE READ HUNDREDS OF OTHER COMPLAINTS ABOUT THE SAME PROBLEM ON THE 2006 TOYOTA PRIUS, SOMETHING NEEDS TO BE DONE. THIS PROBLEM COULD CAUSE A SERIOUS ACCIDENT ESPECIALLY WHEN IT HAPPENS AT NIGHT. *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

I BELIEVE THAT I EXPERIENCED A BRAKE FAILURE. I WAS DRIVING ON A SNOWY LOCAL ROAD. I DO NOT KNOW MY EXACT SPEED, BUT I ESTIMATE IT WAS ABOUT 30 MPH (SPEED LIMIT IS 45 MPH). I SAW A CAR DRIVING SLOWLY IN FRONT OF ME AND I TRIED TO BRAKE FROM ABOUT HALF A BLOCK AWAY AND WAS UNABLE TO DO SO. I PUT MY FOOT ON THE PEDAL AS HARD AS I COULD BUT IT DIDN'T SEEM TO HAVE ANY EFFECT. BECAUSE I WAS UNABLE TO BRAKE, I ENDED UP HITTING THE CAR IN FRONT OF ME. AFTER THE ACCIDENT, I DISTINCTLY REMEMBER LOOKING AT MY FEET TO CONFIRM THAT I HAD MY FOOT ON THE BRAKE AND NOT THE ACCELERATOR, AND I HAD, INDEED, HAD MY FOOT ON THE CORRECT PEDAL. THERE WAS LITTLE DAMAGE TO THE OTHER CAR (MOSTLY A BROKEN FENDER, I BELIEVE). MY CAR EXPERIENCED CONSIDERABLE DAMAGE TO A HEADLIGHT, WHEEL, DOOR AND A BIT TO THE ENGINE, BUT WAS REPAIRED. THE SERVICE TECHNICIAN SHOWED ME THAT MY FRONT TIRES WERE A BIT LOW ON TREAD (BUT NOT COMPLETELY BALD). THE REAR TIRES HAD BEEN CHANGED WITHIN THE LAST TWO MONTHS. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 TOYOTA PRIUS. WHILE DRIVING VARIOUS SPEEDS, THE STEERING WHEEL SUDDENLY JERKED OUT OF HIS HANDS AND TURNED SHARPLY TO THE LEFT. THE CONTACT COULD NOT MAINTAIN CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE AND THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER. THE FAILURE HAS OCCURRED TWICE SINCE LAST YEAR. THE DEALER STATED THAT THE STEERING COMPUTER CONTROLS THE ELECTRIC POWER STEERING SYSTEM. THE COMPUTER WAS SENDING THE WRONG OR FALSE SIGNALS. THE DEALER IS CURRENTLY REPAIRING THE VEHICLE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 90,000. UPDATED 2/17/09 *CN THE DEALER REPLACED THE TORQUE SENSORS.UPDATED 02/19/09. *JB

HID RIGHT HEADLIGHT GOES OUT. AFTER TURNING OFF AND BACK ON THE LIGHT WORKS FOR SOME TIME. THE PROBLEM BEGAN AFTER WARRANTY WAS EXPIRED. TOYOTA DEALER SAID IT IS A KNOWN PROBLEM BUT THAT THERE IS NO RECALL AND WANTS $400.00 TO REPLACE ONE BULB. AFTER RESEARCHING THE INTERNET, IT IS CLEAR THAT MOST OF THE AFFECTED CARS WERE MANUFACTURED IN 2006. A BAD BATCH OF BULBS/LAMPS IS SUSPECTED. I AM ORDERING BULBS FROM ANOTHER MANUFACTURER AND HAVING THEM REPLACED AT A AUTO REPAIR SHOP. *TR

THE HID HEADLIGHTS ON MY 2006 TOYOTA PRIUS INTERMITTENTLY FAIL, BUT WILL RE-START IF I TURN OFF, THEN ON, THE SWITCH. THIS HAS HAPPENED AT NIGHT, WHICH IS AN EXTREMELY DANGEROUS SITUATION. TOYOTA DOES HAVE A TSB OUT ON THIS ISSUE, AND DID REPLACE BOTH BULBS UNDER WARRANTY AT 30K MILES, BUT FREQUENTLY THIS DOES NOT RESOLVE THE PROBLEM, ACCORDING TO COMPLAINTS ON MYCARSTATS. *TR

THE HEADLIGHTS INTERMITTENTLY GO OUT. THEY GO BACK ON WHEN YOU TURN THEM ON AND OFF A FEW TIMES. IT SEEMS TO BE TOTALLY RANDOM. I WAS PULLED OVER BY THE POLICE LAST NIGHT BECAUSE THE LIGHT WAS OUT, BUT IT WENT ON WHEN I TURNED THE SWITCH ON AND OFF SO THE POLICEMAN DID NOT TICKET ME. THE DEALER IS LOOKING TO CHARGE ME $450 TO REPLACE THE HEADLIGHT. *TR

FOR THE PAST SEVERAL MONTHS THE HEADLIGHTS ON MY 2006 TOYOTA PRIUS INTERMITTENTLY GO OUT WHILE DRIVING. THIS OCCURS RANDOMLY, SOMETIMES FOUR OR FIVE TIMES A DAY FOUR DAYS OUT OF THE WEEK. ALTHOUGH IT MAY BE MORE OFTEN AS I DON'T NOTICE IT IN THE DAYLIGHT HOURS. THEY ONLY COME BACK ON WHEN THEY ARE TURNED COMPLETELY OFF AND THEN BACK ON WHICH IS NOT VERY SAFE WHEN YOU'RE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY IN TRAFFIC. NOW THEY'VE STARTED "FLICKERING", TOO. I WENT TO THE DEALERSHIP THE FIRST WEEK OF DECEMBER 2008 TO HAVE THE PROBLEM FIXED,BUT WAS INFORMED BY THE SERVICE ADVISOR THE I NEED TO RETURN WHEN I COULD LEAVE THE VEHICLE ( WITH THE HOLIDAYS WAS NOT ABLE TO RETURN IN DEC.) THE PROBLEM CONTINUED AND ON THE LATEST VISIT TO THE DEALER 1/12/2009, I WAS INFORMED BY THE DEALERSHIP THAT THEY COULD NOT FIX THE PROBLEM BECAUSE THEY THOUGHT IT WAS A "CONTACT PROBLEM "AND THAT AFTER THE VEHICLE WARMED UP THE PROBLEM WOULD STOP. AFTER DISAGREEING WITH THE SERVICE ADVISOR I WAS TOLD THEY WOULD CONTACT TOYOTA TO SEE IF THIS WAS A PROBLEM THEY HAD ENCOUNTERED BEFORE. TOYOTA'S SOLUTION WAS TO REPLACE THE LIGHT BULBS AT A COST OF APPROXIMATELY $600.00 BUT THIS WAS NOT GUARANTEED TO FIX THE PROBLEM. THIS "FIX" WAS REFUSED DUE TO THE LACK OF ASSURANCE THAT IT WOULD FIX THE PROBLEM. AFTER DOING A SMALL AMOUNT OF RESEARCH ON THE INTERNET I FOUND THERE APPEARS TO BE A WIDESPREAD PROBLEM WITH HEADLIGHTS ON THE TOYOTA PRIUS. THERE APPEARS TO BE A BIGGER PROBLEM THAT THE LOCAL DEALER IS WILLING TO DISCUSS. *

HID HEADLAMP FAILURE AT 45,000 MILES AND AGAIN AT 74,000 MILES. *TR

HEADLIGHTS GO OFF AT RANDOM TIMES MOSTLY THE RIGHT (PASSENGER) SIDE BUT IT HAS HAPPENED ON THE DRIVER SIDE ALSO. WHEN THIS HAPPENS I HAVE DISCOVERED THAT THEY COME BACK ON IF I TURN OFF THE LIGHTS AND THEN BACK ON. AFTER DRIVING FOR A SHORT TIME THEY START GOING OFF AGAIN OR SOMETIMES IT WILL STAY ON UNTIL I DON'T NEED THEM. THE NEXT TIME I USE THE HEADLIGHTS THEY WORK FINE FOR A FEW MINUTES AND THEN IT STARTS ALL OVER AGAIN. OF COURSE IT'S NIGHT WHEN THE HEADLIGHTS ARE USED AND WITH ONE OF THE OTHER OF THE LIGHTS OUT THIS CAUSES A VISIBILITY PROBLEM AND CAN'T SEE THE ROAD CLEARLY. I HAVE RECEIVED A WARNING/EQUIPMENT REPAIR ORDER FROM MY LOCAL POLICE AND THE DEALER CAN'T FIND A PROBLEM. THE DEALER HAS CHECKED THEM A COUPLE OF TIMES AND CAN NOT FIND ANY PROBLEM. *TR

PRIUS 2006 WITH HEADLAMP PROBLEMS THAT APPEARS TO BE ELECTRICAL AND NOT JUST THE BULBS. ONE HEADLIGHT WILL GO OUT THEN IF I SWITCH OFF THE LIGHTS BOTH WILL COME ON. IT IS NOT ALWAYS THE SAME LIGHT THAT GOES OUT. WHEN I TURN ON MY LIGHTS IT DRAWS ON THE BRIGHTNESS OF THE DASH LIGHTS AND THEY DIM. I WILL BE DRIVING WITH LIGHTS ON AND ALL THE LIGHTS WILL GO OFF UNTIL I SWITCH THE LIGHTS ON ONCE AGAIN. THE DEALER HAS INFORMED ME THIS IS THE LED HEADLIGHTS WHICH ARE 400 EA. AND $90. INSTALLATION. THIS IS OUTRAGEOUS AND I KNOW IT IS NOT JUST THE LAMPS THEREFORE THEY WILL THEN PROCEED TO CHARGE ME FOR WHAT EVER ELSE THEY THINK IT MIGHT BE SUCH AS THE COMPUTER SYSTEM. THIS SHOULD BE UNDER WARRANTY. I PAID THE EXTRA MONEY FOR AN EXTENDED WARRANTY AND THEY TELL ME THIS IS NOT COVERED. I HAVE BEEN DRIVING WITH THIS PROBLEM AS I CAN NOT AFFORD TO FIX THE PROBLEM AND DO NOT TRUST THE DEALER TO CONTINUE TO CHARGE ME FOR THIS ISSUE. AFTER READING THE CHAT ROOMS WITH OTHER INDIVIDUALS WITH SIMILAR PROBLEMS, THIS IS A DEFECT AND NEEDS TO BE RECALLED. THEY HAVE BEEN REPORTING THIS PROBLEM SINCE 2004 OR 2005. WHY HAS THIS NOT BEEN ADDRESSED. *TR

MY HEADLIGHTS GO OUT FOR NO REASON. WHILE I'M DRIVING, ONE HEADLIGHT WILL GO OUT. I WILL TURN THEM OFF AND BACK ON AND THEY ARE WORKING AGAIN. SOMETIMES THEY WORK ALL DAY, SOMETIMES THEY DON'T. SOMETIMES IT'S THE DRIVERS SIDE AND SOMETIMES IT'S THE PASSENGER SIDE. THE DEALER TELLS ME THE HEADLIGHT ASSEMBLIES HAVE TO BE REPLACED AT A COST OF AROUND $1000.00!! MUCH MORE IF THE CIRCUIT BOARD IS REPLACED. *TR

HEADLIGHT/ELECTRICAL PROBLEM. ONE HEADLIGHT OUT INTERMITTENTLY STARTING IN MID-NOVEMBER. BOTH HEADLIGHTS WENT OUT ON 12/27/2008. WE PULLED OVER AND TURNED THE LIGHTS OFF AND WHEN WE TURNED THEM BACK ON BOTH RE-LIT. ON 1/2/2009 WE WERE PULLED OVER BY POLICE AND GIVEN A VERBAL SAFETY WARNING THAT ONE HEADLIGHT WAS OUT. LATER THAT EVENING, AFTER STOPPING THE CAR FOR A SHORT TIME BOTH LIGHTS CAME BACK ON. ON 1/5/2009, WE TOOK THE CAR TO THE DEALER WITH THE LEFT LIGHT OUT. WHEN THEY STARTED THE CAR THE NEXT DAY THEY FOUND BOTH LIGHTS TO BE WORKING. THEY INSPECTED ALL CONNECTIONS THEN FOUND THAT THE RIGHT LIGHT WAS OUT. THEY SAID IT WOULD COST $250 TO REPLACE THE BULB. WE CONTACTED TOYOTA AND ON 1/7/09 THEY OFFERED TO REPLACE THE RIGHT BULB FOR FREE. I DROVE HOME BEFORE MY WIFE AND AS SHE ARRIVED HOME I SAW ONE LIGHT OUT. UNFORTUNATELY, BY THE TIME I GOT OUT TO THE CAR, MY WIFE HAD SHUT IT OFF AND I COULD NOT RECALL WHICH ONE WAS OUT. WHEN WE RESTARTED THE CAR, BOTH LIGHTS CAME ON. *TR

FRONT LEFT HEADLIGHT STOPPED WORKING AT NIGHT ON A 2006 TOYOTA PRIUS. IT NEVER WORKED AGAIN. THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE. I UNDERSTAND THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM ON THE 2006 PRIUS. HAVE TO HAVE IT REPLACED AT A COST OF $325 AT DEALERSHIP! THERE SHOULD BE A RECALL. *TR

I HAVE A 2006 PRIUS. THE DRIVER SIDE HEAD LIGHT GOES OUT NOW AND THEN AS I AM DRIVING. IT IS UNPREDICTABLE. IF I TURN THE LIGHTS OFF AND THEN BACK ON, THE LIGHT WORKS AGAIN. IT HAS BEEN GOING ON FOR 2 MONTHS. NOW THE OTHER LIGHT IS DOING THE SAME THING. *TR

MY 2006 TOYOTA PRIUS HAS 52,000 MILES ON IT. THE DRIVER'S SIDE HEADLIGHT WILL TURN ON WHEN I SWITCH THEM ON, THEN WILL GO OUT A FEW MINUTES INTO MY TRIP, AND WHEN I TURN THE LIGHTS OFF THEN ON AGAIN IT COMES BACK ON. I HAVE NOTICED THIS PROBLEM WITH BOTH HEADLIGHTS, ALTHOUGH IT IS MORE COMMON WITH THE DRIVER'S SIDE LIGHT. THIS OCCURS ALMOST EVERY TIME I DRIVE. BASED ON WHAT I'VE READ, THIS APPEARS TO BE A MANUFACTURER'S DEFECT. *TR

I OWN A 2006 TOYOTA PRIUS. FOR THE LAST 6 MONTHS THE DRIVER SIDE FRONT HEADLIGHT INTERMITTENTLY GOES OUT. IF WE SHUT OFF OUR HEADLIGHTS AND THEN BACK ON, IT WILL RE-LIGHT FOR AN INDETERMINATE AMOUNT OF TIME AND THEN THE PROBLEM REPEATS ITSELF. I'VE BEEN STOPPED TWICE BY THE POLICE AND GIVEN WARNINGS. I'BE TAKEN IT TO THE DEALERSHIP THREE TIMES NOW TO HAVE IT FIXED. THE FIRST TIME, THEY SAID THEY COULDN'T FIND ANYTHING WRONG. THE SECOND TIME, THEY COULD MAKE IT HAPPEN, BUT BY BANGING THE FRONT OF THE HOOD COULD GET THE HEADLIGHT TO ILLUMINATE, AND SUGGESTED I JUST LIVE WITH THE ISSUE, AS REPLACING THE HEADLIGHT WOULD BE "EXPENSIVE" (NO AMOUNT MENTIONED). TODAY I BROUGHT THE CAR IN FOR ITS REGULAR MAINTENANCE WORK, AS THE LIGHT ON THE DASHBOARD SUGGESTED IT WAS TIME. THE DEALERSHIP IS IRA TOYOTA OF MANCHESTER NH 03101. THEIR # IS: 603-624-1800. MY COMPLAINT IS THAT WHEN THEY CHANGED THE BULB THEY CHARGED $157.82 FOR THE LIGHTBULB AND ANOTHER $180 FOR LABOR TO REPLACE IT. I'VE NEVER HEARD OF SUCH COSTS TO REPLACE A HEADLIGHT. I WENT ON THE WWW TONIGHT TO SEE IF MY SITUATION WAS UNUSUAL AND FOUND THAT MANY CONSUMERS ARE HAVING THIS SAME ISSUE WITH THEIR 2006 PRIUS. IT WAS RECOMMENDED THAT WE FILE A COMPLAINT WITH YOU....HERE I AM. THE WEBSITE WITH THE INFORMATION REGARDING THIS COMMON INCIDENT IS: WWW.HYBRIDCARS.COM/FORUM/REPLACING-HEADLIGHT-BULB--T910 PLEASE LOOK INTO THIS. THANK YOU.

HEADLIGHTS WENT OUT ON PRIUS 2006 MODEL. FIRST ONE WENT BAD, COMING ON AT TIMES; THEN THE OTHER ONE WENT BAD AND I WOULD BE DRIVING IN THE COMPLETE DARK-VERY SCARY. I HAD REPORTED IT TO THE TOYOTA DEALER AND THEY SAID NOTHING WAS WRONG AND THERE HAD NOT BEEN ANY SIMILAR PROBLEM REPORTED. I WENT BACK AGAIN THE NEXT WEEK WITH THE SAME COMPLAINT. THE SUPERVISOR OF MAINTENANCE SAID HE WOULD LOOK INTO IT. FINALLY, THE LAST TIME I TOLD THEM THAT IF I END UP IN A FATALITY D/T THIS PROBLEM WITH THE HEADLIGHTS, SOMEONE IN TOYOTA WILL BE IN DEEP TROUBLE. THAT IS WHEN THE SUPERVISOR TOOK CARE OF THE PROBLEM THE NEXT DAY. THE CAR WAS STILL UNDER WARRANTY. SAME THING HAPPENED NEXT YEAR 2008. I HAD TO HAVE THE TWO FRONT HEADLIGHTS REPLACED AND THIS TIME OUT OF MY POCKET WHICH IS VERY RIDICULOUSLY EXPENSIVE. *TR

2006 TOYOTA PRIUS WITH HID LIGHTS. AT 30,000 MILES, IN DECEMBER 2007, THE PASSENGER SIDE LIGHT BEGAN TO TURN OFF BY ITSELF. IT WOULD TURN BACK ON IF WE TURNED THE LIGHTS COMPLETELY OFF, THEN ON AGAIN (DANGEROUS AT NIGHT, OF COURSE). AT 35,000 MILES, THE DEALERSHIP ESTIMATED $350 TO REPLACE THE BULB, BUT THEN REPLACED BULB UNDER WARRANTY. AT 50,000 MILES THE DRIVERS SIDE HEADLIGHT BEGAN TO DO THE SAME THING. WE COULD NOT AFFORD TO PAY FOR THE REPLACEMENT SO HAVE BEEN TURNING OFF AND ON TO REMEDY. LAST WEEK THE PASSENGERS SIDE HEADLIGHT STARTED DOING IT AGAIN, EVEN THOUGH IT IS ONLY 1 YEAR OLD. THERE ARE TIMES WE HAVE ONE HEADLIGHT, AND TIMES WE HAVE NO HEADLIGHTS OTHER THAN THE FOG LIGHTS. WE HAVE BEEN STOPPED BY POLICE AND GIVEN A WARNING ABOUT A HEADLIGHT BEING OUT. THIS IS A DANGEROUS SITUATION AND WE THINK THAT IT CANNOT BE THE HID LAMPS THEMSELVES, AS THEY COME BACK ON AGAIN WHEN WE RECYCLE THE SWITCH. IT MUST BE A COMPUTER OR RELAY. WE HAVE DISCOVERED THAT THERE ARE MANY OTHER PRIUS OWNERS WITH THE SAME EXACT ISSUE: SEE THE FORUM AT HTTP://WWW.HYBRIDCARS.COM/FORUMS/REPLACING-HEADLIGHT-BULB-T910.HTML . *TR

2006 TOYOTA PRIUS PACKAGE 6. HID LEFT HEADLIGHT INTERMITTENT FAILURE. WILL TURN BACK ON IF YOU CYCLE ON/OFF SWITCH. CAR HAS 57,000 MILES. PROBLEM MAY HAVE BEEN OCCURRING MUCH SOONER. HARD TO TELL UNLESS LOOKING AT HEADLIGHT REFLECTION IN CAR AHEAD OF YOU. SEVERAL PRIUSCHAT.COM MEMBERS HAVE REPORTED SAME PROBLEM. DIFFICULTY GETTING DEALER TO SOLVE OR COVER REPAIR. *TR

2006 TOYOTA PRIUS FRONT DRIVER SIDE HID HEADLIGHT TURNS OFF. IF I TURN THE LIGHTS OFF AND THEN BACK ON, THE HEADLIGHT COMES BACK ON AND FUNCTIONS PERFECTLY. THIS HAPPENS AT RANDOM OCCASIONS (DAY, NIGHT, SMOOTH ROADS, DRY, WET CONDITIONS), CHECKED CONNECTION AND ALL CONNECTIONS ARE FINE. *TR

THE HID HEADLAMPS, FLICKER, GO-OUT AT WILL, SOMETIMES ITS JUST ONE HEAD LIGHT OTHER TIME ITS BOTH AT THE SAME TIME!!!! TOYOTA HAS FIXED IT BUT AFTER MAYBE A MONTH IT WENT BACK TO DO THE SAME EXACT THING! THIS IS DANGEROUS!! AND APPARENTLY HAPPENS VERY VERY OFTEN TO ALOT OF OTHER 2006 TO 2009 TOYOTA OWNERS. *TR

2006 TOYOTA PRIUS HEADLAMP GOES OUT INTERMITTENTLY, TURNING LIGHTS OFF THEN BACK ON TEMPORARILY FIXES PROBLEM. SINCE PROBLEM IS INTERMITTENT IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO KNOW IF FRONT LIGHTS ARE WORKING. *TR

MY 2006 PRIUS LEFT DRIVER HEADLIGHT BEGAN GOING ON AND OFF RANDOMLY AND FREQUENTLY AT ABOUT 25,000 MI. I REPORTED THE PROBLEM TO THE DEALER SEVERAL TIMES, BUT THEY COULDN'T DIAGNOSE THE PROBLEM UNLESS THE HEADLIGHT WAS OUT, WHICH OF COURSE IT WASN'T. ON OCCASION IF I TURNED THE HEADLIGHTS ON AND OFF THE LIGHT WOULD COME BACK ON TEMPORARILY. THIS WAS DOCUMENTED PRIOR TO THE WARRANTY RUNNING OUT. FINALLY, THE HEADLIGHT WAS COMPLETELY OUT...THE DEALER AND I ARGUED OVER THE WARRANTY AND THEY FINALLY AGREED TO FIX THE PROBLEM. THEY REPLACED THE BULBS AND NOW AGAIN 30,000 MI. LATER THE SAME PROBLEM IS RE-OCCURRING. THIS TIME HOWEVER, TURNING LIGHTS ON AND OFF DOESN'T RESOLVE THE PROBLEM EVEN TEMPORARILY. AND ONCE AGAIN THEY ARE REFUSING TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY. I LIVE ON A DARK COUNTRY ROAD AND HAVE FOUND MYSELF SLOWING TO SPEEDS OF 25MPH JUST TO GET HOME SAFELY. *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

1. UNDER NORMAL DRIVING CONDITIONS, THE RIGHT HID HEADLIGHT BULB ON MY 2006 PRIUS FAILED. 2. THE RIGHT HID HEADLIGHT BULB GOES/FLICKERS OFF. THE LIGHTS HAVE TO BE TURNED OFF AND ON TO TEMPORARILY CORRECT THE PROBLEM. OVER TIME, THE PROBLEM HAS GOTTEN PROGRESSIVELY WORSE. 3. I HAVE GONE TO 3 DIFFERENT TOYOTA DEALERSHIPS AND HAVE BEEN TOLD THAT THE REPLACEMENT COST WOULD BE OVER $400 PARTS & LABOR. RECENTLY, I HAVE FOUND A BULB AT A DEALERSHIP FOR $157 PARTS ONLY. *TR

EITHER HEADLIGHT WILL GO OUT AT TIMES. AM ABLE TO RESTART HEADLIGHT BY TURNING HEADLIGHT SWITCH OFF AND BACK TO ON. *TR

INTERMITTENT BILATERAL HEADLIGHT FAILURE OF 2006 TOYOTA PRIUS. THE CAR HAS LESS THAN 30,000 MILES ON IT. WHEN LIGHTS ARE TURNED OFF AND ON QUICKLY THE FAILING LIGHT WILL COME BACK ON AGAIN. HOWEVER, THIS HAS ONLY PROVED TO BE A TEMPORARY SOLUTION SINCE BOTH HEADLIGHTS WILL RANDOMLY TURN OFF AGAIN AT A LATER TIME. *TR

PASSENGER SIDE HEADLAMP CEASED WORKING AFTER SEVERAL MINUTES OF DRIVING. THE LAMP RETURNS TO NORMAL OPERATION AFTER THE LIGHT SWITCH IS CYCLED OFF AND THEN BACK ON. THIS PROBLEM HAS RECURRED THREE TIMES. *TR

I OWN A 2006 TOYOTA PRIUS. RANDOMLY AND WITH OUT WARNING THE HID HEAD LIGHTS ON MY PRIUS TURN OFF. THIS HAS HAPPENED AT LEAST 25 TIMES AND I HAVE ALMOST CRASHED SEVERAL TIMES. WHEN THIS HAPPENS, I HAVE TO REACH AND TURN OFF MY LIGHTS WITH THE SWITCH AND TURN THEM BACK ON. THEN THEY STAY ON FROM 2 MINUTES TO 2 HOURS. THIS IS A HUGE DANGER TO PUBLIC SAFETY. THERE ARE HUNDREDS OF PRIUS OWNERS THAT HAVE DOCUMENTED THE EXACT SAME PROBLEM WITH THEIR CARS. PLEASE LOOK AT THIS LINK HTTP://WWW.HYBRIDCARS.COM/FORUMS/REPLACING-HEADLIGHT-BULB-T910.HTML#COMMENT-46741. YOU CAN SEE ALL OF THESE PEOPLE ARE HAVING THE EXACT SAME PROBLEM. THANK YOU. *TR

HID DRIVER SIDE HEADLIGHT FAILS INTERMITTENTLY. FIRST NOTICED SPRING 2007, AT ABOUT 20,000 MILES; OCCURRED RARELY, ABOUT ONCE EVERY TWO - FOUR WEEKS. NOW IS A REGULAR EVENT. HEADLIGHT GOES OUT ALMOST EVERY TRIP. AFTER TURNING THE HEADLIGHTS OFF AND ON AGAIN, DRIVER SIDE HEADLIGHT RESTARTS AND IS LESS LIKELY TO FAIL AGAIN. BOTH HIGH AND LOW BEAMS ARE AFFECTED. I SEE A LOT OF PRIUS VEHICLES WITH A HEADLIGHT OUT. I AM CONCERNED ABOUT HAVING THE OTHER HEADLIGHT JOINING THIS BEHAVIOR. *TR

2006 PRIUS W/HID HEADLIGHTS...THEY INTERMITTENTLY FAIL. TURN THE OFF/ON KNOB AND THEY COME BACK ON. STARTED AT ABOUT 30K ON LEFT SIDE, LEFT SIDE FAILED 90% OF TIME AND @ 35K RIGHT SIDE STARTED FAILING. DEALER HAD NO KNOWLEDGE OF PROBLEM WHEN DISCUSSED AT 35K SERVICE. NOW 40K AND TRYING TO GET COVERED UNDER WARRANTY. *TR

DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD AND ONE HEADLIGHT OR THE OTHER OR BOTH GO OUT! SOMETIME 5 TO TEN TIMES IN A TRIP. I HAVEN'T GONE TO THE DEALER SINCE THEY WANT 250$ JUST TO LOOK AT IT.. AND FROM THE CHAT ROOM THEY CANT FIGURE OUT THE PROBLEM SO I DON'T WANT TO WASTE MY MONEY. *TR

I WAS STOPPED IN 2006 PRIUS BY STATE TROOPER FOR HEADLIGHT OUT ON PASSENGER SIDE. LOCAL DEALER TOLD ME NEW HID LAMPS WILL COST $350 WITHOUT INSTALLATION. I ORDERED THEM AND THEN FOUND OUT THAT THE LAMPS SHOULD LAST AT LEAST 10 YEARS AND THAT THE PROBLEM AFFECTS MOST PRIUS CARS WITH HID HEADLIGHTS FROM 20,000 TO AROUND 50,000 MILES AND THAT TOYOTA IS WELL AWARE OF THE PROBLEM BUT HAS NOT ISSUED A DEFECT RECALL TO DATE. THE FAILURE APPEARS TO BE RANDOM AND THE LAMPS WILL RE-START WHEN SWITCHED OFF AND BACK ON AGAIN. SINCE THE LAMPS EXTINGUISH RANDOMLY, THERE IS THE POSSIBILITY OF BOTH FAILING SIMULTANEOUSLY WITH SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUES. *TR

2006 TOYOTA PRIUS. PASSENGER LIGHT (BOTH LOW AND HIGH BEAMS) INTERMITTENTLY GOES OUT. TURNING CAR OFF AND BACK ON OFTEN BRINGS LIGHT BACK ON. TOYOTA DEALER HAS HAD OTHER COMPLAINTS AND RECOMMENDS REPLACING HEADLIGHT (ONE HEADLIGHT IS NEARLY $400, WITH LABOR IT IS NEARLY $500). I'VE ALWAYS BEEN TOLD TO REPLACE HEADLIGHTS IN PAIRS WHICH MAKES THAT $1000 REPAIR WHEN CLEARLY THE HEADLIGHTS ARE FAILING WIDELY AND I SUSPECT PREMATURELY. THIS IS WIDELY REPORTED IN PRIUSCHAT AND OTHER INTERNET USER GROUPS AND NO ONE HAS IDENTIFIED THE ROOT CAUSE. SURELY THERE AREN'T *THIS* MANY BAD BULBS. IF IT IS A COMPUTER PROBLEM IT COULD LEAD TO OTHER FAILURES. THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE! TOYOTA NEEDS TO INVESTIGATE THE CAUSE AND OFFER A RECALL SOLUTION. IT APPEARS THAT COMPLAINTS THROUGH THIS WEBSITE ARE INCREASINGLY FREQUENT. THANKS! *TR

MY 2006 TOYOTA PRIUS DRIVER SIDE HEAD LIGHT GOES OUT AFTER DRIVING THE CAR FOR A FEW MINUTES. WHEN I TURN THE SWITCH OFF THEN ON THE HEADLIGHT COMES BACK ON AGAIN BUT FOR ONLY A FEW MINUTES. IT HAPPENS EVERY DAY, INTERMITTENTLY AND AT NIGHT IT CAN BE DANGEROUS. IT APPEARS TO BE A COMMON PROBLEM WITH ONLY THE 2006 PRIUS WITH HID HEADLIGHTS AND ONLY ON THE DRIVERS SIDE. AS OF THIS DATE I UNDERSTAND FROM OTHER OWNERS THAT TOYOTA DOES NOT KNOW HOW TO FIX IT. I AM GOING TO HAVE IT LOOKED AT THIS WEEK. *TR

I'VE GOT A PACKAGE 6 2006 PRIUS. ONE OF THE 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. IF I TURN THE BRIGHT LIGHTS ON AND OFF IT HAS NO EFFECT, BUT 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. I'VE TAKEN IT TO THE DEALER AND THEY DON'T REALLY KNOW WHAT TO DO AND TOLD ME I COULD GET A NEW LAMP FOR ABOUT $450 OR REPLACE SOMETHING FOR $1100. *TR

THE CAR IS EQUIPPED WITH HID LIGHTS AND THE DRIVERS SIDE FAILS INTERMITTENTLY. THE DEALER COULD NOT RECREATE THE PROBLEM BUT SUGGESTED PERHAPS REPLACING THE BULB ($345) MIGHT HELP OR WAITING UNTIL IT BECOMES MORE FREQUENT. THIS IS A VERY COMMON PROBLEM WITH THE 2006 PRIUS HID LIGHTS. TOYOTA SHOULD AT LEAST HAVE IDENTIFIED THE SOURCE OF THE PROBLEM BECAUSE IT COULD BE CAUSED BY THE FAILURE OF VARIOUS COMPONENTS AND RANDOM REPLACEMENT OF COMPONENTS IN THE HEADLIGHT CIRCUIT WOULD BE NEEDLESSLY EXPENSIVE. AS IT IS OBVIOUSLY A MANUFACTURING OR SUPPLIER PROBLEM TOYOTA SHOULD EXTEND THE WARRANTY AND ISSUE A RECALL AS LIGHTING IS A SAFETY ISSUE. *TR

OUR 2006 TOYOTA PRIUS HAS A HEADLIGHT THAT WILL RANDOMLY TURN OFF WHILE DRIVING. IT IS VERY DIFFICULT TO TELL WHEN A HEADLIGHT TURNS OFF. IF WE DO REALIZE THAT THE HEADLIGHT HAS TURNED OFF, WE CAN TURN BOTH HEADLIGHTS OFF WHILE DRIVING AND THEN TURN THEM BACK ON. THIS "RESETS" THE LIGHTS AND THEY BOTH COME BACK ON. LIVING IN THE COUNTRY WHERE ROADS ARE VERY WINDY AND ILLUMINATED STREETS ARE UNCOMMON, THIS IS A SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE. THE DEALER CLAIMS THEY ARE BAD BULBS; HOWEVER, THE HID BULBS SHOULD LAST 8-10 YEARS. OUR BULB HAS LASTED ONLY 2.5 YEARS. TO REPLACE THE BULB IT COSTS OVER $500, WHICH IS RIDICULOUS. THERE ARE OBVIOUS SAFETY PROBLEMS WITH BULBS RANDOMLY GOING OUT WHILE DRIVING. BASED UPON DISCUSSIONS WITH OTHER PRIUS OWNERS, THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM. OTHER HAVE BEEN CHARGED UPWARDS OF $1800 TO CHANGE BOTH HEADLAMPS ON CARS UNDER 50K MILES. SOMETHING SHOULD BE DONE TO MAKE TOYOTA RECOGNIZE THIS SIGNIFICANT SAFETY RISK. *TR

THE FRONT HID HEADLIGHTS ON MY 2006 PRIUS PERIODICALLY GO OFF, WITH NO EXPLANATION -- BOTH THE RIGHT AND LEFT SIDE HAVE FAILED ON OCCASION, BUT NEVER AT THE SAME TIME. IF I TURN THE LIGHTS OFF AND THEN BACK ON AGAIN, THE LIGHT COMES BACK ON. THIS HAS BEEN OCCURRING OVER A NUMBER OF MONTHS, SO TODAY I HAD IT ANALYZED AND WAS TOLD THE HID COMPUTER FOR EACH OF THE LIGHTS IS OK, BUT THE LIGHT BULBS THEMSELVES NEEDED TO BE REPLACED, WHICH I DID AT A COST OF OVER $200 PER BULB. I WAS TOLD AT THE DEALER THAT THEY'VE HAD NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS ABOUT THIS, BUT WERE NOT AWARE OF ANY FACTORY AUTHORIZED REPAIR OF SAID PROBLEM. AFTER READING AN INTERNET BLOG ON THIS ISSUE, AND HEARING OF NUMEROUS IDENTICAL COMPLAINTS, I'M CONVINCED TOYOTA OUGHT TO BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE FOR THIS SERIOUS AND POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS PROBLEM. *TR

THREE WEEKS AFTER OBTAINING MY NEW 2006 PRIUS, THE RIGHT HEADLIGHT STARTED GOING OFF WHILE DRIVING. WHEN I TURNED THE LIGHTS OFF AND ON AGAIN, IT WOULD COME BACK ON. AFTER 3 TRIPS TO THE DEALERSHIP THEY REPLACED THE HEADLIGHT (I NOTICED THAT THE LIGHT WAS ALSO NOT AS BRIGHT AS THE OTHER LIGHT). THEN THE LEFT ONE STARTED DOING THE SAME, MANY TRIPS IN AND THEY REPLACED THAT ONE. THE PROBLEM WOULD STOP FOR A WHILE AFTER THE NEW HEADLIGHT THEN START AGAIN. LAST NIGHT I WAS DRIVING HOME AND WAS STOPPED BY POLICE. BOTH OF MY HEADLIGHTS HAD GONE OFF. SAME FIX, WAS TO TURN THE LIGHTS OFF AND THEN ON AGAIN. THERE IS NO WARNING LIGHT IN THE CAR, SO I HAVE NO IDEA IF THE LIGHTS ARE ON OR OFF, UNLESS I AM BEHIND A CAR IN WHICH I CAN SEE THE REFLECTION OF MY LIGHTS IN THEIR BUMPER. THIS IS VERY DISTURBING AND SCARY. MY CAR IS IN THE SHOP NOW AGAIN AND TOYOTA IS TELLING ME THAT IT IS "NORMAL " TO REPLACE THE HEADLIGHTS AFTER 50,000 MILES. THEY ARE STILL LOOKING AT IT AS A HEADLIGHT BULB PROBLEM. THEY ARE NOT LISTENING TO ME THAT THERE IS A MAJOR ISSUE WITH THE WIRING OR COMPUTER SOMEWHERE IN THE CAR. THE INTERNET IS FILLED WITH COMPLAINTS OF PRIUS HEADLIGHT PROBLEMS, BUT AS FAR AS I CAN TELL TOYOTA IS IGNORING IT. I HAVE EVEN BROUGHT THEM THE LISTS OFF OF THE INTERNET, AND THEY SAY THAT "EVERYONE COMPLAINS ON THE INTERNET". *TR

2006 TOYOTA PRIUS HID HEADLIGHTS HAVE REPEATEDLY FAILED. BOTH HEADLIGHTS INTERMITTENTLY FAILED AND WERE REPLACED BY TOYOTA 11/24/07. NOW R HID HEADLIGHT HAS FAILED AGAIN. LOSS OF HEADLIGHTS CREATES A MAJOR SAFETY HAZARD. *TR

2006 TOYOTA PRIUS HID HEADLIGHT FAILS INTERMITTENTLY WITHOUT WARNING. HEADLIGHT CANNOT BE REPAIRED BY NORMAL MEANS REQUIRING THE VEHICLE BY DRIVEN UNSAFELY OR ABANDONED ON THE ROAD UNTIL IT CAN BE TOWED. HEADLIGHTS NON AVAILABILITY THROUGH NORMAL SUPPLIERS ENCOURAGES OWNERS TO DRIVE WITHOUT THE HEADLIGHT (S). ADDITIONALLY, REPAIR COSTS CAN EASILY EXCEED $1000 FOR A HEADLIGHT.TR

I HAVE A 2006 TOYOTA PRIUS WITH ABOUT 60,000 MILES. I AM EXPERIENCING THE WIDELY REPORTED ISSUE WITH THE HID HEADLIGHT. THE DRIVER SIDE HEADLIGHT FAILS TO TURN ON SOMETIMES, BUT IF I NOTICE IT AND TURN OFF THE HEADLIGHTS AND TURN THEM BACK ON, THE PROBLEM GOES AWAY. EVEN IF THE LIGHT WORKS, IT SOMETIMES FLICKERS AND GOES OUT AFTER A FEW MINUTES. I GOT PULLED OVER BY THE POLICE TONIGHT FOR A FAILED HEADLIGHT. SINCE THIS SEEMS TO BE A WIDELY REPORTED ISSUE, TOYOTA SHOULD FIX THIS FOR THE PEOPLE WHO HAVE ENCOUNTERED IT. THANKS! *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

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 TOYOTA PRIUS. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 40 MPH AT NIGHT, THE CONTACT NOTICED THAT THE EXTERIOR LIGHT ON THE PASSENGER SIDE LOST POWER. THE VEHICLE WAS DRIVEN TO THE DEALER FOR A DIAGNOSTIC, BUT NO FAILURES WERE FOUND. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED AT THAT TIME. A FEW MONTHS LATER, THE EXTERIOR LIGHT ON THE DRIVER'S SIDE BEGAN TO LOSE POWER. THE LIGHT BEGAN WORKING AGAIN ONCE IT WAS TURNED OFF AND THEN ON AGAIN. THE FAILURES HAVE OCCURRED INTERMITTENTLY. THE MANUFACTURER HAS NOT BEEN NOTIFIED. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 47,000 AND FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 42,000. UPDATED 12/16/08 *CN UPDATED 12/18/08. *JB

I HAVE A 2006 TOYOTA PRIUS THAT HAS AN INTERMITTENT FRONT LEFT HEADLIGHT. IT GOES ON WHEN I FIRST START IT AND THEN IT GOES OFF A FEW MINUTES LATER. IF YOU REDO THE HEADLIGHT IT GOES ON THEN SHUTS OFF AGAIN. IT SEEMS VERY DANGEROUS AND THE DEALER IS SAYING IT WILL COST OVER $200 TO FIX. *TR

ACCIDENT REPAIR FRONT RIGHT. APPROX 2 WKS AFTER REPAIR I NOTICED THAT THE RIGHT HEADLIGHT WASN'T WORKING. HI BEAM WORKS. FOUND OTHER DISGRUNTLED OWNERS ON PRIUSCHAT.COM. REPLACEMENT OF LIGHT IS $350.00 AND IS UNDER WARRANTY FOR 33,000 MILES - I HAD ABOUT 38,000 AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT. I HAVE NO WAY OF KNOWING WHETHER THE LIGHT IS OK AND A CONNECTION IS BAD OR WHETHER THE ACCIDENT HAD ANYTHING TO DO WITH THE FAILURE OF THE LIGHT. I THINK THIS IS A DESIGN DEFECT AND THERE SHOULD BE A RECALL. *TR