Headlights would go out, but come back on. At first, it was only one headlight, but one evening, when one headlight went out, I switched to high beams and both went out. I pulled off the road, turned the car off and back on and the lights worked for about twenty minutes. Dealer had replaced bulbs previously. On August 19, dealer replaced headlamp systems at a very high cost. Manufacturer sent me a check to repay part of this, when I complained. Now, tonight, December 22, 2010, driver side headlight does not come on, except for a brief flash when locking or unlocking the doors.

- Poulsbo , WA, USA

Driver side headlight failure. Spontaneously goes out. Will come back when switch off and on.

- Germantown, MD, USA

The contact owns a 2004 Toyota Prius. While driving approximately 55 mph, the contact stated that the headlights shut off without warning. The vehicle was repaired by an authorized dealer. The manufacturer had not been notified. The current mileage was approximately 155,000. The failure mileage was approximately 150,000.

- Sacramento, CA, USA

The contact owns a 2004 Toyota Prius. The contact stated that the headlights would shut off independently. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer where the contact was advised that the headlights would need to be replaced. In addition, the contact stated that the center console on the dashboard failed. The contact called the manufacturer and filed a complaint but no assistance was offered. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 108,000 and the current mileage was approximately 113,000.

- Mcdowell, VA, USA

The contact owns a 2004 Toyota Prius. The contact was driving at various speeds and the driver side automatic headlight would flicker intermittently. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where they informed that the headlight would need to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure continued to occur. The failure mileage was 108,000. Updated 01/13/11 the consumer stated both head lights were replaced. However, the flickering continued until the head light started was replaced. Updated 03/31/11

- Dublin, OH, USA

Headlight on 2004 pries controller broken. May be due to oxide levels in contacts. Smart key oxidation causes poor use. Alarm goes off intermittently.

- La, CA, USA

Have a 2004 Prius. Head light on right side keeps going out. After I turn the headlights off and back on, it comes back on for a shot time. Waiting for both lights to go out while driving at night.

- Arnold, MD, USA

Intermittent failure of headlights.

- North Berwick, ME, USA

Car: 2004 Toyota Prius problem: Intermittent failure of both headlights while driving. Last night while driving along an unlit country road, both headlights failed simultaneously. After stopping the vehicle the lights came back on by turning on and off the headlamps using the stalk mounted switch. This is a very dangerous situation, many others have had the same problem. See the Toyota recall website and try this search, "trouble shooting Prius hid bulb and hid ECU", and you will get this result, "found: 62255 results for "trouble shooting Prius hid bulb and hid ECU". but the site only allows you to see and access 45 other "other results", that are very generic and talk about other Toyota models. Why can't the public see the 62,255 search results. Also check the forum at "priuschat.com/forums/gen-II-Prius-care-maintenance-troubleshooting/47938-my-hid-bulb-replacement-my-06-Prius.html". there are 175 posts dating back to 2008. This is unacceptable to have all the lights intermittently fail in any vehicle. This problem is widespread and deserves the attention of the NHTSA right now.

- Millersville, PA, USA

Unsafe nighttime headlamp lighting due to failure of height sensor, P/N 8940847010, 2004 Toyota Prius. Failure of height sensor caused headlamps to point down.

- Waterbury, VT, USA

2004 Prius at 146K miles with original headlights. Drivers side headlight turns orange and goes out after 2 minutes. Passenger side light goes out randomly and takes out fog lights at the same time. A complete failure of forward facing lighting including fog lamps should not happen if a headlight goes out. Turning the lights off-and-on brings them back for an unspecified amount of time until complete failure once again.

- Woodbridge, CT, USA

I got my 2004 Prius in Nov 2003. My drivers side headlight failed last year and I was charged at least $200 to replace last year. The same headlight failed about a month or so ago, and I do not have $200+ to get the bulb replaced. I've been unable to do this myself as have many other Prius owners.

- Peyton, CO, USA

Major problem with the vehicle's headlights. They intermittently turn themselves off without any warning. Tried replacing them per the manual instructions but the installed lamps are different than the manual, so replacing them is not an option. I consider this a major safety defect. These lamps are supposed to last the life of the car. Any headlamp that stops working without warning is a safety issue. I have never heard of this happening before with any car. You can make the light come back on by turning all the lights off and then on again. This defect is going to cause a major accident and folks are going to get hurt or worse.

- Lake Bluff, IL, USA

My complaint has to do with the high energy discharge (xenon) headlights on my 2004 Toyota Prius. Beginning sometime in February 2010 my wife and I began to notice that the drivers side headlight would shut down after the lights had been on for a few minutes. If the headlights were quickly turned off and then back on (say, while stopped at a traffic light), both headlights would work just fine for a while. I tried to replace the bulbs (D2R type xenon bulbs) which I purchased at a local car parts store for approximately $90 each. After trying to follow the instructions for replacing the bulbs (found in the owners manual), I was unable to open the bulb holders. When I had the car at the dealership (capitol Toyota) for service in late April 2010, I asked if they could fix the headlights. The service rep told me that mere diagnosis of the problem would cost $600, with any ballast or bulb replacement added to that cost. I have never paid more than about $40 to replace both of my vehicle headlights prior to this. I appreciate that these bulbs should cost more than halogen or other types, but the costs I'm encountering are outlandish. In the mean time, we are still driving the car with the problem. Headlights work for five to 10 minutes, and then one, and now, sometimes the other headlight will shut down. Recently, our daughter arrived back from a brief trip complaining that the headlights were very dim. I found out that neither headlight was working - the only lights on the front of the car were the fog lamps. We now do not drive this car at night, and wonder how we will fix this problem.

- Hixson, TN, USA

Intermittent headlight failure on my 2004 Toyota Prius. It first happened around 67,000 miles when both headlights went out at once (at night!). flicking the switch did make them come back on. After that, the failure has been increasing, mainly with the passenger side headlight. Turning the switch no longer always works to turn the light back on. I can;T always tell that it is off if they are on for me to me seen (such as in rain) rather than to allow me to see. This is incredibly dangerous. I can;T drive the car at night reliably now and what about in rain (which is not as easily predictable as "day/night")? this is clearly not a rare occurrence. Toyota needs to step up here. By the way, I've already had to spend $800 to fix my multifunction display which failure is also well documented.

- Clifton, VA, USA

The headlights on our 2004 Prius (80,000 miles) have gone on and off intermittently over the past few years. However, it was not until Saturday night while we were on the freeway when both lights went out simultaneously. We were told by the dealer that this happens quite often and the a new bulb would fix the problem. At $800 to replace a defective part, I think this is excessive and unnecessary.

- Hillsboro, OR, USA

High intensity discharge (hid) headlights "wink" off & on randomly, which causes a serious safety/visibility problem in the dark. I understand you opened an investigation on this issue a while ago but then closed it without a finding of a safety defect. Please reopen it again. There is a continuously growing body of reports of this issue with the Toyota Prius. Go to www.priuschat.com and search for the hid headlight thread to see what I mean. Many owners have had to pay $500 to $1000 out of pocket to Toyota dealers to fix this problem. In some cases, the problem has recurred a few months later. Please ask Toyota to issue a safety recall of Prius models affected by this issue. I hope you can get Toyota to do this before someone dies because of this problem. Otherwise, you will have a situation similar to the "unintended acceleration" problem which has killed a number of people. Thanks for your help!

- Rancho St Marg, CA, USA

My 2004 Toyota Prius has hid headlights and they have become almost completely fogged over in spite of my best efforts to clean them. The problem seems to be the inside of the lamp, which can't be cleaned. Toyota wants $355 per headlight to replace the part + labor. This has become a safety issue and none of my other cars has had this problem.

- Santa Clarita, CA, USA

Last fall the left headlight was noticed to be out on my 2004 Toyota Prius by a neighbor when I came home one night in November, 2009. Made an appointment to get it fixed at my Toyota dealer, but then it came on the next day. When I canceled the appointment with the dealer they mentioned to watch it, since the headlights were known to go on and off. We left within the next couple of days for a vacation drive from md to nc. Headlight stayed on until we were in nc. Went to a Toyota dealer and was told it would be $900 to replace the headlight since the computer behind the light had to be replaced as well. At that outrageous price - for just one headlight - we did not get it fixed. The headlight then stayed on most of the rest of the trip, but periodically goes off. This is a safety issue and it should certainly not cost almost a thousand dollars to fix a headlight.

- Vienna, MD, USA

The headlights on my 2004 Prius intermittently go off. It is corrected by turning the switch off, then back on.

- Moraga, CA, USA