Bought a used 2006 Toyota Prius on March 29, 2010, with 50,000 miles. The first time I drove it at night, the right headlight went out, followed shortly by the left headlight. I turned on my fog lights and proceeded to drive the 25 miles to my home. I turned off the headlights and turned them back on and they both worked. This time the left headlight went out, and I turned off my fog lights and turned on the high beams, then all the lights went out and I turned the fog lights back on. This occurred four times before I finally made it home on one headlight. Dealer replaced the bulbs. Toyota said they were high intensity bulbs that heated up and burned out, and suggested not using them except at night. The bulbs cost $150 or $350 and cost an additional $150 to install. Was told if it happens again, to let them know and they'll swap the bulbs to see if it's the headlight computer that has the problem. No idea what that would cost to replace. Wasn't happy with the situation, traded up to a 2008 Prius with 25,000 miles and tonight, April 6, 2010, the same thing has happened. There is something wrong with this scenario. One the headlight bulbs shouldn't consistently blow, and, two, no headlight bulb should cost $150 or more. Back to the dealer tomorrow or the next day to see what they'll do.

- Frederica, DE, USA

The hid headlights on my 2006 Toyota Prius (40K miles) go out whenever the car accelerates (braking, speeding up, turning, go over a speed bump). The lights turn back on if I flip the headlight switch on and off. This appears to be a widespread issue affecting thousands of Toyota Prius owners.

- Santa Clara, CA, USA

Hid headlight on Toyota Prius 2006 will not stay on!! when I went to the dealer the headlight happened to be on and they could do nothing. When it went off last night I almost ran into a retaining wall. Very close call and it scared the hell out of us!! it has occurred a couple of times. Judging from the Prius chat site this is a common occurrence which Toyota should be able to fix, but evidently a lot of people have spent thousands of dollars with no appreciable effect. I'll take it in again, but I ahven't too much faith in their ability to resolve the problem permanently!!

- Henderson, NV, USA

This is about a 2006 Toyota Prius with 37,000 miles on it. The driver's side headlight goes on and off. It happens frequently, perhaps every day, and it has been like this for 4 months now. A lot of people are having the same problem and I know from them that replacing the bulb will not fix it.

- Ithaca, NY, USA

2006 Prius (45,000 miles) hid failure. Both passenger and driver's side hid headlamp turn off after running car for about 10 minutes. Dealer quotes extremely expensive to remedy problem, considering it is a major safety issue for night driving.

- Washington, DC, USA

Our 2006 Toyota Prius with hid headlights intermittently and suddenly turn off, mostly on the driver side, but can happen on the passenger side. It is sometimes difficult to know when a bulb goes out, so this is clearly a safety issue since oncoming traffic can misjudge my car's position with only one headlight, not to mention reduced visibility for my car. When I went to the city Toyota dealership in daly city, ca near my house in 2008, I was shocked to find out the Toyota parts department was charging $300 for one bulb. I read online that turning the headlights off and then on can revive the bulb, and I found this method to work, but often the bulb would then randomly turn off again. This make-shift temporary solution, plus the very high price for a bulb as well as unclear instructions from Toyota whether it was the expensive electronics unit or the bulb discouraged me from doing anything. Then I read that even after bulbs were replaced with oem bulbs some Prius owners had recurring issues. Was I going to spend $300 per bulb only to find out it didn't work? no way. I consider this issue to be a reliability and safety issue that Toyota should rectify at their cost 100%. all I received in the mail from Toyota was a letter saying they would reimburse me if I had performed headlight issue service with them. I am frustrated this issue is still not being officially dealt with by Toyota in a responsible manner. My post to this site is in an attempt for the proper government authorities to force Toyota's hand to do the right thing, and that is to face up to an obvious design/quality issue.

- Daly City, CA, USA

My Prius has 60, 000 miles and has hi definition headlights. Last week one of the lights went out so I went to a Toyota dealer to have it changes. When they turned on the headlights to check the problem the light worked. The tech said Toyota had a problem with headlights getting overheated and going out and coming back on. The problems was not resolved.

- Lansing, MI, USA

My headlights are intermittently failing on my 2006 Prius. The dealership has replaced both the left and right (as a pair) headlights at ~20,000 miles and again at ~48,000 miles. And now at 55,000 miles, they are replacing another front headlight hid bulb. There were two additional times that I requested the Toyota service department check the lights as I had been told by a police officer that front and/or back lights were out, but the dealership said all of the lights were functioning. My lights appear to work intermittently. I may have both headlights working for a week or a month or more, then one of both may go out, and then one or both may start functioning again. It's completely variable. I never know if one of both headlights will work at any given time. It's frustrating and scary- as I don't know what to do to fundamentally resolve the issue and ensure that I have functioning headlights! approximate dates: Jan 2008 - police officer told me a light was out, dealer could not reproduce April 2008 - both headlights replaced September 2009- both headlights replaced February 2009- police officer told me lights were out (1 front, 1 back) March 2010- headlight replaced

- San Diego, CA, USA

My hid light on my 2006 Prius burnt out on driver's left side. Took it in for a replacement and they told me that I have to replace both for a price of $500 and will only warranty for 1 year. I was told the average span for a bulb is 2.5-4 years. This is a ridiculous price for a light bulb. You should put pressure on the company to bring the cost for this safety repair down to a reasonable level.

- San Diego, CA, USA

1996 Toyota Prius - (3) things I have noticed when operating car. (1) when braking and going over rough pavement, car will behave as though it is hydroplaneing - the brakes not slowing the car for a brief period until car settles down. This can happen when going as slow as 5 mph. The faster one is going when hitting the rough pavement, the farther the car will travel before braking sensation re-appears. I believe this occurs everytime I travel rough pavement (la city streets, not back country or 4 wheeling). Note that warning light on dashboard does light suggesting loss of control. I called dealer service center and described problem, they assured me that no safety warnings or recalls had been made. 2) when turning off cruise control, car will accelerate slightly for approximately 1-2 seconds. This is most noticeable when trying to exit carpool lane in heavy traffic and spacing is limited. Again called dealership and assured no safety notices or recalls. I now cover brake when turning off speed control. 3) car just eats up hid headlight (9 in 80K miles + 2 original installed) and taillight bulbs (11 + 2 originally installed). Again no safety notices or recalls. I replace them as I notice them. I have never had both headlights go out at once as described on your website. Note that other than the above issues/concerns, this car has been a great car with no service except for gas, oil changes, and replace the bulbs when they go out.

- Cypress, CA, USA

My 2006 Toyota Prius headlights are malfunctioning. My headlights go off intermittently. Mainly the right headlights but both lights have this problem. If I turn off and then turn on the lights then they will work ok for a little while. I am worried that both lights may go off and will put my family at risk at night.

- Fremont, CA, USA

In 2009 I purchased a 2006 Toyota Prius. Immediately after purchase the head lights randomly shut off. Sometimes one at time and sometimes both at the same time. Recently I was driving over a dark mountain pass in the snow and the headlights both went out at the same time. It took me three times, turning them off and on for them to come back on. We could have been hurt or killed. This happens often, at least five to six times when we are driving our car at night and my son has been pulled over and ticketed twice. We called the dealer and even though we bought the full extended used car warranty, Toyota does not cover the headlight issues and are telling us it's going to cost between $500 - $1500 to have the headlights replaced. It's obviously an electrical problem, but Toyota said they issued a statement saying it was not. The lights even go out when you turn on your blinkers, off course randomly. I even went for a night time drive with my salesperson right after I purchased the vehicle and he saw the lights go off. He said I would just have to replace them at my cost even though it was obvious they were going on and off when we hit even the slightest bump in road and even though it was supposedly a certified used car. Toyota knows there is a problem because it's issued a statement and there are blogs all over the internet about it, yet they refuse to help their customers maintain a safe operating vehicle. I've again called the dealer and have another appointment about this issue in a couple of days. We are hoping they acknowledge that we've purchases three Toyota from them in the last three years and that they will fix the headlights for us before someone gets hurt or killed. All three cars we purchased from Toyota are also involved in their current recalls. We are very unhappy with our Toyota and feel very unsafe driving them with family members and children in our vehicles.

- Bend, OR, USA

Toyota Prius 2006. Rt. front (passenger side) headlight goes out for no reason. After this is will not come back on, even if I switch from low to high beam. I turn the lights off and on that corrects the problem for about 3 to 15 minutes, then it goes off again. Toyota said it was the bulb and replaced it at about 34,000 miles under warranty, but it did not change anything. Then the next chance I had to bring it in it was out of warranty, so they will not cover. I thought it may be the igniter or transformer so I replaced that, but it still does the same thing. I see many Prius' around town with their right front light out, so it seems to be quite common. I read on the internet that lots of Prius people are having the same exact problem, but of course Toyota denies that there is one. Toyota simply charges $300. To replace the bulb, or $600 to replace the igniter, or $1,100 to replace the whole headlight assemble. Replacing the bulb does not fix it, neither does the igniter, not sure about the whole assembly. The light goes off whether the car is parked or driving down the road, so vibration is not the problem. This is a huge safety hazard. Toyota is producing lemons, then simply replacing the bulbs and hoping your warranty runs out. Toyota is making a ton of money off of this defect at $1,100 per light assembly, and even then I am not sure the problem is being repaired. This problem seems to be more common on 2006 and 2007 models. I just drove to the airport and back (45 min each way) and my light went out probably 30 times. Many owners don't seem to know that their light is out. I notice, but I still feel like I am a huge road hazard. I would repair it if I knew what the actual problem was. The Toyota factory surely knows what the problem is and how to correct it, but if they bring the problem to the surface they know that they will be forced to pay for another recall, meanwhile they make a ton of profit off parts and repairs.

- Rockwall, TX, USA

Driver side hid headlight fails intermittedly.

- Needham, MA, USA

The hid headlights on my 2006 Toyota Prius intermittently go out one at a time. Once they go out they stay out unless I manually turn them off and then on I cannot determine when one of the headlights goes out. The problem is when driving with only 1 headlamp I have had several instances when the other headlamp has gone out as well leaving me with no headlights at night. If I hadn't known to turn them on/off I would have been driving on a road at night with no headlamps.

- Plymouth, MA, USA

Reference your case PE09019, closed in August 2009. I also own a 2006 Toyota Prius on which the headlamps fail daily. As stated in the report it usually starts with only one lamp failing but it often ends with both lamps out. I will not drive without my fog lamps on for fear I will be in total darkness at a crucial time such as a sharp curve or turn in the road. I have been waiting for someone to take action and force a recall as it is extremely expensive to replace these headlamps. In light of the current findings against Toyota, you should reopen the investigation. I am not certain by any means but I had heard your organization had over 500 complaints regarding this issue. Why did you only interview 40 owners" do we have to wait for someone's death, perhaps mine or one of my family members, before we take this situation serious enough to force action on Toyota's part? how could something as serious as headlamp failure be dismissed so casually"

- Statesboro, GA, USA

Both headlights on 2006 Prius turned off after less than 5 minutes on road. May have exhibited flashing before total failure of both headlights. Confirmed headlight on light was present during failure. One car coming towards flashed their lights to convey my headlights were off. I then slowed down and turn lights off then back on. Both came back on and stayed on since then. I have been checking each time I get in or out of car than headlights are on and functioning normal at beginning and end of trip. Fyi, I do not use headlights as daylight running lights.

- Oregon City, OR, USA

Headlights of 2006 Prius go on and off at will. I reported this to Toyota dealer and was told that they had to change both bulbs. The intensity of the bulbs are normal when they come back on and I have never owned a car where the bulbs recover on their own. It appears to be a wiring problem of some kind and Toyota's solution of changing the bulbs does not seem to be a reasonable solution. Also the one year guarantee of an expensive repair does not seem reasonable. The Toyota website shows hundreds of complaints for the same condition.

- Vintondale, PA, USA

2006 Prius hid headlights go out intermittently. There doesn't seem to be a fix that Toyota can provide. This is very upsetting, even more so if you drive at night a lot. Toyota doesn't admit there is a problem and states the only course of action is to replace the headlight. Why am I to pay an extreme amount of money to replace a headlight when the headlight works? it's just faulty and intermittent (be it wiring, a computer glitch, or something else). This problem with the hid headlights occurs multiple times each time I drive the car. Furthermore, it is hard to determine when the headlights are working properly. I have taken my Prius to a Toyota dealership and they refuse that the lights are faulty and ask that you replace them. It is scary to drive my Prius at night and it is no fun explaining this strange situation to a police officer who doesn't care and still gives you a citation. I just want Toyota to acknowledge and fix the problem.

- Los Angeles, CA, USA

I own a 2006 Toyota Prius. I have had a problem with my passenger headlight working intermittently. I thought the light was failing until one night I was driving home and all the lights turned off and it was pure darkness. I quickly corrected the immediate danger by turning the light switch off then on and they came back on. This has happened two other times. I received what I thought was a recall notice on the hid lights. When I took the notice to my local dealer, they informed me that the recall was on the price of the hid bulbs and not on the actual bulbs. They had reduced the price from $300 to $150. Now, after looking into it further, it seems that I am not the only one experiencing this same problem.

- Valley Center, CA, USA