2006 Toyota Prius Complaint Log

2006 TOYOTA PRIUS. OCCURRENCE: CONSTANT -- EVERY TIME. HEADLIGHTS GO OUT DESPITE SWITCH BEING "ON." HEADLIGHTS SOMETIMES COME BACK ON AFTER BEING TURNED OFF AND BACK ON. SOMETIMES NOT. SOMETIMES IT IS THE LEFT HEADLIGHT, SOMETIMES IT'S THE RIGHT ONE. ACCORDING TO THE TOYOTA FORUM HTTP://PRIUSCHAT.COM/FORUMS/CARE-MAINTENANCE-TROUBLESHOOTING/34584-HEADLIGHT-PROBLEM.HTML THIS SEEMS TO BE A PRETTY WIDESPREAD PROBLEM WITH LITTLE UNIFIED RESPONSE FROM TOYOTA. SEVERAL DEALERSHIPS HAVE APPARENTLY CHARGED FOR SOME CORRECTIVE EFFORT, BUT THERE DOES NOT SEEM TO BE A SOLID CORRECTIVE ACTION PLAN IN PLACE FOR ANYONE TO FOLLOW - ON THEIR OWN OR THROUGH TOYOTA. I'M MARKING TODAY AS THE INCIDENT DATE, (BECAUSE IT'S A REQUIRED FIELD) BUT THIS HAS BEEN GOING ON FOR SEVERAL MONTHS. I AM GLAD I DECIDED TO CHECK ON LINE BEFORE REPLACING THE BULBS -- TURNS OUT IT WOULD PROBABLY NOT DO ANY GOOD. TAKING THE STEP OF FILING HERE SO I CAN KEEP A COPY ON FILE IN THE EVENT OF A TRAFFIC STOP. WHAT DO I TELL THE POLICE? THANKS FOR YOUR HELP ON THIS. *TR

RIGHT HEADLIGHT INTERMITTENT FAILURE. THE HEADLIGHT GOES OUT INTERMITTENTLY WITHOUT WARNING. COMES BACK ON AGAIN (FOR AWHILE) WHEN LIGHTS ARE SWITCHED ON AND OFF. BASED ON INTERNET RESEARCH, I THINK THIS IS A COMMON MANUFACTURE DEFECT AFFECTING SAFETY. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 TOYOTA PRIUS. THE FRONT DRIVER SIDE HEAD LAMP SPORADICALLY FAILED WHICH REDUCED HER VISIBILITY. AS A CONSEQUENCE HER RISK FOR SERIOUS INJURY AND A CRASH WERE INCREASED. A TECHNICIAN STATED THAT THEY WERE UNABLE TO DIAGNOSE OR DUPLICATE THE FAILURE. THE CONTACT IS RESPONSIBLE FOR PAYING $1800.00 TO REPLACE THE HEADLIGHT. THE VEHICLE HAS NOT BEEN REPAIRED. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 70,000.

TOYOTA PRIUS - 2006 - HEADLIGHTS INTERMITTENT OPERATION. *TR

THE HEADLIGHTS GO OFF WHILE DRIVING MOSTLY THE DRIVERS SIDE LIGHT BUT ONE TIME BOTH HEADLIGHTS WENT OUT AT NIGHT. TOYOTA WANTS OVER SIX HUNDRED DOLLARS TO REPLACE LIGHT BULBS WHICH THEY SAY ARE THE PROBLEM. LIGHT BULBS ARE NOT THE PROBLEM BECAUSE WHEN THE LIGHTS GO OUT, YOU CAN TURN THEM OFF THEN BACK ON AND THEY BOTH COME BACK ON AND WORK PROPERLY. THEY HAVE GONE OUT THREE TIMES AND THE FORTH TIME THE MORNING I TOOK IT TO THE DEALERSHIP FOR REPAIRS. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 TOYOTA PRIUS. WHILE DRIVING AT APPROXIMATELY 70 MPH, THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL WENT DOWN TO THE FLOORBOARD WHEN DEPRESSED. HE ENGAGED THE BRAKE PEDAL, TURNED THE VEHICLE OFF AND THEN RESTARTED IT WHICH SEEMED TO CORRECT THE PROBLEM. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THIS FAILURE WAS THE SECOND OCCURRENCE OF THE PROBLEM. HE CALLED THE MANUFACTURER AND WAS TOLD THAT THEY WOULD GET BACK WITH HIM WHEN THEY WERE READY TO REPAIR THE PROBLEM. THE VIN WAS UNAVAILABLE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS UNKNOWN. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 104,000.

APPROXIMATELY 2 MOS AGO THE DRIVER HEADLIGHT BEGAN TO FLICKER THEN FAIL, INTERMITTENTLY BUT REGULARLY EACH TIME IT WAS TURNED ON. I WOULD BE ABLE TO GET IT TO COME BACK ON BY TURNING MY LIGHTS OFF THEN ON AGAIN. A FEW WEEKS AGO THE PASSENGER SIDE HEADLIGHT BEGAN TO DO THE SAME THING. NOW EVERYTIME I USE THE LIGHTS, ONE, THE OTHER OR BOTH AT THE SAME TIME WILL FAIL ,FORCING ME TO DO THE OF/ON THING TO RE-ENGAGE THEM. THEY WILL BOTH FAIL AGAIN SHORTLY THEREAFTER. *TR

THE RIGHT HEADLAMP GOES OFF AT RANDOM INTERVALS WHILE THE CAR IS BEEN DRIVEN. PROBLEM CLEARS FOR A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME AFTER THE CAR IS POWER CYCLED. *TR

INTERMITTENT FAILURE OF HID HEADLIGHTS ON MY 2006 PRIUS, BEGINNING SPRING 2009. THIS PROBLEM IS UNEXPLAINABLE - THE BULB IS NOT BURNED OUT BUT ONLY WORKS SOMETIMES. THIS IS A SAFETY HAZARD AT NIGHT. FIRST HAPPENED ON PASSENGER SIDE. HAD TOYOTA DEALER REPLACE THE BULB, WHICH SEEMS TO HAVE SOLVED THE PROBLEM ON THAT SIDE. BUT SAME PROBLEM BEGAN ON DRIVER'S SIDE SHORTLY AFTER PASSENGER SIDE WAS FIXED. I HAVE READ THAT OTHER PRIUS OWNERS HAVE EXPERIENCED SAME PROBLEM, INDICATING A MANUFACTURING DEFECT. *TR

I HAVE INTERMITTENTLY FAILING HID HEADLIGHTS AND MY 2006 PRIUS HAS JUST OVER 36,000 MILES ON IT. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 TOYOTA PRIUS. THE CONTACT WAS DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 45 MPH WHEN THE DRIVER SIDE HEADLAMP WOULD NO LONGER ILLUMINATE. AFTER APPROXIMATELY TWENTY MINUTES, THE HEADLAMP RESUMED NORMAL OPERATION BEFORE REPEATING THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE OCCURRED INTERMITTENTLY. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER FOR INSPECTION WHERE THE TECHNICIAN INFORMED THAT THE FAILURE WAS CAUSED BY THE HEADLAMP WIRING OVERHEATING AND BLOWING OUT THE BULB. THE FAILURE RECURRED. THE BULB WAS REPLACED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 137,000. UPDATED 12/01/10. *LJ UPDATED 12/09/10*JB

I HAVE BEEN EXPERIENCING A PERIODIC FAILURE OF THE HIGH INTENSITY DISCHARGE (HID) HEADLIGHTS ON MY 2006 TOYOTA PRIUS (PACKAGE #6) WITH ABOUT 42,000 MILES. THE HEADLIGHT THAT FAILS IS USUALLY THE DRIVER'S SIDE. I CAN GET IT TO TURN BACK ON BY TURNING OFF THE LIGHTS AND THEN TURNING THEM BACK ON AGAIN. THIS HAPPENS OCCASIONALLY, BUT SEEMS TO BEING HAPPENING MORE FREQUENTLY OVER TIME. THE DEALER ADVISES THE REPAIR IS ON THE ORDER OF $500 AND REQUIRES SIGNIFICANT DISASSEMBLY OF THE FRONT OF THE CAR. I LOOKED AT A DISCUSSION FORUM FOR THE CAR (HTTP://PRIUSCHAT.COM/) WHICH LISTED MANY SIMILAR EXPERIENCES (SOME IDENTICAL) FOR BOTH THE 2006 AND 2007 MODELS WITH HID HEADLIGHTS. THE FACT SO MANY HEADLIGHTS FAIL THE SAME WAY AND AT THE SAME FREQUENCY INDICATES AC SYSTEM PROBLEM. TOYOTA DOES NOT HAVE A RECALL ON THIS PROBLEM. *TR

2006 PRIUS HIGH INTENSITY HEADLAMPS FLICKERED WENT OUT AND RESTARTED WHEN TURNED OFF AND ON AND EVENTUALLY STOPPED WORKING AT 40,000 MILES IN MARCH 2008, HAD BULBS REPLACED BY TOYOTA LOYALTY, NOW IN APRIL 2009 WITH LESS THAN 30,000 MORE MILES SAME THING HAPPENING, UNSAFE TO DRIVE AT NIGHT, TOYOTA LOYALTY REFUSES ANY FURTHER ASSISTANCE, REPAIR ESTIMATED TO BE OVER $600.00. OBVIOUSLY DEFECTIVE PART OR DESIGN. TOYOTA LOYALTY CLAIMS THAT CONTROLLERS WERE REPLACED IN 2008, BUT DEALER DENIES, STATING ONLY REPLACED BULBS. *TR

THE PASSENGERS HEAD LIGHT WORKS INTERMITTENTLY. WHEN IT GOES OUT, IF I TURN THE HEADLIGHT ON THEN OFF, IT COMES BACK ON. I HAVE HID HEADLIGHTS IN THE CAR. *TR

SAFETY ISSUE: MY 2006 PRIUS HID HEADLAMPS ONLY WORK INTERMITTENTLY. ONE OR THE OTHER WILL RANDOMLY GO OUT. CYCLING POWER USUALLY FIXES THE PROBLEM. *TR

ONE OR BOTH LIGHTS GO OFF SPONTANEOUSLY, WHEN I SHUT THE LIGHTS OFF AND PUT THE BACK ON BOTH LIGHTS WORK FOR A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME, WHEREAS THE PROBLEM RECURS WHERE EITHER ONE OR BOTH LIGHTS WILL SHUT OFF AGAIN. IT IS A CONSTANT PROBLEM. THE DRIVER'S SIDE LIGHT SEEMS TO BE AFFECTED MORE OFTEN. OBVIOUSLY WHEN DRIVING AT NIGHT IT IS DANGEROUS AND LIFE THREATENING. THE BULBS HAVE BEEN REPLACED. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 TOYOTA PRIUS. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 50 MPH, THE VEHICLE ACCELERATED WHEN THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED. THE BRAKE PEDAL REQUIRED GREATER FORCE TO SLOW DOWN THE VEHICLE. IN ADDITION, THE STOPPING DISTANCE WAS INCREASED. THERE WERE NO WARNINGS AND THE FAILURES OCCURRED INTERMITTENTLY. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER FOR DIAGNOSTIC TESTING, BUT THEY COULD NOT DUPLICATE THE FAILURES. ON THREE SEPARATE OCCASIONS, THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN BACK TO THE AUTHORIZED DEALER FOR IDENTICAL FAILURES, BUT THERE WERE NO RESOLUTIONS. THE MANUFACTURER INSPECTED THE VEHICLE, BUT WAS UNABLE TO DETECT THE FAILURES. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 44,000 AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 49,000. UPDATED 08/21/09. *LJ UPDATED 08/26/09.*JB

TOYOTA IS FAMILIAR WITH THE HID LIGHTS ON THEIR TOYOTA PRIUS' AND EVEN ISSUED A TSB (T-SB-0030-08) AND IS STILL REQUIRING THE END USER TO PAY UPWARDS TO $800 FOR THE REPAIR. WITHIN THE LAST FEW WEEKS, I AM HAVING TO TURN MY HEADLIGHTS ON AND OFF IN THE DAY OR DURING THE NIGHT SO THAT I CAN HAVE BOTH LIGHTS ON. IT'S AN INTERMITTENT ISSUE AND MANY OTHER OWNERS ARE COMPLAINING ABOUT THE SAME ISSUE. IT IS A TREMENDOUS SAFETY ISSUE ESPECIALLY WHEN DRIVING AT NIGHT. FOR THE 2010 MODEL PRIUS, TOYOTA HAS EVEN TAKEN OUT THE HID LIGHTS. WHAT IS REALLY GOING ON HERE. I AM NOT A HAPPY CONSUMER. *TR

MY 2006 TOYOTA PRIUS USES HIGH INTENSITY DISCHARGE (HID) HEADLIGHT BULBS. THESE BULBS ARE SUPPOSE TO LAST 10 YEARS. THE SAME BULB HAS FAILED TWICE NOW IN THE PAST 12 MONTHS AND THERE ARE MANY NOTED INSTANCES OF THIS SAME THING HAPPENING TO OTHER PRIUS OWNERS, YET TOYOTA HAS NOT FOUND A WAY TO RESOLVE THE PROBLEM. THE DEALERSHIP IS THE ONLY AUTHORIZED REPAIR PLACE TO GET THE PROBLEM FIXED WITH THE COST RANGING FROM $350 FOR JUST A NEW BULB TO $1500 IF THE RELAY NEEDS TO BE REPLACED. *TR

AFTER OWNING MY USED 2006 TOYOTA PRIUS FOR A WEEK, I HAD MY 1ST INCIDENT: I WAS DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD AT NIGHT, AND RIGHT HEADLIGHT WENT OUT, WHILE LEFT HEADLIGHT REMAINED ON. TURNED THE HEADLIGHT SWITCH TO 'OFF' POSITION, AND THEN TO 'ON' POSITION. THE HEADLIGHT CAME BACK ON FOR ABOUT 5 MINUTES, AND THEN WENT OFF AGAIN. ABOUT 2 WEEKS LATER, I STARTED HAVING THE SAME ISSUE WITH BOTH HEADLIGHTS. I USED THE SAME METHOD AS ABOVE IN ORDER TO GET THE HEADLIGHTS TO COME BACK ON. IT DOES NOT SEEM TO MATTER WHETHER OR NOT I HAVE JUST STARTED THE CAR, OR WHETHER IT HAS BEEN RUNNING FOR A WHILE... THE BULBS GO OUT WHEN THE CAR IS 'COLD' AND WHEN IT HAS BEEN RUNNING FOR A WHILE. I TOOK THE CAR TO MY REGULAR MECHANIC TO SEE IF IT WAS THE BULB, ETC. ( AS ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS WILL NOT BE COVERED UNDER MY USED CAR WARRANTY ). I ALMOST WRECKED THE CAR GOING AROUND A DARK CURVE IN THE ROAD THE OTHER DAY, WHEN BOTH HEADLIGHTS WENT OUT. I HAVE ALSO BEEN PULLED OVER TWICE FOR IMPROPER EQUIPMENT... BUT FORTUNATELY, I WAS NOT FINED. I EXPECT THAT I WILL EVENTUALLY GET A FINE IF THIS PROBLEM DOESN'T GET FIXED... OR WORSE... I COULD HAVE A WRECK AND BE KILLED... AS MOST OF THE DRIVING I DO IS AT NIGHT, AND OFTEN... I DRIVE ON COUNTRY ROADS THAT HAVE NO STREET LIGHTS... NOT TO MENTION... DEER RUNNING OUT IN THE ROAD. *TR

I OWN A 2006 TOYOTA PRIUS AND HAVE A PROBLEM WITH THE HID HEADLIGHTS. MY HID HEADLIGHTS FLICKER AND THEN ONE GOES OUT. IF I TURN THE HEADLIGHTS OFF AND ON, THEY WORK AGAIN FOR A SHORT TIME, YET THEN ONE WILL FLICKER AGAIN AND TURN OFF. THIS HAPPENS TO BOTH HEADLIGHTS. IT SEEMS THIS IS A PROBLEM WITH MANY 2006 PRIUSES, HOWEVER THE TOYOTA DEALER SAYS IT IS NOT ANYTHING COVERED BY WARRANTY, AND WANTS TO CHARGE AN OUTRAGEOUS AMOUNT TO REPLACE THE LIGHTS. IT SEEMS OBVIOUS THAT IT IS A DEFECTIVE LIGHT, WHICH POSES A DANGEROUS SITUATION. *TR

HEADLIGHT GOES OUT. LATER IT COMES BACK ON AND THEN GOES OUT AGAIN UNPREDICTABLY. THIS COULD BE VERY DANGEROUS DEPENDING ON WHERE I AM DRIVING WHEN IT HAPPENS. *TR

I HAVE AN INTERMITTENT DRIVER'S SIDE HEADLIGHT ON MY 2006 PRIUS. I HAVE BEEN STOPPED BY THE POLICE FOR SAFETY REASONS AND I AM CONCERNED AS IT GOES OUT, WITHOUT WARNING, AT NIGHT. THE FREQUENCIES IS EVERY FEW MINUTES OF SO. I MUST CONTINUALLY SWITCH THE LIGHTS OFF AND BACK ON TO GET THE HEADLIGHT WORKING FOR A FEW MINUTES. TOYOTA KNOWS OF THIS PROBLEM BUT WILL NOT ACKNOWLEDGE IT OR FIX IT. THE DEALER KNOWS OF THE PROBLEM BUT INSISTS THAT I SPEND OVER $600 FOR A HEADLAMP. (THEY LATER AGREED TO GIVE ME THE LAMP BUT WANT A $200 "DEDUCTIBLE" TO FIX IT.) I HAVE BEEN TRYING TO GET THIS FIXED FOR OVER A YEAR NOW BUT HAVE HAD NO RESULTS. *TR

HID HEADLIGHTS FAIL DURING OPERATION AND THE DRIVER HAS TO TURN POWER TO THE LIGHTS OFF AND THEN BACK ON FOR LIGHTS TO TURN BACK ON. THIS CYCLE HAS TO BE REPEATED EVERY 0-5 MINUTES SINCE THE LIGHTS CONTINUE TO BURN OUT. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 TOYOTA PRIUS. THE CONTACT NOTICED THAT THE TWO FRONT FENDERS ON THE VEHICLE WERE SEPARATED FROM THE BODY AND ROCKER PANEL. HE ALSO NOTICED A QUARTER INCH GAP ON BOTH FRONT SIDES OF THE VEHICLE. THE DEALER STATED THAT HE SHOULD BE MORE CAREFUL DRIVING OVER RAILROAD TRACKS AND BUMPS, WHICH THEY DETERMINED TO BE THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURES. A CASE WAS FILED WITH THE MANUFACTURER. THE CONTACT IS AWAITING A RETURN CALL. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE LESS THAN 43,000.

MY TOYOTA PRIUS 2006 ACCELERATED ON ITS OWN. I CALLED SERVICE AND WAS TOLD TO DRIVE TO NEAREST DEALER. BUT ACCELERATION WAS SCARY OUT OF MY CONTROL OTHER THAN BY FIERCE BRAKING. I HAVE NO IDEA HOW FAST I WAS GOING, BUT HAD TO PUT SOMETHING IN THE BOX SO I PUT 80MPH. I STOPPED AS SOON AS I COULD SAFELY AND WHERE I COULD GET SIGNAL TO CALL (BEING IN THE COUNTRY). AS SOON AS I STOPPED THE BRAKE PADS BURNT UP. I HAD TO TICK SOMETHING ON THE "COMPLAINT TYPE" BUT NONE OF THE CATEGORIES QUITE FIT. I WAS TOLD THAT THIS OCCURRED BECAUSE OF OEM BATTERY FAILURE CAUSING THIS PROBLEM.. IT WAS TIME FOR SERVICE BUT OTHERWISE HAD NO INDICATION THE BATTERY WAS LOW. I ACCEPTED THIS AND PAID THE $903.42 BILL FOR NEW BATTERY, BRAKES. THIS PROBABLY ALSO INCLUDED A REGULAR BASIC SERVICE AND OIL CHANGE. NOW I WONDER IF THIS IS A PART OF A LARGER PICTURE. AND WHAT INDICATION COULD THERE BE SO THIS DOESN'T HAPPEN AGAIN. I WAS VERY FORTUNATE THAT THIS WAS ALL THAT HAPPENED AND THAT I WAS ON AN EMPTY COUNTRY ROAD AT THE TIME. THANKS FOR LISTENING. *TR

THE HEADLIGHTS ON MY 2006 TOYOTA PRIUS START GOING OUT ON THEIR OWN AFTER ABOUT 18 MONTHS. I HAD BOTH REPLACED IN FALL OF 2007 AND THEY BOTH STARTED TO FAIL AGAIN IN SPRING OF 2009. THEY WILL BOTH GO OUT ON THEIR OWN WHILE I AM DRIVING OR ONE AT A TIME WILL GO OUT. TURNING THE SWITCH COMPLETELY OFF AND BACK ON TURNS THE HEADLIGHTS BACK ON.....FOR AWHILE. *TR

DRIVERS SIDE HEADLIGHT GOES OUT AFTER BEING ON FOR AWHILE TURNING THE SWITCH OFF THEN BACK ON THE LIGHT COMES BACK ON IT HAS HID LIGHTS. *TR

MY 2006 TOYOTA PRIUS HAS ONE HEADLIGHT GOING OUT AT IRREGULAR TIMES. IT CAN BE TURNED ON AGAIN IF THE HEADLIGHT SWITCH IS TURNED COMPLETELY OFF, THEN TURNED ON, BUT THAT DOES NOT MAKE THE HEADLIGHT STAY ON. I HAVE HAD THE HEADLIGHT SWITCH REPLACED, BUT THAT HAS NOT CORRECTED THE PROBLEM. IT IS MAINLY THE LEFT HEADLIGHT, BUT AFTER THE SWITCH REPLACEMENT, VERY OCCASIONALLY THE RIGHT HEADLIGHT GOES OUT AS WELL. VERY RARELY, BOTH HEADLIGHTS GO OUT. I HAVE CONSULTED THE DEALER AND THEY WANT ABOUT $1000 TO CORRECT THE PROBLEM, BUT GIVE NO GUARANTEES THAT THIS AMOUNT WILL FULLY CORRECT THE DIFFICULTY. I AM CONCERNED ABOUT THE SAFETY ASPECT OF THIS PROBLEM, ESPECIALLY IF WE DRIVE AT NIGHT. MY WIFE AND I ARE BOTH RETIRED AND WE NEED ALL THE LIGHTING FROM THESE HEADLIGHTS TO SEE SAFELY. I ALSO UNDERSTAND THAT IF THE PROBLEM SHOWS UP ON STATE INSPECTIONS, MY CAR WILL NOT PASS THIS INSPECTION. THE PROBLEM DID NOT SHOW UP FOR THE FIRST YEAR OR SO WE OWNED THE CAR, BUT HAS BECOME MORE FREQUENT OVER THE PAST YEAR. THERE SEEMS TO BE NO PATTERN TO THE FAILURES. *TR

BACK IN 2009, I EXPERIENCED RUNAWAY ACCELERATION IN MY 2006 TOYOTA PRIUS. THE CRUISE CONTROL HAD BEEN ENGAGED FOR BETWEEN 5 AND 15 MINUTES. ALL OF A SUDDEN, THE VEHICLE STARTED TO RACE. I WAS TRAVELING IN THE 70'S (MPH), AND IT SHOT UP TO NEARLY 100 BEFORE I GOT IT UNDER CONTROL. THE DEALER CLAIMED HE HAD NO SUCH OTHER COMPLAINTS AND COULD NOT REPLICATE MY PROBLEM. I BROUGHT IT BACK AGAIN A FEW MONTHS. LATER BECAUSE THE CRUISE CONTROL INTERMITTENTLY FAILED TO SET. I BROUGHT IT BACK A THIRD TIME, AGAIN, A FEW MOS. LATER. THIS TIME, THEY HAD A FIX, WHICH WAS A NEW CRUISE CONTROL MODULE. THE FIRST 2 TRIPS WERE UNDER WARRANTY. THEY WANTED TO CHARGE ME THE 3RD TIME BECAUSE IT WAS THEN BEYOND THE 3 YEARS OF WARRANTY. I FOUGHT THIS BECAUSE THE CONDITION WAS OBVIOUSLY PRE-EXISTING. YESTERDAY, STEVE WOZNIAK RECEIVED TELEVISION AND PRESS ATTENTION WHEN HE REPORTED THE SAME PROBLEM, A PROBLEM THAT TOYOTA TOLD ME THEY HAD NEVER EXPERIENCED BEFORE. AS FAR AS I AM CONCERNED, THIS COMPANY IS SCAMMING THE PUBLIC. THEY ARE PLAYING WITH PEOPLE'S LIVES. IT'S GOT TO STOP. IT'S MORE THAN JUST BRAKE PEDALS AND CARPET; IT'S APPARENTLY A WAY OF LIFE FOR THIS COMPANY. (I NO LONGER HAVE THE VEHICLE. DATES AND MILEAGE ARE APPROX.) *TR

FOR THE SECOND TIME IN THE THREE YEARS THAT I HAVE OWNED MY '06 PRIUS I AM HAVING HEADLIGHT FAILURES THAT START INTERMITTENTLY BEFORE COMPLETELY FAILING TO OPERATE. IT STARTS WITH ONE LIGHT GOING OUT AND COMING BACK ON AFTER MOMENTARILY TURNING OFF THE LIGHTS. THE FIRST EPISODE ( AT 30,000 MILES) RESULTED IN BEING PULLED OVER AND TICKETED BY THE POLICE ($70) THE DEALERSHIP ARRANGED FOR A ONE TIME MANUFACTURER REPLACEMENT OF THE ENTIRE LIGHT ASSEMBLIES (BULBS LENSES AND BALLASTS) ALTHOUGH THE BULBS WERE FINE -- AT A COST OF NEARLY $800. NOW AT 69,000 MILES (17 MONTHS LATER) THE PROBLEM HAS RETURNED. A WEEK AGO PASS. SIDE LIGHT BEGAN FLICKERING WHILE DRIVING, TWO DAYS INTO THAT THE LIGHT WOULD GO OUT AND UPON TURNING OFF AND TURNING ON LIGHTS IT WOULD ILLUMINATE AT A VERY LOW INTENSITY AND THEN GO OUT. TWO DAYS AGO THAT LIGHT FAILS TO ILLUMINATE. LAST NIGHT THE DRIVER'S SIDE LIGHT WENT OUT LEAVING ME IN TOTAL DARKNESS ON A DARK ROAD. TERRIFYING! TURNING ON HIGH BEAMS DID NOT HELP. AFTER TURNING OFF AND ON 2 TIMES, DRIVERS SIDE LIGHT CAME BACK ON. GOING TO DEALER MONDAY, IS THERE A RECALL FOR THIS? *TR

HEADLIGHT GOES OUT INTERMITTENTLY... TURNING OFF ALL LIGHTS FOR SEVERAL SECONDS AND THEN BACK ON TURNS THE LIGHT BACK ON.... DEALER SAID BULB NEEDS TO BE REPLACED FOR ABOUT $300..... INTERNET FORUMS INDICATE THIS IS A PROBLEM WITH THE PRIUS OVER SEVERAL YEARS... AND DOES NOT FIX PROBLEM... OTHERS HAVE REPLACED CONTROLLER BOARDS, BULBS, WIRING, ALL TO NO AVAIL... THERE SHOULD BE A RECALL TO FIX THE PROBLEMS.... I HAVE ALSO PURCHASED THE EXTENDED 100,000 MILE WARRANTY. *TR

TOYOTA PRIUS HID FAILURE. *TR

2006 TOYOTA PRIUS, PASSENGER SIDE HEADLIGHT GOES OUT INTERMITTENTLY. TURNING OFF AND BACK ON SEEMS TO CORRECT. *TR

MY 2006 PRIUS HAS THE INTERMITTENT FLICKER/FADE/FAILURE PROBLEM WITH BOTH HEADLAMPS AS I HAVE SEEN REPORTED BY OTHER PRIUS OWNERS. I HAD AN AUTO REPAIR SHOP REPLACE THE DRIVERS' SIDE HEADLAMP IN MARCH, 2009, BUT IT RESUMED THE FADE/FAIL PATTERN WITHIN A COUPLE OF MONTHS. DEALERSHIP WANTS OVER $500 TO REPLACE ONE UNIT, WITH NO GUARANTEE THAT THIS WILL CURE THE PROBLEM. IT IS HARD TO THINK THE BULBS ARE THE PROBLEM WHEN THEY ARE AT NORMAL BRIGHTNESS MOST OF THE TIME.*TR

PASSENGER SIDE HEADLIGHT INTERMITTENTLY FAILS. STARTING WHEN THE CAR HAD APPROXIMATELY 69,000 MILES, I WOULD NOTICE THAT THE PASSENGER SIDE HEADLIGHT WOULD INTERMITTENTLY FAIL WHILE DRIVING. TURNING THE HEADLIGHTS OFF AND BACK ON AGAIN WOULD CAUSE THE PASSENGER SIDE HEADLIGHT TO START WORKING AGAIN FOR A TIME. SOMETIMES THE HEADLIGHT WOULD FAIL AGAIN THE SAME DAY. SOMETIMES IT WOULD BE WEEKS BETWEEN FAILURES. DEALER DIAGNOSED A DEFECTIVE HID CAPSULE AND SAID THEY WOULD NEED TO BE REPLACED AT A COST OF APPROX. $510. *TR

BOTH HEADLIGHTS STARTED TO GO OUT INTERMITTENTLY. TURN THE HEADLIGHTS OFF, THEN BACK ON, AND THEY WOULD WORK FOR A WHILE, THEN ONE OR THE OTHER WOULD GO OUT AGAIN. FINALLY, THE LEFT HEADLIGHT WENT OUT AND WOULD NOT COME BACK ON. MY WIFE WAS TRAVELING OUT OF TOWN AT THE TIME, AND FORTUNATELY FOUND A DEALER OPEN ON SATURDAY. WE SUBSEQUENTLY HAD TO REPLACE THE RIGHT HEADLIGHT AS WELL. *TR

DRIVERS SIDE HEADLIGHT FAILURE. ON BRIEFLY THEN TURNS OFF. *TR

2006 PRIUS HAVING REPEATED HID HEADLAMP PROBLEMS. LEFT SIDE OR RIGHT SIDE WILL SHUT OFF, NEVER BOTH. NOT RELATIVE TO CLIMATE OR WEATHER. DEALER RECOMMENDED BOTH LAMPS BE REPLACED, $420, PLUS $90 DIAGNOSTICS FEE. CITATION FOR LIGHT LAW INFRACTION. REVIEWING INTERNET CHAT ROOMS, APPARENT PROBLEM WITH THE LIGHT SYSTEM JUSTIFYING AN INVESTIGATION. OVER 50 OCCURRENCES. *TR

I WANTED TO ADD MY EXPERIENCE WITH PREMATURE HID HEADLIGHT FAILURE ON MY 2006 TOYOTA PRIUS. THIS APPEARS TO BE A VERY COMMON PROBLEM WITH THE 2006 MODEL. SINCE THIS IS THE FIRST YEAR THE D4R HID LAMP WAS USED IN ANY AUTOMOTIVE APPLICATION I AM SURPRISED THERE HAS NOT BEEN A RECALL REQUIRED. MY HEADLIGHTS HAVE "INTERMITTENT" FAILURE AND HAVE BEEN BEHAVING AS SUCH FOR THE LAST 6 MONTHS. AS NOTED BY OTHERS WHO HAVE HAD THIS PROBLEM CYCLING THE HEADLIGHTS AND HITTING THE PLASMA WITH THE INITIAL HIGH VOLTAGE CHARGE WILL ALLOW THEM TO WORK FOR A PERIOD OF TIME BUT NOT ALWAYS. SOMETIMES THEY WILL WORK FOR AN ENTIRE EVENING AND SOMETIMES NOT AT ALL AFTER SEVERAL "CYCLING" ATTEMPTS. IT IS GENERALLY MY DRIVER'S SIDE HEADLIGHT THAT FAILS BUT I HAVE HAD THE PASSENGER SIDE FAIL AS WELL AND JUST RECENTLY AT TIMES HAVE EVEN HAD BOTH FAIL. AS YOU CAN IMAGINE THIS IS VERY DANGEROUS AT NIGHT AND REQUIRES ME TO PULL OVER AND "CYCLE" UNTIL MY LIGHTS ARE RESTORED. THROUGH EXTENSIVE REPLACEMENTS AND POSTINGS ON WWW.PRIUSCHAT.COM IT IS GENERALLY ACKNOWLEDGED THAT THE PROBLEM IS WITH THE D4R ITSELF AND NOT THE BALLAST OR ANY TYPE OF WIRING ISSUES. AT AS MUCH AS $300 EACH THROUGH TOYOTA THESE BULBS ARE EXTREMELY EXPENSIVE TO REPLACE. IT IS RIDICULOUS THAT THE CONSUMER SHOULD BE BURDENED WITH THIS CONSIDERING THE PROBLEM SEEMS READILY APPARENT TO ALL 2006 OWNERS. ALTHOUGH MY VEHICLE HAS VERY HIGH MILEAGE (144,000) 70-80% OF THOSE MILES ARE DRIVEN DURING THE DAY AND I DO NOT RUN THE HEADLIGHTS DURING THE DAY. ALSO SINCE MY VEHICLE WAS PURCHASED IN MARCH 2006 IT IS STILL LESS THAN 3 YEARS OLD. MY OTHER VEHICLES ARE 5 OR 6 YEARS, HAVE STANDARD HEADLIGHTS AND NEVER HAVE NEEDED REPLACING. I ORDERED 2 D4R HID LAMPS TODAY AND WILL BE REPLACING THEM MYSELF. HOPEFULLY THESE NEW BULBS ARE MANUFACTURED BETTER THAN THE ONES FROM TOYOTA AND WILL LAST LONGER THAN THE ORIGINALS. *TR

I HAVE A 2006 TOYOTA PRIUS. THE RIGHT HEADLIGHT WENT OUT AROUND 20,000 MILES. THIS WAS REPLACED BY THE DEALER. AT 40,000 THE LEFT HEADLIGHT STARTED WORKING INTERMITTENTLY -- RIGHT AFTER IT WAS OUT OF THE OFFICIAL WARRANTY. I ASKED THE TOYOTA DEALER TO REPLACE IT, BUT THEY SAID I WOULD HAVE TO PAY THE FULL REPAIR COST. THE LIGHT WORKS INTERMITTENTLY -- IF YOU TURN IT ON AND OFF IT COMES BACK ON BUT GOES OUT PRETTY OFTEN. THIS SEEMS LIKE A SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE AND I KNOW THAT MANY OTHER PRIUSES HAVE SIMILAR PROBLEMS (I SEE MANY WITH ONE LIGHT AND I'VE READ OF MANY OTHER COMPLAINTS). *TR

I HAVE A 2006 TOYOTA PRIUS. ABOUT 3 MONTHS AGO, I BEGAN TO HAVE AN INTERMITTENT PROBLEM WITH THE RIGHT HEADLAMP. IT WILL TURN OFF WHILE IN USE. THE PROBLEM IS SOLVED BY TURNING OFF AND TURNING ON THE HEADLIGHTS. IT ONLY OCCURS AFTER THEY ARE ALREADY IN USE. AS I SAID, IT IS INTERMITTENT. IT ALSO OCCASIONALLY FLICKERS WHILE IN USE. TOYOTA WILL ONLY REPLACE THE ENTIRE HEADLAMP, AND CHARGES AROUND $500 PER HEADLIGHT TO DO IT. THE HEADLAMPS ARE HID, AND FROM WHAT I UNDERSTAND WERE SUPPOSED TO LAST THE LIFE OF THE VEHICLE. *TR

INTERMITTENT HID HEADLIGHT. I'VE SUSPECTED THIS FOR MANY MONTHS, BUT AN OBSERVER JUST CONFIRMED IT THIS AM. ONE LIGHT WILL FREQUENTLY TURN OFF AT HIGHWAY SPEED, THEN WILL TURN ON AGAIN AS I SLOW TO A STOP. *TR

HID LIGHTS REGULARLY FAIL DESPITE BEING REPLACED. LIGHTS ILLUMINATE, THEN FLICKER AND DIE, FIRST THE PASSENGER SIDE, THEN DRIVERS SIDE. IF THE LIGHTS ARE QUICKLY TURNED OFF, THEN BACK ON THEY WILL ILLUMINATE AGAIN FOR SEVERAL MINUTES, THEN REPEAT THE SAME FAILURE. THE FOG LAMPS ARE UNAFFECTED. *TR

WE PURCHASED A NEW '06 TOYOTA PRIUS IN 2006. WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS UNDER WARRANTY IN NOV. '07 THE DRIVERS HEADLIGHT WENT OUT AND THE BULB WAS REPLACED BY THE DEALER (TEXAS TOYOTA OF GRAPEVINE). AROUND NOVEMBER '08 WE NOTICED THAT THE HEADLIGHT WAS CYCLING ON AND OFF WITHOUT WARNING. SOMETIMES TURNING THE LIGHTS OFF AND THEN BACK ON TURNED THE LIGHT BACK ON BUT NOT ALWAYS. THE LIGHT ALSO APPEARS DIMMER THAN THE PASSENGER SIDE. DURING A TRIP TO THE DEALER IN FEB. '09 TO ENQUIRE WHAT THE PROBLEM WAS (WARRANTY IS EXPIRED(MILEAGE)), THE DEALER ADMITTED THAT THE ORIGINAL ISSUE WAS A COMPUTER CHIP AND NOT THE BULB. NOW THE DEALER HAS OFFERED TO REPLACE THE CPU CHIP UNDER WARRANTY BECAUSE THE REPAIR WAS NOT DONE PROPERLY IN NOV. '07. HOWEVER THE DEALER IS CHARGING ME FOR REPLACING THE BULB THAT THE BAD CPU CHIP RUINED. *TR

RIGHT HID HEADLIGHT INTERMITTENTLY WORKING. REPAIR > $200. PLEASE HELP RESOLVE THIS SAFETY ISSUE. *TR

I HAVE A 2006 TOYOTA PRIUS AND THE DRIVER'S SIDE HEADLIGHT WILL INTERMITTENTLY SHUT OFF WHILE DRIVING. THIS HAS BEEN OCCURRING FOR SEVERAL MONTHS, AND THE PASSENGER SIDE HEADLIGHT HAD THE SAME PROBLEM TODAY. IT'S DIFFICULT TO KNOW WHEN THE LIGHT SHUTS OFF UNLESS I'M DRIVING AT NIGHT OR CAN SEE THE REFLECTION OF THE CAR IN ANOTHER VEHICLE. AS IT STANDS, THE DRIVER'S SIDE WILL ONLY STAY ON FOR A SHORT TIME NOW AFTER I TURN THE LIGHTS ON AND OFF. *TR

HEADLIGHT STOPS WORKING THEN RESTARTS..NEVER KNOW WHEN IT IS GOING TO WORK..THIS HAPPENS NOW DAILY , STARTED JUST EVERY NOW AND THEN. DEALERSHIP REPLACED CONNECTION 137$ NOW 2 MONTHS LATER..OUT AGAIN. PULLED OVER BY POLICE 3 TIMES. *TR

BOTH HID HEADLIGHTS WENT OUT AT THE SAME TIME. FORTUNATELY IT WAS JUST BEFORE MID-NIGHT, THERE WAS NO TRAFFIC, AND I WAS SLOWING DOWN FOR A RED LIGHT. I TURNED THE LIGHTS AND IGNITION ON AND OFF SEVERAL TIMES AND EVENTUALLY THE LIGHTS COME ON AND I DROVE ABOUT 200 YARDS TO MY APARTMENT. I TOOK THE CAR TO MY DEALER. THE SERVICE MANAGER WAS AWARE OF THE PROBLEM. HE TREATED IT AS THOUGH IT WERE FAIRLY COMMON. HE REPLACED BOTH BULBS AT NO CHARGE TO ME UNDER WARRANTY. I NOT AWARE OF ANY SUBSEQUENT PROBLEMS. *TR

I HAVE A 2006 TOYOTA PRIUS AND HAVE TO REPLACE THE HEADLIGHTS THREE TIMES IN THE LAST 6 MONTHS. THE DEALER HAS ADVISED THAT THE REPLACEMENT IS VERY EXPENSIVE - OVER $400. WOULD LIKE TOYOTA TO RECALL AND FIX THIS PROBLEM. *TR