IIHS Rates 2016 Prius Headlights as "Poor"

My '16 has a February 16 date, and the headlights were definitely aimed a little high on delivery. It seemed like I was getting flashed by every third car in oncoming traffic during my first road trip. So, I just found a nice, flat stretch of rural road one night and adjusted them down (about three 'flats' of the adjuster nut). Perfect after that, no more flashes from oncoming and the high beams work great. No complaints here.

 

There is one big difference between UK and US spec Gen 4s. Our LED headlights have auto levelling I believe, which the US spec cars do not. Hence, reports of other drivers flashing them.

 

Auto-leveling is a great safety feature - as they compensate for the rear end squatting when loaded with cargo and/or back-seat passengers. I really wish they were available on US models, but noooo... "no auto-leveling-soup for you!".

Oh, and don't even get me started on the chronic foggy/"frosted"-headlight cover issue that's rampant in the US (yellowed and foggy headlight covers from too many trips through the automated car-wash plus long-term sunlight exposure). That stuff is very fixable, as headlight restoration kits are cheap and readily available. IMHO these folks with frosted headlights are a scourge and should be ticketed on-sight, as they are a terrible safety hazard at night. Even worse, these cheap and/or ignorant so-and-so's that have these badly 'frosted' headlights tend to compensate for their un-focused and attenuated light output by running with their freakin' high-beams on all the time...which only compounds the problem for on-coming traffic.

 

So my followup: Is it due to part change, or did they just start adjusting the lights properly?

I can adjust my lights if that's all it takes, but I'd like to cut down on the excessive glare as well, and I'll be annoyed if it's due to a part change.

 

I've had mine since January, love the lights, never been flashed as yet, 25,000 miles.

 

I got flashed within the first few days of driving my new Prius while waiting at a red light, now I understand why...

 

I'm super interested in trying to figure out a way to retrofit auto leveling into the US model - seems like it wouldn't be super hard -

 

The standard LED headlights are now a strong point with the 2017 Prius as they are rated "Acceptable". Many of the competing cars come with standard headlights that are rated "Marginal" or "Poor" by the IIHS. You need to pay extra to get Acceptable headlights if they are available at all. This, together with the standard automatic emergency braking on the Prius makes the Prius more competitive with comparable conventional cars.

e.g.
Mazda3: halogen projectors rated "Marginal". You need to upgrade to the LED projectors to get "Acceptable"
Golf: halogen reflectors rated "Poor". No upgrade available
Jetta: standard halogen reflectors rated "Marginal". Optional HID projectors rated "Acceptable"
Elantra: standard halogen projector/reflectors rated "Poor". You need to upgrade to Limited trim with Ultimate pkg to improve lights
Fusion: standard halogen projector/reflectors rated "Poor". Optional LED projectors still rated "Poor"
Civic: halogen projector/reflectors rated "Poor". LED reflectors still rated "Poor"
Accord: standard halogen projectors rated "Acceptable" but optional LED projectors rated "Marginal"
Sentra: standard halogen reflectors rated "Poor", optional LED projectors/halogen reflectors also rated "Poor"
BMW 3-series: standard halogen reflectors rated "Poor", Premium pkg LED reflectors "Poor", Lighting pkg LED reflectors "Marginal"

The Volt, however, comes standard with "Acceptable" headlights and you can upgrade to "Good" headlights (Driver Confidence II pkg)

I expect next year's models will all come with improved headlights now that the IIHS is rating them.

 

Keep in mind that the IIHS doesn't aim the headlights before testing, so they get whatever aim they got as delivered.

Also, headlight restoration kits don't last - once it fogs over, you're basically going to have to replace the fixture, unless you can find a source for replacement lenses, bake the fixture to get the lens off, and then install the new lens.

Edit: That said... looks like there are new part numbers for the headlights.

Left hand headlight is 81070-47710, right hand is 81140-47710 for a 2016 car without auto high beams (ATP/Touring). 81070-47740 and 81140-47740 for a 2016 with auto high beams.

Parts incremented by 1 (47711 and 47741) exist.

 

Do the newer part numbers match the 2017?

 

I would have thought so, as they didn't alter any bodywork specs in the year mod.

 

I was thinking that a newer part might partially explain the better test results for the 2017 year.

 

From googling, I can find that the part numbers exist, and that they're Gen 4 headlights, but I can't confirm that they correspond to a 2017 Prius.

 

What's the criteria they grade on? Where was the testing done? Who does the IIHS owe money to? Is there a vehicle that actually scored (besides the Volt mentioned above)? All important questions and the rating doesn't mean that the 4th gen has terrible headlights. They're probably a huge improvement over the previous model

 

The kits do not last but maybe a couple of weeks. New headlights on the "yellow" models are not that expensive to replace a couple hundred bucks and you're good to go!

 

Well, new headlight assemblies on the Gen 4 are about $800 a pop, so when they yellow... yeah, that'll suck.

In any case, if you'd read through, they have tests for how far illumination is, and how much glare is presented to oncoming traffic. Blinding oncoming traffic is bad for headlights. Conversely, they don't adjust headlights, because they don't think it can be done correctly by normal people and shops, which brings their methodology into question.

Here's their summary of their test procedures:
Headlight evaluation

 

They started testing with midsize & SUVs, I think and now, I assume, any new car.
New IIHS ratings show most headlights are lacking

 

Perhaps the standard had been set a beeet too high for today's in-use lamp technology.

 

IIHS is owned by the car insurance companies. Their tests have helped make cars safer and, for their benefit, reduce the amount spent by insurance on claims for damage.
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Can you, or they actually PROVE that allegation?