Headlight problem

Hi all, My 2008 has suffered the plight of a headlight bulb clicking off (passenger side). It will come back on if I cycle the on/off headlight switch. It stays on for a few minutes, then shuts off again. My first step was to replace the bulb. This did not solve anything. I waited a few months until my wife "commented" loud enough and I bought a ballast online. I just swapped that out. Same problem. After about 10 minutes, it clicked off again. What else could it be other than the bulb or ballast? Can a bad bulb be the cause of the intermittent failure? If so, can you please recommend the proper replacement?

 

^^^
What bulb did you buy and from where? What ballast did you buy and from where? Exact model and retailer please.

 

I do not remember the source of the bulb. It is "bluer" than the OEM. I bought it online. A pair was about $50.00

The ballast source is below. Since changing it nothing has changed. It comes on and cycles off.
Denso D4S D4R HID Ballast | Lexus Toyota HID Headlight OEM HID Parts

 

I would use genuine Philips D4R bulbs. See Not all HID Bulbs are created equal | PriusChat.

From my post at Headlights...WHY so expensive...any alternatives?!?!?! | PriusChat

Do NOT buy them from any 3rd party reseller selling via Amazon.

 

I am new to this forum, but I sure would like to talk with the guy who wrote the article; "Not all HID Bulbs are the Same" Recently had another headlight failure in our '07 Prius. (First failure was in Jan 2010 with both bulbs replaced by a dealer at about $500.00) This time we were far from home and no Toyota dealer close, so had a local mechanic do it. He replace both bulbs and everything works fine until we got home then the passenger side refused to light when light switch is turned on. In playing around with it we found that if we leave the light switch off and engage the dimmer to it's temporary dim position (on the turn signal handle) both headlights will burn as long as you hold the handle in the on position, but only the drivers side bulb comes on when we turn on the headlights with the headlight switch. I do not understand how this could be a bulb faliure. Any help would sure be appreciated.....RebBill

 

I forget if I posted here before but I just wanted to add my data to this thread.

Car Purchase: 6/2007
First Replacement: 10/2008 33,000 mi (dealership, ballast and headlights)
Second Replacement: 2/2011 105,000 mi (ebay, headlights only, done myself)
Third Replacement: 10/2014 200,000 mi (ebay, headlights only, done myself)

Seems to be every 3 years

 

I don't think the problem is in the circuit board or the light bulb itself. It is more basic. There is a little clip that holds the base of the bulb into it's correct place. This clip and really the whole mechanism for holding the bulb tightly into place does not work and the bulb jiggles around enough that the elements start breaking. Also, there is a metal disc at the base of the bulb and this fits into a "slot" but the fit is very tenuous and allows the base to jiggle around because the clip doesn't work right. This is a mechanical defect that Toyota needs to fix- the combination of the clip and the way the bulb fits into its socket. We have been going through about 4 bulbs a year. I have replaced sometimes myself and when I do, the bulb is not tight in its place.

 

The discussion here is about HID (high intensity discharge) lights that do not have a filament (element) to break. However if your bulbs are loose when fitted they are either fitted wrongly or the wire clips ave been damaged or bent. This arrangement is use on virtually all halogen headlamps of any make. Although a little cumbersome to fit when fitted correctly are secure without bulb movement.

John (Britprius)

 

A couple of months back the driver side headlight would not come on all the time. If the switch was cycled off and on a few times it would eventually come back on and mostly stay on but it has been intermittent. I figured it was probably a bulb but laid off to research it more before spending the money in case it might be something else.

Last night driving the passenger's side went out a good distance from home and 5 minutes later a patrolman pulled me. He ran the obligatory license and plate check then warned me to get it fixed. Before I pulled away I cycled the switch and it came back on. The same one went out an hour later and again I cycled the switch and it re-lit.

So, does this sound like worn out bulbs, ballast, or something else? To my knowledge none of that has been changed with 156,000 miles on it.

 

Sure seems like the common bulb issue. Not easy to replace, but probably what needs to be done.

 

Owned my 2005 Prius with 195,000 miles for about a month now and I really love this car! But for the headlights....

I have a faulty level sensor which I replaced with a $3.50 potentiometer. Simple, easy, cheap. I thought I was done with the headlight problems for a while.

Had the passenger side bulb go out and ordered Philips replacement off Amazon. Replaced it no problem and I was happy again.

Last night i went out and had exactly 2 beers and on the way home my passenger side headlight starts flickering and then goes out and comes on then flickers and goes out completely. Right in front of a cop! Not sure why but he didn't pull me over.

Today I go out and the light is out and I smack it a few times with my hand and the headlight starts squealing and turns on. Is this an indication of a blown ballast?

Really tempted to buy brand new Halogen set up for $140 off Ebay and be done with this once and for all.

 

Sounds like a ballast issue. Since you replaced the bulbs already

 

I replaced the ballast on the passenger headlight. Bought for 98$ from Amazon. Found it fairly easy to remove bumper cover and entire headlight. Took about 15minutes , I don't understand how Toy can charge so much labor for this repair.

 

Hope that solved the issue.
Toyota likes to overcharge.
Got quoted $758 for a rear wheel bearing replacement. Bought the part on Amazon for $56 and took me 30 min to complete.

 

There was a class action law suit. Just google "Class action law suit Toyota prius headlights Girard Gibbs" and you'll find it. (I can't post a link yet because I still have newbie status on this forum).

Unfortunately, it expired in 2011 and anyone with the same problem now (me) is out of luck. I have read hundreds of comments here and still haven't really found a sure-fire answer. I already replaced both bulbs ($325 at a mechanic's shop) and I asked him if he tested it. He said yes, but the minute I drove it off the lot, the driver's side went out. So frustrating. I just bought the car used from a smaller dealer 10 days ago. It was under "warranty" but not one that covered this (only covered mechanical and engine). I have been reading like crazy on here because I don't want to have to replace the ballast too and then find that doesn't do anything either.

 

I still have my 2007 Prius and I have been experiencing this problem for quite a while. My opinion is that it has a lot to do with the quality of the bulbs. As other people have said, that may not be the root-cause but it sure seems to make some difference. I have tried several different replacement bulbs ordered on-line and most start to fail within a year of use. However, once I switched to the original Philips OEM bulbs the problem has been dramatically reduced. The last set of bulbs I put in are at least 3 years old now and they are still working just fine still. My advice is to get comfortable with pulling off your nose and taking the headlight assemblies out. Once you do that it is an easy change. Beats paying $300+ for each side though it takes a few hours to do the work slowly and carefully. Use the Philips bulbs at $60+ each. It's not a great situation but given all the other good things about these cars I've learned to let this one go...

Good luck

 

I am the original owner of 2004 Prius with 313,000 miles and just recently, the same problem occurs with the right side HID lamp. Just registered and reported the problem as well.

 

Uhh... 313K miles and ~12 years is excellent for HIDs, in my book.

Don't feel you have anything to complain about. You have the much better D2R-based system.

On my 06 Prius, which moved to the (apparently much shorter-lived) mercury-free D4R bulbs and system, one of the bulbs started becoming flaky in 2011. can&#039;t remove washer fluid tank, trying to replace passenger side HID | PriusChat was when I had trouble changing it. I don't recall the mileage back then, but I only have <79K miles on the car now.

The above became the subject of a class action lawsuit settlement and warranty extension (Prius Headlight Class Action Update: Settlement Reached | PriusChat) to 5 years/50K miles. I was a bit past the 5 year/50K mile coverage back then, but I submitted my claim anyway and did receive a check for the 2 bulbs I'd already bought (1 replacement, 1 to replace the driver's side bulb, when it fails).

I haven't needed to replace the driver's side HID yet, but I anticipate it starting to fail anytime now. I doubt it'll last to 120K miles... but then again, I may not have the car long enough for it to get to 120K since it's hardly driven now. My daily driver's a Leaf now.

 

So I have a 2008 Toyota Solaira and my right headlight was doing the same thing. It was going out and when you turn them off and flip them back on it would come on but only for like a minute so I was told I need a new bulb None of the auto parts stores carry my bulb and the dealer wanted $150 just for the bulb so I found two online for my car for $50 and purchased them. A friend of mine owns a mechanic shop and put them in for me. Keep in mind the driver side light has been on this whole time and it's been months. Luckily I never got a ticket because my fog lights were also on so anyway when he replaced both bulbs with the new bulbs the same thing started happening with them going out but but now it was random between the two and there was no consistency on when they went out. The last two nights I drove home from work which is a 30 minute drive and they stayed on the entire time. Tonight when I went outside while the car was sitting in my driveway the passenger light this time kept going out so I flicked it each time often on and it would come right on that and then go off a minute later. Then the last time I did it they both stayed on the entire time at least 10 minutes 15 tops while the car was just idling in the driveway. I was told to replace the ballasts but now I'm not even sure if I should spend the money to do that and and of course I bought the car used with no warranty and right now I hit my hundred thousand mark. I don't have a lot of money so I can't possibly take it somewhere to have them look at it and spend thousands of dollars so and less there's a straight answer on this I guess I'm going to have to just hope they stay on while I'm driving or I only have to switch them on and off minimal times to get where I'm going. I can't believe have any issues people have with their headlights and Toyota well not even address this issue because they have to know about all these problems with the headlamps. I also have same problems with my convertibles back window popping out it's made of glass so is heavier than just plastic but several complaints have been posted in these forums about that as well as an issue with the sun hitting the front – and blinding you in certain spots to me that is a safety issue as well but they refused to do anything about this as in most cases are usually on your own especially if you don't have money. Thanks for letting me vent.

 

Got lucky on all mine and traded before the bulb change. The 2009 had 101K and the lights were still working.