2012 Prius HID low beam headlight not working passenger side

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Care, Maintenance & Troubleshooting' started by CromeYellow, Nov 13, 2017.

  1. CromeYellow

    CromeYellow New Member

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    Determined that it is probably the ballast (at least, hoping it is not the ECU unit). I opened up and looked at the wiring and opened and reattached all connections. Drove for a bit, the HID light lit up, but then went dark again, which leads me to believe that it is not the bulb.

    Aware of a class action but not sure if it covers this year Prius

    Can't seem to find the exact ballast to replace it. Final stop would be at the Toyota dealer but suspect they will charge a lot for something like this.

    Alternative might be to replace the passenger HID system with a whole new system.

    Suggestions?

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    #1 CromeYellow, Nov 13, 2017
  2. b100

    b100 Member

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    Better buy a orginal set of LED headlight units
     
    #2 b100, Nov 14, 2017
  3. 2k1Toaster

    2k1Toaster Brand New Prius Batteries

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    Too much worry about nothing. Your bulb is bad, replace it. All will be well in the world.

    The class action has nothing to do with your situation. It was a supplier problem (Phillips) during that year which spanned a couple model years due to the mercury removal in the switch over from D2x to D4x bulbs combined with Toyota's service manual incorrectly saying just replace the whole headlight assembly and not the bulb.

    Please read this entire first thread. Seriously, read it. It should answer most of your questions and skepticisms: Not all HID Bulbs are created equal | PriusChat
     
    #3 2k1Toaster, Nov 14, 2017
  4. CromeYellow

    CromeYellow New Member

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    Actually, I first went to O'Reilly Auto Parts and the guy there said the bulb would be close to $100. Then we went out to the car, and I flipped the switch and the light went on, but after I inserted the HID bulb back into its slot, it would not light up again. Then at Pep Boys they said they do not sell these lights.

    I also can't figure out how to replace just the bulb. It is attached to a harness and there seems to be no way to pull the connections through the first harness, so there is more to it than just replacing a bulb.

    One of the HID ballast suppliers online suggested switching the driver's and passenger's ballast, to see if the bulb will then work, and then I'll know if it is a bulb or ballast problem. It seems easier to do that, than to pull all that wiring out of the harness and then get a bulb.
     
    #4 CromeYellow, Nov 14, 2017
  5. 2k1Toaster

    2k1Toaster Brand New Prius Batteries

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    That's correct.

    Yes also sounds reasonable. You do realize the bulb is not a filament. Orientation, temperature, etc all have to do with it igniting. So far I hear nothing that says your bulb isn't dead.

    Generally you twist and pull the end off if they're the circular Denso connectors. Then the bulb is held into the housing by a spring clip.

    Yes, also mentioned in the thread I suggested you read.

    I have done multiple retrofits and run Lexus RX400h projectors in my Prius with a custom D2S setup. I know HID
     
    #5 2k1Toaster, Nov 14, 2017
  6. Vman455

    Vman455 Senior Member

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    LOL that you went immediately to "class action" for a component that so clearly is not OEM....

    Don't go to Pep Boys; this is cheap crap that's only sold online. If you want to replace it with same, google "HID headlights" and use any of the results, they're all the same. Your bulb detaches at the connector marked "+" in the second photo.

    However, if you want OEM quality, you have only two options: go back to stock halogen bulbs, or get real OEM HID or LED projectors, bake open your headlights and do a proper retrofit.
     
    #6 Vman455, Nov 15, 2017
  7. CromeYellow

    CromeYellow New Member

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    Update on this. In January I phoned Toyota national customer care directly and they said to take the car in to the Toyota dealer because the failed headlight might be eligible for some recall campaign. The local Toyota dealer examined the car, and at the same time took care of some other recall on the air bag system, and said that yes, they would handle the replacement free, but they had no stock of the replacement parts, would order the parts, and call when they came in.

    It took a solid four months and in the end another call to Toyota customer care to get the job done, but in mid-May I took the car back in and the dealer replaced BOTH headlamps back to factory and the car now has two fully functioning headlamps.

    They removed the HID headlight ballasts and lamp assemblies and just left them under the hood, disconnected on each side. I removed these old parts and have them now. Now that it is clear that whatever was in the car was not even factory I am surprised (but happy of course) that Toyota took care of all this free, but they did.
     
    #7 CromeYellow, Jun 27, 2018
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