Headlight Issue - Randomly Turns Off

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by plaineater, Sep 12, 2017.

  1. plaineater

    plaineater Junior Member

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    Hello All, I have a 2005 Prius with about 263,000 miles on it and am having a headlight issue and need some assistance in figuring out the issue.
    The right side headlight will go off randomly, and has been doing so for some time now. I can get it to come back on by flipping the headlights off then back on. This is an original headlight and has never had a bulb replaced in it.
    The other night while driving home very close to dark I noticed that neither of my headlights were on. I flipped the lights off and on, which did not help. I was close to home luckily and once I got home using my fog lights I was able to get the headlights back on once I turned the car off and on. My entire left side headlight is only about 2 years old (It was replaced after some idiot hit the left front of my car).
    I was talking to my mechanic the other day and he thinks the issue is the ballasts since the light will come back on usually after turning them off and on.
    Anyone ever hear of this issue and know the fix? As winter approaches and darkness increases I need reliable headlights.
    If the ballast is the issue could I buy something like on eBay auction #261326931955. It is a SLIM HID CONVERSION KIT 2 Ballasts 2 Replacement Bulbs HEADLIGHTS FOG LIGHT KIT

    Thanks in advance!!
     
    #1 plaineater, Sep 12, 2017
  2. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    iirc, certain gen 2 headlights were unreliable. try searching here or google. i think you'll find many threads regarding the issue, and recommended fixes.
     
    #2 bisco, Sep 13, 2017
  3. RobertK

    RobertK Member

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    The behavior you describe is typical of a HID headlight that is failing. Turning the lights off and on will "fix" it, but in the long term can damage your ballast as well. You should change the bulb now before more damage occurs, and your problem should be solved. Make sure that the new bulb is from a reliable source, since there are a lot of reports of counterfeit HID bulbs out there.
     
    #3 RobertK, Sep 13, 2017
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  4. JimboPalmer

    JimboPalmer Tsar of all the Rushers

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    #4 JimboPalmer, Sep 13, 2017
  5. Longinus876

    Longinus876 Member

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    I have the problem w/ the halogen bulb on the driver's side. I don't see how a bulb can be defective. I should swap the bulb w/ the passenger bulb but that one is hard to get out. Too much stuff in the way.
     
    #5 Longinus876, Jan 12, 2018
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  6. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    agreed
     
    #6 bisco, Jan 12, 2018
  7. Prius Dragster

    Prius Dragster Junior Member

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    I encountered similar issues and addressed the write-up under yet another forum title addressing this exact issue. If interested, look for my write-up in that one for my experiences. No knowledge, just experiences.
     
    #7 Prius Dragster, Feb 20, 2018
  8. Prius Dragster

    Prius Dragster Junior Member

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    #8 Prius Dragster, Feb 20, 2018
  9. David Allen

    David Allen New Member

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    Problem fixed finally. Had the problem with the right front headlight turning off. After turning headlights off and on right side headlight would come on again then go out after a short time. Got a replacement at Autozone. Replaced old HID bulb with new Sylvania bulb. Still did the same thing. Decided to order new ballast. The same problem after replacing both the bulb and the ballast. Decided to remove new HID bulb and replace with the original bulb. After doing that everything is working like it should. The problem all along was the ballast but the new bulb that they gave me from Autozone wasn't the right one. It was the only one on the computer that was supposed to work with 2004 Prius. Here is the pics of the bulb that doesn't work:

    20210531_135002.jpg 20210531_135039.jpg
     
    #9 David Allen, May 31, 2021
  10. TMR-JWAP

    TMR-JWAP Senior Member

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    No, it's much more likely the problem is you installed a D4R HID bulb in a car that has a ballast designed for a D2R.

    The 2004 and 2005 use a D2R
    2006-2009 use the D4R.
     
    #10 TMR-JWAP, May 31, 2021
  11. dcwenger

    dcwenger Junior Member

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    I just did the same thing today. I replaced mine with two new D4R bulbs that came wurh my 2005 and they wouldn't stay on for more than a minute. I thought it was the same as my 2007. Thank you for pointing that out.
     
    #11 dcwenger, Mar 26, 2023
    Last edited: Mar 26, 2023
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