2004 Toyota Prius Exterior Lighting Problems
- 160
- Owner complaint records in our dataset
Records are owner complaints, not a measured failure rate.
Owner complaint recordsComplaint records reflect reports in our dataset and do not measure how frequently the problem occurs across all vehicles.
What owners report
- both headlights · 26 records
- side headlight · 26 records
- passenger side · 23 records
- them back · 14 records
- come back · 13 records
- left headlight · 12 records
Mileage in stored records
| Band | Records |
|---|---|
| 100–150k mi | 52 |
| 60–100k mi | 45 |
| 150–400k mi | 32 |
| 30–60k mi | 8 |
| 1–30k mi | 7 |
Complaint records
Owner-submitted complaint content, presented as stored.
Exterior Lighting
The passenger side headlight on my 2004 toyota prius went out at about 83k miles. It was an intermittent outage, and could be reset by turning headlights on and off. This is dangerous at night! Toyota wanted to change both headlights and ballasts for a total cost of $1086. Headlights are safety-related and i see that this problem is commonly complained about online. Toyota national ofc. Offered to reimburse me 1/2…
ODI 10297082
Exterior Lighting
Intermittent headlight failure on my 2004 toyota prius, with just over 70,000 miles. This is truly dangerous--someone is going to get killed because of this. The problem seems to be widespread--why has there not been a recall? Does someone have to get killed first? *tr
ODI 10286948
Exterior Lighting
Headlights turn off spontaneously, must be restarted by turning switch on and off. *tr
ODI 10286383
Exterior Lighting
I have a 2004 toyota prius, and my left headlight has turned pink. It is now continuously pink. I was told by my dealership that it would cost $400 to replace the headlamp because it is a xenon headlight. My understanding is that xenon headlights should last longer than mine did. *tr
ODI 10286291
Exterior Lighting
I have a 2004 toyota prius with hid headlights. A few months ago i was driving at night and the headlights cut off completely. It was 11:30pm on a foggy, drizzly night, and suddenly i was driving 70 mph in pitch darkness. I was able to get them to come back on and drive home slowly. I took the car to the toyota dealer, where they replaced the headlights for $990. A few weeks later the same thing happened, headlights…
ODI 10307372
Exterior Lighting
2004 toyota prius. Both hid headlights will occasionally turn off like the bulb burns out, but if you turn off the headlights and turn them back on it turns on again. Mostly right headlight, but occassionally the left will do this. Not a loose connection. Acts like a relay is tripping on overtemperature or overcurrent and resetting itself after the headlights are turned off. This has been occurring in my car since i…
ODI 10281381
Exterior Lighting
Driver side headlight goes out intermittently. Sometimes turning the car off and back on solves it. Now, the passenger side headlight is out. Last night, the passenger side was out, so i switched to high beams. That turned off both headlights! I was on a long, dark winding road, under trees, so had no ambient light. The headlight connection has been fixed twice by the dealer. *tr
ODI 10280739
Exterior Lighting
Passenger side headlight flickers very dimly. I just noticed it today, on my mother's prius. Did some research, and was amazed at the cost to have the dealer fix this. If it was just the cost of the bulb itself, i could swallow the rather large $130 price (at kragen) and do it myself, but the notes here, and on many other sites indicate that bulb replace sometimes fixes the problem (for a short period of time), and…
ODI 10280497
Exterior Lighting
Headlights on my 2004 toyota prius go off while driving. They come back on when i notice and turn them off and on again. This is a safety hazard. *tr
ODI 10299014
Exterior Lighting
I was appalled to find that it cost over $500.00 to replace the passenger side headlight and was told to expect that the driver's side light would likely need to be replace in the near future. *tr
ODI 10276177
Exterior Lighting
Either of the headlights will randomly turn off while driving. When i quickly turn off the headlights and turn them back on, they work again for a while. The problem seems random and intermittent. It happens to both the driver's side and the passenger's side headlight. *tr
ODI 10276046
Electrical System · Exterior Lighting
On my 2004 toyota prius, the lights go out randomly. Of course, at night. I took it to two toyota dealerships, and the first couldn't replicate the problem. The second dealership said the fix for one light would be an astonishing $850 because it's a defective electronic controller. Since my lights worked intermittently or after being turned on and off...and after searching the internet and discovering this defect is…
ODI 10272696
Electrical · Exterior Lighting
Right front headlamp operating intermittently. Dealer repair quote was over $500. Online advice suggested that toyota should/would repair at no cost. Initially dealer service manager wanted owner to pay labor, over $300, and dealer would supply part. Owner stated that since this was a safety and defect matter, toyota should pay full cost. After 24 hours, dealer agreed to replace headlamp at no cost. Both headlamps…
ODI 10277302
Exterior Lighting
2004 toyota pruis hid headlight intermittently goes out while driving. Turning lights off and then back on brings the light back on for a while. There have been three instances during the past 3 months where both headlights have gone out, resulting in total loss of light during the night. Exceedingly dangerous! This has been an ongoing problem for the past 6 months but i only recently found out about being able to…
ODI 10268934
Exterior Lighting
The headlights on my 2004 prius keep going on and off. Toyota will not cover these under warranty and change $875 to replace 1 bulb. *tr
ODI 10277390
Exterior Lighting
Driver side headlight failure. Spontaneously goes out. Will come back when switch off and on. *tr
ODI 10370970
Exterior Lighting
This is a serious defect! Lights can go out at anytime. We currently do not drive this car at night. This has been an ongoing problem for seven months. Multiple intermittent headlight failures leading up to headlight replacements for passenger and driverside. The passenger side failed first (01/2009) and on average would fail 1-2 times per week. Driver side failed for the first time this month (01/2010) and has only…
ODI 10300052
Exterior Lighting
Both head lamps go for no apparent reason. By turning off lights and relighting they come back on, but then after a short period of time they go out again. The bulbs are not burned out the hid electrical system is defective. *tr
ODI 10267029
Exterior Lighting
I have a 2004 toyota prius that has the driver's side headlight going off and on while driving. I understand it is a hid light and i also understand that many many prius owners of different years are having problems with these bulbs. The bulbs and installation seem to run from $300 up. This is something toyota should be fixing, recalling if necessary. Not only is this a danger to the prius owners but to others on…
ODI 10264286
Exterior Lighting
I have a 2004 toyota prius and the headlights go off without warning and this happens a lot. If i turn the switch to off and then back on the lights will work again but sometimes they go off again after a few minutes. This is very dangerous. *tr
ODI 10310690
Exterior Lighting
The hid headlights on a toyota pruis (2004). The headlights flicker on and off periodically, changing what headlight goes out and sometimes both for no apparent reason. I can turn one or both back one by turning on and off the high beams (which both work no matter what) or by turning on and off the headlights. This has occurred on our mountain road, in which both headlights went off, without even hitting a bump. It…
ODI 10261788
Exterior Lighting
The headlights on my 2004 prius intermittently go off. It is corrected by turning the switch off, then back on. *tr
ODI 10318756
Exterior Lighting
2004 prius headlight on passenger side started flickering about 400 miles ago and has now stopped working. Will cost $500 to replace. This is ridiculous. I understand that this is an ongoing issue with the prius, regardless of the year. I have read on the internet in chatrooms of several people with this issue. Is anything being done to resolve? *tr
ODI 10261268
Exterior Lighting
Beginning at about 60,000 miles one of the headlights on my 2004 toyota prius began to fail intermittently. Switching the lights off and on seemed to temporarily fix the problem. Now at 100k miles both headlights are failing, leaving me driving in the dark until i turn the light knob on and off several times. The lights are now failing every time i drive at night and several times per trip. *tr
ODI 10260038
Exterior Lighting
Contacted toyota in february 2009 with the following complaint/description: recently my driver side headlight had been blinking off intermittently while driving. I then would have to turn the lights off and back on to get the light to come back on. Last night (feb. 15th, 2009), i was taking my daughter back to college and both headlights unexpectedly turned off while driving on a very dark stretch of highway.…
ODI 10263715
Catalog parts for this system
Catalog year/make/model rows for 2004 Toyota Prius.
Catalog fitment does not by itself prove OEM-equivalent compatibility.