2005 Toyota Prius Exterior Lighting Problems
- 315
- 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.
Among these 315 stored complaint records:
- 2 indicate a crash
- 0 indicate injury
- 0 indicate fire
What owners report
- Headlights · 2 records
Mileage in stored records
| Band | Records |
|---|---|
| 100–150k mi | 90 |
| 60–100k mi | 89 |
| 150–400k mi | 50 |
| 30–60k mi | 35 |
| 1–30k mi | 11 |
Complaint records
Owner-submitted complaint content, presented as stored.
Exterior Lighting
Tail light and both headlights went out within a few weeks of each other. Folsom lake toyota charged by $450.00 to replace the first bulb that i purchased 4 weeks later from napa auto parts for $93.00. Folsom lake toyota claims they ran a diagnostic and that there are no electrical problems four weeks before second headlight and license plate bulb went out. *tr
ODI 10261574
Exterior Lighting
The headlights on my 2005 toyota prius randomly turn off while driving. Sometimes one goes out, but when they both go out all of the lights inside the car go out too. When i turn the lights off and then back on they will work for a short time. Additionally, after this started the electronic ignition began to have problems. I have replaced the bulbs several times. This has been a regular problem for about 3 months.…
ODI 10259582
Exterior Lighting
I have a 2005 toyota prius. The headlights will go out, sometimes both, sometimes one or the other. However, they come back on when i turn them completely off and back on. This is a safety concern for obvious reasons, and can cause my vehicle to not pass inspection. There is no specific event that makes the headlights go off. It happens intermittently and unexpectedly. Adding to the safety issue...i live in the…
ODI 10292020
Exterior Lighting
Right headlight goes out intermittently. Can turn light switch off/on and it will relight for a while. Began having problem at about 95,000 miles. Dealer said it's a bulb for $350. I declined to have it replaced. Now the left headlight also goes out,. Turning switch off/on will relight for a time. Might have to turn off/on 4 or 5 times in a 6 mile trip. The dealer suggested that a filament might be broken and making…
ODI 10272526
Exterior Lighting
Passenger-side headlight goes out while driving. Turning the lights off and then on again resolves the issue. I only notice this when i see the car's reflection in the rear of the car in front. *tr
ODI 10256076
Exterior Lighting
Headlights intermittently turn on. Left and right side sometimes do not turn on. They later turn on after multiple tries (turn on and off repeatedly). Both lights turn off while driving. Inspection at toyota dealer found possible fault with one headlight. Cost to replace headlights estimated at $900. *tr
ODI 10255719
Exterior Lighting
1. Toyota prius hid light faulty. - the lights go off and when turned off and on come back up. 2. Called the dealer and the dealer quoted - $350 per bulb and $300 in labor charges = $1000 to replace 2 head lamps. 3. Logged a complaint with toyota. Toyota said there was nothing wrong with the parts and offered a 50% reimbursement which still ends up to $500 out of pocket expenses just to replace 2 head lamps. *tr
ODI 10277965
Exterior Lighting
2005 prius with hid headlamps that need replacing which will cost $450.00 each. This is an outrageous sum of money to pay for headlamps on a 4 year old vehicle. *tr
ODI 10255250
Exterior Lighting
Headlight on 2005 prius intermittently fails. Sporadic, but sometimes recurs every few minutes. Turning the lights off and on quickly corrects problem essentially 100% of the time. Estimate to replace bulb exceeded $400, and no guarantee the problem would be corrected. Online searches shows this is not an isolated problem. Others describe both lights going out simultaneously, an obvious hazard. *tr
ODI 10287312
Exterior Lighting
The driver's side headlight on my 2005 prius was going on and off and then went out all together after about 3 weeks. When i took it to the toyota dealer they said the bulb and labor would be $320 and the computer that controls that one headlight was also out and that would be $250 - so it would be almost $600 for 1 headlight!! I think after reading many other prius owner's similar complaints on the internet that…
ODI 10253405
Electrical System · Exterior Lighting
On three separate occasions my headlamps have gone out. Each time it has been the right or left side. The fourth time. The lights came on using the hi-beam only. Numerous incidents have taken place. This is the second time my wife has been pulled over for this. I have replaced these myself. However, this last time it is not the bulb. It is the electrical system. According to the forum. Costs have been from $300 -…
ODI 10253301
Exterior Lighting
2005 prius- high intensity headlights go out intermittently. Problem noticed at 90,000 miles while car was under extended warranty- dealer would not acknowledge problem because the lights always worked in the shop. At over 100,000 dealer acknowledged problem but toyota company would pay for only 1/2 the cost (cost to replace bulbs and labor is $1,000!). Not only is this a safety issue of headlamps not working, but…
ODI 10268871
Electrical System · Exterior Lighting
Left headlight keeps going out in prius. Turn off then back on to reset both headlights went out one night and almost caused a wreck it reset once i turned it off and back on. *tr
ODI 10250535
Exterior Lighting
Right headlight goes out at will. Flipping the on/off switch will turn it back on temporarily. Hard to tell when driving without light. Dealership said to replace hid bulb, for $458. But the bulb isn't burned out. Its an electrical problem, and according to others it continues to happen, even after bulb change. This is a very big problem in the dark, and a major safety issue for hundreds of prius owners. *tr
ODI 10249651
Exterior Lighting
1.) events leading up to failure: none (except vehicle > 43000 miles?) 2.) hid headlamp on 2005 toyota prius has intermittent problems with one or both headlamps turning on and off randomly. Turning on/off of headlights would happen perhaps 1 to 2 times in a [redacted] 3.) none yet. Others have reported hid inverter failure/ecu failure to be cause. *tr
ODI 10248706
Exterior Lighting
Headlight height control sensor failed on my 2005 prius. Started having problems in 2008 while it was still under warranty. When i took it to dealer, because problem was on again/off again, he couldn't find it. By the time dealer finally figured out what the problem was - it was out of warranty. *tr
ODI 10308894
Exterior Lighting
About 6 weeks ago i began experience a random shut down of my ps head light. Only be turning my lights off and back on restored it for some amount of time.. Last week the same thing started happening with the ds headlight. Now ether one or both randomly just goes dark. When both go our on a two lane road it gets really dark. I can not cause it to happen and can not find anything that looks loose. It sometimes…
ODI 10253342
Exterior Lighting
I have a 2005 toyota prius. The right headlight will stop working for no reason. It is intermittent. If i turn off the headlights and turn them on, it will work for a little while, then go off again. This is a major safely issue. *tr
ODI 10269417
Exterior Lighting
2005 toyota prius headlights go off spontaneously. Usually just the drivers side but recently both at the same time. Before turning the lights off and back on would fix it but now it does not always work. Previous owner had it checked by toyota but they could not find anything wrong. *tr
ODI 10245469
Exterior Lighting
2005 toyota prius...purchased new...have had nine (9) exterior lights burn out. I have replaced them and they seem to be working better. I believe the bulbs used by toyota were inferior. After 36,000 miles toyota would not replace any bulbs. *tr
ODI 10245392
Exterior Lighting
We have repeatedly had our headlights go out. We have been replacing bulbs thinking it was the problem. We found if we shut off the car and started again or turn on/off the lights, the headlamp would work again. It has happened to both headlights but not at the same time. We've been told by toyota that the lights need replacing but there is no way these lights need to be replaced that often. It has happened…
ODI 10479527
Exterior Lighting
Tl*-the contact owns a 2005 toyota pruis. The contact stated that the tail and headlights intermittently fail. A reduction of visibility due to head-lamp failure increases the risk of vehicle crash. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, but the technicians were unable to identify the cause of the failure. The manufacturer was notified. The failure and current mileages were 189,000.
ODI 10283564
Exterior Lighting
Our 2005 prius recently developed a problem with the automatic-leveling headlights. Warning symbols appeared on the dash. As we were driving, we noticed that the headlights were aimed much higher than usual, so that the low beams appeared more like high beams. In the course of this trip, we stopped briefly and turned off the car. When we resumed our trip, we noticed the headlights were now very low, so low that we…
ODI 10246818
Exterior Lighting
Headlights began illuminating very short distance. Repair center found failed sensor. My concern is that system failed into unsafe condition when the onboard systems are perfectly capable of remembering the last safe condition. *tr
ODI 10237948
Exterior Lighting
I have from time to time thought that my car lights did not light up the road so well, especially on the passenger side. However, when i would think about it before i would get into the car, i turned on the head lights. They worked and seem to be pretty bright. They are the new type of lights. This went on for a while. However, one day, i drove up to my house and noticed that my passenger-side head light did not…
ODI 10379505
Catalog parts for this system
Catalog year/make/model rows for 2005 Toyota Prius.
Catalog fitment does not by itself prove OEM-equivalent compatibility.