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
Initially it was the drivers side headlight that went out. Turning the switch off and on reset the headlight to illuminate again. I took the vehicle to my mechanic to replace the driver side headlight. The mechanic said the headlights worked fine and to continue to drive until it failed or other issue reported. After a couple weeks the issue progressed to both headlights going out. Turning off and on would restore…
ODI 10560104
Electrical System · Exterior Lighting · Visibility/Wiper
Intermittent failure of headlight (left and right, though not simultaneously). Problem can be temporarily corrected by turning headlights off, then on. This issue occurs while driving (twice within a one hour drive) and when the car has just been started. Fuses have been checked and headlight bulbs have been replaced with no resolution. *tr
ODI 10670298
Exterior Lighting
Last friday night both right and left headlights burned out within five minutes of one another. Thankfully i could limp home with the help of street lights. I discovered today at toyota dealership that the cost of two new hid osram xenarc d2r 35 w 66050 ($ 175/bulb) and labor ($ 113/hr) plus sales tax was $ 467.31. I checked the cost of the hid bulbs online. Amazon offers a pair of these bulbs for $ 159.99 plus free…
ODI 10554432
Exterior Lighting
My front passengers-side headlight keeps going out every 5-10 minutes but will turn back on if i turn the headlights lights off and back on again. This has caused me to get pulled over & nobody seems to know how to fix it... *tr
ODI 10659004
Exterior Lighting
Driving down the freeway 70 mph both headlights went out! Turned them off and then back on they did not work. Turned them off and back on once again and they worked. Both lights should not go out at once! *tr
ODI 10544358
Exterior Lighting
My vehicle lights spontaneously go out. It used to be one headlight, then i had a mechanic take it out to diagnose and he said it may be the ballast. After that, it is now both headlights go out spontaneously, and therefore sometimes at the same time, leaving in the dark at night on the road. Flicking them off and back on usually fixes it on the first try, but sometimes it takes a couple of tries. *tr
ODI 10561063
Exterior Lighting
My hid headlight turns off, it can be turned back on by toggling the light switch. I had previously replaced the bulb, however it cost over $400 to get it fixed. It is dangerous to drive like this, toyota does not seem to assume responsibility that there is a defect. There was a cash support but only for 2006 to 2009 models. There should be an investigation into this problem. *tr
ODI 10554852
Exterior Lighting
While driving my vehicle at night the right headlamp suddenly went out. I turned the headlight switch on and off and the headlamp came back on. Approximately 7-8 minutes later both headlamps went out. Once again i turned the headlamp switch off and on and both headlights came back on. This continued to happen every few minutes until i finally reached my destination. Since then it has continued to happen…
ODI 10544032
Exterior Lighting
Driving down the freeway and the headlights went out. I flipped the switch and they turned on. This now happens every time i drive and it requires numerous flipping on and off of the lights to make them come back on. *tr
ODI 10547543
Exterior Lighting
Passenger side hid headlight goes out sometime after start up. If you switch the lights off then on again it runs for a period (approx 4 min) then goes out again. Replacing bulb has no effect. When searching for solutions appears to be a chronic problem among 2005/2006 prius. *tr
ODI 10542926
Exterior Lighting
Driver headlamp turning on and off while driving. Lamp will turn on if i switched control off and turned it on again, but will turn off again within 10 minutes. Replaced both lights bulbs, then passenger headlight started doing the same thing with in a month of replacement. I replaced bulb again in the passenger headlight and with in 5 days light started again doing same thing. Headlight turns on if i switch control…
ODI 10558073
Exterior Lighting
The first time happened about a year ago and the issue gets worse. I took the car into the shop to replace a headlight as i thought it had burnt out. When i arrived, the passenger side light was working again. The issue has been so bad now that both headlights may turn off with no warning and cause complete darkness while on the road. From what the shop told me is that i will have to possibly replace the hid…
ODI 10660155
Exterior Lighting
My passenger headlight shuts off by itself after a few minutes. When i shut off the lights and turn them on again, they both stay lit for several more minutes or sometimes longer. We took it to the dealer, and they charged over $100 to replace the bulb and there has been no change. I noticed that there was a recall on the 2006-2009 models for a similar problem. I suspect this might extend to the 2005 model. At times…
ODI 10548187
Electrical System · Exterior Lighting
Both hid headlights went out at the same time. I can toggle the light switch off and on and one or both lights came back on. Then went out again within a few seconds to a minute, over and over. Makes no difference if car is not moving at all or going 70 mph. I was able to drive the 15 miles home at night without incident. Went to dealer next day and they say all that is wrong is that the headlights are burned out.…
ODI 10521198
Exterior Lighting
1. Driver's side hid-type headlight went out while driving at night. Went on & off intermittently for several days. Required a replacement headlight computer and bulb. Ridiculously expensive to get headlights functioning properly. 2. Headlight leveling system malfunctions & warning light goes on intermittently, generally during & right after rain storms. Ongoing problem since car had approximately 32,000 miles. *tr
ODI 10521691
Exterior Lighting
I was driving home on the highway at night when both headlights shut off. The right headlight has been turning off periodically, but this is the first time both lights have gone out. By turning the lights off and then on, the headlights returned to working order. This is a persistent problem, which both toyota and nhtsa know about. Replacing the lightbulb appears to be only a very temporary, and costly, solution. *tr
ODI 10519456
Exterior Lighting
Left hid headlight on my prius keeps going off at random, sometimes it happens fast, sometimes it doesn't happen at all. By cycling the headlights on/off turn the light back on. This seems to happen to more than just my prius because i have personally seen many priuses with their passenger side (left) headlight out. *tr
ODI 10523453
Exterior Lighting
I had an accident in march 2013 which caused front end damage. The car was repaired with the headlights being replaced. Every since the repair the headlights have been going out for no apparant reason. At first just the right headlight, now both lights shut off at the same time and i have to turn them off and back on to get them to emit light. The dealer said it was the headlights themselves but why do both of them…
ODI 10638676
Exterior Lighting
When i started my 2005 toyota prius, i got a warning on the dashboard and the multi-function display that the automatic headlight leveling system had malfunctioned. This is a safety feature that corrects the aim of the headlights if you are driving with an unusually heavy load, so that your lights do not momentarily blind oncoming drivers. Unfortunately, when the sensor in the headlight leveling system fails, the…
ODI 10510251
Exterior Lighting
Both headlights went out during night time driving. I immediately braked because i could not see anything in front of me. It is a very dangerous situation in that my 9year old and 12 year old panicked. When i switched the lights on and off they came back on. The incident re-occurred an additional 3 times on the way home. I contacted the manufacturer as well as the dealer. Both said they could not do anything about…
ODI 10509909
Exterior Lighting
The drivers side headlight keeps going off and on. At first all i had to do was turn it off then on but now it is turning off and staying off. *tr
ODI 10519528
Exterior Lighting
Originally the passenger headlight would shut off randomly. I would flick the lights on and off and it would turn back on. Then this past new years eve both headlights turned off and i flicked the lights on and off and that did not work. I shut off the headlights with the switch for a few seconds and luckily they turned on again. However the kept on shutting off more consistently. First the passenger then both. This…
ODI 10694445
Exterior Lighting
While driving the passenger headlight goes out at unexpected times. Trying to activate the high headlights does not make the light come back on. The only way the light comes back on is by turning them off and on from the switch, and most of the time the light goes out again in a very short time. *tr
ODI 10508198
Exterior Lighting
Starting in approximately march and occurring daily through present day, one or both headlights sporadically go out. We started noticing this in march when driving at night. Our own tests indicate that it can happen when the car is at a complete standstill or at any speed. It can happen zero to multiple times during a single use of the car, sometimes up to every minute and a half while driving. Turning the…
ODI 10536981
Exterior Lighting
Headlights will randomly turn off and on. Sometimes the left headlight will go out, sometimes the right, and occasionally both lights will go out at the same time. The hid bulbs are not to blame. These bulbs, when they do go out, they burn out and never come back. This issue is a control problem/design flaw of the vehicle. If the nhtsa would look in its database it would see this is not an isolated incident. If you…
ODI 10501333
Catalog parts for this system
Catalog year/make/model rows for 2005 Toyota Prius.
Catalog fitment does not by itself prove OEM-equivalent compatibility.