3.0

hardly worth mentioning
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
47,211 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2006 Toyota Prius lights problems

lights problem

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2006 Toyota Prius Owner Comments (Page 3 of 7)

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problem #81

Jul 152009

Prius

  • 35,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Headlights intermittently go out most often one or the other. Often turning headlights off and back on will recover the headlight temporarily. This has led to being stopped by the police for having a headlight out. Sometimes it can be ok for days at a time and others it will go out every day.

- Star, ID, USA

problem #80

Jan 012007

Prius

  • 20,000 miles
1. headlight or headlights turn off unexpectedly 2. occurs regularly on my car. Other owners report this problem and say it is a $1000 repair that doesn't always work. Because the headlights dim, or shutoff on their own. I will often be driving with one headlight or no headlights and not be aware of it. Because they were working when I drove off. Due to the dimming feature, I cannot easily tell if they are off or dimmed until someone tells me. Then I turn off and on my headlights and it works for a while. 3. I am told it is a $1000 Toyota repair, that is not a permanent fix. I think it occurred under warranty, but I was not aware of what I was experiencing until after warranty expired.

- San Dimas, CA, USA

problem #79

Mar 032009

Prius

  • miles
My 2006 Toyota Prius has one headlight going out at irregular times. It can be turned on again if the headlight switch is turned completely off, then turned on, but that does not make the headlight stay on. I have had the headlight switch replaced, but that has not corrected the problem. It is mainly the left headlight, but after the switch replacement, very occasionally the right headlight goes out as well. Very rarely, both headlights go out. I have consulted the dealer and they want about $1000 to correct the problem, but give no guarantees that this amount will fully correct the difficulty. I am concerned about the safety aspect of this problem, especially if we drive at night. My wife and I are both retired and we need all the lighting from these headlights to see safely. I also understand that if the problem shows up on state inspections, my car will not pass this inspection. The problem did not show up for the first year or so we owned the car, but has become more frequent over the past year. There seems to be no pattern to the failures.

- Dallas, PA, USA

problem #78

Sep 122008

Prius

  • Automatic transmission
  • 22,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The contact owns a 2006 Toyota Prius. While driving approximately 65 mph at night, the headlights suddenly failed without warning. The driver experienced extremely limited visibility. Immediately, the vehicle was pulled over to the side of the road. The contact made several attempts to engage the headlight switch before they began functioning properly again. The vehicle was able to resume normal operation; however, the failure occurred intermittently. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer for diagnostic testing, but they could not duplicate the failure. The driver's side headlight was replaced. The failure occurred twenty five additional times. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer on three separate occasions for identical failures, but there were no resolutions. The failure mileage was 22,000 and current mileage was 58,000. Updated 08/04/09. Updated 08/06/09.

- Elgin, TX, USA

problem #77

Jan 152009

Prius

  • 55,669 miles
Hid headlight failures both sides with intermittent outages.

- Marlborough, MA, USA

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problem #76

Jun 112009

Prius

  • 30,000 miles
My 2006 Toyota Prius has an intermittent headlight problem. At random, with out warning both of the headlights on my 2006 Prius will turn off, either at the same time, the left will go out, or the right, some times one then the other. There is no reasoning to it. I can most of the time get them to come back on by switching the switch off and then back on again. This has been occurring for about two years and seems to be happening more frequently. Bulb replacement has not had any effect. The dealer can not figure out what the problem is. Thank you.

- Palmyra, PA, USA

problem #75

Jan 112008

Prius

  • 25,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The contact owns a 2006 Toyota Prius. While driving at any given speed, the front headlights dim without warning. The contact has to turn the headlights off and then back on; however, the failure recurs. The headlights have failed intermittently on multiple occasions. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and they determined that the light bulb failed. The light bulb has been replaced. The contact is in the process of notifying the manufacturer. The failure mileage was 25,000 and current mileage was 45,000.

- Phildelphia, PA, USA

problem #74

Jun 012009

Prius

  • 45,500 miles
On my 2006 Prius, the hid headlights go and off intermittently. This past Monday night (6/1/09), my right font hid light went out on a 56 mile trip in the atlanta metro area.previously, in late this March, the drivers side became intermittent and was replaced at a cost of $350 (replaced bulb & inverter) at a non-Toyota repair shop. I called Toyota care center and registered complaint and in 24 hrs. I received a callback with approval to reimburse my $350. Expense and to cover my right light expense at the Toyota dealer- the price of replacement less a $50. Deductible. Was stopped by police while driving through atlanta on June 1st and rec'd a warning ticket for an outage on the headlight.

- Peachtree City, GA, USA

problem #73

Jan 022009

Prius

  • 80,000 miles
2006 Prius headlight problems. Headlights go out intermittently. If you flip the lights off and back on, the lights are temporarily restored. Both headlight do the same thing. Lights flicker then go out; some time both at the same time.

- Edwardsburg, MI, USA

problem #72

May 132009

Prius

  • 990,000 miles
I own an 06 Toyota Prius and am experiencing what seems to be a very common problem regarding the headlights on the Toyota Prius with hid lights. My headlights suddenly go off while driving and the driver side stays out almost all of the time now. Upon researching the problem on line I discovered there are many many Toyota Prius owners who experienced the same problem and are being charged upwards of $2000 to repair this problem by Toyota dealerships and are being told by Toyota tech's that it is a very common problem they are receiving and Toyota owners and my self included are being told by the dealerships to file formal complaints with Toyota and cause them to recall the items because they are aware of the malfunctions of the headlights and the growing complaints by owners who are furious having to pay on average $1000 to $2000 to repair headlights.

- Hopewell Junction, NY, USA

problem #71

Apr 202009

Prius

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Bought '06 Prius 6/06. Had to have both headlights (hid) replaced in Nov. 07 after 57K miles due to them intermittently "going out" which got worse with time. Currently (Apr. 2009) am experiencing the same problem with the replacement bulbs.

- Culpeper, VA, USA

problem #70

May 012008

Prius

  • 40,000 miles
Driver's-side headlight suddenly turns off while driving, usually within 5-15 minutes of driving. This occurs during both city and highway driving. Since approximately May 2008, friends and family driving in front of me during group trips would periodically mention that one of my headlights was off. I would later check the headlights and find both operational. Eventually, I started to notice, through looking at the reflection in other cars, that my driver's side headlight would indeed be off. Turning the lights off very quickly and turning them back on again would usually solve the problem. However, as time went on, the occurrence became more and more frequent. Now, my driver's side headlight turns off suddenly, every time I drive, within 15 minutes of turning on. Flicking the lights off and on does turn both lights back on, but the problem returns again within 5-15 minutes. I am very concerned about this problem becoming progressively worse, and I have read many accounts online of both headlights eventually failing, which is especially worrisome. Updated 04/16/09.

- Chalmette, LA, USA

problem #69

Feb 012009

Prius

  • 40,000 miles
Hid headlamps self-extinguish while driving, requiring power switch to be cycled on and off to restart. The consequences are reduced visibility and the possibility of driving with no headlights at night. Hid headlamps are well under their design life expectancy and should not be failing. Replacement is expensive and time-consuming and according to other owners, the fix is only temporary.

- Monrovia, CA, USA

problem #68

Mar 172007

Prius

  • 30,000 miles
Headlight on 2006 Toyota Prius intermittently go on and off. The computer and bulb have both been replaced twice, but the problem continues to occur. This has been continuous for two years, despite the constant replacement of parts.

- Mcallen, TX, USA

problem #67

Oct 152008

Prius

  • 36,000 miles
I have a 2006 Prius. The driver side head light goes out now and then as I am driving. It is unpredictable. If I turn the lights off and then back on, the light works again. It has been going on for 2 months. Now the other light is doing the same thing.

- Los Angeles, CA, USA

problem #66

Dec 152008

Prius

  • miles
2006 Toyota Prius headlamp goes out intermittently, turning lights off then back on temporarily fixes problem. Since problem is intermittent it is impossible to know if front lights are working.

- Tyler, TX, USA

problem #65

Jan 012007

Prius

  • miles
The hid headlamps, flicker, go-out at will, sometimes its just one head light other time its both at the same time!!!! Toyota has fixed it but after maybe a month it went back to do the same exact thing! this is dangerous!! and apparently happens very very often to alot of other 2006 to 2009 Toyota owners.

- St Cloud, MN, USA

problem #64

Dec 282008

Prius

  • 42,000 miles
2006 Toyota Prius package 6. hid left headlight intermittent failure. Will turn back on if you cycle on/off switch. Car has 57,000 miles. Problem may have been occurring much sooner. Hard to tell unless looking at headlight reflection in car ahead of you. Several priuschat.com members have reported same problem. Difficulty getting dealer to solve or cover repair.

- San Clemente, CA, USA

problem #63

Nov 122008

Prius

  • 49,100 miles
One of the headlights keeps going out. I can't really tell when or how it goes out since I can't see it. I'll notice it when I see the reflection in the back of another car. If I turn the bright lights on and off it has no effect, but when I turn them all the way off and back on the light comes back. Sometimes on long trips it will stay on the whole time, sometimes it won't. sometimes on short trips it will go out, sometimes it won't. it is not an event I can make happen. I've taken it to the dealer and they can't make it happen (of course). This has been going on for over 1 year.

- Waterville, ME, USA

problem #62

Sep 282007

Prius

  • 37,001 miles
I have a 2006 Prius. The hid headlights are not reliable. They work sometimes & sometimes they don't. the problem is with the hid bulb. They turn off & on unexpectedly. The dealer price to replace the one bulb was $479. Both of my headlight failed within a week of each other.

- Austin, TX, USA

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