2009 Toyota Prius Headlight Problems

Which parts fail

• Headlights
  2

Components named in complaints (headlights, tail lights, turn signals, interior lights).

Mileage when the problem started

• Under 25k
  44%
• 25k–50k
  1112%
• 50k–75k
  2527%
• 75k–100k
  2729%
• 100k–150k
  1819%
• 150k+
  89%

Owner reports

Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2009 Toyota Prius owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).

My 2017 Prius is having headlight failure. I was told by my neighbor that my headlight was out. I bought a new one and went to replace it but they were both working. Thought it was a defective bulb so waited to replace it. I check both headlights when I come to a stop behind a car so I can check the reflection of the headlights. Sometimes they are both on sometimes only one is on, Occasionally both are OUT. What I have noticed is when I turn on the car, immediately the headlights are bright,(not high beam) and immediately go dim. This acts like a bad contact or high resistance somewhere in the circuit. The headlights going on and off seems to be a circuit breaker of some kind. Fortunately I don't drive much at night, however I am having to drive more at night and the possibly of the headlights both failing is TERRIFYING. …

Headlights intermittently go off, and I wound have to switch it off and on for light to come back on, but for few minutes until it does it again, and I drive Uber at night. I have searched the problem online, it seems to be a common problem on the second generation Prius from 04-09, I called few repair shops and they acknowledged the problem but did not have an answer to solve it.

In December of 2018, I pulled my car up to a redbox station to return a movie. I pushed the park button on my 2009 Toyota Prius and got out of my car to put the movie into the slot. The car apparently was not in park and continued to move forward (I tried to catch it, but was unsuccessful, and hurt myself in doing so) until it slammed into a parked car in the same parking lot. My insurance listed it as an at-fault accident and fixed my car and the one that my vehicle had hit. (I told the adjuster I knew that I had put the car in park) I also had a 700.00 deductible to pay for fixing my damaged car. As time went by, this started happening more and more frequently. I would push the button for my car to go into park mode and it would not go into park. I would have to put the car into another gear and then it would go into park. Other weird things with the car were happening as well. …

About two years ago one or another of my headlights would go off intermittently. When I turned the switch off and back on, they'd both be on. This was irritating but it was random and sporadic enough that I didn't take it in for service until both lights started going off in recent weeks. I then discovered on the internet the history and extent of this problem. The service people at the dealership only indicated that this problem had occurred with the 2005-2009 Prius but weren't forthcoming with other background information. $500 later I have new lights. My plan is to have "problems" with them every 11 months as long as I own the car, if they don't go off on their own, so that I can get the problem fixed under the dealer's 12 month warranty. Fortunately, most of my driving is downtown in a large city where other lighting is available. …

I became aware the past few months that my right HID headlight was going off and on when I was driving. I was first alerted to it by other cars flashing me. Then time would go by and it seemed to work. Yet, the problem returned. One time the left light went out as well, and I was without either light. But generally it is just the right light. If I turn the light switch off and on, then both lights work, again usually until I get home, I am aware that these expensive bulbs (more than $600 for both) are the common solution, but I know someone who had the replacement bulbs go out, as well ,after a few months. So it must be the circuit. I will try to limit my driving to day time, and to be diligent to remember to be on the lookout for sudden light failure and switch,the lights on and off. My memory isn't as sharp as it once was, being an elderly retired person. …

2009 Toyota Prius passenger headlight goes off spontaneously while driving or stationary. When you turn off the headlight switch, then turn them on, the headlight turns back on for a while. Then after a while the headlight turns off again. This defect was a NHTSA recall and extended warranty problem but the dealer said the warranty and recall has expired. They want to charge me over $500 to fix this defect. NHTSA needs to extend the recall and warranty because there have been accident deaths and injury related to this defect. You can see the defect documented on several youtube videos: Toyota Prius headlight failure. Please issue an order for dealers to recall and extend the warranty to fix this headlight defect at no cost to owners !!

The ballasts for the HID lights in the 2009 Prius are famously unreliable. Mine demonstrated this last evening in a very unnerving way. The headlamps would simply turn off without warning, sometimes one, and many times, both, leaving me to the mercy of street lights! This is incredibly dangerous. I checked on it and found that this happens to hundreds of Prius drivers. Isn't Toyota concerned that its $1,200 charge for fixing its own defective equipment (for the ballasts are known for this) will lead to death of poor persons who cannot afford the fix? Shouldn't there be a general recall for such a consumer-safety issue? (sure, cycling the lights turns them back on, but when you are driving in the dark, it isn't easy to think well.)

Last year my headlights started flicking on and then when I turned them off and then back on, they would both work again. Sometimes it's just one headlight, either left or right and sometimes its both at the same time or one and then in a mile or two the other making it so both are out. I've had my bulbs replaced and since looked at again and was told the bulbs were both still good. I have been told it is a very expensive process for fixing the problem but it is extremely dangerous to be driving on the freeway at 65 MPH with two kids in the car and have both headlights go out on you. It happens when I am driving. It doesn't matter what type of surface we are driving on. I happens every single time I drive my car.

Within the last few weeks, the headlights randomly turn off. Sometimes the driver's side, sometimes the passenger side...sometimes both at the same time. Tonight, I had both headlights and dash lights shut off while driving home down a dark, wet, very curvy, leaf covered road. Quickly turning the lights on and off briefly solved the problem. This should never happen and poses a tremendous threat of bodily harm not only to the drivers/passengers in the Prius, but to other travelers as well. I am extremely disappointed in Toyota for refusing to be accountable and accept responsibility for the safety of the many consumers who have experienced this problem.

My headlights keep randomly turning off on their own while parked or driving, in the dark or the light. To troubleshoot I have replaced the headlights and tightened the wire connections, but the problem continues. Only turning the headlights off and back on seems to temporarily fix the problem...until the next time it turns itself off. I had a similar problem with my Honda pilot 2005 a few years ago and there was a safety recall on the headlight wire harness kit that was corroded from humidity and overheating and failing. This has now happened dozens of time on my Prius, mostly affecting the left headlight only, but a couple times on both headlights.

Headlight complaints in other Prius years