problem with the HID headlights, New here! Options

[blrose1228]

Hi there everyone. I'm new here and my main reason is to find out information about my Prius. I own a 2007 and so far from what I've seen theres a serious problem with the HID headlights which I'm experiencing. Hopefully I can get satisfactory results from Toyota corporate when I call them. If anyone can give me some good info to help my results please let me know.

Thanks,
Bruce

[Whiteyprius]

Please let us know what the issue is. Thanks:)

[humanoid]

Please explain "serious problem".

[Ted4tet]

I have also had the headlight issue with my 2007 Prius. The originals went out just before the initial warranty expired - about 32,000 miles - so there was no charge to replace them that time. Now my car has 60,000 miles and the 3rd one failed - to which my Toyota service dept. quoted me $550 to replace ($350 for the HID headlight and $200 to install. In order to replace the entire headlight - housing and all - the bumper needs to be removed. After doing some hunting around (checking with various repair shops in the area and checking information out about the headlight issue online) I ended up with a VERY NICE ALTERNATIVE!!!! First, you CAN replace JUST the bulb and while it is more involved than most cars, it does NOT require removal of the bumper.

I ordered a service Manual: Prius Service Manual and printed out the pages that had to do with installing the headlight - to give to my service mechanic in case he hadn't done it before - which turned out to be a good thing!

I ordered two new bulbs that are brighter and come with a 1 year warranty: from IMPROVED Prius bulbs

When the bulbs arrived, I took them and the instructions to Pep Boys (who had told me over the phone that if I had "bulb in hand" they would install it for me.)

Since it was the first time they had done this at Pep Boys it took them nearly 2 hours to do the job (it should take about 30- minutes each once they get the hang of it).

Because the new bulbs were brighter and "prettier" than the original, I had them install BOTH new bulbs and give me back the one that still worked which I now have as a back up.

Cost? $105 plus sipping for the bulbs = $115
Labor at Pep Boys: $129 for BOTH bulbs.

TOTAL COST for TWO headlight replacements!!! $245 - as opposed to $1100 that it would have cost if I had gone to Toyota. And my new headlights are AWESOME!!!

[akaratemom]

TOYOTA CALLED AND SAID THEY WILL PAY THE DEALER DIRECTLY AND THERE WILL BE NO OUT OF POCKET COST TO ME!!!!! ----- I have a 2007 Prius with 42k miles on it. My headlights have been going on and off for a while now. I recently got a fix it ticket in California so I took the car to the dealer. Guess what? Not under warranty! Both HID lights need to be replaced for a total of $450. I left the car at the dealer and called Toyota at 800-3331-4331. They opened a case file for me. The next day a case worker called me and told me that they would pay the parts and I would cover the labor. (they would reimburse me) I told her I did not have the $450 and would have to wait to do the repair. She told me she would check to see if they could pay the dealer directly and call me back. Within a few minutes, the dealer called me and said Toyota is paying for the repair and my car will be ready tomorrow. Right after that TOYOTA CALLED AND SAID THEY WILL PAY THE DEALER DIRECTLY AND THERE WILL BE NO OUT OF POCKET COST TO ME!!!!! I still love my Prius! Toyota came thru for me. I was ready for a fight, but did not have to at all!

[mcr]

Hi,

I am with a law firm that is currently investigating complaints that the HID headlights malfunction in certain Prius model years. Check us out at http://www.girardgibbs.com/prius.asp, or give us a call toll-free at (866) 981-4800. You can also reach me by email at mcr@girardgibbs.com.

[Atoyotaprius]

If you are experiencing the Toyota Prius HID headlight defect failure you may be looking at a repair cost of up to $1,800. Here's a recommended approach for getting Toyota to take responsibility for the defect and to minimize your out-of-pocket expense:

1) Take your car to your dealer's service department and tell them that the HID headlight(s) are unexpectedly shutting off. Let the service writer know that you are aware that this is a common problem with HID equipped Prius (seems to be mostly 2005-2007). You should mention that the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) has registered over 480 Prius HID headlight safety complaints. You can review the complaints by downloading the attached NHTSA database file or visiting the NHTSA database at: http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/complaints/index.cfm. You can also mention Toyota's Technical Service Bulletin: T-SB-0030-08 "HID Headlight System - Diagnostic Tips". If your car is still within the 3 year / 36K mile warranty period then Toyota should cover the repair cost 100%. If your service writer tells you that the repair is not covered (he may say that the bulbs are not covered under the warranty or point out that your car is beyond the 3 year / 36K mile warranty period) then ask if the service manager would contact Toyota corporate and seek Toyota's approval to cover the cost under Toyota's customer goodwill or loyalty program. If your dealer refuses to fix the HID defect free of charge then get a repair quote and move on to step 2.

2) Call the Toyota "Customer Experience Center" (This is Toyota's corporate customer service) at 1-800-331-4331. State that you have a safety defect with the headlights on your Prius. Say that you would like to report the problem to Toyota and open a case asking that Toyota repair the defect at no cost to you. The customer experience center representatives are extremely polite and will offer to open a case. They will supply you with a case number. They may take your information immediately or they may have someone call you back. You may want to call the 800 number and ask for Teresa at extension 73837. Teresa is very knowledgeable and helpful. She will know exactly what you are talking about when you mention the Prius headlight issue. You should be polite but firm. This is a serious safety problem and you know that it is a common problem on HID equipped Prius. They may start out by offering to cover 20% to 50% of the repair cost. Be firm and insist on 100% coverage.

3) File a formal safety complaint with the NHTSA.
Headlights that unexpectedly shut off while driving is clearly a safety issue. And it does appear that HID headlight equipped Prius indeed contain a design defect. Reporting a safety defect to the NHTSA is the first step in forcing Toyota to conduct a recall.

There are three ways to file a complaint:
Call the Vehicle Safety Hotline
Call 1-888-327-4236 or 1-800-424-9393 toll free (1-800-424-9153, for use by persons with hearing impairments)

File the complaint on-line
File the complaint on-line at the NHTSA vehicle safety Web site: www.safercar.gov. Select “File a Complaint” within the Defects and Recalls section of the home page.

U.S. Mail
Send a letter to:
U.S. Department of Transportation
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
Office of Defects Investigation (NVS-210)
1200 New Jersey Avenue SE
Washington, DC 20590

Attached File(s)

 Toyota_HID_Complaints.pdf ( 406.59K ) Number of downloads: 30

 

[pthorpe]

I have had the same problems but not just with the headlights but also the tail lights. I just got of the phone with the dealership in San Angelo Tx and they told lme that there was not a problem with the lights that they know of. Well I know of at least 3 other owners with the same problem. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/clap.gif)

[rhfritz]

Our 2006 Prius has the same problem. I intend to follow the instructions above and will report results.

Thanks.

[digitalmem]

Wow, fantastic post. I been having the headlight issue with my 2008 Prius for the last 3 months and just found this thread. This is the perfect "what to do next" post. fortunately I'm still under warranty but Toyota should cover everyone 100% or suffer the consequences of digital word of mouth costing them big time. I love the Prius but if they don't treat us right that love will turn to something else quickly.

Although I'm covered I'll open a case with Toyota and file a complaint with the NHTSA.

[rhfritz]

The service manager at our local dealership explained that the Toyota HID system is somewhat analogous to a fluorescent lighting system with two components: a controller -- the voltage management system (like a ballast) and the bulbs. The HID bulbs don't appear to fail like regular bulbs, they fail and tend to dim or flicker. Some people may be having the bulb controller go out. But apparently the HID bulbs have a finite lifespan, and if you drive around with them as daytime running lamps, they wear out quickly.

The technical service bulletin referenced above discusses diagnosing the bulb's controller, which in our case was fine. But our dealer did work with Toyota who took care of the cost of the bulbs (2 x $162). We got charged a "discounted" labor rate of $95 for the repair. I've opened a case with Toyota to get them to reimburse me for the labor. The Toyota reps were courteous and called back when they said they would. I should know next week whether they'll cover the labor.

I've got a 15 year old Acura on which I think I've changed one turn signal bulb at a cost of $5 and 10 minutes of my time with a screw driver. With an unassisted repair cost of nearly $500 every three years, we won't be driving with our HID's as running lamps any more.

[Kuma_nj_neverbee...]

Hi, there,

I have been reading a lot about Prius HID Headlight problems, since my 2008 prius now experiencing the same problem.
After 30k miles driven, driver side started to shut off after while.
I took to local Toyota dealer and they said that problem is the bulb and replaced it for me for free.
Now after a couple of month and 36k plus miles later, passenger side started to do the same thing.
My local Toyota dealer said it is out of warranty, so I decided to replace bulb by myself.
They said that the buld is $150.00. So, I went to Ebay and found bulb for $25.00 each. I bought 2 and tried both with same problem.

I finally decided to replace bulb from driver side. Then, noticed, color of the out side metal bar is different from others. And problem switched from passenger side to driver side.

Now I know I have 3 defective bulbs.

I believe Toyota realized something wrong with the bulb and made changes. You can tell by looking at the bulb, there are differences.

I will go to Toyota parts and pay $150.00 for I am hoping the new and improved bulb.
Report to you the result later.

[mmrtyc]

I also have a 2007 Prius and had the same issue with both headlights at nearly the same time. They would go out after a few minutes of driving and turning them on and then back on would work for a while. I ended up changing both of them to a tune of $185 a piece. The Toyota dealership quoted over $300 a piece to change them! Totally ridiculous!!! Toyota should step up to the plate and take responsibility for their poor quality product and conduct a recall.

[sy68]

you won't get anything from Toyota but a $500 bill. You can replace the bulb yourself, I just did it. You have to take off the whole bumper, bumper cover, screws on top of bumper, bottom of bumper and around the wheel wells. but it is well worth it. You can then remove the whole headlight case after unplugging everything and then it's easy to take off the bulb cover, it twists, then replace the bulb without having to maneuver around the wires because the hid bulb can't touch anything. then replace the whole case plug stuff in and replace the bumper. It might take an hour or more but it's better than $500 and the bulbs are only $80 online at Sylvania. Check with Toyota for the original temperature, I got 4300 but it's a little different color than the old one. I'm sure I'll have to replace that one soon anyway!

[thetealady]

Sure wish I found this forum in October, 2008. At that time, I had the classic symptoms - passenger headlight going out, would go back on if shut off and on, but ultimately would fail again. Since it was still under warrantee at that time, I was able to get it replaced free of charge. Fast forward to this week - - same issue, same side - they held my car 'captive' for 10 hours on Monday. They switched the front bulbs and left the car 'running' (yes, my gas), trying to see if the bulb would fail. Of course, it didn't since it was just sitting there. On my 47 mile drive home that night, of course it failed. Because of this and some other issues with the dealership, I wrote a lengthly e-mail to the Service Manager. He called me and said that in a good will effort, he would replace both bulbs free of charge (including labor) and would lend me a loaner car to appease my inconvenience.

Not realizing that this was as huge an issue as I'm now reading, I'm planning to keep all the links, etc. that I've found today for future reference. I have a sick feeling that this will be happening again.

Thank you, especially, to Atoyotaprius for your detailed instructions!

I still love my Prius!