Headlight problem

[lsmike]

All us (bad english) out of warranty guys should be aware that one of some dealers scams is to charge "diagnostic" service time for things like this. Thus when we go in and ask them to solve a problem, or they have to get a reading from Toyota on an issue such as this (that can take days) we won't get our car back until the diag service is paid.

So beware and ask your service writer, who is on a commission.........mike

[galaxee]

yes, because the tech is expected to do this all for you for free out of the goodness of his heart. while he could be making money doing something else.

[johnjohnchu]

Originally Posted by calmel

On my '04 Prius with HID, the left headlamp also cuts out sporatically. If I turn the headlamp switch off & then on, it comes back on - for a while. My dealer wants to change the ballast (which includes a computer) and the bulb for $1000! Ouch!! Phone quotes from other area dealers ranged from $800 to $1100.

My question is: if the ballast/computer is bad, why do I need a new bulb? If the bulb is bad, why do I need a new ballast/computer? Couldn't get a straight answer from the dealer.

Does anybody know of a way to determine if this problem is simply something lose somewhere?

Does anyone know if any Toyota dealers have absorbed this cost on any out-of-warranty cars? At 4 yrs/55K miles, I'm beyond the basic coverage of 3 yrs/36K miles. I should think a critical safety item like a headlamp system should last more than 4 yrs.

Thanks for any insight anybody can provide.

If only one side is bad (goes on/off), you can swap the bulbs and see if the problem can be isolated. Chances are, it is the bad OEM bulb. It is definitely not any loose connections somewhere, since the light goes back on, at least for a few minutes, after re-start. Anyway, HID bulbs can be accessed through the back of the HID light fixture. Wind shield washer fluid tank and fuse box may need to be moved out of way slightly to gain access if you have big hands. Auto repair place (not the dealer) can do this for you very easily. Dealer wants to remove front bumper cover to get to the bulbs. This is completely unnecessary. I have purchased HID bulbs through eBay for around $85 a pair shipped. They have worked out very nicely thus far.

[dan_pomona_prius]

I've also got this problem...not sure when it started, but someone pointed it out to me at around 40000.

When the lights are first turned on, there is a few seconds of full brightness, then dimming in the right light, and then after a minute or two, it goes out. As others have said, it comes back on if you turn off the lights and then back on.

Until you get it fixed, I would suggest turning on your fog lights so that others can see you more easily, and to give you at least some light if the second one does fail.

--Dan

[drmanny3]

Well I took my car in this last thursday for the head light problem. Even when they both work one is the normal white light the other is kind of yellow. Never the less, I lucked out in that when I arrived one of the lights was out. They took it in and first were concerned that I had added the turn signals to the outside mirrors and might have affected the hid circuit. After verifying that this did not contribute they contacted Toyota and replaced both bulbs. That did not fix it. So then they called Toyota back and were told to replace the tow circuit boards. They did this and still the lights are not working correctly. This Monday they will again contact Toyota to get some new direction. They provided me with a loaner car. I was told they had to remove the bumper to get to the bulbs. Also one of the circuit boards is very difficult to get to as well. All the new parts remain in the car as they are electrical and cannot be resold. I expect I will get it taken care of shortly. They have been very good about it. I have about 32,000 miles on my 06. I was told that if it had been out of warranty that they could not goodwill the repair due to the cost. The Service person suggested in that situation that the owner should contact Toyota and see if they would cover the cost. In one situation the service person said Toyota came through and covered the cost for an out of warranty car.

Manny

[drmanny3]

Well the dealer first replaced both bulbs. The problem did not go away. We had one light that was white and the other that was yellow. They then replaced the two cpu units. That was going to do it but it did not. Toyota suggested that they again replace the bulbs as the ones they put in may not have been the most current version. Anyway they again replaced the bulbs and now everything works perfectly. So does this mean that they did not need to replace the cpu? I don't know. To put in the bulbs you need to pull the front bumper off. a lot of work. The bill would have been about $2000. However I caught it while still in warranty. Had I not been in warranty I would have just purchased after market bulbs. and if necessary ballast as well.
Manny

[TXBEN]

Hello everyone. I'm new to this forum and found it due to searching for 2006 HID problem. I had a similar situation. My HID headlights would "flicker" and then one would go out. I could get the headlight back on by simply turning the lights off and back on. This problem was rarely intermittent around 40k and started getting worse. I couldn't get in my car without having to shut off the HIDs multiple times during a very short trip (30miles) that is short for me. (2006 with 54k on it already thank GOD for 50mpg!) I finally got it to do it at the dealership and was told that it needed two new ECU modules. HID headlights don't use 12VDC to run, usually they use around 46VDC so they basically need an inverter unit and both of mine were having issues. This wasn't covered by warranty so it cost me $300 per side plus labor for a total of $1071 to fix. I find it odd that both went out at the same time, but Toyota would not cover it. I have the old units and I will take them apart to see if there is any corrosion in them. This could indicate a seal problem from moisture. I don’t mind paying the money to fix it since for two reasons. The car is paid off so the lack of a note is cool, the car saves me over 2k a year in gas, and I LOVE my car. Okay that’s three reasons. I also posted this in the thread "Another 2006 HID problem" I have also posted a complaint to NHTSA. If everyone that has the problem complains, maybe we will get our money back. (KEEP YOUR INVOICE)

[jamesbalch]

I started a new thread on this subject before I realized that this one existed. I also have just started having problems with my right headlight. All the same symptoms. Blinks out, turning the switch on and off gets it back on.

It is irksome that Toyoya seems to have no answer as to this obviously prevalent problem in the Prius.

I have a lot of testing equipment (for aircraft) in my shop which MAY help me find an answer as to why this is happening. However, since I am covered under an extended warranty I do not want to spend a lot of my own valuable time troubleshooting this problem. Also, the cost of a defective controller and light assemblies is something that Toyota should pay for, not me.

At the same time, I do relish the thought of driving along some evening only to have some police officer pull me over for a headlight out. I will take my vehicle to the dealer but I will have a hand in the troubleshooting if they can't figure it out.

[YEESSS]

Hello All!

I've have browsed the forum when i had my first problem with my car. But now, i too have the same problem as stated above. I brought the car to the dealer the first time and i was told that they are not able to replicate the problem. Second time, they we're able to replicate the problem but telling me that i have to have both bulbs changed on my own pocket. So i declined the change out since i have read enough and seen a few on the road who has the same problem as i am. So instead, i reported a complain to the Office of Defects Investigation (under NHTSA).

I will advise as soon as i get a call from ODI.

[jamesbalch]

Today I receieved the 2006 Prius Total Repair Manual i bought on Ebay a few days ago. MAN! It is loaded with info.

In regards to the intermittent headlamp problems, I don't see how there is a continuing mystery here. The wiring diagram is pretty straight forward and as far as I can see, it can't be very hard to troubleshoot.

Power comes off the batt, thru a 40 amp headlight MAIN fuse. Through the H-LP relay (controlled by the headlight switch). If you have the DRL circuits it gets a bit more complicated but without them it's a straight shot to a junction where it splits into two paths - each through a 15 AMP fuse to its own Headlight Assembly (HID). The headlight asembly has two parts to it - the lamp (controlled by the ECU) and the Shade Actuator. The power for the Lamp/ECU goes to connector 2A on the headlamp assy. The ground for the each Lamp/ECU comes from connector 1A on the lamp assembly and terminates at a ground points inside the engine compartment. Ground point EB, located on what looks like the top of the RH fender or fender sidewall for the RIGHT LAMP. Ground point EE (LEFT LAMP) is harder to see on the diagram. It looks to be located all the way to the rear of the engine compartment on the left side, just in front of the engine fire wall.

One thing - Ground EE provides the ground for BOTH the Lamp/ECU and the Shade Actuater for the Left lamp........but the RH LAMP/ECU uses Ground EB and the RH Shade Actuator uses a different ground point altogether...Ground EA (located in the same area as Ground EB but slighty behind it) Wonder why they did that??

There is only a few things that can cause this intermittent operation, as far as I can see.

1. I suspect that after time, these ground points develop corrosion. The corrosion isn't enough to stop the start-up high voltage/amperage the system uses when turning on the headlights. After they run at low power for a time, I'll bet that the ground connection starts heating up and develops high resistance to current flow. This causes the lamp to eventually wink out. I have SEEN mine do this. It just doesn't turn off.....it seems to go out reluctantly - kind of winking out gradually. Resetting the switch pulses a high voltage to the lamp and it stays on for a while. Then the process starts again.

2. I suspect that if not a grounding issue, the ECM's are faulty after a certain amount of operating time.

3. A faulty terminal end at a connector. Same thing....as operation continues, the terminal heats and develops high resistance. Resetting the lamp switch pulses a higher voltage through the terminal end and burns a clean path for the current. Then the cycle starts again.

All my opinion but I am going to check my grounds at the earliest convenience I have. I will let everyone know what I find out. If anyone needs to know other paths, give me a shout.