Prius '07 HID headlight problem

I had this problem with my 07... i went to the dealer for a standard checkup, was standing in front of the car and said, "Oh... by the way there is one more thing I want you to look at". he offers up, "Dont tell me, the headlights?" I said, "YES.."

he then proceeds to tell me that it may be up to 400 (or some crazy nice person number) to fix it and think.... hmmm. thats odd... it IS still under warrenty.

So I leave the dealer and since he offered up the headlight fix i began to wonder if there was a systemic problem. OBVIOUSLY i was not the only one to have this...

I did some reading on the interwebs while I waited to pick up the car and as it turns out I find that MANY were having this problem with the '07's...

So when I get back he tried to hit me up with some big nice person charge to which I say.. "Really? YOU DO know I did some reading while I was gone... and as it turns out i am NOT the first person to have this problem and I'd assume that YOU WOULD KNOW that the problem that the car is having is caused by the fact that the controller for the headlights is mounted in a crap location and ALL of the cars of this era are having problems with this board overheating... so YOU DO KNOW this is a problem right? SO I find it ODD that you would try to make me think I SHOULD pay for this when in reality what we should REALLY be talking about is a more along the lines of a Class Action Law suit from ALL THE OWNERS of 07 Priuses.... I'm sorry... HOW MUCH DID YOU SAY YOU WANTED TO CHARGE ME FOR THIS AGAIN???"

Keep in mind that as I said this I got louder, and Louder and LOUDER as I stood in the very crowded service department of a large dealer with at least 4 other people picking up their cars at the same time...

I got the repair for free.

So should you.

it is a known issue that the controller card is in a crap location.

 

Chris, what dealership was this? Your anecdote may prove useful to myself and several others down the line. Thank you.

 

TMRE84:

Did you have halogen or HID bulbs?? Toyota service told me my 2007 Prius cannot convert from HID to halogen so I'm stuck with those expensive bulbs. They wanted $392 for two bulbs but I found several on eBay for $50+. There's no way to know if they fit the specs as my manual refers to halogen, mentions HID but gives NO info!

 

If you want to switch between Halogen and HID (going either way) you have to change the reflector to match the new bulb. Just changing the bulb will give you massive suckitude. If you are handy you can pull the headlight housing from a dead Pri that has the type you want and swap the whole thing. This works better going to Halogen than it does going to HID.

 

This is a really common issue as HID bulbs on the 07s and 08s start to reach the end of their lifetimes. I just bought two bulbs and replaced them myself, paid ~$120 each after Chicago tax. If you need the same hookup (which represents a discount of over 30%), PM me. These would be legit Toyota bulbs from a Toyota dealership service department.

 

Same problem here with my '08. Left bulb went around 60,000 and the Right one at 69,000.

I got a letter from Toyota after the first one that said basically that they were charging too much for the bulb, and that they had replaced headlight controllers when it wasn't necessary. They were offering to refund the difference in the bulb price and, if memory serves me right, refund for the controllers. In my case, the bulb cost me about the same as the "revised" price and I didn't have a controller replaced.

 

chrisfenwick

I did my 60,000 checkup on my 2007 and told them my passenger lamp sometimes is off when I pull behind a car or against the garage door. I turn off the light switch, then turn on and it stays on. A week or 2 or 3 later I notice the same thing. She said the lamp overheats and they would pay 1/2 the $300 headlight replacement. I asked if the problem was the controller board, but she said that they just change the headlights.

Can a Toyota Expert on this site help us understand why Toyota has not made this a Recall?