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Tail lights acting weird

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by Abe, Oct 26, 2014.

  1. Abe

    Abe Junior Member

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    OK I think my 2004 Prius is haunted.
    Last week both brake lights (just the upper, red part) stopped working.
    A day later the right/passenger side light came back on.
    Then the next day, the left/driver side light resumed working too.
    Great, right?
    Nope.
    Today both went out again.
    Then the right side came back on.
    What's going on? A bad fuse? loose wire? A dying LED? A Poltergeist?

    Any suggestions?
     
    #1 Abe, Oct 26, 2014
  2. GrumpyCabbie

    GrumpyCabbie Senior Member

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    The condition of your 12v battery is what?
     
    #2 GrumpyCabbie, Oct 27, 2014
  3. Abe

    Abe Junior Member

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    Haven't checked, Everything else working fine, all lights, etc. Dealer wants $800 to replace BOTH tail assemblies, he says both LEDs are giving out. Ouch!
     
    #3 Abe, Oct 27, 2014
  4. GrumpyCabbie

    GrumpyCabbie Senior Member

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    Well there's your answer. You need to replace both units. Yes it seems wasteful but that's just how it is. You can get aftermarket rear lights on ebay for much less, though you need to check that they're legal for use.
     
    #4 GrumpyCabbie, Oct 27, 2014
  5. valde3

    valde3 Senior Member

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    It’s possible to repair rear lights by replacing leds. You just have to cut hole into housing and replace leds that way.
     
    #5 valde3, Oct 27, 2014
  6. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

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    I believe you can buy aftermarket tail lights for less than $100 each. I bought a new driver's side light at Camelback Toyota for $177, installation wasn't too difficult. I would be cautious in buying used, many would replace their non working LED tail lights and put them on ebay.
     
    #6 JC91006, Oct 27, 2014
  7. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    FWIW, I've seen a lot of second gen driving around with headlights on but no tail lights. Actually my first conversation with a Prius driver came about thus. I was walking down to my train connection, noticed a Prius go by, back completely dark. Caught up with the guy in a parking lot, mentioned what I'd seen. He seemed to know about it, guess it was an ongoing issue.

    We started talking mpg, and maybe that's when I got the bug: we had a Civic Hybrid at the time, lagging Prius mpg by about 10%, at it's best.
     
    #7 Mendel Leisk, Oct 27, 2014
  8. Abe

    Abe Junior Member

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    How does one determine whether the lights available on ebay are street legal?
     
    #8 Abe, Oct 27, 2014
  9. nh7o

    nh7o Off grid since 1980

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    Before going to replace the lights, I would make sure that the associated chassis common connections are clean and tight. They are located under the rear hatch. You need to take out the rear deck to access the wiring harness.
     
    #9 nh7o, Oct 27, 2014
  10. Abe

    Abe Junior Member

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    Would you have a diagram, or a link to one?
     
    #10 Abe, Oct 27, 2014
  11. Cadenza

    Cadenza Member

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    2-3 LEDs in my brake light clusters work intermittently and sometimes flicker. Do LEDs flicker? Is that a sign they're heading to LED heaven or reincarnate into future Prii???
     
    #11 Cadenza, Oct 28, 2014
  12. nh7o

    nh7o Off grid since 1980

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    Here you go.
     

    Attached Files:

    #12 nh7o, Oct 28, 2014
  13. Abe

    Abe Junior Member

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    Much appreciated. Thank you.
     
    #13 Abe, Oct 29, 2014
  14. Abe

    Abe Junior Member

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    Taillight Update:

    Took the Prius to Prestige Coach Works, a AAA-approved repair shop in Marina del Rey CA that has helped me in the past. Unlike the Toyota dealer, these guys did check the wiring. But they came to the same conclusion: I needed both lights replaced. I then went on eBay and bought a PAIR of brand new aftermarket lights, with a 10-year warranty (Toyota warranty is for 1 year) and free shipping, for $125 (they came from AM-Autoparts). Repair shop charged $50 to install them. Everything looks great and works great, and I saved over $600 compared to Toyota's outrageous estimate. My 2 takeaways: 1.Research pays off, and 2.Dealers are thieves! (actually, one more: When you find a good repair shop, it's like striking gold.)
     
    #14 Abe, Nov 3, 2014
  15. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

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    You can't really compare OEM parts costs vs aftermarket parts costs. The fit and finish of the product will be different. Yes there is a savings by going aftermarket, but many times, you will find out, you get what you pay for. But for a savings for $500, I would go aftermarket too.

    If you would have chosen the DIY cost with original OEM replacements from discount online retailers, the cost would be around $177 each light.
     
    #15 JC91006, Nov 3, 2014
    Last edited: Nov 3, 2014
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