2005 Toyota Prius Exterior lighting Problems

The contact owns a 2005 Toyota Prius. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the left turn signal was activated, however, the left turn signal failed to function as intended. In addition, the contact stated that the four-way flashers failed to function as intended. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed with a computer failure. The contact was informed that an unknown part needed to be replaced, or an unknown software update was needed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but provided no assistance. The contact referenced an unknown recall with a similar failure description; however, the VIN was not under recall. The failure mileage was approximately 143,500.

NHTSA ID

11698556

Incident

Sep 10, 2025

Mileage

143,500 mi

The contact owns a 2005 Toyota Prius. The contact stated that while replacing the instrument cluster, the contact discovered that the turn signals were inoperable. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who determined that an unknown part needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 143,500.

NHTSA ID

11698502

Incident

Oct 15, 2025

Mileage

143,500 mi

HEAD LIGHT ARE INTERMITTENT; SAME PROBLEM AS 2006 AND LATER RECALL

NHTSA ID

11384908

Incident

Jan 1, 2015

THE HEADLIGHTS ON MY 2005 PRIUS CONTINUE TO GO OUT. WE REPLACE THE BULBS BUT EVEN WITH BRAND NEW BULBS WILL BE DRIVING AND AFTER ABOUT 60 SECONDS OF HEADLIGHTS BEING ON THE LIGHT WILL TURN OFF. SOMETIMES ONLY ONE TURNS OFF BUT OFTEN BOLT TURN OFF AND WE'RE IN COMPLETE DARKNESS DRIVING ON THE ROAD. WE HAVE TO TOGGLE THE HEADLIGHT CONTROL OFF AND ON SEVERAL TIMES BEFORE THEY TURN ON AGAIN, WHICH LEAVES US DRIVING IN COMPLETE DARKNESS AND IT'S A BIG SAFETY HAZARD! AGAIN, BRAND NEW BULBS HAVE THIS ISSUE, TOO. GETTING THE WHOLE HEADLIGHT AND COMPUTER BEHIND IT REPLACED IS VERY EXPENSIVE. THIS IS A BIG SAFETY ISSUE AND IT HAS BEEN HAPPENING AND GETTING WORSE FOR OVER A YEAR.

NHTSA ID

11289902

Incident

Dec 18, 2019

Mileage

164,000 mi

THE PASSENGER SIDE FRONT HEADLIGHT STARTED GOING OFF AUTOMATICALLY AFTER A WHILE OF TURNING ON. IF I TURN IT OFF AND ON AGAIN, IT LIGHTS UP AND THEN FIRST DIMS AND THEN TURNS OFF ON ITS OWN. THE LIGHTS HAVE BEEN REPLACED AND IT DID NOT SOLVE THE PROBLEM. THIS IS VERY DANGEROUS FOR NIGHT TIME DRIVING AS THE DRIVERS WILL NEVER KNOW WHEN THE HEADLIGHTS WILL GO OUT. THIS IS NOT A RANDOM INCIDENT; IT IS ONE OF THE MOST COMMON PROBLEMS OF GEN 2 PRIUS (04-09) THAT I FOUND ONLINE. I AM ATTACHING A DOCUMENT THAT LISTS SOME ONLINE FORUMS WHERE OTHER PRIUS OWNERS HAVE REPORTED SIMILAR PROBLEMS. TOYOTA SETTLED A LAWSUIT FOR 06-09 PRIUS, YET THERE IS NO RECALL FOR THE HEADLIGHT ISSUE OF GEN 2 PRIUS.

NHTSA ID

11279317

Incident

Nov 8, 2019

Mileage

10 mi

WHILE DRIVING DRIVER SIDE HEADLIGHT WILL GO OUT, FOLLOWED BY PASSENGER HEADLIGHT. BOTH WILL RETURN ON WHEN THE HEADLIGHTS ARE TURNED OFF THEN ON AGAIN, ONLY TO OCCUR AGAIN WITHIN 10 MINUTES. BOTH HEADLIGHTS HAVE BEEN REPLACED WITHIN THE LAST 10 DAYS.

NHTSA ID

11171766

Incident

Jan 22, 2019

Mileage

210,000 mi

HEADLAMPS RANDOMLY TURN OFF WHILE DRIVING, BUT USUALLY ONLY ONE AT A TIME. LAST NIGHT (12/18/18), BOTH LIGHTS WENT OUT AT THE SAME TIME AND I WAS UNABLE TO SEE THE ROAD AS IT WAS POORLY LIT. WHEN LAMPS DO TURN OFF WHILE DRIVING, TURNING THEM OFF AND ON A FEW TIMES WILL USUALLY GET THE IT TO COME BACK ON. THIS IS DEFINITELY A HAZARD AND A RECALL IS ABSOLUTELY REQUIRED.

NHTSA ID

11162491

Incident

Dec 18, 2018

Mileage

204,000 mi

COMBINATION METER INTERMITTENTLY NOT FUNCTIONING. WHEN TURNING THE CAR ON, SOMETIMES THE DASH METER WORKS, SOMETIMES IT'S JUST BLACK AND CONTINUES THE ENTIRE TIME THE CAR IS RUNNING. THEN WHEN TRYING TO TURN THE CAR OFF, IT WILL NOT TURN OFF, WHICH IS A MAJOR SAFETY CONCERN. WHEN THIS OCCURS, THERE ARE NO DASH LIGHTS AT ALL TO INDICATE FUEL AMOUNT, ODOMETER READING, DOOR OPEN SIGNAL, CHECK ENGINE, MAINTENANCE REQUIRED AND SO ON. THE SPEED BEING DRIVEN IS NOT SHOWING EITHER WHICH IS ANOTHER MAJOR SAFETY ISSUE. CRUISE CONTROL ALSO DOES NOT FUNCTION, THE CENTER TOUCHSCREEN DOES NOT DISPLAY HYBRID MOTOR INFORMATION OR MPG. THE BEEPING WHEN BACKING UP DOES NOT FUNCTION. ALSO THE REAR HATCH WILL NOT OPEN WHILE CAR IS RUNNING WHICH IS ALSO A MAJOR SAFETY ISSUE IN ADDITION TO ALL OF THE OTHER FUNCTIONS NOT AVAILABLE. THE ODOMETER IS NOT RECORDING MILEAGE DURING THESE TIMES WHICH MAKES IT DIFFICULT TO DO PROPER MAINTENANCE THAT GOES BY MILEAGE, SUCH AS OIL CHANGES.

NHTSA ID

11160849

Incident

Jun 1, 2018

Mileage

225,000 mi

HEADLIGHT FAILURE.....WHILE DRIVING. I START OUT WITH MY LIGHTS ON, AND RANDOMLY DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD ONE HEADLIGHT, OR THE OTHER, WILL GO OUT, OR BOTH WILL GO OUT. I REPLACED THE BULBS, HAVE HAD MECHANICS GO OVER THE CAR......BEFORE I JOINED A PRIUS CHAT AND LEARNED THIS IS A "KNOWN ISSUE".....BUT STILL NO RECALL? I'VE BEEN PULLED OVER BY VARIOUS LAW ENFORCEMENT 4 TIMES IN THE LAST 4 MONTHS! ..........BELOW IT ASKS FOR A DATE ON THE INCIDENT...IT HAPPENS FREQUENTLY. IT'S BEEN HAPPENING FOR AT LEAST A YEAR.

NHTSA ID

11132073

Incident

Sep 27, 2018

Mileage

215,000 mi

HEADLIGHTS GO OUT WHILE DRIVING, IT TAKES TURNING THEM ON AND OFF A FEW TIMES TO TURN THEM BACK ON. IT IS RANDOM, SOMETIMES PASSENGER SIDE, SOMETIMES DRIVERS SIDE, SOMETIMES BOTH. TOYOTA SETTLED A CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT WITH 2006 - 2009 PRIUS, MINE IS 2005, BUT THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE AND IS EXTREMELY DANGEROUS. WHEN BOTH HEADLIGHTS GO OUT, IT MAY TAKE SEVERAL TRIES TO GET THEM TO COME BACK ON, LEAVING ME WITHOUT HEADLIGHTS AS I'M DRIVING MY KIDS TO SCHOOL EARLY IN THE MORNING IN THE DARK, GOING 65MPH DOWN THE HIGHWAY. CURRENTLY SAVING TO GET FIXED(CAR WAS A GIFT). I CALLED TOYOTA FOR AN ESTIMATE ON THIS KNOWN PROBLEM AND THEY SAID THEY I WOULD HAVE TO BRING IT IN AND THEY WOULD CHARGE ME $85 FOR THEM TO DIAGNOSIS THE PROBLEM. TOYOTA IS NOT TAKING ANY RESPONSIBILITY FOR THIS PROBLEM, WHICH CLEARLY THEY ARE AWARE OF AND SOMEHOW SKIRTED OUT OF A RECALL OR ANY LIABILITY FOR ALL MODELS.

NHTSA ID

11105301

Incident

Apr 9, 2018

Mileage

170,121 mi

HEADLIGHTS COME ON INTERMITTENTLY. USUALLY THEY WORK FINE, BUT EVERY SO OFTEN SINCE MY FRIEND FIRST TOLD ME MY LIGHTS WERE OUT LAST WEEK, THEY DON'T TURN ON WHETHER THE CAR IS RUNNING OR NOT. IT CAN HAPPEN TO ONE OR BOTH LIGHTS AT A TIME, AND IS UNPREDICTABLE, MAKING ME AFRAID TO DRIVE AT NIGHT. I TOOK IT TO THE MECHANIC'S TODAY, BUT THE LIGHTS WERE WORKING AND HE COULDN'T DETERMINE THE PROBLEM. THE BULBS ARE FINE, AS LONG AS THEY ARE ABLE TO TURN ON, AND THE MECHANIC AGREED THE BULBS DO NOT NEED REPLACEMENT.

NHTSA ID

11094151

Incident

May 9, 2018

Mileage

170,000 mi

HEADLIGHTS INTERMITTENTLY GO OUT WHILE DRIVING. IMMEDIATELY WILL COME BACK ON WHEN SWITCHED OFF AND THEN ON..

NHTSA ID

11092820

Incident

May 8, 2018

Mileage

138,000 mi

THE COMBINATION METER ON MY 2005 TOYOTA PRIUS IS NOT WORKING. SO MY INSTRUMENT PANEL WILL GO OUT OR GO DARK AND MY CAR WILL KEEP RUNNING

NHTSA ID

11080917

Incident

Feb 14, 2018

Mileage

145,000 mi

THE HEAD LIGHT ON THE DRIVERS SIDE RANDOMLY GOES OUT. IF I TURN THE LIGHT SWITCH OFF AND ON IT MAY COME BACK ON. NEW LAMPS HAVE NOT FIXED THE PROBLEM. THIS PROBLEM HAS HAPPENED AT NIGHT WHILE DRIVING ON THE INTERSTATE.

NHTSA ID

11072910

Incident

Jan 19, 2018

Mileage

150,000 mi

THE HID HEADLIGHTS WORK UPON START UP THEN SHUT OFF AFTER ABOUT 10 SECONDS. REPLACING THE BULB DOES NOT FIX IT. THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE AS THE HEADLIGHTS DONT STAY LIT DURING NIGHTTIME HOURS.

NHTSA ID

11071627

Incident

Feb 7, 2018

Mileage

205,000 mi

THE HEADLIGHT WILL GO OUT, AND IT WILL COME ON AGAIN IF YOU TURN THE HEADLIGHTS OFF AND TURN THEM BACK ON AGAIN. THIS WILL HAPPEN MULTIPLE TIMES IN AN EVENING, AND IT HAPPENS EVERY TIME THE CAR IS DRIVEN.

NHTSA ID

11071604

Incident

Feb 6, 2018

DRIVER SIDE HEADLIGHT KEEPS GOING OUT AND I HAVE TO TURN OFF HEADLIGHTS AND TURN THEM BACK ON TO MAKE THEM WORK. THIS IS NOT SAFE AT ALL. IT HAPPENS STANDING STILL AND DRIVING.

NHTSA ID

11046179

Incident

Nov 13, 2017

Mileage

101,000 mi

HEADLIGHT GOES OUT REPEATEDLY. HEADLIGHT WORKS AGAIN AFTER HEADLIGHTS ARE TURNED OFF THEN ON AGAIN. STARTED WITH THE SAME ONE HEADLIGHT GOING OUT. NOW THE OTHER. SOMETIMES BOTH GO OUT, INCLUDING AT NIGHT. EACH TIME THE HEADLIGHTS MUST BE TURNED OFF THEN ON AGAIN AND THEY WORK FOR A WHILE LONGER. LIGHTS GO OUT WHEN STATIONARY AND WHEN DRIVING.

NHTSA ID

11044017

Incident

Nov 1, 2017

Mileage

274,000 mi

THE HEADLIGHTS ARE PRONE TO TURNING TO OFF RANDOMLY, SOMETIMES ONE SIDE, OTHER TIMES BOTH SIDES. AFTER TURNING THEM ON/OFF AT THE STEERING COLUMN THEY WILL COME BACK ON FOR A WHILE THEN THE ISSUE STARTS OVER. THIS PROBLEM OCCURS WITH THE VEHICLE EITHER MOVING OR IN THE STATIONARY MODE. NO HEADLIGHTS WHEN DRIVING AT NIGHT IS A DEFINITE SAFETY HAZARD. SO FAR, TOYOTA REFUSES TO HONOR A FIX!

NHTSA ID

11033271

Incident

Oct 11, 2017

Mileage

226,000 mi

HEADLIGHT CAME OFF AND ON WHILE I'M DRIVING ALL FUSE OK ALL BULBS OK LOOKING ON THE WEB APPEARS LIKE THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM ON THIS VEHICLE ALSO RADIO LIGHT SAME PROBLEM

NHTSA ID

11024664

Incident

Sep 20, 2017

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 TOYOTA PRIUS. WHILE DRIVING 25 MPH AT NIGHT, THE HEADLIGHTS FAILED TO WORK WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO THE DEALER. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED AT 800-331-4331 AND STATED THAT THE VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED IN A RECALL. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 181,308.

NHTSA ID

11024201

Incident

Sep 18, 2017

Mileage

181,308 mi

THE HEADLIGHTS ARE CONTINUALLY REPLACED (ONCE EVERY 6 MONTHS FOR THE LAST YEAR AND A HALF OR MORE), AND REPLACEMENTS OF AUTHORIZED PARTS KEEP FAILING, CONSISTENT WITH ISSUES PRESENTED IN THIS FORUM: HTTPS://PRIUSCHAT.COM/THREADS/HEADLIGHT-PROBLEM.34584/. I HAVE CHECKED AND RECHECKED WITH DEALERSHIP BUT THEY ONLY OFFER $500+ REPLACEMENT AND NO RECALLS OR FIXES FOR THE GENERAL ISSUE.

NHTSA ID

11013716

Incident

Jul 28, 2017

Mileage

1,900,000 mi

PASSENGER HEADLIGHT GOES OFF INTERMITTENTLY. TURN SWITCH OFF AND ON AND COMES ON AGAIN. HAVE HAD BULB REPLACED X2 AND NOW TOYOTA DEALER SAYS THAT TOYOTA HAS A BULLETIN ABOUT IT. NOTE TO THE TUNE OF $500 TO FIX. IN RESEARCHING THIS SEEMS TO BE A COMMON PROBLEM. IT'S A HAZARD AT NIGHT OR IN RAIN OR INCLEMENT WEATHER AND EVIDENTLY SOMETHING TOYOTA HAS HAD COMPLAINTS ABOUT ENOUGH TO PUT OUT A BULLETIN. VEHICLE IN MOTION, HIGHWAY MILES. I BELIEVE SOME SORT OF SHORT BUT CERTAINLY NOT MECHANIC. THIS HAS BEEN HAPPENING SINCE JANUARY 2017. TWO NEW BULBS PLUS LABOR AND NOW TOLD WIRING MECHANISM. HELP. IF TOYOTA KNOWS A PROBLEM, ADDRESS IT IN A RECALL.

NHTSA ID

11011293

Incident

Jan 11, 2017

HEAD LIGHTS DIMS AFTER 2 MINUTES OF DRIVING THEN FEW SECONDS LATER COMPLETELY SHOTS OFF.

NHTSA ID

10995065

Incident

Jun 13, 2017

Mileage

10 mi

LIGHTS WOULD GO OFF WHILE DRIVING, AT FIRST 1 SIDE OR THE OTHER, ACOUPLE TIMES BOTH WENT OFF WITH THE LAST TIME ALMOST CAUSING A COLLISION AND I HAD MY KIDS IN THE CAR.

NHTSA ID

10969374

Incident

Mar 28, 2017

Mileage

200,000 mi