My 2006 Prius drivers headlight went out. But my main problem is that the headlight always has moisture in it. Even water when it rains. Is this a problem with this generation Prius? Other than replacing the entire headlight can anything else be done to keep moisture out? Thanks
You posted in GenII section but your profile said you have GenIII. GenIII doesn't have HID (LED instead) option. Your profile said you have a base model so most likely you have Halogen bulbs. Headlight supposed to be sealed so water cannot get in. Visually check if there is any crack.
Sounds like it is either an aftermarket headlight already, or it is cracked. You might as well follow the procedure that has you unfastening the top part of the bumper and pull the entire headlight assembly out.
If it is the OEM Halogen housing, make sure the rubber boot in the back is tightened (CW screwed) right.
Moisture in the headlight will often destroy your headlight. Thankfully the halogen bulbs are cheap. Unfortunately a new headlight assembly is not cheap so hopefully the back cover is loose.
Agreed! I almost pity those with stock headlights. Even the HID equipped Prii have terrible lighting compared to projectors.
Sorry didn't mean to be confusing. This is my wife's Prius. It has all the bells and whistles except navigation. How do I tell what kind of bulb it is? It is the original housing. The previous owner ( my brother ) took very good care of it. Is there somewhere I can get a head light that I don't have to take a loan out for
Check with Steve at Plug In Hybrid Electric Vehicle PHEV to see if he can supply a salvaged headlight assembly. JeffD
Used headlights are very hard to find and usually not worth it. Most total-loss collisions are front-end, which takes out one or both headlights. So most wrecks in the salvage yard will not have them intact. The other problem is that they will be sold with leveling motor, bulb and ballast, making the asking price in the few hundreds, while you only need the housing/lens, which is about $260 online, and a bulb (Amazon, $48).
Well, the good news is as stated before, Halogen bulbs are cheap. The bad news is until you replace the cracked housing, your gonna keep blowing bulbs. Halogens run HOT and you know what happens when you throw water on hot glass, it shatters! It might be expensive to replace, but your going to have to do it eventually. You might as well do it now, and save yourself the P.I.A. of replacing Halogen bulbs as well as knuckless !
Interesting, there is a TSB fresh out for 07-09 headlight condensation. Warranty is only 3/36. But what about '06, which is the same assembly as 07-09? Anyway, should someone with a moisture/condensation problem stumble across this thread, the TSB is at http://priuschat.com/forums/toyota-...75-headlight-condensation-t-sb-0188-11-a.html
