Headlights feel dangerous

The video seems to have disappeared off YouTube - maybe I’ll have to make one. There’s a little bit in the manual but I used an 8mm socket, not a Phillips screwdriver as shown in the manual. There’s good access.

To raise the headlights I turned the adjustment tighter - the same as tightening a standard bolt or nut. I watched inside and counted 6 points going by on each side. I am happy with this and I don’t get flashed by other oncoming cars.

 

Anybody know how the gen5 headlights are adjusted? (up/down especially)

 

My blue 2021 Prius Prime Limited:



Gen 5 Prius LE:

 

I just made a short YouTube video showing how to adjust the Prius headlights up or down.

https://youtube.com/shorts/PCWFAkqfM_A?si=5ej3DbdDHN85LH8X

 

Interesting that from this angle the Gen 5 looks almost like a car with a standard style windshield.

 

I'm sure the answer is likely yes, but this needs to be asked.

Are you sure the headlights are actually on?

That you aren't driving at night with just the DRLs? IIRC, the lower trim Gen5s do not have auto on headlights; they are just auto off after the car is shut down.

 

Do you think they will modify the headlights for the Gen 5 refresh? Is that due next year in 2026? I’m planning on buying the top end prime, but if the model will be refreshed next year, I’m thinking I may hold off till then.

 

Get some glassses for night lol.

But yeah, I grew up with the old lights. New lights suck, they make people less efficient when people are already so unsurprisingly inefficient.
Maybe Make a sleek mod for that soft light look and feel instead of crisp ultra bright whites of the modern era.

As for @OP ?How old are you?
I have contacts and am almost 40 and I don't think theres any possible situation in which it's pitch black after the lights unless you have problems with your eyes.
Because I have problems with mine and are approaching mid life years, yet I see perfectly fine.
My 2005 lights were pretty much non existent and i still drove fine through mountains and cross country.

 

I think redesigning the headlight won't be done for a refresh. It isn't a large selling model. That makes the costs of changes hard to justify.

 

Based on past history, it will be 2029 or 2030 for the next generation of Prius.

I don’t see any reason why they would do a facelift since the current design is widely acclaimed for its good looks.

 

wish a company would allow after market headlight upgrades...

 

I agree; I think they are very dangerous. 2+ years now and they are my biggest complaint about buying the Prius. We currently own 6 other vehicles and I've owned 2 others prior and never had this issue even when I've had my windshield tinted 50%.

If you drive over slightly hilly areas going up and down when the moon isn't out -- you literally can't see above the line of the headlights whatsoever. Upcoming curves, hills, hazards, and animals are completely black until your car turns upwards.


I think one of the users earlier in the thread had it right, the headlights are also incredibly bright where they shine and there's a laser cutoff that your eyes can't adjust to the light/dark. My wife jokes about it, but I'm literally flashed 2-4 times each time we drive at night if we are going up/down hills.

I put some 50% tint on them for a while but they were too dark unless the brights were on. I have some 70% I might try soon.
Until some aftermarket lights come out, I'm even thinking going back to 50% and raising them so they shine higher and have the brights on full time.

 

One thing that I find a bit odd about the instruction document that Hammersmith posted (and guidance in the owner’s manual) is that no mention is made regarding which direction to turn the aiming screw to raise vs. lower. Looking under the hood, I have noticed a label and also some cryptic inscriptions on the cowling above each headlight. The little label is the same on both sides, stating that the aiming screws should be turned in the same direction, at the same time. Meanwhile, the inscriptions could be interpreted to indicate the opposite (at least by my twisted mind): on the passenger side of the vehicle, turning the screw left will shift aim up (see “L/U” in picture of passenger-side below), while turning right on the driver side will produce the same (see R/U in driver-side picture). In other words, these markings seem to indicate that the turning direction is mirrored one side vs. the other. I suppose this makes sense since the headlight housings are essentially installed in mirrored orientation to each other as well, so it’s all about turning the aiming screw relative to the housing itself. Am I overthinking this? Probably. And am I misreading these inscriptions? Likely. But then again, this seems like an important detail to specify in the documentation, and the fact that the inscriptions differ ever so slightly side-to-side got me going, so I turn to the Prius hive-mind for perspectives (especially for those of you who have executed this adjustment and can confirm one way or the other).

Pass side:


Driver side:

 

If you’re using a socket to adjust you turn as if tightening a bolt to raise the headlights. Same direction on both sides.

I tried to make the turning direction clear in the video I made and posted in this thread.

 

Sorry repeat post - delayed posting.

 

I tried to show clearly the direction for raising the lights, in the YouTube video I posted in this thread.

It’s better to use a 8mm socket rather than a screwdriver to adjust the headlights.

When using the socket, turn as if tightening a bolt to raise the lights, same direction on both sides.

 

Thanks, mva, appreciate the clarification. Perhaps I should not have paid any attention to those inscriptions - got myself all wound around the axle!