2011 Toyota Prius Lights Problems

Attached is a report from the Florida Attorney General's project office. Vehicle front headlight bulbs burn out prematurely and frequently and without warning causing reduced visibility at night on dark roads. This is a common and on-going problem for Toyota and other manufacturers and me. Toyota recognized this and issued its own recall ending in 2019, but my car was missed. The 'fix' for me is advice that I should drive my car with high beams on, but in bad weather or on-coming traffic this fix is also a safety hazard. My fear is that one night both bulbs will go out and I will be unable to see the roadway. My car is available for inspection. Constantly replacing bulbs has been and continues to be an expensive issue.

The contact owns a 2011 Toyota Prius. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed on dark roads, the contact became aware that the headlights were extremely dim. The illumination was inadequate while driving. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact became aware of a six-year Extended Warranty letter from the manufacturer. The contact stated that the harness needed to be replaced. The local dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 129,000.

I have had this car since 2021 and have had to replace both the high and low beams multiple times a year. Each time they go out at the same time with no warning. This is deadly as I have. been on the freeway at night and almost crashed. I counted 4 times just in 2023 this has happened to me. This is more then any other car ive owned, along with any car my siblings and parents have owned. This is deadly and needs to be recalled ASAP

The right low beam bulb goes out every 10-15k miles. This is a known issue by Toyota that addressed it with a "Warranty Enhancement Program" that worked to address the defect, but expired in 2019. I believe that headlamps are critical safety issues, and this should be subject to a recall, not a "Warranty Enhancement Program".

BOTH OF MY PRIUS LOW BEAMS WENT OUT AT THE SAME TIME, I THOUGHT IT WAS UNUSUAL AS BOTH HEADLIGHTS SHOULD NOT GO OUT SIMULTANEOUSLY. IT WAS LATE AT NIGHT AND I WAS RETURNING FROM CHURCH. I EITHER HAD TO DRIVE WITHOUT THE LOW BEAMS WHICH IS VERY DANGEROUS OR DRIVE HIGH BEAMS WHICH BLINDS ONCOMING TRAFFIC. I LOOKED ONLINE AND READ SEVERAL PEOPLE HAD BOTH LOW BEAMS GO OUT SIMULTANEOUSLY. THIS IS OBVIOUSLY A PROBLEM AND SHOULD NOT BE HAPPENING AS IT CLEARLY PRESENTS A SAFETY RISK AT NIGHT AND PUTS OTHERS AT RISK BECAUSE I HAD TO USE THE HIGH BEAMS. THIS IS AN ONGOING ISSUE WITH TOYOTA AND THEY SHOULD BE HELD LIABLE FOR PUTTING THE MOTORING PUBLIC AT RISK. DEALER INSPECTED VEHICLE AND CLAIMED BOTH LOW BEAMS BURNED OUT SIMULTANEOUSLY. I WAS ADVISED OF A SERVICE BULLETIN THAT EXPIRED ON OCTOBER 2019 THAT ADDRESSED THIS ISSUE BUT THEY SAID IT DIDN'T APPLY AND THAT IT HAD EXPIRED. I WAS CHARGED $250 FOR TWO HEADLIGHTS. WHEN IT COMES TO PUBLIC SAFETY THEIR SHOULD BE NO EXPIRATION AND THEY SHOULD FIX THE PROBLEM.

HEADLIGHT BULBS FAIL FREQUENTLY, SEVERAL TIMES PER YEAR. I CALLED TOYOTA IN JANUARY 2020. I WAS INFORMED THEY HAD A BRIEF WARRANTY EXTENSION TO COVER THE ISSUE, BUT THAT HAS ENDED. THEY'VE REFUSED TO OFFER ANY ASSISTANCE. THEY CLAIM THEY NOTIFIED ME OF THE ISSUE, BUT THEY CLEARLY DID NOT; THE ADDRESS THEY CLAIMED TO HAVE SENT IT TO WAS NOT MY ADDRESS. THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE, BECAUSE THE BULBS FAIL SO FREQUENTLY AND ARE NOT OWNER-REPLACEABLE. I HOPE YOU CAN HELP. THANK YOU.

LOW BEAM HEADLIGHTS ARE BURNING OUT WITHIN A WEEK OF INSTALLATION. WHEN BULBS ARE REPLACED, ONE OF THE TWO BULBS WILL BURN OUT WITHIN A WEEK, YET THE OTHER BULB WILL STAY ACTIVE. BOTH SIDES ARE AFFECTED. IT RANDOMLY CHOOSES WHICH SIDE TO BURN OUT.

I REPLACED BOTH HEADLIGHTS SEVERAL TIMES AT A MUCH FASTER TIME PERIOD THAN ANY OTHER VEHICLE I HAVE EVER OWNED. ONCE I EVEN HAD TO REPLACE THE HEADLAMP ASSEMBLY WHEN ONE OF THE HEADLIGHTS GENERATED SO MUCH HEAT THAT THE HEADLAMP ASSEMBLY PLASTIC MELTED.

MY PRIUS 2011 HYBRID BURNING LOW BEAM HEADLIGHT EVERY ONE OR TWO MONTH. IT IS HARD BECAUSE NO ONE HAVE SOLUTION FOR THIS ISSUE. THE PROBLEM IS NOT JUST CHANGING THE HEADLIGHT EVERY ONE OR TWO MONTHS BUT THE PROBLEM IS SAFETY, ON HIGHWAY ONCE THE LIGHT GOES DOWN. IT HAPPENED TO ME! IT WAS UNBELIEVABLE.

BOTH LOW BEAM BULBS NOT WORKING, BUT HIGH BEAMS WORK. BULBS NOT BAD. HAPPENED WHILE DRIVING ON HIGHWAY.

THE LOW HEAD LIGHT BEAMS KEEP GOINF OUT. WE HAVE REPLACED THEM NUMEROUS TIMES.

THE HEADLIGHTS KEEP BURNING OUT ONE AT A TIME, TYPICALLY ABOUT 1-2 WEEKS AFTER REPLACE THE OTHER SIDE. TRIED SWITCHING TO A BETTER BRAND, SAME ISSUE. TRIED SWITCHING TO LED, EVEN THEY BURNED OUT AFTER 2 MONTHS.

HEADLIGHTS ARE WEAK AND REQUIRE FREQUENT REPLACEMENT TOYOTA IS WILLING TO FIX THIS SAFETY PROBLEM FOR $400 SHOULD BE RECALLED AND FIXED FOR FREE MANUFACTURES DEFECT AND A MAJOR SAFETY PROBLEM NEED YOUR HELP

FRONT LOW BEAMS HEADLIGHTS BURN OUT ABOUT EVERY SIX MONTHS

WHEN THE HEADLIGHTS ARE TURNED ON DURING THE DAY (I.E. WHEN IT IS RAINING), THE LIGHTED PANEL ON THE CONSOLE FADES TO UNREADABLE. SINCE THE SPEED IS INDICATED ON THE CONSOLE, WE CANNOT MONITOR OUR SPEED DURING THESE TIMES. THIS IS PARTICULARLY DANGEROUS WHEN WE ARE HIGHWAY DRIVING. MY TOYOTA SERVICE DEALER DID NOT FIX THIS PROBLEM WHEN WE TOOK THE CAR IN FOR REPAIRING THIS PROBLEM, NOR DID THEY RESPOND TO THREE SURVEYS THEY AND TOYOTA SENT TO ME IN WHICH I OUTLINED THE PROBLEM.

BOTH MAIN HEADLAMPS HAVE BURNT OUT REGULARLY FOR ~2.5 YEARS. IT SEEMS TO BE GETTING MORE FREQUENT. LUCKILY I CAN BUY THE PART AND INSTALL IT MYSELF, BUT TO ACTUALLY GO TO A MECHANIC AND CHECK THE ELECTRIC WIRING IS A DIFFERENT AMOUNT OF TIME AND MONEY ENTIRELY.

BOTH HEADLIGHTS WON'T TURN ON. HOWEVER, WHEN I PRESS AND HOLD THE LEVER FOR BRIGHT LIGHTS, THE LIGHTS WORK ON THE "BRIGHTS" SETTING. LIGHTS DON'T WORK WHEN I'M DRIVING.

DUE TO FAULTY HEADLIGHT WIRING AND ASSEMBLY, HEADLIGHTS WILL BURN OUT REGULARLY OR BE TOO DIM FOR SAFE USE. BOTH HEADLIGHTS WILL GO OUT WITHOUT WARNING, WHILE IN USE, AT NIGHT. THIS IS A SIGNIFICANT SAFETY ISSUE AND IS A DOCUMENTED/KNOWN ISSUE WITH TOYOTA. THIS IS NOT A MILD ANNOYANCE AND SHOULD BE RECALLED.

PULLED INTO A PARKING SPOT AT NIGHT, PARKED, TURNED THE LIGHTS OFF, SHUT CAR OFF, RETURNED TO THE CAR, STARTED IT AND BOTH LOW BEAMS WOULD NOT COME ON. HIGH BEAMS WORK FINE. NOT A FUSE ISSUE BECAUSE HORN WORKS. TURNING THE LIGHT SWITCH ON THE STALK TURNS ON THE DASH INDICATOR LIGHT BUT NOT THE LOW BEAMS OR THE PARKING LIGHTS.

BOTH LOW BEAM HEADLIGHTS FAILED WITHIN 1 WEEK OF EACH OTHER. ONE WHILE DRIVING AT NIGHT. *TR

HEADLIGHTS BURN OUT FREQUENTLY OR STOP WORKING INTERMITTENTLY; HEADLIGHT ASSEMBLY ON PASSENGER SIDE APPEARS TO HAVE LEAKAGE AND LOW BEAM APPEARS AT A LESSER BRIGHTNESS THAN DRIVER SIDE BEAM. HAD AT DEALER 4 TIMES IN SAME DAY FOR ISSUE WITH DRIVER HEADLIGHT IN SUMMER 2015 AND NOW AT DEALER FOR PASSENGER SIDE ISSUES. THIS HAPPENS IN UNPREDICTABLE CIRCUMSTANCES INCLUDING AFTER LONG OPERATION OR AFTER HAVING JUST STARTED THE VEHICLE - INCONSISTENT.

MY HEADLIGHT ON THE PASSENGER SIDE KEEPS DYING OUT OF NOWHERE AFTER ABOUT THREE OR FOUR MONTHS OF USE (ABOUT 6,000 MILES OF DRIVING). IT HAS BEEN DOING THIS FOR THE PAST YEAR NOW AND OCCURS ABOUT THREE OF FOUR TIMES A YEAR. IT WOULD HAPPEN OUT OF NOWHERE. TODAY IT OCCURRED WHILE DRIVING IN THE RAIN DURING WORK (I DELIVER FOOD, NEEDING MY CAR TO DRIVE).

HEADLAMP, 2011 PRIUS 5 DOOR HATCHBACK, I HAVE REPLACED THE RIGHT HEADLAMP 5 TIMES SINCE PURCHASING THE VEHICLE IN 2012. RECENTLY THE LAMP ABOVE THE THE HEADLAMP HAS ALSO GONE OUT. IF YOU MOVE THE WIRING I NOTICED THE LIGHTS WILL WORK FOR A WHILE THEN GO OUT. THE HEADLAMPS WILL WORK FOR A WHILE WHEN REPLACE BUT WITH THE LAST REPLACEMENT THE RIGHT NEW HEADLAMP WILL NOT WORK.

THERE IS A SERVICE BULLETIN CONCERNING DRIVER SIDE LOW BEAM HEADLIGHT MALFUNCTION TOYOTA WILL BE GLAD TO FIX THE PROBLEM FOR $300 BS HEAD LIGHTS SHOULD WORK !! THIS SHOULD BE A RECALL

THE HEADLIGHTS IN MY 2011 TOYOTA PRIUS HAVE BURNED OUT 3 TIMES IN THE LAST 6 MONTHS, TWO OF THE TIMES BEING AT NIGHT AND I'VE HAD TO USE MY HIGH BEAMS SO THAT I CAN SEE. WHEN I BROUGHT IT TO MY MECHANIC, I WAS TOLD THAT IT'S A DEFECT WITH THE 2010 AND 2011 PRIUS AND THAT THE ONLY WAY TO REPAIR THE ISSUE IS TO INSTALL AN ENHANCEMENT KIT, WHICH COST ME OVER $500. WHEN I CALLED TOYOTA ABOUT THIS PROBLEM, I WAS TOLD THAT MY EXTENDED WARRANTY DOES NOT COVER BURNED OUT HEADLIGHTS. I KEEP TRYING TO TELL THEM THAT I DON'T EXPECT THEM TO COVER BURNED OUT HEADLIGHTS, BUT THAT THEY ARE BURNING OUT BECAUSE OF A DEFECT WITH THE CAR. THEY KEEP BRUSHING ME OFF. I AM VERY UPSET BY THE FACT THAT IT'S A KNOWN PROBLEM WITH THE CAR AND TOYOTA IS NOT STANDING BY IT.

LOW BEAMS FAILING. INCREASING IN FREQUENCY. BOTH LOW BEAM HEADLAMPS WILL GO OUT AT THE SAME TIME. HAPPENING MONTHLY AND USUALLY IN DAMP WEATHER. FREQUENCY IS INCREASING. SAFETY IS A MAJOR CONCERN.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 TOYOTA PRIUS. WHILE DRIVING AT VARIOUS SPEEDS, THE LOW BEAM HEADLIGHTS FAILED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO BE DIAGNOSED. THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE HEADLIGHT WIRING HARNESS NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE FAILURE WAS INTERMITTENT. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 62,000.

LIGHTS KEEP GOING OUT. I'VE REPLACED 5 TIMES IN THE LAST YEAR. STILL KEEP GOING OUT EVERY 2 TO 3 MONTHS.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 TOYOTA PRIUS. WHILE DRIVING AT A LOW SPEED, THE HEADLAMPS FAILED. THE FAILURE RECURRED SEVERAL TIMES. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 80,000.

I OWN A 2011 TOYOTA PRIUS WHICH I PURCHASED IN NOVEMBER OF THAT YEAR FROM ARLINGTON TOYOTA IN ARLINGTON, VA. SINCE THAT TIME I HAVE HAD TO REPLACE THE HEADLIGHTS THREE TIMES. AS OF NOV 2015, THE CAR HAD 29,105 MILES ON IT WHICH INDICATES I DO NOT PUT A LOT OF MILES ON THE CAR. ON ALL THREE OCCASIONS, BOTH LOW BEAMS WERE INOPERABLE WHEN I STARTED THE CAR. FORTUNATELY, I WAS NOT ON THE ROAD DRIVING. ON EVERY OCCASION, THE DEALER TOLD ME THE BULBS WERE BURNED OUT. THE MOST RECENT OCCURRENCE WAS THE NIGHT OF SEPT 10, 2015. THIS TIME THE DEALER TOLD ME TOYOTA HAS A WIRING SOLUTION THAT WOULD EXTEND THE LIFE OF THE HEADLIGHTS, BUT THAT I WOULD HAVE TO PAY FOR IT. THE "SOLUTION" WOULD BE EXPENSIVE. I TOLD THEM THAT STATEMENT TELLS ME THERE IS A DEFECT IN THE WIRING OR ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, AND THE FIX SHOULD BE PAID FOR BY TOYOTA UNDER A RECALL NOTICE. I HAVE NOTED THAT PRIUS OWNERS HAVE BEEN COMPLAINING OF THIS SAME ISSUE SINCE 2007 AND A RECALL HAD HAPPENED IN 2011 FOR EARLIER YEAR CARS. THE PROBLEM REMAINS, AND THERE IS DEFECT IN THE CAR'S WIRING OR PERFORMANCE. GIVEN THE CURRENT VW DIESEL FIASCO, I HOPE THIS ISSUE CAN BE ADDRESSED BY THE NHSTA AND FORCE TOYOTA TO PROVIDE SAFE LIGHTING TO US PRIUS OWNERS.

TOYOTA PRIUS 3 HEADLIGHTS QUIT WORKING ON LOW BEAM WITHOUT ANY INDICATION UPON STARTING CAR. IT APPEARS THAT IF ONE BULB BURNS OUT, BOTH HEADLIGHTS FAIL TO WORK, POSSIBLY DUE TO THE OTHER HEADLIGHT SHORTING OUT THE WORKING HEADLIGHT. EACH TIME THE LIGHTS HAVE WORKED JUST A FEW HOURS BEFORE AND WHEN WE RETURN TO CAR, THEY WILL NOT TURN ON.THIS HAS OCCURRED APPROX 3 TIMES NOW FORCING US TO DRIVE SIGNIFICANT DISTANCES WITH HIGH BEAMS ON. LIGHTS APPEAR TO WORK OK AFTER REPLACEMENT OF BOTH BULBS. PLEASE ISSUE A REPAIR RECALL TO FIX THIS ISSUE WHICH LEAVES A DRIVER WITH ABSOLUTELY NO LIGHTS.

BOTH HEAD LIGHTS STOPPED WORKING AT THE SAME TIME, ONLY HIGH BEAM WILL WORK, REGULAR BEAM STOPPED WORKING AND WILL NOT COME BACK ON. *TR

DRIVING IN RAIN IN DARK ON UNLIT ROAD. BOTH FRONT HEADLIGHTS WENT OUT. NOTHING WOULD MAKE THEM COME BACK ON - TURNING LIGHTS OFF AND ON, TURNING CAR OFF AND ON. VERY SCARY. VERY CLOSE TO DRIVING OFF ROAD INTO DITCH. THIS MUST BE A RECALL. TOYOTA AS USUAL WILL DENY THE PROBLEM SO THE NHTSA MUST ACT. *TR

THE HEADLAMPS BURNED OUT ON VEHICLE START-UP FOR THE FIFTH TIME IN 73,451 MILES. THE HEADLAMP BULBS LAST AN AVERAGE OF 14,700 MILES. I WEAR LATEX GLOVES AND AM CRITICALLY CAREFUL TO NEVER TOUCH THE BULBS, BUT THE ESSENCE OF THE PROBLEM IS THAT THE CAR CLEARLY HAS A POORLY REGULATED POWER SUPPLY THAT STRESSES THE BULBS AT START-UP. MY PREVIOUS 2006 PRIUS ATE HID BULBS, SO I INTENTIONALLY PURCHASED A 2011 MODEL VARIANT THAT USED CONVENTIONAL HALOGEN BULBS TO ESCAPE THE CONSTANT BULB FAILURE ISSUES WITH PRIUS. TO NO AVAIL. CONSTANTLY BURNING OUT HEADLAMPS IS A CONTINUING TOYOTA SAFETY HAZARD THAT NHTSA NEEDS TO FINALLY ADDRESS. *TR

THE INSTRUMENT DISPLAY IS TO DIM TO READ IN BRIGHT SUNLIGHT, ESPECIALLY WHEN DRIVING DIRECTLY TOWARD THE AFTERNOON SUN ON A CLEAR DAY. MY WIFE, WHO VIEWED THE DISPLAY AS A FRONT-SEAT PASSENGER, AGREES WITH ME. TO SEE HOW FAST I WAS GOING, I HAD TO TAKE MY EYES OFF THE ROAD AND ALLOW MY EYES TO ADJUST TO THE DARKENED DISPLAY FOR SEVERAL SECONDS. AS A RESULT, I WAS UNABLE TO MAINTAIN A STEADY SPEED ON THE HILLY TERRAIN. DESPITE MY BEST EFFORTS, MY SPEED VARIED ERRATICALLY BETWEEN 70 AND 80, MORE OR LESS, ON AN INTERSTATE WITH A SPEED LIMIT WAS 75. DESPITE MY GENERAL MISGIVINGS ABOUT CRUISE CONTROL, I FINALLY HAD TO RESORT TO IT TO STEADY MY SPEED. THE INCIDENT ABOVE WAS MY WORST EXPERIENCE, BUT VIEWING THE DISPLAY IN BRIGHT SUNLIGHT HAS BEEN AN ONGOING PROBLEM SINCE THE VEHICLE WAS NEW. MOREOVER, THIS WAS ALSO A PROBLEM WITH A 2005 PRIUS WHICH WE PREVIOUSLY OWNED. THIS IS A GENUINE SAFETY HAZARD! THE TWO VEHICLES MENTIONED ABOVE, AT LEAST, AND POSSIBLY OTHER TOYOTA VEHICLES, NEED TO BE RETROFITTED WITH A DISPLAY THAT CAN BE READILY SEEN IN BRIGHT SUNLIGHT, BUT WHICH CAN BE ADEQUATELY DIMMED FOR NIGHT DRIVING. *JS

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 TOYOTA PRIUS. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE PASSENGER'S SIDE HEAD LIGHT SUDDENLY FAILED AS THE DRIVER'S SIDE HEADLIGHT BECAME DIM. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE HEADLIGHT ASSEMBLY WOULD NEED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED AND NO SOLUTION WAS OFFERED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 86,000. UPDATED 04-29-14 *BF UPDATED 7/29/17*CN

SINCE THE FIRST SET OF BULBS HAVE WENT OUT IN THE VEHICLE AT AROUND 48,000 MILES I WILL NOW BE INSTALLING THE 4TH SET OF BULBS... ORIGINAL + 3. THE BULBS IN THE PRIUS FAIL WITHIN 24 HOURS OF EACHOTHER EACH TIME AND IT IS GOING THREW HEADLIGHTS AROUND EVERY 10,000 MILES AT THIS TIME. THIS IS COMPLETELY UNACCEPTABLE AND DANGEROUS FOR A COMMUTER VEHICLE. *TR

WITHIN 2 YEARS OF PURCHASING NEW 2011 PRIUS VEHICLE, HID HEADLIGHT LAMP FAILED. *TR

WITHIN 2 YEARS OF PURCHASING NEW 2011 PRIUS VEHICLE, BOTH HID HEADLIGHT LAMPS FAILED (ON DIFFERENT OCCASIONS) WITHIN ABOUT 3 MONTHS OF EACH OTHER. NO WARRANTY AVAILABLE, AT CUSTOMER EXPENSE. *TR

SIMULTANEOUS FAILURE OF BOTH LOW BEAM HEADLIGHTS. VEHICLE WAS PARKED AND SHUT DOWN IN A PARKING LOT WITH BOTH HEADLIGHT LOW BEAMS OPERABLE. UPON RETURN TO THE VEHICLE APPROXIMATELY 15 MINUTES LATER, NEITHER LOW BEAM FUNCTIONED, REQUIRING AN EXTENDED NIGHT DRIVE WITH HIGH BEAMS (FULLY FUNCTIONAL). UPON EXAMINATION THE NEXT DAY, BOTH LOW BEAMS BULBS WERE BURNED OUT AND REPLACED. PRIOR TO REPLACEMENT, CONTACT WITH DEALER RESULTED IN NO ASSISTANCE OR INFORMATION (THEY SUGGESTED IT WAS SIMPLY COINCIDENCE.) *TR

HIGH INTENSITY DISCHARGE (HID) BULB IN FRONT PASSENGER SIDE HEADLIGHT WENT OUT. NO EXPLANATION FOR WHY THIS OCCURRED; IT SIMPLY BURNED OUT. THESE BULBS SHOULD LAST A LOT LONGER THAN 26,000 MILES. *TR

TOYOTA PRIUS REAR TAIL LIGHTS ARE REFLECTING SUNLIGHT IN EARLY MORNING AND LATE AFTERNOON AS THE TURN SIGNAL AND BRAKE LIGHT CANNOT BE SEEN, THE SILVER CLEAR LENSES ARE TURNING INTO A PRISM . *TR

STARTING ON/ABOUT FEBRUARY 1ST, 2011, ANY POINT SOURCE OF LIGHT (I.E., TRAFFIC SIGNAL, HEADLIGHT, TAILLIGHT) VIEWED THROUGH THE FRONT WINDSHIELD CREATES AN OPTICAL EFFECT OF MULTIPLE IMAGES. THE EFFECT TYPICALLY MANIFESTS AS A TRIPLE IMAGE WHEN THE LIGHT IS VIEWED FROM A DISTANCE -- ONE FALSE IMAGE, EACH ABOVE AND BELOW THE ACTUAL LIGHT. AS THE LIGHT SOURCE IS APPROACHED, THE IMAGES CONVERGE ON THE CENTER (ACTUAL) LIGHT SOURCE, GOING FROM THREE (ONE FALSE ABOVE AND BELOW) TO EVENTUALLY ONE IMAGE WHEN THE LIGHT SOURCE IS VERY CLOSE (SUCH AS A CAR PASSING, GOING IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION). THIS EFFECT HAS BEEN CONTINUOUSLY OCCURRING SINCE IT WAS FIRST NOTICED, AND IT OCCURS WITH ALL SOURCES OF LIGHT. IT IS MOST NOTICEABLE AND DISTRACTING WITH HEADLIGHTS APPROACHING FROM THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION AT NIGHT (ESPECIALLY A DARK NIGHT ON A DARK ROAD). *TR