04 Toyota bubbled/burned inside the light assembly

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just in front of the daytime running lights, on the inside of the outer lense a nickle sized "burned/bubbled" area- whats this from? heat from the daytime bulb?
04 Toyota highlander 100,000 miles.
What causes it?
How do I post a pix?
 
Originally Posted By: edwardh1
just in front of the daytime running lights, on the inside of the outer lense a nickle sized "burned/bubbled" area- whats this from? heat from the daytime bulb?
04 Toyota highlander 100,000 miles.
What causes it?
How do I post a pix?


My mother has an '06 with the same thing. The headlights have been like that since she bought it with 15k on it.
 
Originally Posted By: cpayne5
Originally Posted By: edwardh1
just in front of the daytime running lights, on the inside of the outer lense a nickle sized "burned/bubbled" area- whats this from? heat from the daytime bulb?
04 Toyota highlander 100,000 miles.
What causes it?
How do I post a pix?


My mother has an '06 with the same thing. The headlights have been like that since she bought it with 15k on it.


I guess Toyota did not test them, Toyota is slowly getting like GM was in the 80s. wonder who will be the next Toyota?
 
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Originally Posted By: edwardh1
Originally Posted By: cpayne5
Originally Posted By: edwardh1
just in front of the daytime running lights, on the inside of the outer lense a nickle sized "burned/bubbled" area- whats this from? heat from the daytime bulb?
04 Toyota highlander 100,000 miles.
What causes it?
How do I post a pix?


My mother has an '06 with the same thing. The headlights have been like that since she bought it with 15k on it.


I guess Toyota did not test them, Toyota is slowly getting like GM was in the 80s. wonder who will be the next Toyota?


Yeah, Toyota sure does produce garbage these days. Man, bubbles on the headlights. What a complete failure of a car.

Now back to reality. If this is the biggest problem with the vehicle (which so far it is @ 110k miles), I think we can all agree it will have served her well.
 
Originally Posted By: edwardh1
just in front of the daytime running lights, on the inside of the outer lense a nickle sized "burned/bubbled" area- whats this from? heat from the daytime bulb?


No, it would not be heat from the bulb, at least not directly. The bulbs run at less than full power in the DRL mode, and because of that, produce less heat that you might think. It's likely that there is some sort of a manufacturing defect in the lamp housing cover. Heat from the bulb or from the sun (UV, etc) may have accelerated damage from this defect, but as you can see from the rest of the lamp cover, this is just a localized area.

Who is the supplier for the headlamps on that car? The logo will likely be printed into the headlamp housing cover in a corner somewhere. Common suppliers are NAL (North American Lighting), Stanley, Koito, etc.
 
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Does this model use the high beams as the daytime running lights, and is the discolored area exactly in line with the center line of the bulbs, as you look straight at them from the front?
 
Originally Posted By: Hokiefyd
Does this model use the high beams as the daytime running lights, and is the discolored area exactly in line with the center line of the bulbs, as you look straight at them from the front?


dont know (dont think so , will check)
and
yes in line
 
Originally Posted By: Hokiefyd
Here's a good guess at your answer:

http://mnjsheadlightrestorations.com/home/melting_highlander_lenses

I'm guessing that the lamp housing was manufactured by Koito, as it appears that the original bulbs are Koito. Are either of the bulbs bubbled as shown on that website?


yes both look just like the picture on the left.
I guess I need to replace the DRL bulbs with another brand to keep it from causing a fire?
 
Originally Posted By: edwardh1
Originally Posted By: Hokiefyd
Does this model use the high beams as the daytime running lights, and is the discolored area exactly in line with the center line of the bulbs, as you look straight at them from the front?


dont know (dont think so , will check)
and
yes in line


correction, the high beams and daytime run lites are the same bulb, the bulb has a large failed bubble on the side of it , like in the mnj web link.
time for new bulbe, bulbs are also 66 watt owners manual says 60 watt.
9005 bulbs. HB#
what are HB# halogen bulbs? all same wattage?
 
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Edward, as you noted, they're not DRL bulbs; they're the high beam bulbs. The correct nomenclature is HB3, though the trade/sales number in North America is 9005.

The HB3 specification is, to my knowledge, a 65W specification. But I think different regulating agencies rate bulbs at different voltage, so the nominal wattage may be different depending on brand. If you buy standard HB3/9005 bulbs, you will get the correct bulbs. A great baseline bulb is the Sylvania Xtravision from Walmart. They're inexpensive (should be about $17/pair in this part number), they're easy to find, and they last a good long time.

It looks like there was a defect in the OEM Koito bulbs that caused them to overheat. Very interesting.
 
yes the "failed" bub (as we call it in the South) is really failed/bubbled and is ugly looking- surprised it does not fail and cause a fire..

is koito a Japanese brand or us made brand?

Thanks fot the tips and advice on the bulb, I just want a standard but good bulb.
 
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Koito is a very reputable Japanese lighting supplier. Toyota has used Koito for many years, but so have other manufacturers, including Nissan, BMW, etc. They also make high-end aircraft lighting. Here is their website:

http://www.koito.co.jp/english/

I actually believe that their bulbs (which are separate from their housings) are re-badged Philips bulbs. Either way, the failed bulbs are clearly a defective product. Anything that is mass produced is subject to that; it's not an excuse for Koito, it's simply the nature of the business. Because there appears to be somewhat of a consistent failure mode with these HB3 bulbs, it would be nice if Koito or Toyota would recall them, yes.

As to where the bulbs were physically manufactured, I don't know. It's likely they were made in either Japan or the United States. If they are indeed re-badged Philips bulbs, it's possible they could have been made in Germany or Austria, where Philips has manufacturing facilities. It may indicate on the plastic bulb holder itself where they were made.
 
We work on alot of these cars and this has happened on all the ones I have seen, noticed starting about three or four years ago.
 
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