My taco eats headlight bulbs..

I had this problem. My truck would need one new headlight bulb left or right every 6 months. I had a couple of cracked tail lights and very hazy headlights from high miles and then I found a deal on a set of all 4 lamps ($150). Take offs from an LED swap. So I put the new headlights and tail lights on the truck and haven't had the problem again (5 years).

 

I just noticed last night that my drive side headlight is out. This is the 3rd bulb I'm having to replace in about 8 months that I've owned my truck (2014 Tacoma with 45k miles). I've been using the Sylvania bulbs that run my around $45 at Walmart and I'm careful to not touch the bulb when replacing them. It's freaking frustrating.

I need to get new bulbs today on the way home because the local police are real jerks when it comes to having a headlight out. I was pulled over about 2 years ago when I passed a cop with one of my headlights out. This was a different vehicle, but no lie I had replaced that bulb that morning and blew again. He did a u-turn and pulled me over. Then 3 other cop cars pulled up around me. He grilled me about my light being out and I told him I knew about it and would fix it the next day. I sat there for like 30 minutes until he let me go. Felt like quite the hassle for nothing.

 

Yep, that's what I did last night. I was parked in a garage at a hospital so when I turned my headlights on, I noticed something wasn't right. It kinda sucks that the low beam and high beam are all one bulb too (my high beam was ok).

Luckily, I installed BajaDesigns Squadron Pros last week. So those lit my way home.

 

I've gotten the high horse Police lecture more than once. Last time I told him to shut up, let me go or write me a ticket. He shut up, wrote me the ticket and I left. It was pleased to pay the ticket - and more pleased see him shut up.

 

If my old memory serves me correctly, Massachusetts was one a a number of states that "required" auto mfg's to use round seal beam headlights. These were deemed much more reliable in rain/flooded roads.

Auto makers wanted to "customize" / Design their own headlights make their cars more attractive. When the auto guys argued that "square" sealed beams would lower the hood and improve driver road visibility - they allowed the round to also be square - and the auto guys immediately double stacked them. Finally the seal beams were allowed to fade out .... Go Figure.

 

Read the rated hours on the back of the package. I run Xtravisions which are rated for 160 hours, and considering they are a "lower output" than the Silverstars I'm betting silverstars in my truck are rated for even less.

 

Little update here...I think the Silverstars suck! So I have basically not been running my headlights during the day. Only when needed at night and I haven't had to replace a bulb in a while now. It seems when I ran my headlights on all the time I had to replace bulbs left and right. I will likely upgrade my system some time this year doing the Ultimate Headlight Upgrade with new TRD Black housing headlights and 85w bulbs, I have seen someone do 100w bulbs also with this setup and the light output is amazing.

 

UPDATE: Last week when I wrote this, I went to lunch and saw that I had a blown driver side bulb... Irony is a MF!!! I may go buy some OEM bulbs to replace these until I get the $$ for the upgraded headlights.

 

My 2015 is doing the same thing. I replaced both sides 2 times in 2 months with Sylvania Silver Star lights. Not touching bulb. No moisture in the assembly. It's starting to become an annoyance. Called the dealer they told me to try a different brand. I owned a 1999, 2006, 2010 and none of them ever had this problem.

 

bulbs fail from on/off cycles and not usually from use

https://www.vanderbilt.edu/sustainv...s-test-the-effects-of-turning-off-the-lights/

 

A lot of the obvious has already been stated (don't touch the glass, replace in pairs, look at the bulb's rated lifespan/hours, verify proper voltage, etc), but I'm not seeing much talk on verifying a good ground at each headlamp. Continuity testing won't cut the mustard, a single strand can show good continuity but not be able to handle the current load. Load testing circuits works to verify integrity, but I think a voltage drop test on each headlamp ground circuit would be good here. If the grounds are marginal, the bulb will still work but it can shorten bulb life.

In looking at the 2011 Tacoma diagrams; left headlamp grounds at EB, the right headlamp grounds at EA. Here are those ground point locations.



Would be best to review the diagram, as other components share those ground points too. Know what you're working on/with!

 

This is how I solved this problem. Bought some Spyder headlamps.

 

I do. I go through two sets of bulbs a year. The common denominator here is Sylvania... maybe I will go back to oem and see what that does. My enclosure is cracked pretty bad so it us also on my list to replace them also.

Carl

 

I have replaced the bulbs in my 2013 with Sylvania , both the bright ones and the stock type replacements, very short life , a few months. Tried the Phillips touted many times here,not much better. Went back to OEM and I still have them 2 1/2 years later and I leave them on whenever driving. I put the Sylvania Ultras or whatever the bright ones were in an 07 Dodge Caravan in the fall of 2009. I know that because we brought my son to school in upstate NY that fall. Those roads are DARK and the Sylvania were much better than oem. I sold that van in Feb 2015... with the same bulbs still in it. Something has changed for sure.