POLL: For those who have DTRL and its melting your lights.

2006 DCLB TRD Sport that just turned 41k - Crystal Clear DTRL - will get back to ya on wires.

 

I'm about to disable my DTRLs, wish my truck didn't come with them.

 

Ever figure this out? Mine is a 2011, 13k miles. no melting, will count wires at lunch.

 

Have been keeping an eye on mine for the past year, now at 3 yrs. 4 mo's and 48k my lenses are starting to bubble. Mine is a "Made in Mexico" Taco with a bad radio, bad fan motor, bad, leaking water pump and a windshield that seems to crack when hit with a flea. Two wires going to the bulb. DTRL on all the time.

 

2012 with 3 wires and no melting. only 800 miles on the truck though...

 

Will someone please tell me what magic power a 4157 bulb has in it that Toyota figured out how to control a dual element bulb in my 2 wire socket. If it was the old way of a grounded socket, I'd get it but with an all plastic housing one wire is the hot side and one is the ground. I think that almost all the problems with melted lenses is on the DRL on all the time trucks with only two wires going to the socket. So far the poll shows that three wire trucks DO NOT have the problem. It is a basic design problem that is being ignored by Toyota. No matter what I do I can not get the other element to light up on my truck??? Also, my plastic on the overall headlight area is already showing fast signs of hazing over. At just 3 years old this is the fastest of any vehicle I have owned. I believe the plastic is also cheaper and softer than most. This will be the last Toyota I buy.

 

Free fix: Leave your headlight switch in the on position, DTRL stay off. 2011

 

2-wires, '09 TRD. Socket isn't melting, but the lenses are melting....

Ray

 

Does this apply to the 2012 trucks???

 

09, 2 wires, burnt lenses, 48K miles...

 

glad I'm not the only one. 09 with 33k, lens on drivers side is melting.

 

Just hit 1300 miles on my 12 and idk if I have the three wire but this does make me want to switch over to LED flashers badly now.

 

My dealer replaced mine on my 09 with 44k miles this week. I finally took it in when one of them cracked all the way across the lens where the melting was happening.

My dealer said he had never seen that before so he took pictures and called Toyota right way. The Toyota rep covered the cost of the parts (around $800 for the pair) and I paid the 1 hour labor to the dealer. +1 for my dealer.

I can't really tell if there is a difference in looking at them but I don't have the old ones so maybe I'll get a chance to park next to another gen 2 this weekend. Maybe the reflector is mounted a little further away? It still looks like it is plastic and not glass. I'm also not sure what the original part number was but the part #s on my invoice are 81110-4173 RH and 81150-04173 LH.

 

Here is the TSB for the DTRL issue:

Ray

 

^ Thanks for sharing. Sounds like the problem is more appearance and cosmetic than safety related.

 

2009, 2 wires, major melting, I bought the truck like this, I just rum my headlights on all the time.

 

My feeling is that since it involves excess heat which causes the lens to melt (and to eventually crack) it is a safety related item. The light is required to be dispersed in a controlled manner and with the lens melted, you won't have the proper lighting for your turn signals or 4-way hazard lights. Plus, excess heat in a lighting circuit can and has lead to fire. Not in Tacoma's (yet) but the possibility is always there.

Toyota is treating it as a cosmetic issue, down playing the safety concerns.

Ray

 

I wonder why it effects some trucks and not all of them , especially the Canadian trucks where DTRL are mandatory

 

The question I want to know is are two filaments burning it up or 1 or both set ups? There are probably optional bulbs out there that work single filament. Just curious as half the filaments would be less heat.

 

This should be a re-call, not a TSB...it is of no use to anyone with any truck older than '09.
I've been switching on the headlights all the time to avoid any further melting...not too impressed with the way Toyota is handling things with this...its obviously a design flaw.