Both low beams out

2011 Leaf 76k miles. Both my low beams went out and warning light came on. Took to the dealer and they said ballast was bad (in both lamps at the same time?) and I need new headlights at $1600.

Suggestions?

What type of lights are they? HID? LED? $1600 seems crazy even in Maui but if it's a dealer only part you might be stuck with it. Worst case, I'm sure you could install some typical halogen lights from another model year leaf and re-wire them yourself. It could be a bit of work though depending on how the switch is wired.

Ballast? Both 2011's (SV & SL) I've had have LED low-beams--or at least I think they do. They don't look like halogens, that's for sure.

Can anyone else confirm?

My understanding is that all pre-18 Leafs have halogen low beams - even the ones with the LED option.

No, scratch that! Halogen HIGH beams with LED low beams.

No "ballast" for LED, or Halogen for that matter. Don't know what dealer is referencing. There's a "Headlamp low relay" in the IPDM that involves both headlamps. I recommend downloading the service manual.

I'd start by checking the ground for that relay circuit.

Have you used a volt meter or multimeter yet to check the voltage at the bulb receptacle? Have you checked for a blown fuse? Is there 12V supply at the fuse? Otherwise, it could be the relay.

LeftieBiker said:

My understanding is that all pre-18 Leafs have halogen low beams - even the ones with the LED option.

No, scratch that! Halogen HIGH beams with LED low beams.

Click to expand...

Yes, that's my understanding too.

I highly doubt both LED headlights failed at exactly the same time. I agree that you likely have a wiring or relay problem. Replace the relay and any fuses first, then check wiring continuity.

If both LED headlights did fail at the same time, there's probably another problem that fried them. That should be eliminated first.

Also, you can buy Leaf headlights for $300 each on Ebay. Given they're not a common failure part, I'd do that over the $1600...

Lots of good feedback! Thanks, will report back.

My understanding is that the SV models were the only ones that came with LED low beam headlamps as opposed to the halogens on all other models. The LED lights have a somewhat bluish appearance. The LED headlamps do have what looks just like a HID ballast, but it is actually an LED driver. It is pretty much the same shape and size as a HID ballast though.

I seriously doubt that both of them would go out at the same time as well. There must be some sort of electrical problem. Do your highbeams still work? When you turn the highbeams on, do the low beams also come on? The vehicle does not need to be on to test this.

The LEDs in the headlamps though are not replaceable, at least not in the sense of a user replaceable bulb. So your best bet would be to buy some used ones on eBay, that would certainly be your cheapest option and I have seen some good ones on there. You could probably go to halogen headlamps as well, if the main wiring harness for the headlamps is like my 350Z, then you should be able to swap headlamps back-and-forth as both versions used the same harness and plug on the vehicle side. I believe this is likely a common theme with Nissan vehicles.

Good luck. Hopefully it is a basic and cheap issue to fix.

IAMTHESTIG said:

My understanding is that the SV models were the only ones that came with LED low beam headlamps as opposed to the halogens on all other models. The LED lights have a somewhat bluish appearance. The LED headlamps do have what looks just like a HID ballast, but it is actually an LED driver. It is pretty much the same shape and size as a HID ballast though.

Click to expand...

My '12SL has LED low beams they are definitely bluish in color, my mothers '13SL also has LED low beams. My '13S has the halogens and I've only had to replace each side once since new, relatively easy and cheap, I don't run them during the day and don't drive all that much at night.

The dealer would charge you $1,600 to replace the head lights when the head lights might not be the problem. This is a Nissan dealer we are talking about.

If both lights stopped working at the same time the last thing I would suspect would be the lights them selves.
First see if the fuse blew. Then check if you have power going to the relay.
If you don't have power going to the control side of the relay it's the head light switch or a broken wire in the steering wheel assembly.
Last check if you are getting 12v power to the wire that powers the low beam.