2006-2009 Toyota 4Runner LED Headlights Installation Guide

Fits: 2006-2009 Toyota 4Runner, 4th generation — SR5, Sport Edition, Limited and Urban Runner.

This is the 2006 facelift front end only. The headlight changed partway through the 4th generation, so a 2003-2005 truck takes a different lamp — even though the tail light is one part for the whole 2003-2009 run. Check your year before ordering.

These steps cover both finishes, Black Trim Bezel and Electroplated. Removal and fitting are identical.

Read Step 5 before you start. This headlight offers white or amber DRLs, and you pick one by connecting one wire and leaving the other alone. It is not a setting you change later from the cabin.

PrismBeam LED headlights for the 2006-2009 Toyota 4Runner

Before You Start

Park on level ground, switch off, and disconnect the negative battery terminal while handling wiring.
Use masking tape around painted panels, the hood edge and the grille trim.
Do not put dielectric or weather-sealing grease on connectors or sockets.
Have replacement plastic clips on hand — there are around eleven on the radiator shroud alone, and on a truck this age some will break.
Leave the trim off until every function has passed testing and the beam aim is set.

Required Tools

Plastic trim removal tool
Metric socket and ratchet set, including 10 mm
A short 1/4-inch drive socket wrench — the lowest headlight screw cannot be reached with a full-size ratchet
Phillips and flat screwdrivers
Masking tape and clean microfiber towels
Replacement plastic clips
A flat wall for beam aiming

Part 1: Remove the Factory Headlights

Step 1: Remove the Upper Radiator Shroud

Open the hood and use a plastic trim removal tool to release the roughly eleven plastic clips holding the protective shroud above the radiator, then lift the shroud out.

Step 1: the plastic clips on the upper radiator shroud

Step 2: Remove the Headlight Side Trim

Remove the retaining clip from the plastic trim below and beside the headlight, then pull and wiggle the trim outward until it releases.

Step 2: the retaining clip on the headlight side trim Step 2: releasing the side trim

Step 3: Open the Wheel Well and Remove the Lower Screws

Turn the front wheel fully inward to get at the wheel well. Remove the fender liner screw and the three 10 mm screws along the lower mounting area. Use the short 1/4-inch socket wrench to reach the lowest headlight mounting screw.

Step 3: the fender liner screw inside the wheel well Step 3: reaching the lowest headlight mounting screw

Step 4: Remove and Unplug the Headlight

Remove the three mounting screws along the top of the headlight. Carefully lift and pull the factory headlight outward until it releases, then disconnect all the plugs from the back.

Step 4: the three screws along the top of the headlight Step 4: lifting the factory headlight out Step 4: disconnecting the plugs at the back Step 4: the factory headlight removed

Part 2: Install the New Headlights

Step 5: Connect, and Choose Your DRL Colour

Connect the plug-and-play low beam and high beam connectors to their matching factory plugs.

Then make the colour choice. Connect one wire only:

Purple wire — amber (yellow) DRLs
White wire — white DRLs

Do not connect both. Decide now, because changing your mind later means taking the front end apart again.

Test before you tighten anything. Use the key remote and the interior lighting controls to check the parking lights, daytime running lights, low beams and high beams while the headlight is still loose.

Step 5: low beam, high beam and the DRL colour wire choice

Step 6: Secure the Headlights and Refit the Trim

Once the functions check out, refit and tighten the headlight mounting screws, snap the side trim back into place, and reinstall the upper radiator shroud and its clips.

Before you fully tighten, nudge each lamp until its edges line up flush with the hood and fender — that is what gives you even body gaps.

Step 6: refitting the side trim and radiator shroud

Step 7: Set the Beam Aim

Use the adjustment knobs on the back of the headlight to set the beam height. Park square to a flat wall about 25 feet away on level ground, mark the height of each beam centre, and bring the cut-off line level and even across both sides.

A projector aimed too high is worse for oncoming traffic than the lamp it replaced. Set the aim before driving at night.

Step 7: both headlights installed and lit

Common Issues and Solutions

The DRLs are the wrong colour. The other colour wire was connected. Go back to Step 5 — one wire only.

One headlight does not turn on. Recheck the main connector lock and the corresponding fuse. Inspect the pins inside the connector; if any are bent, straighten them carefully and reconnect.

Swap test. If a headlight still does not work, swap the left and right units to find out whether the issue is the light or the truck's wiring.

Warning, flicker or hyperflash. Confirm any included decoder, resistor or relay is connected and secured.

Trim will not sit flush. Check for a trapped harness, a broken or missing clip, or a locating pin that has not seated.

Beam pattern looks uneven. Recheck lamp seating first, then adjust with the knobs on the back against a flat wall.

Condensation inside the headlight. Temperature differences can cause light condensation, which is normal. Once the light has been on for a while and the internal temperature stabilizes, the moisture clears on its own. It does not affect brightness, performance, or lifespan.