How to Replace Headlight Bulb on Toyota Camry 2001-2006

How to Replace Headlight Bulb Toyota Camry 2001-2006
How to Replace Headlight Bulb Toyota Camry SYR 2001-2006-Feature

If you have a headlight out in your Toyota Camry you do not need to replace the entire headlight (like the old-fashioned cars)– you can just replace the high or low beam bulb.  There is a separate bulb for the high beam (inside bulb) and low beam (outside bulb) and you can replace them individually.  I’ll walk you through the steps…

How to Replace Headlight Bulb on Toyota Camry 2001-2006

Vehicle:

Parts Needed:

Tools Needed:

  • None!

Step 1: Pop the hood.

The hood release handle is located by the driver’s left knee.  You’ll feel a click as it releases:

Toyota Camry Hood Release Handle
Toyota Camry Hood Release Handle

Step 2: Release the hood safety latch and lift up the hood.

You will want to reach under the hood, under the grill area, just to the right (driver’s side) of the Toyota emblem, and lift up on a metal tab that releases the hood:

Toyota Camry Hood Safetly Latch Location
Reaching under the grill for the hood safety release

This is what you are looking to lift up on:

Toyota Camry Hood Safetly Latch Location-Hood Up
Lift up on this metal tab when reaching under the grill

With that release tab lifted up, raise up the hood:

Toyota Camry Hood Up
Toyota Camry Hood Up

Step 3: Locate the access to the back of the burnt out headlight.

For the low-beam bulb you are going to want to look down between the battery, the fuse box and the metal frame of the car to see where the low-beam headlight bulb can be accessed:

Toyota Camry Area to Access Headlight Bulbs 2001-2006
Locations to access the high and low beam headlight bulbs

The easiest way to tell which bulb is which is that the low beam bulb will be in front of the fuse box and the high beam bulb will be in front of the batter as seen below (viewed from the engine compartment side looking towards the front of the vehicle):

Toyota Camry Location of Headlight High and Low Beam Bulbs
Engine Compartment View of High and Low Beam Bulbs

Step 4: Release and remove the headlight bulb wiring connector.

You want to disconnect the wiring connector from the bulb before you try removing the bulb.  There is a tab that must be depressed first and then you can wiggle the connector down and off the bulb.  Make sure not to pull on the electrical wiring, only pull on the plastic end connector:

Toyota Camry Location of Low Beam Headlight Bulb Connector Tab
How to remove the electrical connector from the headlight bulb

This is what it will look like when you get the connector released:

Toyota Camry Location of Low Beam Headlight Bulb Connector Disconnected
Low Beam Headlight Bulb Connector Disconnected

Step 5: Unlock and remove the headlight bulb.

For this driver’s side headlight you will turn the bulb 60 degrees, swinging the bottom of the connector towards the middle of the vehicle.  If you are doing either of the passenger side bulbs you will swing the bottom end of the bulb’s connector towards the outside of the vehicle:

Toyota Camry Headlight Bulb Unlatched from Headlight
Rotate the bulb 60 degrees to unlock it from the headlight fixture

Once you have rotated the bulb you can pull it straight out (towards the fuse box) of the headlight fixture. Here’s the burnt-out bulb:

Toyota Camry Headlight Bulb Removed Side View
Low Beam Burnt Out Headlight Bulb Removed

An interesting note about the bulb above, and all modern cars’ headlights–the end of it is painted so that the light doesn’t shine directly out at oncoming vehicles.  How these headlights work is that the light is projected back into the headlight and the reflective lens at the back of the headlight focuses the light down the car’s path!

A look at the bulb from the end, note the three tabs that must fit into their slots in the headlight fixture:

Toyota Camry Headlight Bulb Removed Bulb-End View
Bulb-End View

Step 6: Insert new bulb into headlight and lock in place.

Cautionary note about bulb handling: I would NOT touch the glass of your new bulb.  You don’t want any of the oil from your fingers cooking on the glass.  You want these bulbs to last as long as possible.

Toyota Camry Headlight With Low-Beam Bulb Missing
Ready to reinstall the new bulb–not the notches for the bulb’s tabs

Remember the angle you at which you pulled the bad bulb out (with bottom swung toward the middle of the car), insert the bulb at a 60-degree angle fitting the three tabs in their openings:

Toyota Camry Headlight Low-Beam Bulb Inserted
New bulb inserted into headlight fixture

Then rotate the bottom connector end so it points straight down:

Toyota Camry Headlight Low-Beam Bulb Locked In Place
Headlight Low-Beam Bulb Locked In Place

Step 7: Snap the headlight bulb electrical connector back on.

Push the headlight bulb electrical connector up on the bulb’s electrical socket from the bottom until the rocker tab latches on the bulbs tab to keep the connector from coming off:

Toyota Camry Headlight Low-Beam Bulb With Electrical Connector Reconnected
Push the electrical connector on until the tab locks on

Step 8: Test out your headlights.

Toyota Camry Headlight Bulb Replaced SYR 2001-2006
Both low-beam (outside) headlight bulbs are working now!

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