Up close with the 2021 4runner headlights

The white plug is the wiring for the low beam, although it's a different connector than on previous years. To the right, you can see there's no longer a removable dust cap. The led low beam projector appears to be completely sealed within the housing i.e. non-serviceable.

Here's a pic of the same area of a 2016 for reference.

yes, you are right, however I thought the pro and limited both come with LED for both low and high beam. Maybe the 2021 picture for for the trim with low beam led only?
 
^^Most likely a Bi-LED projector that incorporates both the hi and low beams into one.

Maybe I'm in the minority here but I personally like how they didn't design a completely different housing. Out of all the different aftermarket headlights out there right now for the 5thgen, I still think the OE housing looks the best. Curious to actually see how these perform at night.
 
^^Most likely a Bi-LED projector that incorporates both the hi and low beams into one.

Maybe I'm in the minority here but I personally like how they didn't design a completely different housing. Out of all the different aftermarket headlights out there right now for the 5thgen, I still think the OE housing looks the best. Curious to actually see how these perform at night.


I also prefer the OEM style to anything offered aftermarket. After seeing the output, I’m even happier with my decision to do the Lexus Bi-Xenon retrofit.


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I also prefer the OEM style to anything offered aftermarket. After seeing the output, I’m even happier with my decision to do the Lexus Bi-Xenon retrofit.


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I prefer OEM as well, can you shed some lights on the Lexus retrofit?
 
The level of effort here is kind of laughable, but you also can’t blame them based on age and the looming 6th gen.

Yup... no reason to invest too much effort into a one year use case. Anyone buying a 2021 4R is going to do so regardless if it has the new headlights or not. Anyone waiting for the 2022 won't be swayed by these either.
 
The white plug is the wiring for the low beam, although it's a different connector than on previous years. To the right, you can see there's no longer a removable dust cap. The led low beam projector appears to be completely sealed within the housing i.e. non-serviceable.

Here's a pic of the same area of a 2016 for reference.


Thanks cmoekim for the photo. I was a little confused after reading your description and seeing the pic from your 2016.

I looked under the hood again at the passenger-side headlight on my 2019. It looks identical to the pic from your 2016.
There is a dustcap - looking at your pic, it's the white cap on the far right of your pic - it's showing the, "Open" and "Lock" arrows. The low beam bulb and wiring is behind the dustcap.
The highbeam wiring and bulb on your pic has the label "Philips" (it has the green rectangular piece of plastic on the back).
I guess it's possible the white plug on the very far left likely has something to do with headlight function since it is in the same general area as the rest of the headlight assembly...

In any case, looking again the poster's original photos, the front of the projector housing is definitely different than that of both our 4runners, and would imply that an upgrade to the new LED headlights would require a new 2021 headlight housing.
 
The low beam bulb and wiring is behind the dustcap.

...

I guess it's possible the white plug on the very far left likely has something to do with headlight function since it is in the same general area as the rest of the headlight assembly...

The white plug is what connects the vehicle harness to the headlight assembly's internal low beam wiring.
 
^^Most likely a Bi-LED projector that incorporates both the hi and low beams into one.

The two extra unused terminals on the 2021 headlight connector certainly lends credence to this theory.

IMO, Pretty weak effort by Toyota if they just left the incandescent DRL and signals, which from the pic posted of the Lunar Pro, appears to be the case.
 
So could those of us with a 2019 Pro buy the 2021 housing and led’s, in other words plug and play to upgrade to OEM LED, assuming it is an upgrade???
 
I'm in the minority here, but I don't hate the halogen and LED fog combo. Looks stupid, but having halogens especially in the snow saved me in Moab. I have a feeling that for the price of the OEM swap and the amount of upgrade that I could either do Alpharexx or some bulbs if I really wanted LED's.

I drive around town 90% of the time so the halogens or LED's are drowned out by city lights. I also feel like the stock halogens lights up reflective signs well enough for me. I've thought about an LED lightbar in the grill for a few hundred dollars and then I can just flip it on when needed.

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The two extra unused terminals on the 2021 headlight connector certainly lends credence to this theory.

IMO, Pretty weak effort by Toyota if they just left the incandescent DRL and signals, which from the pic posted of the Lunar Pro, appears to be the case.

I can confirm that the 2021 Limited does NOT have LED highbeam bulbs

Here is a quick snap of a limited housing
36c582bcf084a7286a28f33ef0ae042a.jpg
 
Doesn't seem like much to get excited about for the $$$. I dropped in some HIDs with upgraded Philips XV2 bulbs shortly after my first night run through the mountains. I'd love to see how these compare to those. I upgraded my highbeams to LED at the same time, but never feel the need for them. When things get really dark I fire up the Bajas. Easy bulb swaps make a massive difference if you do a lot of night driving.
 
I prefer OEM as well, can you shed some lights on the Lexus retrofit?

Check out the consolidated lighting info thread. I've recently added pictures because a few of the linked builds were older and pictures are not longer supported by the host.

Reader's Digest version: Lexus IS250 projector with the OEM 4R mounting brackets sandwiched between the two halves of the IS. Then it's pretty straightforward as far as wiring. I bought a few extra pigtails and adapters because I didn't want to touch my wiring harnesses, so mine is truly plug-n-play at the cost of extra wires in the engine compartment.
 
I have never seen a factory housing with LED bulb meaning you cant change the bulb at all. So they just put a led Philips bulb in there??? Maybe they just want the bulbs to be serviced, so we don't have to buy a whole new housing if they failed?
 
I have never seen a factory housing with LED bulb meaning you cant change the bulb at all. So they just put a led Philips bulb in there??? Maybe they just want the bulbs to be serviced, so we don't have to buy a whole new housing if they failed?

This is exactly how the LED Tundra lights operate. It’s a long life bulb, but when it goes you replace the entire headlamp unit.

It’s possible someone will figure up a more reasonable solution in the aftermarket at some point, however as of right now this is the strange reality.

My money is on the 4Runner LED and housing working the same as the Tundra.
 

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