So I bought my car in June 2010, my driver side headlight flickers when the lights are turned on, but then never turns on. It just turns off after the flickering. It's the same behavior almost as a florescent tube flickering at first, however it never turns on. The passenger side is fine. Is it the bulb or possibly the ballast?

Sorry if this sounds like a stupid question but I was hoping for some help to see if it is simply the bulb which I can replace without overpaying at the dealership, or if it's something bigger. It doesn't seem like the bulb should have died in less than a year time, and if it was dead I don't think it would even flicker. Thanks everyone for any help.

 

could be a bad bulb or ballast, i'd try a new bulb first
if that doesn't work then take it to the dealer and repair under warranty. =)

 

Should be covered under warranty if you didn't modify any part of the headlight lighting.

 

i just replaced to 8k hids and having the same problem..sounds like a bulb issue

 

So I took it to the dealer, turns out it was the ballast, they had to replace the entire headlight unit. Thankfully all covered under warranty.