Does your Prizm have automatic headlights (possibly called "Twilight Sentinel" in the mfr. literature)? These systems are notoriously unreliable. Sometimes the control module goes bad for no apparent reason, while other times it fails due to a bad ground in the under-dash wiring harness. Unless you're an electrician, it's best to have it repaired by a dealer. Be prepared for price shock - the module alone is over $250 new retail, not including labor to replace it. There are several variations of the module too, so if you get a used one you need to be sure to get the right one. If it failed because of bad wiring (which was not fixed at the time of replacement), the replacement will fail too in a very short time, possibly immediately.
If you want to tackle the repair yourself, you need to know that the control module is falsely referred to in the wiring diagrams as a DRL "relay". Some Prizm models may have 2 DRL relays, one of which really is a simple relay but the other is the electronic module.
If you happen to have some knowledge of electronics, it's possible to build a bypass circuit which will completely remove the DRL and Twilight Sentinel functions (leaving your car with plain old-fashioned manual headlight control only), using parts of the failed module as a mounting and connection platform, a few wires, and three transistors.
SOURCE: 01 chevy prizm engine stalls when headlights or
I had the same problem. After two days of troubleshooting I took it to my mechanic. It took him a week, tracing and thinking between other jobs, to find the solution: Running light relay module. Under the dash, not a ice cube relay, a module assembly. Part 94859202. I also has a bad ground on the jumper for the main wiring harness. $357.00 Hope this saves all of you some cash.
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