NHTSA Complaint #10106442 — 2001 CHRYSLER PT CRUISER

FOR WEEKS (OR MONTHS) PRIOR TO FAILURE, I EXPERIENCED OCCASIONAL INSTANCES OF FOG LIGHTS ACTIVATING UPON ENGAGING THE RIGHT TURN SIGNAL. FOG LIGHTS WOULD GO OFF AFTER COMPLETING TURN AND SIGNAL AUTOMATICALLY DISENGAGED. IT IS NOTED THAT I VIRTUALLY NEVER MAKE USE OF THE FOG LIGHTS. ON DAY OF FAILURE, THERE WAS A PRONOUNCED ODOR ABOUT 1 HOUR INTO A LONG TRIP (LIKE NYLON ROPE BURNING). FOG LIGHTS ACTIVATED AND COULD NOT BE TURNED OFF REGARDLESS OF CONTROLLER SETTING FOR OTHER LIGHTS. FOG LIGHTS WOULD NOT TURN OFF EVEN AFTER CAR WAS SHUT DOWN AND KEY REMOVED. AFTER BRIEF REST STOP (DURING WHICH MANUAL WAS RESEARCHED TO LEARN WHAT FUSE MUST BE PULLED TO AVOID DRAINING BATTERY), RETURNED TO CAR TO FIND THAT LIGHTS HAD GONE OFF ON THEIR OWN. NEITHER FOG LIGHTS NOR HIGH BEAMS WORKED ANY LONGER, ONCE CAR WAS STARTED. THE NEXT DAY, UPON DISASSEMBLY OF STEERING COLUMN HOUSING AND REMOVAL OF MULTI-FUNCTION SWITCH, I DISCOVERED THAT AN INTERNAL, SPRING-LOADED CONTACT ON THE BACK OF THE MULTI-FUNCTION SWITCH, LOCATED NEAR THE STEERING COLUMN, HAD MELTED/FUSED. DEALER ADVISED THAT MULTI-FUNCTION SWITCH MUST BE REPLACED (AT COST OF ~$103 FOR PART). SELF-REPAIRED, WITH NO FURTHER PROBLEMS (YET). OLD PART HAS BEEN SAVED. THANKFUL THAT PLASTIC SWITCH DID NOT ACTUALLY CATCH FIRE, AND THAT MAIN LIGHTS (LOW BEAMS ONLY) REMAINED OPERATIONAL DURING REMAINDER OF LONG, NIGHT-TIME TRIP. *NM