NHTSA Complaint #10228000 — 2003 PONTIAC SUNFIRE

REFERRING TO THE PASSENGER-SIDE HEADLIGHT: WHILE DRIVING MY CHILDREN HOME AFTER IT WAS ALREADY DARK, I NOTICED THAT THE PASSENGER-SIDE HEADLIGHT SEEMED A LITTLE DIMMER THAN THE DRIVER-SIDE HEADLIGHT. I ALSO HAD ON MY DRIVING LIGHTS THAT ARE BELOW THE HEADLIGHTS. WE WERE ON A PARTICULARLY DARK ROAD WHERE THERE IS A TENDENCY TO BE DEER, SO WHEN IT WAS CLEAR OF OPPOSING TRAFFIC, I PUT THE HIGH-BEAM LIGHTS ON. AFTER PUTTING THE HIGH-BEAMS ON, ALL THE LIGHTS.....HEADLIGHTS, HIGH-BEAMS, AND DRIVING LIGHTS WENT OUT....WHILE I WAS DRIVING. A RED "SERVICE" LIGHT CAME ON THE DASHBOARD. I WAS VERY STARTLED AT THIS AND HAD TO PULL OVER TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. I SWITCHED THE LIGHTS OFF AND THEN ON AGAIN AND NOTHING WOULD WORK AND THE "SERVICE" LIGHT REMAINED ON. FORTUNATELY, I WAS NOT IN A HIGH TRAFFIC AREA OR THIS COULD HAVE BEEN A VERY SERIOUS ACCIDENT WAITING TO HAPPEN, ESPECIALLY IF I PANICKED. MY CHILDREN WERE VERY WORRIED THAT WE WERE PULLED OFF IN THE DARK. I DECIDED TO SHUT THE CAR OFF, HOPING TO RESET SOMETHING, AND TURN IT BACK ON. WHEN I DID THIS, THE "SERVICE" LIGHT WAS NOT ON, AND THE HEADLIGHTS AND DRIVING LIGHTS CAME ON. THE PASSENGER-SIDE LIGHT WAS STILL DIM WHEN I LOOKED AT IT, AND I ALSO NOTICED THAT THE HIGH BEAM LIGHTS WERE LIT AND DIM, ALTHOUGH THE HIGH BEAM SWITCH INSIDE THE CAR WAS NOT ON. I BOUGHT A NEW HEADLIGHT AND CHANGED THE BULB, BUT THERE WAS NO CHANGE IN THE BRIGHTNESS OF THE HEADLIGHT, IT WAS STILL DIM. *TR