NHTSA Complaint #10266032 — 2003 DODGE NEON

DECEMBER 2008, HEADLIGHTS WORKING FINE DURING TRIP, STOPPED FOR GAS, AND HEADLIGHTS WOULD NOT COME BACK ON. USED HIGH BEAMS FOR ABOUT 20 MINUTES AND THEN SWITCHED TO LOW BEAMS WERE THEN WORKING. HAPPENED AT LEAST ONCE A MONTH FOR THE NEXT YEAR. EARLY MARCH, NOTICED A BURNING SMELL, THOUGHT IT WAS OUTSIDE, LIGHTS WERE WORKING FINE. WHILE DRIVING ALONE AT NIGHT APRIL 2009, TRIED TO USE HIGH BEAMS, BUT MULTIFUNCTION SWITCH WOULD NOT STAY IN PLACE, HAD TO HOLD THE SWITCH BACK FOR HIGH BEAMS TO WORK. MY HANDS BECAME VERY WARM SITTING ON THE STEERING WHEEL, FELT CLOSER TO THE STEERING COLUMN AND WAS INCREDIBLY HOT. THERE WAS NOWHERE TO STOP, HAD TO KEEP DRIVING ANOTHER HOUR OR SO. STOPPED FOR 5 MINUTES AND SHUT OFF VEHICLE, WHEN VEHICLE TURNED BACK ON, HEADLIGHTS WOULDN'T WORK. HAD TO DRIVE WITH ONLY PARKING LIGHTS AT 2AM, VERY UNSAFE! EVER SINCE, HEADLIGHTS NO LONGER WORK. THIS HAS CLEARLY BEEN AN ISSUE, AND IT VERY EASY TO FIND INFORMATION AND OTHER COMPLAINTS ABOUT THIS SAME PROBLEM. THIS COULD HAVE CLEARLY BECOME AN EVEN WORSE PROBLEM. TRIED TO REPLACE THE MULTIFUNCTION SWITCH, BUT THE PLUG WAS MELTED IN PLACE. PARTS WERE BURNED BLACK AND BROWN AND INCREDIBLY BRITTLE FROM THE INTENSE HEAT THAT EMANATED FROM THE WIRING. THIS FINAL PROBLEM HAPPENED AT ABOUT 90,000 MILES. I AM STILL CURRENTLY WAITING TO FIND THE LARGE SUM OF MONEY TO GET THIS FIXED. I AM CURRENTLY NOT ABLE TO DRIVE AT NIGHT , SINCE I DO NOT HAVE PROPER LIGHTING. AFRAID TO EVEN USE PARKING LIGHTS, AS THIS SUPPLIES ELECTRICAL JUICE TO THE SWITCH AND COULD POSSIBLY CAUSE A FIRE, AS I HAVE READ ABOUT OTHER OWNER'S PROBLEMS. *TR