NHTSA Complaint #10274054 — 1997 PONTIAC FIREBIRD

THE TURNING SIGNAL LIGHT SOCKETS ON THE 1997 FIREBIRD (AND PROBABLY OTHER MODEL YEARS) BURN UP AFTER A TIME CAUSING SIGNAL FAILURE AND MARKER LIGHT FAILURE. THE CAUSE IS THE EXCESSIVE HEAT GIVEN OFF BY THE DAYTIME RUNNING LIGHTS. PONTIAC USED THE TURNING SIGNAL ELEMENT OF THE LIGHT ASSEMBLY AS A FULL ON,ALL THE TIME, VISIBILITY LIGHT FOR DAYTIME DRIVING. I LOVE THE IDEA FOR SAFETY REASONS BUT I FEEL THE SIGNAL SOCKET NEEDS TO BE BETTER ABLE TO HANDLE THE HEAT OF THESE LIGHTS BEING ON ALL THE TIME. VISIBILITY IS GREAT BUT HAVING THESE SOCKETS FAIL AT BUSY INTERSECTIONS AND NOT BEING ABLE TO SIGNAL SEEMS TO BE A BIGGER SAFETY ISSUE AND AN ACCIDENT WAITING TO HAPPEN. THE SOCKETS BURN BLACK AND HAVEN'T CAUGHT ON FIRE ON MY CAR AND I'M NOT SURE OF THE FIRE POTENTIAL OF THIS, BUT BEING THAT THE BUMPER FENDERS AND VIRTUALLY MOST OF THE CAR IS PLASTIC, IF THEY EVER DID CATCH FIRE I'D HATE TO SEE HOW FAST THE VEHICLE WOULD BURN!. I HAVE HAD TO RESORT TO USING A SMALL JUMPER WIRE TO GROUND THE DRL SIGNAL OUT SO THAT I EFFECTIVELY DISABLED THE LIGHTS SO THAT I DIDN'T HAVE TO CONTINUALLY HAVE TO REPAIR THE SOCKETS OR RISK HAVING A FIRE. THE NEXT QUESTION ASKS FOR A DATE OF INCIDENT AND I'M NOT SURE HOW TO ANSWER SO I'LL PUT TODAY'S DATE IN THERE. THE SOCKETS SEEM TO BURN OUT ONCE EVERY FEW YEARS, EVEN THE REPLACEMENTS ARE PRONE TO FAILURE AFTER A COUPLE YEARS. MY SOCKETS HAVE BEEN REPLACED TWICE IN 134,000 MILES AND THIS THIRD SET OF SOCKETS ARE SCORCHED AFTER BEING REPLACE SIX MONTHS AGO SO I DISABLED THE DRL BEFORE THEY GOT WORSE. *TR