NHTSA Complaint #10297889 — 2004 FORD CROWN VICTORIA

I AM THE OWNER OF A 2004 FORD CROWN VICTORIA, WHILE DRIVING DURING DARK HOURS DOWN THE FREEWAY MY HEADLIGHTS SUDDENLY WENT OUT WITH A CLICK. THE PARKING LIGHTS AND DASH LIGHTS REMAINED, BUT I WAS UNABLE TO SEE AND HAD TO MAKE A BLIND PANIC STOP TO THE SHOULDER. SINCE, THIS HAS BEEN A REGULAR OCCURRENCE IN WHICH I CAN ONLY QUICKLY PULL THE FLASH TO PASS SWITCH AND TRY TO HOLD IT AS WELL AS THE STEERING WHEEL UNTIL I CAN SAFELY GET PULLED OVER. EVEN AFTER THEN, IT IS AN UNKNOWN WAIT TIME ON WHEN THEY WILL COME BACK ON OR HOW LONG THEY WILL STAY ON ONCE THEY DO. THE OTHER SAFETY ISSUE IS THAT IT STARTLES OTHER DRIVERS IN FRONT OF YOU, I HAVE HAD TWO INSTANCES IN WHICH ONE VEHICLE SUDDENLY HIT THE BRAKES NEARLY CAUSING A COLLISION AS WELL SURPRISING A DRIVER TRAVELING BESIDE ME, MAKING HIM SWERVE. I HAVE RESEARCHED SEVERAL PLACES AND IT APPEARS THAT IT IS A FAULTY RELAY IN THE LIGHT CONTROL MODULE. I ALSO FOUND THAT IN FORD'S INFINITE WISDOM THAT YOU CANNOT JUST REPLACE THIS $4 RELAY INSIDE THE MODULE, YOU HAVE TO REPLACE THE ENTIRE $500 MODULE. I THINK THAT IS A HUGE SAFETY ISSUE AND THAT IT IS THE RESPONSIBILITY OF FORD TO MAKE RIGHT. THIS PROBLEM OCCURS OFTEN AND WITHOUT WARNING AND HAS PROVEN TO BE A DANGEROUS EVENT. THIS PROBLEM BEGAN AROUND AUGUST OF 2009, THE VEHICLE IS A 2004 WITH APPROXIMATELY 80K MILES. *TR