NHTSA Complaint #10417313 — 2011 FORD F-350 SD

IN A DAYLIGHT SAFETY ZONE REQUIRING HEADLIGHTS, I NOTICED MY DASH LIGHTS WERE NOT ON, EVEN THOUGH MY LIGHT SWITCH WAS IN THE MANUAL ON POSITION. THIS OCCURRED DURING DAYTIME WHILE TRAVELING THROUGH DENSE GROVES OF TREES THAT ALLOWED ENOUGH LIGHT TO SEE THE ROAD, BUT PRODUCED ENOUGH SHADE TO DARKEN MY INSTRUMENT PANEL. ON ENTERING A TUNNEL, MY HEADLIGHTS SHOWED TO BE ON, BUT THE INSTRUMENT PANEL LIGHTS WERE NOT ON, CAUSING THE INSTRUMENT PANEL TO BE TOTALLY BLACKED OUT, AND CREATING A POTENTIAL HAZARDOUS CONDITION. THIS OCCURRED FOR NEARLY A HALF MINUTE UNTIL THE DAYLIGHT SENSOR DETERMINED IT WAS DARK LONG ENOUGH TO ACTIVATE THE DASH LIGHTS. I BROUGHT THE PROBLEM TO THE ATTENTION OF TWO FORD DEALERS, WHO WERE UNABLE TO DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM WITH THE TRUCK IN THEIR SHOP. THE THIRD DEALER I CONTACTED WAS ABLE TO VERIFY THE PROBLEM I EXPERIENCED; SPECIFICALLY, THAT WHILE THEIR TESTS SHOWED ALL SYSTEMS CHECKED OUT OKAY, DASH LIGHTS WERE INEXPLICABLY LINKED TO THE DAYLIGHT SENSOR, REGARDLESS OF WHETHER THE HEADLIGHT SWITCH WAS PLACED IN PARK, ON, OR AUTO MODE. IF THE TRUCK WAS OUTSIDE IN THE SUN, PARK AND ON SWITCH POSITIONS DISPLAYED THE EXPECTED PARKING/HEADLIGHT/TAIL LIGHT COMBINATION, BUT NOT THE DASH LIGHTS. AUTO POSITION WORKED AS EXPECTED. ON COMPARING TRUCKS SIMILAR TO MINE, ONE WITH A COMPUTER MODULE DISPLAY AND ONE WITHOUT (AS MINE IS) THE DEALER FOUND THAT THE DISPLAY-EQUIPPED TRUCK'S DASH LIGHTS CAME ON AS EXPECTED IN DAYLIGHT WHEN THE SWITCH WAS ON, BUT THE TRUCK EQUIPPED AS MINE, WITH DO DISPLAY, FAILED AS MINE DOES. BEING STUMPED, BOTH THE DEALER AND I CONTACTED FORD FOR FURTHER INSIGHT. TO DATE, WHILE THE DEALER IS WILLING TO PURSUE THE ISSUE TO ITS SATISFACTORY CONCLUSION, FORD TELLS ME THAT IF THE DEALER CAN'T LOCATE A PROBLEM, NONE EXISTS. I ASKED FORD TO VERIFY THE PROBLEM WITH THEIR ENGINEERS AND DETERMINE WHY THE TWO MODULES DIFFER, WITH NO SUCCESS.