NHTSA Complaint #10456785 — 2003 FORD CROWN VICTORIA

2003 CROWN VICTORIA, WAS USING VEHICLE FOR COMMERCIAL USE DURING THE NIGHT HOURS, WHEN EXPERIENCED INTERMITTENT LOW BEAMS, CLOSER EXAMINATION FOUND THAT THE LCM LIGHTING CONTROL MODULE, LOCATED ABOVE BRAKE PEDAL HAD HEATED UP TO A TEMPERATURE FROM HIGH RESISTANCE OF SOLDERED CONTACT JOINTS NOT SUPPORTING REQUIRED VOLTAGE FOR LOW BEAMS WHEN TURNED ON. IT IS ONLY WHEN THE JOINTS COOL THAT THE LIGHTS WOULD COME ON ONLY TO END IN GOING OFF WHEN HEATING BACK UP. FOR THE COST OF THE LCM AT 400 BUX USED, I WAS FORCED TO BYPASS THE LCM BY INSTALLING A TOGGLE AND LATER THE HIGH BEAM FUNCTION CEASED TO OPERATE, WHICH THEN I ADDED A SECOND TOGGLE FOR THE HIGH BEAM FEATURE. THE A/C HAS TO BE INTEGRATED ON THE SAME BOARD AS THE A/C COMP ONLY KICKS ON APPROX. 15 MIN AFTER ENGINE IS WARM, RATHER THAN ON DEMAND. THIS IS A DEFINITE FACTORY DEFECT AS THE 03 IS TOTALLY DIFFERENT FROM THE 02, AND MOST LIKELY WASN'T ADEQUATELY TESTED FOR THE MARKET. THIS DEFECT NEEDS ATTENTION AS THE DANGER HERE IS WITHOUT THE LIGHTS A COLLISION MAY OCCUR, AND OR USING A HIGH BEAM AS A SUBSTITUTE MAY AND BLIND OPPOSING TRAFFIC CAUSING A COLLISION. *TR