NHTSA Complaint #10538123 — 2005 FORD FIVE HUNDRED

REPLACED LOW BEAM HEADLAMP ON DRIVER SIDE, NOTED ELECTRICAL BURN MARKS ON ONE TERMINAL. REPLACEMENT BULB DID NOT WORK, HAD TO WIGGLE TO GET IT TO WORK. QUIT WORKING DAILY WITHOUT WIGGLING WHOLE LIGHTING SOCKET , TOOK APART NOTICED THAT THE SOCKET HOUSING WAS BRITTLE AND CRACKED WITH BURN MARK ON METAL FEMALE LEAD. TWO TO THREE WEEKS LATER PASSENGER LOW BEAM HEADLIGHT WOULD NOT WORK, WIGGLED PASSENGER SIDE LIGHT, CAME BACK ON. SOMETIMES BOTH LIGHT WOULD GO OUT AT SAME TIME. PROBLEM KEPT OCCURRING THROUGH AUGUST. FOUND THIS HAS OCCURRED ON OTHER FORD FIVE HUNDREDS DUE TO SOCKETS OVERHEATING. CHECKED PASSENGER SOCKET AND COMPARED TO DRIVER SIDE AND BOTH SOCKETS AND LIGHT BULBS LOOK IDENTICAL IN DAMAGE. BURNED/MELTED PLASTIC ON BULB BASE AND CRACKED BURNED SOCKETS. REPLACED BOTH SIDE BULBS AND SOCKETS LAST WEEKEND, BOTH LIGHTS WORKED FOR THREE DAYS BEFORE APPARENTLY FUSED THE SOCKET WITH THE BULB ON THE DRIVER SIDE. GUESSING THE PASSENGER SIDE WILL DO THE SAME WITHIN NEXT MONTH LIKE IT DID BEFORE.