NHTSA Complaint #10715579 — 2008 TOYOTA AVALON

I PUT ON MY BRIGHTS WHILE DRIVING AT NIGHT, ON A DARK PART OF THE INTERSTATE. AFTER A WHILE THEY WENT OUT... IMMEDIATELY AND SIMULTANEOUSLY. THE LEFT HAND SIDE STALK CONTROLS THE HEADLIGHTS ("ON" AND "AUTO-ON" POSITIONS), AND BRIGHTS. NOTABLY THE BRIGHTS ARE A SEPARATE BULB. THE "AUTO-ON" (IF IT GETS DARK) WAS THE SETTING FOR WHICH THEY WENT OUT. I PULLED OVER AT AN EXIT, TRIED THE BRIGHTS AGAIN AFTER TURNING OFF MY HEADLIGHTS AND PUTTING THEM TO THE "ON" SETTING (AS OPPOSED TO "AUTO-ON"), AND THE BRIGHTS DID NOT WORK AND ACTUALLY TURNED OFF MY REGULAR HEADLIGHTS. THIS IS DANGEROUS. I SEE IT IS NOT THE FIRST TIME THIS PROBLEM HAS BEEN REPORTED. I FOUND TOYOTA HAD A QUIET, UNANNOUNCED SERVICE UPGRADE FOR FAULTY DESIGN, DID NOT ADVERTISE IT, RECALL IT, OR SEND A WARNING NOTE OR OFFER TO FIX TO OWNERS, AND ARBITRARILY SET THE LIMITATION AT 5 YRS / 72,000 MILES. IF THEY ACKNOWLEDGED A PROBLEM, WHY PUT A LIMIT ON SOMETHING THAT IS NOT SAFE? THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME. *TR