2001 Honda Insight Lighting Problems

LOW-BEAM HEADLIGHTS FAILED W/O WARNING OR EXTERNAL CAUSE. WORKED ONE DAY BUT NOT THE NEXT MORNING. NO OBVIOUS FUSE OR RELAY IS THE CAUSE. FOUND THAT THERE WAS AN INADEQUATELY DESIGNED SWITCH THAT WS PRONE TO FAILURE BY GOOGLING THE FAILURE, WHICH HWAS COVERED BY A RECALL. HONDA'S WEBSITE VIN SEARCH SAID THERE WERE NO RECALLS FOR THIS CAR. LOCAL DEALER SAYS RECAL WAS SATISFIED IN 2010. SEEMS THERE IS STILL AN INADEQUATELY DESIGNED SWITCH THAT CAN RESULT IN COMPLETE AND SUDDEN FAILURE OF THE LOW BEAM HEADLIGHTS.

BOTH MY LOW BEAMS FAILED SIMULTANEOUSLY WHILE DRIVING, BUT HIGH BEAMS STILL WORK. I CONFIRMED THAT THERE IS NO POWER BEING SENT TO THE LOW BEAMS. THIS VEHICLE HAD A RECALL FOR 2000-2002 MODEL YEARS FOR EXACT ISSUE. AMERICAN HONDA, AND THE LOCAL HONDA DEALER TELL ME MY VIN# IS OFF BY 1 MONTH (WITHIN SAME MODEL YEAR ASSOCIATED WITH RECALL), SO IT'S NOT UNDER "RECALL." THEY TOLD ME FURTHER DIAGNOSIS AND REPAIR WOULD BE AT MY EXPENSE. REPORT RECEIPT DATE: FEB 24, 2004 NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 04V086000 COMPONENT(S): EXTERIOR LIGHTING SUMMARY: ON CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES, THE LOW-BEAM TERMINAL ON THE HEAD LIGHT WIRE HARNESS CAN OVERHEAT AND COULD CAUSE THE LOW BEAMS TO FAIL WITHOUT WARNING. CONSEQUENCE: AN UNEXPECTED LOSS OF LOW BEAMS COULD RESULT IN A CRASH. HTTP://WWW-ODI.NHTSA.DOT.GOV/ACMS/CS/JAXRS/DOWNLOAD/DOC/ACM2982889/RCDNN-04V086-3477.PDF. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 HONDA INSIGHT. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE LOW BEAM HEADLIGHTS FAILED TO OPERATE PROPERLY. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED UNDER NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 04V086000 (EXTERIOR LIGHTING) BUT THE FAILURE RECURRED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 250,000.

HEADLIGHTS GO OFF. FIXED ONCE ON RECALL. NOW SAME PROBLEM. SAME HEAT DAMAGED SWITCH & THEY WONT REPAIR. *TR