Component
EXTERIOR LIGHTING:FOG LIGHTS:SWITCH
73 NHTSA complaints about exterior lighting:fog lights:switch issues across 14 makes and 31 models.
The exterior lighting:fog lights:switch is one of the standardized component categories NHTSA uses to classify consumer safety complaints. Across the public complaint database, it accounts for 73 filings from 14 manufacturers and 31 distinct vehicle models, a footprint large enough that defect engineers can isolate part-family patterns across different platforms that share the same supplier or the same federal motor vehicle safety standard.
Among filings citing this component, owners have reported 0 crashes, 4 fires, 1 injury, and 0 fatalities. The most complained-about vehicle in this category is the CHRYSLER PT CRUISER with 29 filings, followed by FORD THUNDERBIRD and DODGE NEON. These severity counters are what separates a nuisance complaint trend from a pattern NHTSA is likely to escalate into a Preliminary Evaluation.
Component-level analysis is how the Office of Defects Investigation spots cross-manufacturer supplier issues — the same airbag inflator, the same takata-style ignition switch, the same brake hose material — before they become industry-wide recalls. When you see a single component accumulating large complaint volume across several unrelated nameplates, that is usually a signature of a shared supplier or a shared federal standard being stressed by real-world conditions. Use the affected-vehicles table below to see whether the pattern is concentrated on a handful of models or distributed evenly, and cross-reference each model's full recall and investigation history before drawing conclusions about any one nameplate.
Most Affected Vehicles
| # | Vehicle | Complaints |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | CHRYSLER PT CRUISER | 29 |
| 2 | FORD THUNDERBIRD | 7 |
| 3 | DODGE NEON | 4 |
| 4 | DODGE DURANGO | 3 |
| 5 | PONTIAC GRAND AM | 2 |
| 6 | OLDSMOBILE 88 | 2 |
| 7 | FORD MUSTANG | 2 |
| 8 | VOLKSWAGEN CORRADO | 1 |
| 9 | SATURN SL | 1 |
| 10 | PONTIAC G6 | 1 |
| 11 | PLYMOUTH VOYAGER | 1 |
| 12 | OLDSMOBILE INTRIGUE | 1 |
| 13 | OLDSMOBILE BRAVADA | 1 |
| 14 | NISSAN STANZA | 1 |
| 15 | NISSAN MURANO | 1 |
| 16 | MITSUBISHI GALANT | 1 |
| 17 | LINCOLN LS | 1 |
| 18 | JEEP LAREDO | 1 |
| 19 | JEEP GRAND CHEROKEE | 1 |
| 20 | DODGE RAM 2500 | 1 |
| 21 | DODGE RAM 1500 | 1 |
| 22 | DODGE RAM | 1 |
| 23 | DODGE DAKOTA | 1 |
| 24 | DODGE CARAVAN | 1 |
| 25 | DODGE BR SERIES | 1 |
| 26 | CHRYSLER TOWN AND COUNTRY | 1 |
| 27 | CHRYSLER SEBRING CONVERTIBLE | 1 |
| 28 | CHRYSLER PT CRUISER CONVERTIBLE | 1 |
| 29 | CHEVROLET TAHOE | 1 |
| 30 | CHEVROLET CAMARO | 1 |
Recent Complaints
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 CHRYSLER PT CRUISER. THE CONTACT STATED THE FOG LAMPS WOULD REMAINED ON AFTER THE VEHICLE WAS TURNED OFF. THE CONTACT HAD TO REMOVED THE FUSE IN ORDER TO TURN THE FOG LAMPS
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 CHRYSLER PT CRUISER. WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS PARKED THE FOG LIGHTS CAME ON AND CAUSED THE BATTERY TO FAIL. THE CONTROL SWITCH FOR THE FOG LIGHTS CONTINUED TO REMAIN ILLUMINA
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS 1999 PONTIAC GRAND AM. THE FOG LIGHTS REMAINED ILLUMINATED REGARDLESS IF THE FOG LIGHT SWITCH WAS TURNED ON OR OFF. THE VEHICLE HAS NOT BEEN INSPECTED TO DETERMINE THE CAUSE OF
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 LINCOLN LS. WHILE DRIVING AT AN UNKNOWN SPEED, THE VEHICLE STALLED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER AND THEY REPLACED THE BATTERY. THE VEHICLE STALLED AGAIN AND THE D
THE FOG LAMPS STAY ON EVEN WHEN THE SWITCH IS IN THE "OFF" POSITION. I HAVE READ MANY OTHER OWNER'S COMPLAINTS OF THE SAME PROBLEM. THIS HAS RESULTED IN MY BATTERY BEING DRAINED TWICE. *TR
I WAS USING MY HEADLIGHTS AND FOG LIGHTS AND SMELLED BURNING PLASTIC AND SAW SMOKE COMING FROM MY STEERING COLUMN. I SHUT OFF MY LIGHTS AND A FEW MINUTES LATER THE SMOKE STOPPED. THAT EVENING MY HEADL
BRAKE FAILURE WHEN YOU STOP THE BRAKES SCRUB I HAVE RECEIPTS SHOWING THAT THE I HAVE TO CONTINUE TO HAVE THE BRAKE INSPECTED AND ALSO HAVE TO SLAM VERY HARD WHEN TRYING TO STOP THE CAR. THE NOISE WHEN
FOG LIGHTS STAY ON DRAINING BATTERY. INTERNET RESEARCH INDICATES PROBLEM WITH THE MULTI-FUNCTION SWITCH. ALSO INDICATES THAT HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE HAVE HAD THIS SAME PROBLEM - SOME MULTIPLE TIMES - REP
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2007 DODGE CARAVAN. THE AIR BAG LIGHT ILLUMINATES INTERMITTENTLY. THE LIGHT REMAINS ILLUMINATED FOR 20 SECONDS OR 30 MINUTES. THE CONTACT HAS TAKEN THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER O
THE FOG LIGHT SWITCH ON MY VEHICLE HAS MALFUNCTIONED AND NOW THE FOG LIGHTS WILL NOT TURN OFF, EVEN THOUGH THEY ARE NOT EVEN SUPPOSED TO BE ABLE TO TURN ON WITHOUT THE HEADLIGHTS BEING ON. THIS CAUSE
THE PROBLEM I AM HAVING STARTED ABOUT 2 MONTHS AGO, WHEN MY BATTERY WAS SUDDENLY DRAINED AND I HAD NO IDEA WHY. I HAD TO BUY A NEW BATTERY, AND FOUND IT DRAINING AS WELL. I FINALLY DISCOVERED THAT M
FOG LIGHT SWITCH FAILURE, FOG LIGHTS STAY ON WHETHER THE SWITCH IS TURNED ON OR OFF. SMELL OF BURNING WIRES AFTER VEHICLE SITS FOR A COUPLE OF HOURS WITH THE LIGHTS ON. *AK
WE OWN A 2003 PT CRUISER. IT HAS MANIFESTED THREE SEPARATE PROBLEMS, ALL OF WHICH ARE SIMILAR TO COMPLAINTS I HAVE FOUND FROM OTHERS ON THE INTERNET: FIRST, THE "CHECK ENGINE" LIGHT COMES ON. THE DEA
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 CHRYSLER PT CRUISER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE FOG LIGHT SWITCH BECOMES STUCK AND RUNS DOWN HIS BATTERY. THE FAILURE HAS CAUSED THE VEHICLE NOT TO START DUE TO THE LOSS
TROUBLE WITH MULTIFUNCTION CONTROL SWITCH FOR PT CRUISER HEADLIGHTS. THE FOG LIGHTS ON THE PT CRUISER ILLUMINATED INTERMITTENTLY WITHOUT OPERATOR INTERFACE OR FAIL TO SHUT OFF WHEN MULTIFUNCTION SWITC
THE FOG LIGHTS IN THE CHRYSLER PT CRUISER SUDDENLY CAME ON AND WILL NOT SHUT OFF. I BELIEVE THE MULTI FUNCTION SWITCHES WERE DEFECTIVE IN PT CRUISERS AND NEED TO BE RECALLED. THE BATTERY COULD HAVE
THE 2001 PT CRUISER FOG LIGHTS CAME ON BY THEMSELSVES WHEN THE SWITCH WERE IN THE OFF POSITION, DRAINING THE BATTERY WHEN THE CAR WAS PARKED. IF THE LEFT TURN SIGNAL WAS TURNED ON THE FOG LIGHTS
THE FOG LAMPS ON THE 2001 PT CRUISER COME ON AND STAYED ON THEIR OWN ACCORD. THIS CAUSED A DEAD BATTERY 3 TIMES. WHEN I OPENED THE DOOR THE ALARM WENT OFF. SOMETIMES THE INSTRUMENT PANEL WORKED C
MY 2001 CHRYSLER PT CRUISER'S FOG LIGHTS WILL NOT GO OFF EVEN WHEN THE CAR IS NOT RUNNING UNLESS THE LEFT TURN SIGNAL IS TURNED ON. IF THE TURN SIGNAL SWITCH IS NOT TURNED ON THE FOG LIGHTS DRAIN THE
2005 PT CRUISER GT CONVERTIBLE WITH 50,000 MILES.I LOOKED OUT THE WINDOW AND NOTICED FOG LIGHTS ON. THE FOG LIGHTS CANNOT BE TURNED ON WITHOUT THE HEADLIGHTS BEING ON. BUT HERE WAS THE FOG LIGHTS ON A
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Frequently Asked Questions
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Data Sources
Vehicle complaint data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) complaints database. Includes consumer-reported safety issues filed with NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation. Severity counts cross-reference NHTSA FARS (Fatality Analysis Reporting System) for fatal incidents where a corresponding FARS record exists.
Component categories are standardized by NHTSA. Crash-test ratings where shown are drawn from the NHTSA New Car Assessment Program (NCAP). Complaint counts, crash reports, fire reports, and fatality data reflect consumer-submitted reports and may not represent all incidents.
Disclaimer: This data is for informational purposes only and should not be used as the sole basis for vehicle purchase decisions. NHTSA complaint data is self-reported by consumers and has not been verified or investigated. A high complaint count does not necessarily indicate a defect. Always consult a qualified mechanic and check official NHTSA recall notices before making safety-related decisions.
Read our methodology — how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.