Component

EXTERIOR LIGHTING:HAZARD FLASHING WARNING LIGHTS:SWITCH

634 NHTSA complaints about exterior lighting:hazard flashing warning lights:switch issues across 20 makes and 81 models.

The exterior lighting:hazard flashing warning lights:switch is one of the standardized component categories NHTSA uses to classify consumer safety complaints. Across the public complaint database, it accounts for 634 filings from 20 manufacturers and 81 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 6 crashes, 4 fires, 4 injuries, and 0 fatalities. The most complained-about vehicle in this category is the CHEVROLET MALIBU with 144 filings, followed by PONTIAC GRAND AM and OLDSMOBILE ALERO. 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.

634
Complaints
81
Models Affected
6
Crashes
4
Fires
0
Deaths

Most Affected Vehicles

# Vehicle Complaints
1 CHEVROLET MALIBU 144
2 PONTIAC GRAND AM 142
3 OLDSMOBILE ALERO 101
4 CHEVROLET BLAZER 42
5 CHEVROLET IMPALA 31
6 VOLKSWAGEN JETTA 17
7 PONTIAC GRAND PRIX 17
8 CHEVROLET MONTE CARLO 11
9 DODGE NEON 6
10 VOLKSWAGEN BEETLE 5
11 OLDSMOBILE INTRIGUE 5
12 FORD EXPLORER 5
13 CHEVROLET ASTRO 5
14 VOLKSWAGEN PASSAT 4
15 CHRYSLER PT CRUISER 4
16 CHEVROLET CORVETTE 4
17 CHEVROLET CORSICA 4
18 VOLKSWAGEN GOLF 3
19 GMC SONOMA 3
20 FORD F-150 3
21 VOLVO V70 2
22 VOLVO S70 2
23 VOLKSWAGEN CABRIO 2
24 SATURN VUE 2
25 PONTIAC PONTIAC 2
26 OLDSMOBILE BRAVADA 2
27 LINCOLN LS 2
28 KIA SEPHIA 2
29 JEEP CHEROKEE 2
30 GMC JIMMY 2

Recent Complaints

2019 JEEP CHEROKEE

The contact owns a 2019 Jeep Cherokee. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V011000 (Power Train); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact

2023 CHEVROLET TRAVERSE

The contact owns a 2023 Chevrolet Traverse. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the hazard warning light button was pressed. The contact stated that when the hazard warning

2021 FORD BRONCO SPORT

The contact owns a 2021 Ford Bronco Sport. The contact stated while driving 15 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power and stalled. The contact stated that the infotainment screen was erratic before the fa

2013 HYUNDAI SONATA

The contact owns a 2013 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the hazard lights would independently activate without warning. The failure would return soon after the

2002 CHEVROLET MALIBU CLASSIC

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 CHEVROLET MALIBU CLASSIC. WHILE DRIVING UNKNOWN SPEEDS, THE TURN SIGNAL AND EMERGENCY LIGHT INDICATORS FAILED TO ILLUMINATE WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN IND

2000 PONTIAC GRAND AM

THIS QUESTION SHOULD BE "TELL US WHAT HAPPENS". MY DIRECTIONAL LEVERS AND LIGHTING TO SIGNAL RIGHT OR LEFT DOES NOT WORK MOST OF THE TIME. THE LIGHT GOES ON BUT IT DOESN'T BLINK AT ALL. I WOULD SAY

2000 CHEVROLET MALIBU

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2000 CHEVROLET MALIBU. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING 25 MPH, THE TURN SIGNALS FAILED TO ILLUMINATE WHEN ACTIVATED. IN ADDITION, THE HAZARD LIGHTS WERE ALSO INOPERABLE. T

2000 PONTIAC GRAND AM

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2000 PONTIAC GRAND AM. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING 55 MPH, HE TURNED ON THE TURN SIGNAL AND THE SIGNAL BEGAN TO ILLUMINATE. THE TURN SIGNAL CONTINUED TO ILLUMINATE UPO

2000 OLDSMOBILE ALERO

THIS CAR IS EXPERIENCING THE SAME PROBLEMS AS DESCRIBED IN NHTSA RECALL 03V327000. THE SIGNAL LIGHTS AND HAZARD LIGHTS ARE INTERMITTENTLY WORKING AND NOT RELIABLE AT ALL. CALLED TO SEE IF OLDSMOBILE

2000 CHEVROLET MALIBU

THE TRUTH IS ALL I WANT IS MY SAFETY AND MY PROBLEM IS VERY SERIOUS +THE PROBLEM IS LISTED UNDER THE NHTSA DEFECT INVESTIGATION# EA02037 AND RECALL# 03V327000 WITH DATES OF RECALL FROM FEB 1ST 2000

2004 CHEVROLET IMPALA

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 CHEVROLET IMPALA. THE CONTACT WAS DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 40 MPH WITH THE HEADLIGHTS ACTIVATED AND SUDDENLY WITHOUT WARNING THE HEADLIGHTS STOPPED ILLUMINATING FOR A FEW SECO

2006 DODGE RAM 2500

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 DODGE RAM 2500 MEGACAB 4X4. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE TURNING SIGNAL LIGHTS WOULD FLASH INTERMITTENTLY AND INACCURATELY. A LOCAL MECHANIC DIAGNOSED THAT THE MULTI-FUNCT

2001 VOLKSWAGEN PASSAT

SAME TURN SIGNAL ISSUE AS 04V584000 RECALL - TURN SIGNALS AND HAZARDS WORKED PERIODICALLY. NOW THEY HAVE STOPPED WORKING ALL TOGETHER.. NHTSA RECALL 04V584000 FOR OTHER VW MODELS OF THIS YEAR, BUT NOT

2000 CHEVROLET MALIBU Crash

TURN SIGNAL/HAZARD LAMPS BECOME INTERMITTENT OR INOPERATIVE WHEN TEMPERATURE TRANSITIONS SUCH AS RAIN ARE ENCOUNTERED WHEN THE TURN SIGNALS ARE INOPERATIVE, THE DRIVER CANNOT USE THEM TO SIGNAL INT

2002 PONTIAC GRAND AM

2002 PONTIAC GRAND AM. CONSUMER STATES ISSUES WITH BLINKER SOUNDS NOT TURNING OFF *TGW

2000 OLDSMOBILE ALERO

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2000 OLDSMOBILE ALERO. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE TURN SIGNALS WERE INOPERATIVE. THE DEALER AND MANUFACTURER WERE NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE AND MADE THE CONTACT AWARE OF THE NHT

2001 CHEVROLET MALIBU

I OWN A 2001 CHEVY MALIBU LS 6 CYL. THIS YEAR HAS 670,000+ CARS RECALLED FOR THE EXACT SAME PROBLEM I AM HAVING AND THE EXACT SAME YEAR. YET BECAUSE MY VIN ISNT INCLUDED OR ENOUGH PEOPLE WITH MY VIN H

2001 GMC JIMMY

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 GMC JIMMY. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE EXTERIOR BRAKE LIGHT SWITCH FAILED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A LOCAL MECHANIC WHO REPLACED THE BRAKE LIGHT SWITCH YET, THE FAILURE RE

2000 PONTIAC GRAND AM

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2000 PONTIAC GRAND AM. THE CONTACT STATED THE TURN SIGNALS FUNCTIONED INTERMITTENTLY. THE CONTACT FOUND NHTSA RECALL CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER: 03V327000 (EXTERIOR LIGHTING: HAZARD FLAS

2000 CHEVROLET BLAZER

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2000 CHEVROLET BLAZER. THE CONTACT STATED THE VEHICLE WAS INCLUDED IN THE RECALL UNDER NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER: 01V364000 (EXTERIOR LIGHTING:HAZARD FLASHING WARNING LIGHTS:SWIT

Frequently Asked Questions

How many complaints involve exterior lighting:hazard flashing warning lights:switch issues?
The NHTSA has received 634 complaints about exterior lighting:hazard flashing warning lights:switch problems across 81 vehicle models from 20 manufacturers.
How dangerous are exterior lighting:hazard flashing warning lights:switch defects?
EXTERIOR LIGHTING:HAZARD FLASHING WARNING LIGHTS:SWITCH issues have been linked to 6 crashes, 4 fires, 4 injuries, and 0 deaths according to NHTSA complaint data.
Which vehicles have the most exterior lighting:hazard flashing warning lights:switch problems?
The most complained-about vehicle for exterior lighting:hazard flashing warning lights:switch issues is the CHEVROLET MALIBU with 144 complaints.
Where does PlainCars get its safety data?
All vehicle safety data comes from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) complaints database, which collects reports from vehicle owners about safety-related defects.

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.

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