Component

EXTERIOR LIGHTING:HAZARD FLASHING WARNING LIGHTS:UNIT

100 NHTSA complaints about exterior lighting:hazard flashing warning lights:unit issues across 17 makes and 49 models.

The exterior lighting:hazard flashing warning lights:unit is one of the standardized component categories NHTSA uses to classify consumer safety complaints. Across the public complaint database, it accounts for 100 filings from 17 manufacturers and 49 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 1 crash, 2 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 fatalities. The most complained-about vehicle in this category is the CHEVROLET MALIBU with 15 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.

100
Complaints
49
Models Affected
1
Crashes
2
Fires
0
Deaths

Most Affected Vehicles

# Vehicle Complaints
1 CHEVROLET MALIBU 15
2 PONTIAC GRAND AM 14
3 OLDSMOBILE ALERO 7
4 CHEVROLET BLAZER 7
5 VOLKSWAGEN JETTA 3
6 DODGE DURANGO 3
7 CHEVROLET CAVALIER 3
8 VOLKSWAGEN PASSAT 2
9 VOLKSWAGEN BEETLE 2
10 TOYOTA AVALON 2
11 CHEVROLET MONTE CARLO 2
12 CHEVROLET IMPALA 2
13 CHEVROLET ASTRO 2
14 VOLVO 960 1
15 VOLKSWAGEN GOLF 1
16 TOYOTA CAMRY 1
17 SATURN LS 1
18 SAAB 9000 1
19 PORSCHE CAYENNE 1
20 PONTIAC PONTIAC 1
21 PONTIAC GRAND PRIX 1
22 OLDSMOBILE CUTLASS SUPREME 1
23 OLDSMOBILE 98 1
24 MITSUBISHI OUTLANDER 1
25 LINCOLN TOWN CAR 1
26 KIA SEPHIA 1
27 GMC YUKON 1
28 GMC SIERRA 1500 1
29 GMC SAFARI 1
30 GMC JIMMY 1

Recent Complaints

2003 PONTIAC GRAND AM

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 PONTIAC GRAND AM. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE TURN SIGNALS WOULD ONLY WORK INTERMITTENTLY. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A LOCAL MECHANIC WHO DIAGNOSED THAT THE FOUR-WAY FLASHER

2000 OLDSMOBILE ALERO

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2000 OLDSMOBILE ALERO. THREE MONTHS AGO, THE CONTACT NOTICED THAT THE TURN SIGNALS AND HAZARD LIGHTS WORKED INTERMITTENTLY. THE MANUFACTURER STATED THAT HER VIN WAS NOT INCLUDE

2004 PONTIAC GRAND AM

ON MY 04 GRAND AM AFTER USING TURN SIGNAL,CLICKING NOISE STARTED COMING FROM BEHIND HAZARD SIGNAL AND NOW SOMETIMES A PUFF OF SMOKE HAS STARTED COMING FROM THE STEERING COLUMN WITH ONLY 43K ON CAR, R

2001 OLDSMOBILE ALERO

HORN OF THE CAR DID NOT WORK AFTER SERVICE FOR REPLACEMENT OF FLASHER UNIT. NO TRAUMA OR INJURY TO CAR. INSPECTION OF CAR, IT WAS FOUND TO BE CRACKED STEERING WHEEL AT THE BASE AND IT DAMAGED THE HORN

2004 CHEVROLET IMPALA

THE TURN SIGNALS AND HAZARD LIGHTS NO LONGER BLINK WHEN TURNED ON. THE BULBS LIGHT UP BUT DO NOT BLINK ON AND OFF. *TR

1995 FORD TAURUS

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 1995 FORD TAURUS. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE HAZARD LIGHTS ARE WIRED INCORRECTLY. HE WAS ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD WHEN HE DISCOVERED THAT BOTH THE HAZARD AND TURN SIGNAL LIGHTS

2003 CHEVROLET MALIBU

CAR WOULD NOT START SO HAD IT TOWED TO THE SHOP THEY SAID COMPUTER SAID NOTHING WAS WRONG AND IT STARTED FOR THEM. THEY SAID MAYBE A WEAK FUEL PUMP. DROVE IT FOR A WEEK AND SAME THING HAPPENED. HAD IT

2002 PONTIAC GRAND PRIX

BRAKE LIGHTS NOT WORKING AND WAS ALMOST REAR ENDED. HAZARD SWITCH IS STUCK. AFTER CHECKING ONLINE THIS APPEARS TO BE A VERY COMMON PROBLEM RELATED TO THE MULTI-FUNCTION SWITCH. IT APPEARS THAT GM I

2001 CHEVROLET MALIBU

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 CHEVROLET MALIBU. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE HAZARD LIGHTS WORK INTERMITTENTLY. THE DEALER HAS NOT YET INSPECTED THE VEHICLE. THE VIN AND ENGINE SIZE WERE UNKNOWN. THE

2001 CHEVROLET MONTE CARLO

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 CHEVROLET MONTE CARLO. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE LEFT AND RIGHT TURN SIGNALS FAILED INTERMITTENTLY. THE CONTACT REFERENCED RECALL # 03V327000 (EXTERIOR LIGHTING:HAZARD F

1999 CHEVROLET MALIBU

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 1999 CHEVROLET MALIBU. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE'S TURN SIGNALS AND HAZARD LIGHTS HAVE WORKED SPORADICALLY SINCE OCTOBER OF 2006. BEGINNING IN MAY OF 2007, THE LIGHTS

2003 CHEVROLET MALIBU

THE BLINKERS AND HAZARD LIGHTS HAVE SPORADICALLY STOPPED WORKING FOR SHORT PERIODS OF TIME OVER THE PAST COUPLE OF YEARS. NOW THEY HAVE STOPPED WORKING COMPLETELY. THIS IS A MAJOR SAFETY HAZARD WHIL

1999 CHEVROLET MALIBU

TL*- THE CONTACT OWNS A 1999 CHEVEROLET MALIBU WITH FAILURE MILEAGE 110,000. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING AT 45 MPH SHE NOTICED THAT THE HAZARD LIGHTS AND SIGNAL LIGHTS WORKED ON OCCASION OR NOT

2001 VOLKSWAGEN JETTA

TURN SIGNAL ON 2001 VW JETTA OPERATES AT RANDOM OR NOT AT ALL. THIS CONDITION BEGAN OCCURRING FOLLOWING THE REPAIR OF A MALFUNCTIONING BRAKE LIGHT SWITCH (RECALLS 06V183000 & 04V096000). SIGNALS FAI

2001 VOLKSWAGEN BEETLE

THE TURN SIGNALS AND HAZARD SOME TIMES WORK , OR THEY JUST STOP WORKING FOR DAYS AT A TIME AM GOING TO TAKE CAR IN TO DEALER TO FIND OUT WHAT THE PROBLEM IS AND HAVE IT FIXED. NOW THEY HAVE FAILED AL

2004 GMC SIERRA 1500

MY 2004 GMC SIERRA WOULD LIGHT ALL FOUR TURN SIGNALS WHEN THE LEFT TURN SIGNAL WAS APPLIED, AS IF THE HAZARD LIGHTS WERE ON. TOOK IT TO DEALER AND THEY SAID THEY HAD NEVER SEEN ANYTHING LIKE IT BEFORE

2002 CHEVROLET MALIBU

TURN SIGNALS AND HAZARD LIGHTS WORK ONLY OCCASIONALLY. THERE IS NO SET TIME, EVENT, OR WEATHER CONDITION THAT MAKES THEM WORK, OR STOP WORKING. SOMETIMES, THEY WILL WORK WHEN I INITIALLY TURN THEM ON,

2000 PONTIAC GRAND AM

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE TRAVELING 55 MPH, THERE WAS A CLICKING NOISE COMING FROM THE DASHBOARD AND THE LIGHTS FAILED TO ILLUMINATE ON THE DASHBOARD OR THE EXTERIOR OF THE VEHICLE. THE SERVICE D

2001 VOLKSWAGEN BEETLE

EMERGENCY LIGHT SWITCH (HAZARD SWITCH) THERE WAS A VW RECALL ISSUED TO REPLACE THIS SWITCH THAT NOT ONLY CONTROLS THE HAZARD FLASHERS BUT ALSO THE TURN SIGNALS, IN THE JETTA, GOLF, & GTI. MY BEETLE U

2000 OLDSMOBILE ALERO

I HAVE A 2000 OLDSMOBILE ALERO AND THE TURNING SIGNAL LIGHT AND THE HAZARDOUS LIGHT DOES NOT WORK IT MAKES A BUZZING SOUND WHEN I TRY TO MAKE A TURN. WHILE I WAS HOME FROM WORK ONE DAY AND I PUT ON MY

Frequently Asked Questions

How many complaints involve exterior lighting:hazard flashing warning lights:unit issues?
The NHTSA has received 100 complaints about exterior lighting:hazard flashing warning lights:unit problems across 49 vehicle models from 17 manufacturers.
How dangerous are exterior lighting:hazard flashing warning lights:unit defects?
EXTERIOR LIGHTING:HAZARD FLASHING WARNING LIGHTS:UNIT issues have been linked to 1 crashes, 2 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 deaths according to NHTSA complaint data.
Which vehicles have the most exterior lighting:hazard flashing warning lights:unit problems?
The most complained-about vehicle for exterior lighting:hazard flashing warning lights:unit issues is the CHEVROLET MALIBU with 15 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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