Component

EXTERIOR LIGHTING:HEADLIGHTS:CONCEALMENT DEVICES

365 NHTSA complaints about exterior lighting:headlights:concealment devices issues across 31 makes and 125 models.

The exterior lighting:headlights:concealment devices is one of the standardized component categories NHTSA uses to classify consumer safety complaints. Across the public complaint database, it accounts for 365 filings from 31 manufacturers and 125 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 4 crashes, 3 fires, 2 injuries, and 0 fatalities. The most complained-about vehicle in this category is the CHEVROLET VENTURE with 22 filings, followed by PONTIAC GRAND PRIX and LINCOLN MARK VIII. 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.

365
Complaints
125
Models Affected
4
Crashes
3
Fires
0
Deaths

Most Affected Vehicles

# Vehicle Complaints
1 CHEVROLET VENTURE 22
2 PONTIAC GRAND PRIX 21
3 LINCOLN MARK VIII 21
4 DODGE CARAVAN 18
5 DODGE INTREPID 15
6 CADILLAC DEVILLE 12
7 PONTIAC TRANS SPORT 10
8 CHRYSLER TOWN AND COUNTRY 10
9 FORD MUSTANG 9
10 DODGE GRAND CARAVAN 9
11 PLYMOUTH VOYAGER 8
12 OLDSMOBILE SILHOUETTE 8
13 JEEP GRAND CHEROKEE 8
14 MERCURY GRAND MARQUIS 7
15 VOLKSWAGEN PASSAT 6
16 FORD TAURUS 6
17 FORD CROWN VICTORIA 6
18 CHRYSLER CONCORDE 6
19 PONTIAC FIREBIRD 5
20 PLYMOUTH GRAND VOYAGER 5
21 CHRYSLER LHS 5
22 MITSUBISHI ECLIPSE 4
23 MERCURY SABLE 4
24 CHEVROLET MALIBU 4
25 CHEVROLET IMPALA 4
26 MITSUBISHI OUTLANDER 3
27 MAZDA TRIBUTE 3
28 LINCOLN LS 3
29 FORD THUNDERBIRD 3
30 FORD CONTOUR 3

Recent Complaints

2014 NISSAN ROGUE

Nisan 2014 Rogue headlight covers are cloudy and get cloudier daily. It is in the factory plastic cover. I need to know if there is a recall on this problem because an owner can't afford to pay to h

2016 JEEP RENEGADE

The contact owns a 2016 Jeep Renegade. The contact stated while parking the vehicle the contact noticed that the headlights were inoperable. The contact replaced the headlight bulbs; however, the head

2004 CHEVROLET MALIBU

The contact owns a 2004 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated while the vehicle was parked and the engine running the contact noticed that their front driver and passenger headlight were very low in bo

2013 MAZDA MAZDA3

2013 MAZDA 3. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARDS TO HEADLIGHT CONDENSATION. *LD THE CONSUMER STATED THE HEADLIGHTS WERE REPAIRED, BUT THE FAILURE RECURRED. *JS

2012 VOLKSWAGEN PASSAT

2012 VOLKSWAGEN PASSAT. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARDS TO HEAD LAMP CONNECTOR HOUSING SAFETY RECALL. *LD THE CONSUMER STATED THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER TO HAVE THE REPAIR COMPLETED. THE FAILURE

2008 TOYOTA PRIUS

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 TOYOTA PRIUS. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE PASSENGER SIDE HEADLIGHT FAILED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT MOISTURE ENTERED THE HEADLIGHT AND

2004 CHEVROLET MALIBU MAXX Fire

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 CHEVROLET MALIBU MAXX. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 5 MPH, BOTH TURNING SIGNAL LIGHTS OVERHEATED. AS A RESULT, THE TURN SIGNAL HOUSING AND SOCKET MELTED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAK

2004 CHEVROLET MALIBU MAXX Crash

TL* THE CONTACT OWNED A 2004 CHEVROLET MALIBU MAXX. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 30 MPH, THE CONTACT DEPRESSED THE BRAKE PEDAL TWICE WITH EXCESSIVE FORCE TO PREVENT A CRASH. WHEN THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS DE

2014 TOYOTA COROLLA

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2014 TOYOTA COROLLA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE HEADLIGHTS WERE EQUIPPED WITH AN OUTER SHIELD THAT CAUSED THE LIGHT BEAMS TO PRODUCE DIM VISIBILITY. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFI

2002 DODGE RAM 1500

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 DODGE RAM 1500. THE CONTACT STATED THAT BOTH PLASTIC HEADLIGHT COVERS WERE OXIDIZED AND REDUCED THE VISIBILITY WHENEVER DRIVING AT NIGHT. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE

2004 CHRYSLER SEBRING CONVERTIBLE

PLASTIC COVERING OVER FRONT HEADLAMP HOUSING HAS GOTTEN FOGGED OVER ENTIRE OUTSIDE. THE AMOUNT OF LIGHT THROWN BY THE HEADLAMPS IS REDUCED. I NOTICE THIS ON MOST CARS AS THEY GET OLDER. THIS IS A SAFE

2005 BMW 330I

ZKW BRAND XENON HEADLIGHTS - THE BACK OF THE PROJECTOR BOWL IS MADE OF PLASTIC (VS. METAL IN THE AL/BOSCH BRAND, ALSO USED BY BMW), WHICH OVER TIME BURNS FROM THE HEAT PUT OUT BY THE HEADLIGHTS. THE

2008 SATURN OUTLOOK

2008 SATURN OUTLOOK. REPLACED BOTH FRONT HEADLIGHTS IN THE PAST TWO MONTHS. HEADLIGHTS BURNED OUT AGAIN. HEADLIGHT WIRING HAS MELTED - HAVE TO REPLACE WIRING AND WIRING HARNESS. THIS SHOULD BE A R

2005 CHEVROLET MALIBU

THE TURN SIGNAL BULB GETS TOO HOT AND MELTS THE ORANGE PLASTIC COVERING THE TURN SIGNAL BULB. I REPLACED THE HEADLAMP ASSEMBLIES BECAUSE THE ORANGE PLASTIC COVERINGS HAD HOLES MELTED INTO THEM, AND WE

2004 BMW 330I

HAVING RECENTLY PURCHASED MY 2004 BMW 330I WITH XENON HEADLAMPS, I HAVE BEEN RESEARCHING THE CAR AND ANY RECALLS THAT MAY HAVE OCCURRED OR ARE ONGOING. IT WAS BROUGHT TO MY ATTENTION THAT THE XENON H

2004 DODGE RAM 1500

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 DODGER RAM 1500. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE TRANSPARENT PLASTIC HEADLIGHT COVERING WAS ABNORMALLY BECOMING FOGGY FROM DEW AND MOISTURE. THE FAILURE WOULD CAUSE LIMITED ILL

2004 CHEVROLET TRAILBLAZER

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 CHEVROLET TRAILBLAZER. WHILE EXAMINING THE VEHICLE, THE CONTACT NOTICED THAT THE HEADLIGHTS HAD BEGUN TO CRACK ON THE EXTERIOR SHELL. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED AND OR R

2003 VOLKSWAGEN PASSAT

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 VOLKSWAGEN PASSED. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE HEADLIGHT ASSEMBLY PLASTIC COVERS BECAME FOGGY DUE TO THE SUN LIGHT. WHILE DRIVING 25 MPH AT NIGHT THE HEADLIGHTS LOOKED AS TH

2004 CHEVROLET VENTURE

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 CHEVROLET VENTURE. THE CONTACT STATED WHEN IT WOULD RAIN, WATER WOULD ENTER THE HEAD LIGHT AND DIRECTIONAL TURN SIGNAL LIGHTS. THE BULBS WERE CONTINUOUSLY BURNING OUT DUE T

1997 MERCURY GRAND MARQUIS

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 1997 MERCURY GRAND MARQUIS. THE HEADLIGHTS WERE COVERED WITH SOME TYPE OF FILM. HE HAD TO USE THE HIGHBEAMS TO SEE WHILE DRIVING AT NIGHT. THE VEHICLE HAS NOT BEEN DIAGNOSED BY

Frequently Asked Questions

How many complaints involve exterior lighting:headlights:concealment devices issues?
The NHTSA has received 365 complaints about exterior lighting:headlights:concealment devices problems across 125 vehicle models from 31 manufacturers.
How dangerous are exterior lighting:headlights:concealment devices defects?
EXTERIOR LIGHTING:HEADLIGHTS:CONCEALMENT DEVICES issues have been linked to 4 crashes, 3 fires, 2 injuries, and 0 deaths according to NHTSA complaint data.
Which vehicles have the most exterior lighting:headlights:concealment devices problems?
The most complained-about vehicle for exterior lighting:headlights:concealment devices issues is the CHEVROLET VENTURE with 22 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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