Lights Out Lemons! Flying Blind in Fords and NHTSA is Reinvestigating

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has opened an investigation into headlights prone to go out suddenly on Ford Motor Co. sedans: Crown Victoria and Mercury Grand Marquis vehicles. NHTSA is saying that more than a half-million model year 2003-2005 vehicles could be affected. 3,609 drivers have said they have experienced the issue resulting in 15 crashes, including a collision with a deer, and one minor injury, the agency said in the investigation filing. Though it doesn’t affect turn signals or other lights, the problem can occur while the cars are in motion, the agency said. Drivers were able to hold down a lever meant for flashing bright headlights while passing another vehicle in order to have some forward lighting, according to NHTSA.
The agency previously investigated the headlight issue in 2008, when it determined that the failure was caused by soldering on the circuit board that controlled the lights coming loose. Ford had received more than 2,000 warranty complaints about headlights in the vehicles by the time the investigation closed in 2009. Crown Victoria police interceptor vehicles were most affected by the problem because they had their headlights on for longer periods, according to the results of that probe.