Problems with 2008 Buick LaCrosse EXTERIOR LIGHTING

Tl* the contact owns a 2008 buick lacrosse. the contact stated that the headlight cover melted on both front headlights causing the lights to become dim. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic. the technician was unable to diagnose the failure and advised the contact to take the vehicle to a dealer. the manufacturer was not notified. the approximate failure mileage was 50,000.

Underhood fuse block caught on fire from the headlamp driver module micro-relay #35 melting down. headlights went off and the battery started draining. pulled over, turned off the car, and opened the hood to discover that the #35 micro-relay was arcing and had melted itself to micro-relays #44 windshield wipers and #38 air conditioning compressor. both windshield wipers and air conditioner was off at the time. even though the engine was off the relay continued to arc and was melting the underhood fuse block. grabbed an insulated set of pliers and pulled the #35 micro-relay (the #44 and #38 relay came out at the same time). arcing stopped with the micro-relays removed. i have filed a previous report on the #35 headlamp driver module micro-relay, because it had turned off the low-beam headlights while i was driving, at night, on the highway. turning the light switch to manual-on did not turn the low-beam headlights back on. i had the #35 headlamp driver module micro-relay replaced and it too proved to be defective. after just a few months, it started turning on the headlights about 10 minutes after the vehicle was turned-off. had to have my vehicle jump started, replaced the battery, and replaced the #35 headlamp driver module micro-relay, yet again. the 3rd #35 headlamp driver module micro-relay, caused an electrical fire, costing me over $700 to repair. apparently there is no fuse to prevent the melt-down of the micro-relays. there is no caution, and no warning in the owners manual, to advise the user about what to do in the case of the low-beam headlights suddenly going off. there is no protection against an electrical fire being caused by the #35 headlamp driver module micro-relay, or any other relay from starting an electrical fire. *tr

2008 buick lacrosse. consumer writes in regards to headlamp driver module recall notice reimbursement issues. *smd the consumer has since traded the vehicle. *jb

Headlights went off while driving 60 mph in the dark and no nearby light sources were present. turned headlight control to manual and still no headlights. stopped vehicle and everything but the headlights were still working. turned off the air conditioning, the fan, the radio, and still no headlights. turned car off and back on, still no headlights. turned car off again and waited 5 minutes and restarted car and headlights came on. this has happened 2 times now, 3 months apart. dealership denied any knowledge of this problem the 1st time i talked to them, but admits now that several other people have also tried to get this problem fixed but they were unable to duplicate the problem. if i had been driving on a curve, i would most likely be dead now and they would be guessing why i ran off the road (user error), when they know there is a defect in design. light switch on manual should bypass everything except the fuse. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2008 buick lacrosse. while driving approximately 35 mph, the exterior lighting dimmed without warning. the contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 14v755000 (exterior lighting); however, the part needed to complete the repair was unavailable. the contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. the vehicle had not been repaired. the manufacturer was notified of the issue. the approximate failure mileage was 20,000.