Straight from PVO! Headlight Flickering Details.

[Joseph Houss]

It's great to know that PVO listens, and you can expect further action quite soon... THANKS PVO!

"Some 2003 MY Vipers may experience intermittent headlamp flickering.
DaimlerChrysler Corporation is actively investigating this issue and will
provide permanent corrective action in the near future. In the interim, we
have found that cycling (rotating) the headlamp switch 10 - 20 times will
significantly improve or eliminate the condition. It is possible that the
issue will come back, especially with lack of use of the switch, but this
action will be effective until the permanent corrective solution is
available."

 

[Viperfreak2]

That's funny. Joes headlights 'flicker' on his SRT! Truthfully, it's nice to get some info....it's been too quiet for far too long from the top.

 

[1TONY1]

haha That is funny!!

 

[VOI9 ASP]

Mine started the flickering routine this last weekend.

 

[cstegall]

Joe,

That is great news...allbeit a rather bureaucratically structured announcement. I for one appreciate all the notices that PVO puts out, however, you gotta admit that this is a day-late-dollar-short as the other thread has been up for quite a while. Working with the switch 10-20 times would not give me any kind of a sure feeling that the problem is/could be self correcting for the time being. The work being done on the cars around my area seems to be producing fairly dependable results without having to "play" with the switch. To me a much better solution on an $80k car.
That said...keep working on it PVO. Use the cars out here in the owners hands and let us help you help yourself.

CStegall

 

[Y2K5SRT]

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[OutThere]

"It's great to know that PVO listens, and you can expect further action quite soon... THANKS PVO!"

My God. Must you kiss *** at every opportunity? Especially now when you should have been on them quite some time ago to address this properly.

Into production year 2 and after several weeks where a number of owners have reported a very dangerous, ongoing problem and all they come up with is flick the switch?? THANKS PVO!

I'll be waiting until mid production year, at the earliest, before laying out my $80,000. I would like to drive the car after sundown. Hope they are still listening.

 

[LittleFish]

I have to take car to a business meeting tonight. Haven't slept in two days thinking about the curvy road home. I hope the moon is out. Should we rotate the switch with the car on or off?

 

[AJT]

Ignition on, hold left foot up in the air( about equal height to your elbo) while you are facing due south at sundown & Chanting " I hope no one sees me doing this"
This should take care of it!
Andy

 

[cstegall]

Car on, with left foot up in the air while you are facing due south at sundown & Chanting " I hope no one sees me doing this"

Andy

 

[ViperGTS]

>>>Ignition on, hold left foot up in the air( about equal height to your elbo) while you are facing due south at sundown & Chanting " I hope no one sees me doing this"
This should take care of it!
Andy<<<

THIS IS INCREDIBLE!

Keep on turning the light switch!!! Clockwise or Counterclockwise?

 

[Mach500]

Unbelievable! How does PVO get away with such an inadequate response to a simple (yet critical) problem on $80K+ cars? Is this a joke?

I love my SRT-10 just as much as others on this board, and am happy to report that, after 1500 miles, I have not experienced this "flickering" light problem (knock on wood). I have, however, been following the subject thread(s) closely and been hoping (and praying) that none of the affected cars would get involved in serious accidents. I was also quite surprised to see that most of you out there with affected vehicles were very civil about this serious problem and showed a lot of patience while PVO was looking(?) into the problem. Indeed, PVO should be very grateful for loyalty and patience of all the owners of affected SRT-10's.

Going back to the "official" PVO statement, where's the apology, show of gratitude, or a definitive plan of action to remedy the problem? ???"It's great to know that PVO listens, and you can expect further action quite soon... THANKS PVO!"??? Are you kidding me? I'm not trying to stir up a hornet's nest here, but this kind of statement should be saved for a$$-kissing within the PVO, not outside. Just my 0.02.

 

[Russ Oasis]

Guys,
I am not kissing PVO ass here. When I don't like something I speak up, but some of you have to get over whether PVO kisses YOUR ass enough. You have to remember that PVO is an elite division of DC, created to satisfy a VERY SMALL group of performance freaks. They sell 1700 Vipers a year, a few SRT-4's and hopefully a couple of SRT trucks when they hit the market. THEY LOSE MONEY ON THE PVO DIVISION. OK...so there are some computer glitches...what do you want them to do? Send an engineer to your house to make sure that your feathers haven't been ruffled too much? I have never seen a group of bigger whiners than some of you. And to boot, many doing the whining don't even own the SRT-10. When I didn't like the new design, I spoke up. But to constantly rag on PVO for not bowing to every whim and desire you may have because you paid $85,000 for your car is ridiculous. 1) They gave you a coupon to get the car before everyone else. 2) There is a computer fix coming in a month for the bog and the lickering lights. Lighten up before DC figures it's not worth the hassle to even have a performance division.

 

[Viperfreak2]

Lickering lights! That's a new one!

 

[SapphireGTS]

Any news on the spontanious airbag deployment that shatteres the windshield on the passenger side?

 

[Both Stacks Blowin']

Now, now boys and girls, DC has recruited a top flight production person from Ford and a real doctor to run the company!!!!!!!!

Me thinks, that I will keep my money in my pocket.

Feeling very, very sorry for those who were gullible enough to think that things would improve with the new model. Did DC not take about a year to admit that there was something wrong with the old model and issue the 998 / 999 recall???

Once bitten, twice shy, as the saying goes.

 

[SapphireGTS]

I go to the GIII section and I see a new redicilous problem every time. Flickering lights? Is this real? How simple is the light?

Nice fix too.

chrysler *****. plain and simple.

 

[OutThere]

I agree with some of what Russ said. If I were an owner I wouldn't be looking for an apology or a show of gratitude but give me a freakin break with the don't kiss our asses enough and so they have some computer glitches crap Russ. Perhaps the reason Dodge can't seem produce a car with the level of quality of a Porsche and even a Corvette is because of people like you. It's OK with you that the headlights just turn off without warning... we're just lucky to have a Viper available in the first place! So just park it when the sun goes down and hope DC graces us with a fix sometime soon. Maybe that works for you but it's surely a recipe for failure in today's performance car market. Any market. Has me rethinking the Porsche C4S myself.

I understand that Viper is supposed to be "yestertech" but they had working headlights yesterday and the car didn't cost more than twice the average salary. Then to basically ignore the issue for weeks and when they finally decide to address it to tell people to "flick the switch while we work on it" is pathetic even for Dodge. Then the National VCA Pres finally decides to contribute and it's just his usual trumpeting about how wonderful PVO is for listening to us. Listening?? The damn highlights are cutting out on people! People who bought the car to drive fast and to handle... on steep curves and such. Listening.. they should have been communicating at the very least a service bulletin and a warning about this issue months ago.

True I do not own one yet but I own a 95 and I am giving serous consideration to trading in my 02 Vette on a 04 SRT. Not sure how you can consider someone expecting the headlights to remain on as a "whimsical desire" but it's something that people expected to work on there Model T in 1920. No one expects individual treatment from DC or any manufacture but if there are computer "glitches" DC should be expected to address the problem quickly like they actually care about the 2,000 people potential driving around in a car with such a serious and dangerous defect. Not to mention caring about beating the competition.

 

[cstegall]

I don't want my ass kissed.
I don't want a certificate for $300 dollars worth of Chrysler products.
I don't want to listen to me whine...or anybody else for that matter.
I don't want to be told that if you hold your mouth just right...the lighting system on the car will work just fine.

What I want is an $80k car that I can drive when I want. Day or nite.

If the above sounds like whining...so be it. It's my $80k...not anybody elses on this board. If I decide to whine...just blow past my post.


CStegall

 

[newredrt10]

Had this head light problem on several other cars. It turned out that they had switched to a overload relay (not a fuse)to protect the circuit. I upgraded to a better quality overload relay (you have to hunt for it) and this fixed the problem. At least DC says they are looking into it, GM said there is no problem. I was seeing things.

 

[Toddh]

I have to chime in here and agree that DC has handled this inappropriately, and continues to do so. This isn't some minor annoyance, and you shouldn't assume it is especially if you own one of the affected cars (I do). Driving down an unlit highway at night (which is when the most severe occurrence happened for me, but not the only time) with literally unpredictable headlights is unsafe for driver, passenger and other vehicles on the road. It scared the crap out of me. Who knows what the drivers in front of me thought?

Now they come out with a fix, but they don't bother to inform people unless you happen to be a member of VCA or your local chapter is kind enough to let you know. I would have had no idea that my local dealer (Dallas Dodge) even had the fix kit if Dallas VCA member Jay Lopez hadn't posted it here and let me know. That just ***** in terms of customer service. They have enough information to send my half a dozen surveys, questionnaires and extended warranty offers but they can't let me know the day I need to come in to get my headlights fixed??!?!

I love my car, but let's call a spade a spade. DC made cars that have a dangerous flaw and was aware of it and failed for weeks or months to distribute any TSB or other material to alert unsuspecting owners of the issue. Now they have a fix but haven't announced it or where you can get it. I don't think they deserve a lot of slack on this one, folks.

 

[kenvw]

Todd, I agree 100% with you. I also had a very bad experience with the lights without being aware of the problem. It was a dangerous situation which I did not appreciate (my 11 year old son was with me). Not only was it dangerous I had many people who were annoyed with me flashing my lights at them, which they responded by putting on their high beams. This aggrevated the driving even more as I was blinded and then my lights would go off with no vision at all of the road. The real gems were the trucks and vans as thier bright lights are at the worst hieght possible for a low sports car. I was not happy to say the least about that drive that evening and I was by far the slowest vechile on the road making sure to get home in one piece. I, like Todd, think this car is great even though all the problems I have had (valves,differential,squeaks and rattles,punch marks in side mirrors,in shop for 14 weeks for these repairs, dealer lieing to you about repairs, repair work lacking quality and missing parts, and of course the Flickering Lights) However, of all these I am most disappointed in DC for not giving a SOS RECALL on this issue. THis issue is definetly not like all the other ones which did not put you in harms way. This flickering light problem is serious and DC should be all over the phone, mail, e-mail and communicating to all the viper owners of this car that this car is not operable for night driving until a fix can be issued to all. Many do not visit this board and therefore need to be notified. Please DC **** up your pride and warn all those who might being dealing with this problem.

 

[jwwiii]

OK;

Got to be one of three things I think.

1. I had 3,ooo miles on the ODO when lights flickered. I think alot of owners reported this symptom almost simultaneously. How many owners experienced this light phenomena at/or around 3K of driving the SRT?

Potential cause theory (mine): In 3K driving the affected owners drove day/night miles and we all used our lights (ON/OFF) about the same number of "Cycles". I found MY LIGHTS were REALLY SLUGGISH when switching to the "Brights". I wonder if this is a fuse or relay "wearing out and showing fatigue" from powering our VERY bright Brights?

2. DIRTY CONTACTS IN THE LIGHT SWITCH?
rotating the switch would help to "clean" the contacts. I am going to spray some CAIG "De-Oxit" contact cleaner in there and try cleaning the contacts.

3. COMPUTER?: Seems strange to me that a computer would control our lights. I bet it is a relay/fuse that is fatigued.

So: 1. Relay/Fuse fatigue? 2. Dirty contacts in switch stalk (clean with contact cleaner?). 3. A "Computer" glitch. Does a "Computer" control light function?

Well folks, any feedback on my theories on the light issue?

Thanks,

Jim

 

[cstegall]

Jim,

Great post and some really good theories. All I can say is my car has had the software downloaded twice(one was an update)and the light problem has not happened again. It may come back but it does seem to be controlled via the computer on the car(?). The update actually adjusted the sensitivity of my doors when opened from the outside.

CStegall

 

[mdannin]

My black 03 sat in the garage 3 weeks because of flickering lights. They changed the computer and the lights still flicker. PL get a fix ASAP. This is really annoying and potentially dangerous??

 

[Y2K5SRT]

My black 03 sat in the garage 3 weeks because of flickering lights. They changed the computer and the lights still flicker. PL get a fix ASAP. This is really annoying and potentially dangerous??

**** -

I see this was your first post - welcome to the boards! You mentioned you got your "computer changed". Was this the reflash that was done down in Texas or something else? I have not heard of anybody having a recurrance of the problem once the proper reflash was done. Good luck and keep us posted!

Chris

 

[Cris]

What should us non-Texas owners do? Not drive at night and wait for a recall notice or some other indication that a solution is available or should we drive at night and risk that the first time the lights go out will be the last. I don't think I would take that risk if I owned the company.

This and the bog issue are great examples of how fast and concerned that PVO is about us Viper owners. Zero direct communication from DC or PVO.

 

[MiamiJeff]

OK;

Got to be one of three things I think.

1. I had 3,ooo miles on the ODO when lights flickered. I think alot of owners reported this symptom almost simultaneously. How many owners experienced this light phenomena at/or around 3K of driving the SRT?

Started here after just a few hundred miles and, unfortunately, the flickering is happening more frequently. Will go try that 10-20 cycling on-off routine.

 

[Y2KACR]

Could someone please explain what the "flash" is and why it need to be redone. The only flash I am aware of requires a trench coat...

 

[OutThere]

Sit tight Cris.... PVO RULES!!! and they are listening. Just cycle the switch 1-20 times and pray if you're driving at night.

We don't want to be too bothersome to SVO. Afterall, they operate at a loss! And you're just lucky to even have that car.