Possible Safety Fault In Versa Design

[achr]

In Canada at least, where we have Daytime Running Lights, the Instrumentation in the Dash is lit ALL the time, day or night. When the car is started, the Hi Beam headlamps are activated but at a reduced voltage.

Last night, my wife borrowed my Versa and I noticed as she was leaving home that she had not turned on the headlights since there were no taillights visible. Of course the brake lights and signal lights still worked. Fearing she would get a ticket or get rear ended, I took off after her in our other car and didn't catch her for nearly 3 miles. When I came up behind her flashing my headlights like crazy and then pulling alongside, she thought I was some kind of idiot crazed driver until she realized it was me.

She had mistakenly thought the headlights were on because the dash was fully lit when she started the car and even though the headlights are at low voltage, she could see light on the garage door. As she drove though, she was wondering about the LOUSY headlights since she could hardly see the street signs. After turning them ON properly, she was impressed with how good they are, especially with the SilverStar bulbs.

Probably won't happen to her again but I wonder how many new Nissan drivers are running around enjoying their new ride at night with no taillights on.

[jfanaselle]

The Versas in the US without DRL's also have the instruments illuminated all the time. I've sometimes run into situations where I neglected to turn the headlights on myself, but I usually noticed they were off as soon as I pulled out of my parking spot and the road was dark in front of me. I don't know why Nissan didn't just make the head lights automatically come on in the dark like all GM products do. It's a very inexpensive but convenient and safe feature.

[marleyfan]

I've had the same concern. My wife's car's lights come on automatically. The few times she's borrowed my car I've reminded her ad nauseum to remember to turn the headlights on. When the lights are off the dash instrument lights are on but the centre console lights are not. That is one way to notice, but you have to know about that first. I think Nissan dealers should be diligent in having the sales people point this fact out when selling this car. I wonder how hard it would be for Nissan to retrofit a sensor to have the light come on automatically.

[dopey]

I don't know about the dealers over there but here in Australia they show you around the car before you take off from the dealer and they do explain about the instrument backlight situation and to check for the HEADLIGHT ON light on the instrument cluster, not to rely on the backlight only.

I don't see it as an issue... if you use your brains you won't forget the headlights

a) Check for the headlights on indicator right in front of youor b) if you're driving around thinking "wow, these headlights are crap!" perhaps do a little problem solving and check if the switch is turned on or not.

Not that hard but simple enough for some to forget I guess, especially if the Dealer has been lazy and hasn't explained things to you in the first place.

[Althalus]

I don't see it as an issue... if you use your brains you won't forget the headlights

Thank You.

[equlizer]

I dont have this problem. IF your lights arent turned on, you cant see your middle control pannel (stereo and temp gauges)

[Bubs daddy]

I think the title of this thread is misleading. Just because it doesn't have a feature that lights automatically come on doesn't mean it's a safety fault. People have been driving cars for almost a hundred years without needing some computer to turn the lights on when it's dark.

[marleyfan]

I think the issue is with inconsistency among current model cars. If you are not familiar with the versa and the fact that the dash lights are constantly on then you may not realize that the headlight are not on, especially if you are used to driving a car with auto lights on. I don't know how many cars I've been behind who don't have their tail lights on because the DRL's are on and they havent turned on the headlights. It IS a safety issue. Not a fault, but an issue. The fact that the dash lights are on could lead the unfamiliar to think the headlights are on. My wife wouldn't think to turn on the headlights in my V cuz hers come on automatically. Perhaps if she couldnt see the speedometer she would know her headlights arent on.

[irsa76]

I belive the DRL issue is common on a lot of car, not just the Versa. Both my Toyota work van and my wifes Verada(Diamante) wagon illuminate the gauges even with the lights off, so it is very easy not to notice you don't have your lights on when driving on well lit streets.

[Bubs daddy]

Quote »It IS a safety issue. Not a fault, but an issue. The fact that the dash lights are on could lead the unfamiliar to think the headlights are on.[/quote]I would think one would need only the dark road in front to remind them the lights aren't on.

[Andrews Chalmers]

Anything can be a safety issue... forgetting to buckle in your seatbelt = potential safety issue. Forgetting to lock the door = potential safety issue.

Anything that is not automated and where the user-error may result in bodily harm and injury = potential safety issue.

[phikapbob]

this has bugged the living shiat out of me since i got the car! for a while i assumed that it had DRL, or even auto lights. i did it just this morning, as a matter of fact: i had my lights on when i pulled in to fill up the gas tank, and of course i shut them off. after filling up, i started up the car and drove off. since the station was lit up, i didn't notice that i had forgotten to turn the headlights back on, and it didn't help that my instrument panel was lit up. it only took a few seconds to notice the darkness of the road in front of me, but in that few seconds someone could easily have plowed into my little black hatchback!

the issue is that the car can fool you into thinking your lights are on when they are not.

[kc5f]

I don't know how many cars I've been behind who don't have their tail lights on because the DRL's are on and they haven't turned on the headlights.

I think this is a bigger problem than the Versa's instrument lighting. You can see if your headlights are on by looking in front of you - at the road, signs, cars in front of you , whatever. But my daughter drove her '95 Beretta for some time thinking she didn't need to turn on the headlights at night because they were on all the time. She didn't realize that the tail lights weren't also on...

[matt_a]

I don't see it as an issue... if you use your brains you won't forget the headlights

Was that really necessary? We don't have DRLs on our Versas here in the U.S., but from reading the original post I can easily see how someone could make that mistake. I would probably pick up on it myself right away, but my wife wouldn't.

[NY.AD.MAN]

Was that really necessary? We don't have DRLs on our Versas here in the U.S., but from reading the original post I can easily see how someone could make that mistake. I would probably pick up on it myself right away, but my wife wouldn't.

Now tell me,

When is it that people just stopped believing in personal responsibility? My girlfriend drives worse than my little sister (sis is about to graduate high school), and I wouldn't say that the Nissan 240SX she has, has a "safety fault" or anything of the sort!

If you want day running lights, then make sure you're the kind of person who remembers to put on his/her headlights at night. If you know that you're not going to remember, then why buy the DRL? It's a simple twist of the wrist to put on my "manual" day running lights....

But, to avoid seeming insulting or condescending:

Doesn't anybody else recognize that the center console dims when you turn on the headlights?

[matt_a]

Now tell me,

When is it that people just stopped believing in personal responsibility? My girlfriend drives worse than my little sister (sis is about to graduate high school), and I wouldn't say that the Nissan 240SX she has, has a "safety fault" or anything of the sort!

If you want day running lights, then make sure you're the kind of person who remembers to put on his/her headlights at night. If you know that you're not going to remember, then why buy the DRL? It's a simple twist of the wrist to put on my "manual" day running lights....

But, to avoid seeming insulting or condescending:

Doesn't anybody else recognize that the center console dims when you turn on the headlights?

Well, as I said above...My Versa doesn't have DRLs so I can't personally say for sure how the system works. But from reading the original post, I can see how someone could make the same mistake. I'm not suggesting that the car be "idiot proof". But I've had cars and trucks in the past with DRLs and they either didn't turn on any of the dash lights, or they would turn all the lights on at dusk (photo cell). Obviously (based on a few of the other responses) it's an easy mistake to make on the Versa with DRLs.

[marleyfan]

If you want day running lights, then make sure you're the kind of person who remembers to put on his/her headlights at night. If you know that you're not going to remember, then why buy the DRL? It's a simple twist of the wrist to put on my "manual" day running lights....

But, to avoid seeming insulting or condescending:

Doesn't anybody else recognize that the center console dims when you turn on the headlights?

Ad Man. You probably should know what you are talking about before you post. The original post was from a Canadian Versa owner. DRL's are not optional in Canada. All cars have them. Also, in Canada the center console does not light up at all when the headlights are off.

The problem is that the dash lights are on all the time, which could lead one to believe that the headlights are on when driving in well lit areas. When you go into a darker area the DRL's do provide some light, but not much. And when the DRL's only are on you have no tail lights. Which is dangerous.

Why create the illusion that the headlights are on in the first place by having the dash lights on?? Why not just have the dash lights come on when you turn on the headlights? That would solve the problem.

And it is a bigger problem than you realize. Especially at dusk. I often see cars with no tail lights because they have DRL's, and dash lights, and assume the tail lights are on too. It's not a problem confined to Versas.

[KimberKenobi]

I think this is a bigger problem than the Versa's instrument lighting. You can see if your headlights are on by looking in front of you - at the road, signs, cars in front of you , whatever. But my daughter drove her '95 Beretta for some time thinking she didn't need to turn on the headlights at night because they were on all the time. She didn't realize that the tail lights weren't also on...

This! This is precisely the reason I detest DRLs (even thought they are toted as a safety feature). I was following a Mazda SUV the other day (basing this on the shape of the tails, once I was close enough to see them) I was driving on the same road as a black SUV and all I could see of it (I was in the lane next to them) at first was two red reflective rectangles that were on the rear bumper. When you do the lights off/lights on thing behind people with DRLs they don't even think of the fact that their lights aren't on because their headlamps are illuminated (and this is usually the most important part of having the lights on for most people)... I know; I've asked some of them when given the opportunity.

IM(not so)HO... I think that DRLs are not such a great safety feature... really, they are a safety feature only because people don't realize when to turn on their lights (low light, any time your wipers are on, night, snow, fog, etc.) and we are creating more problems by treating a symptom instead of the disease. I'd rather be able to see the cars that are directly in front of me than the ones directly behind me, if given the option. It is occasionally nice to be able to see the cars coming toward me in adverse conditions... Thankfully, most cars have reflectors. Regrettably, most people don't realize when it is hard to see their vehicle (based on conditions, color, etc.) and this is probably a more important lesson.

[CARI0CA]

Well, inform your wife to TURN ON the headlamps everytime it is DARK. Most new cars here in Canada have the same feature for daytime running lights. I have seen countless cars running around without tailights like you described. And some switch off the low intensity lamp when you activate your signal light (Dodge, for example).

Actually my little Russian bomb (a $600 one!) a white 5-door 1990 Lada Samara I have (that owes me nothing, Weber carb, high flow Janspeed exhaust), has daytime running lights (main beams @ full intensity & all the marker lamps on). BUT the difference is that you must activate a dash rocker switch to get high beam @ the signal stalk. AND when you deploy the park brake, the head lamps (which are H4) turn off & the marker lamps stay one with one extra European feature: there is a low amp bulb within the headlamp assemblies is used as a "marker light." I am not sure if it is on when the main beams are on, but ALL cars should have that feature. And this car has wipers on the head lamps like a Mercedes! Not much of a refined car, AWSOME ground clearance (some people think it is AWD) And I have not felt a heater like this one! The core is huge!

Only now that some manufaturers are keeping the side fender signal lamps from the European models & some with side mirror signal lamps...

Anyhow, thats my rant!