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  Lighting - Exterior Lamp Fogging Inspection  
 

Classification: EL03-030E

Reference: NTB03-074E

Date: January 4, 2010

EXTERIOR LAMP FOGGING

This bulletin has been amended. The Applied Vehicles and Service Procedure sections have been revised. Please discard all previous versions.

APPLIED VEHICLES: 2001-2010 Nissan, All Models

SERVICE INFORMATION

Occasionally customers may notice water vapor or fog in the exterior lamps. This is generally NOT due to a defect.

The following information, illustrations, and flow chart are provided to help you in determining if an incident for water/condensation in the lamps is normal or not.

All current exterior lamp assemblies are vented to the atmosphere (not sealed).

^ This is necessary to allow for expansion and contraction of air from temperature "variations" (warmer or colder) without damage to the lamp.

^ Moisture in the air sometimes "travels" into and out of the lamp assembly through these vents.

^ Certain environmental conditions may cause moisture to condense.

^ The fogging/cloudiness should disappear over time when the lamp is in a dry environment.

  

Fog may temporarily form inside the lens of the exterior lights based on environmental conditions or sudden temperature changes (such as in a car wash). This is normal. See Figure 1.

NOTE:
This condensation can appear anywhere on the outer lens, typically at its coldest location.

  

If the moisture trickles, drips, or pools, it may not be considered normal and the lamp assembly may have a water leak path. See Figure 2 for an example.

If large drops of water collect inside the lens, refer to the flow chart below to find the next step.

SERVICE PROCEDURE

  

Should a customer note water in a lamp assembly, please use the above flow chart to determine if the condition is normal or requires lamp replacement.