I took my third brake light off today to mock up an LED system and found this. The original bulbs emit so much heat they started to melt the housing. That's bullshit to me. I don't know why you would so poorly design something that it becomes a fire hazard! I had some extra 194 red LEDs that I put in the sockets so I can order a new housing. Take a look:

 

Mine were exactly the same, switched over a year ago now

 

damn! Thats pretty bad! I put in the LED strip from hidwerks. You can snag one at a boneyard from a Monte Carlo though. Both options have built in resistors so you won't lose your cruise control. I hot glued the strip into the Cobalt's housing and soldered the leads to the original power tracers on the bulb holder. its holding just fine. I may grab the complete assembly from the monte and figure out a way to retrofit the led strip holder into the cobalt's housing.

 

These cars are so awful.

 

Mine I drilleded a few holes and used zip ties to attach it.

 

They arent awful, they are typical of a GM car. They tend to nickle and dime you to death on small ****.

 

I got two of them from an Impala that's why I pulled my housing out and found it.


Or burn you to death, or not deploy the airbags you to death...

 

That's what I should have did when I had my LED board. 3m tape didn't hold it well. I think I'm going to buy another now lol

 

Toyota's accelerate you to death, and so on and so on. I could list recalls for the past 30 years that were life threatening for almost every car in existence.

 

I blacked mine out and used body panel adhesive to attach the board in. If I go back to stock, I'll go the route of the 194 led bulbs.

 

That's what I did at first it was sitting in there crooked forever, as soon as it got hot one side of the tape let go.

 

You should bring this up to them so they can issue another recall

 

And make the cars worth even less than they already are? Lol

 

Aint like anyone bought them for an investment lol

 

this looks recall worthy

 

I'm probably not going to be proactive and make sure GM notices me, but I'll probably email them. Pretty sure these are original bulbs. This is the first time they've been out and there is still orange dielectric grease in the sockets. Here's a bulb that melted from the heat of itself.

 

Ouch. Anyone ever notice how hot the fog light button gets? Especially in winter I think it's located to cloes to the heating vent or something. Feels like the plastic about to melt.

 

****
i did..

 

Not investment really, but probably reliability.

 

holy **** guys, how long do you sit with your brake lights on? lol

 

and yet 9+ years later my car hasn't burned to the ground. so, not a safety hazard any more than being inside a metal container carrying 12.5gals of highly flammable liquid going 90mph with 1 hand on the wheel.

 

So YOU are that ******* that is driving too slow in the left lane...

 

Interesting

 

Exactly what mine did.

 

I almost never use my brakes. All country driving with 3 stop lights or signs on the way to work 60 miles a day. Plus that's no excuse. I shouldn't have to go easy on the brake pedal so my brake light housings won't melt.