The mechanic tells me he checked all the leads and connections, but he admits electronics are not his specialty.

Any idea what might be causing this problem to persist even after replacing the switch? It’s very disconcerting to have the headlights go dark when changing lanes on the Interstate!

Intrigued by Dcarmona’s post about the cap on the end of the stalk, I removed it by prying with a tiny flathead screwdriver, then spent the next hour and half trying to figure out how to remove the plastic rotating part for the headlights (while trying not to break it). If you look into the stalk with the cap removed, you’ll see two quarter-circle slots on opposite sides of the plastic rotating part. Inserting a small flathead screwdriver into each slot will allow you to pull the plastic barrel out. Make sure to keep the blade nearer to the outside of the barrel (ie. away from the center) as there are other small pieces of plastic inside of the slots. Once that is off, there is only a small white cap holding the switch together which is easily removed by gently prying back the two white tabs holding it on. Be careful not to lose the 2 little ball-bearings that are attached to the underside of the white cap. Inside, this light switch was more gunked up than the rest of the assembly. I had what appeared to be slivers of plastic that were interfering with the copper connection points. I cleaned up the contacts, removed the grit, reassembled, and it worked like a dream. FYI, if I had any on-hand, I would have used dielectric grease. Maybe I’ll get around to it some other time.