"Side marker" lights on cars dont seem to be what they used to (F150, luxury)
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Maybe I havent noticed, but seems like the latest cars out and mostly through the mid-late 2000s that cars no longer have the side marker light conveniences they once had. Starting in the early 70s GM cars had the front side marker lights that would flash with the turn signals... then many more upscale cars had "cornering" lights that would iluminate the area where the car was turning. Some cars had wrap around front turn signals that would also be visible from the side when turning, but seems like many cars dont have that anymore. I havent paid much attention, but do the new GM cars still have the front side markers that flash with the turn signals? Seems like some newer cars may simply have the wrap around front turn signals that the signal itself will also take care of the side view. Also the cornering lights seem to be a thing of the past on most cars, which is strange because it is a very useful safety feature. My '93 Cadillac and '95 Lincoln both have these and I find them very useful. My aunt had a '95 Nissan minivan that had them, and even her 2001 Nissan Altima has them. I think that Nissan was about the only import that ever offered them and also offered them on the Maxima, but I dont know if the new Maxima still has them or not. I know the early 2000s did.
Most new cars don't have them. Instead the lights wrap around the front and rear corners so they can be seen in two directions. I prefer the lights to be separate. The lights that came on when using the turn signal, to illuminate the area on that side, seemed like a novelty to me. I don't miss those.
Absence of side markers is not exactly new; some older cars lacked them as well. On the other hand, some like the Ford Fusion till last year still had separate side markers.
You're right about cornering lamps though- was a nice feature, but only caught on among domestic luxury makes. Even they have dropped it in recent years.
Cars dont have side markers because headlights wrap around on "most" cars. (the Merc above is a perfect example) The same amber light you see from the front you can see from the side.
As far as cornering lamps, that always seemed like a gimmick to me. I never really found it advantageous to see the area by the fender lit up when turning a corner.
My 2010 Taurus SHO has puddle lamps under the sideview mirrors too but those are just for entry and exit.
Yeah, just pointing out that some things, like cornering lamps, might be fads. I wish my F150 had puddle lamps, that's the one I drive the most often near puddles.
Side marker lights were required on new cars starting in the 1968 model year.
I haven't noticed if some new cars don't have them because I only look at classic cars.
Yeah, starting in '68 all cars had the side markers and by the early 70s, many GM cars had them that would flash out of sequence with the front turn signal if the parking lights or headlights were on and GM used this well through the 1990s, but I dont think they do anymore. I never paid much attention either to the newer ones, I guess since all of the newer cars are so much alike these days.
Quote:
Originally Posted by dkf747
The lights that came on when using the turn signal, to illuminate the area on that side, seemed like a novelty to me. I don't miss those.
Quote:
Originally Posted by SabresFanInSA
As far as cornering lamps, that always seemed like a gimmick to me. I never really found it advantageous to see the area by the fender lit up when turning a corner.
I dont know if you have ever owned a car with them and been turning on a dark rural road, but I find mine very useful on both my '95 Lincoln and '93 Cadillac. Also when in downtown on the city streets they can help you see pedestrians on the corner that may be about to walk out in front of you. The other evening I was downtown making a right turn and the corner was dark due to some blown bulbs apparently and it made some people visible that I would not have seen otherwise.
I guess on the newer cars though the headlights are designed to light up more to the side, but back in the 1960s through the 1990s that was not always the case. I think Cadillac, Buick and Oldsmobile were the first to offer these on the luxury models starting around 1963.
You're right about cornering lamps though- was a nice feature, but only caught on among domestic luxury makes. Even they have dropped it in recent years.
The only import I know of that adopted them was Nissan. They offered them on the Altima (my aunts 2001 Nissan Altima has them) and on the 80s and 90s and maybe even early 2000s Nissan Maximas. The first generation Nissan Quest minivans also had cornering lights.
Here is a 1986 Nissan Maxima... with cornering lights.
The 1990 Maxima also had them...
as well as the 1993 Altima...
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