This freaked me out (lights cutting out).

[Meteorite]

I was driving on 6 Mile Road last night, after about a half hour of driving. I was cruising along at about 40mph, when all the lights (headlights and all gauge lights) cut out. I was spooky to suddenly have no headlights. I quickly pulled over to the right lane to get out of the way of the car behind me. About 3 seconds later, all the lights came back on.

At no time during the interruption did I lose power (i.e., engine electrical seemed to stay normal).

What would cause this? Are the MM headlights on a circuit breaker (rather than a fuse, thus allowing them to come back on)? If so, are the headlights on the same circuit as the gauge lights?

This is a safety issue, and I'd very much like to prevent recurrence.

Any ideas?

[Bradley G]

Those where my symptoms, just before I had the bulb socket meltdown.
First the fogs failed, a couple days later headlamps followed.

[ckadiddle]

Flying saucer flying low overhead.

[Haggis]

Flying saucer flying low overhead.

That would have also cut off the engine.

[Meteorite]

That would have also cut off the engine.

Yeah ... like in The Day the Earth Stood Still.

[Haggis]

...or in 'Close Encounters of the Third Kind'.

[murphypeople]

Is it normal operations that when the high beams are on that the fog lamps go out...as soon as the high beams are off the fog lights come back....wondering.
Don't mean to distract from the topic at hand...

[Haggis]

Yes that is normal for all cars.

[SID210SA]

Is it normal operations that when the high beams are on that the fog lamps go out...as soon as the high beams are off the fog lights come back....wondering.
Don't mean to distract from the topic at hand...

yes..............

[cyclopsram]

I would have the LCM lighting control module checked.. If you have as short somewhere in the lighting system.. I believe there is a breaker built into the LCM... My 1953 Mercury Monterey had the highbeam/fog light lockout...because they are counterproductive to one another...cuts down on glare.