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Car stereos really don't cost the kind of money now. You are referring to a time that is long gone. I'm not exaggerating when I say they cost more.

We're clearly talking about two very different things here because I'm not talking about after market parts and additionally you aren't taking into account that this is not a situation where you can just slap an after market part with a fuse and an adapter in there and call it good.

Cars these days have a lot more computer modules in them. This headlight has a module in each side to control the automatic headlights and high beams, and it's supposed to talk to another module that connects it with a ride height sensor for auto leveling so that when you put something in the back of the truck it auto adjusts. That's why it's $1000 just for the part.

To install that headlight at a dealer you'd be looking at at least 2 hours of labor because it doesn't just pop out anymore (because as these headlights being so expensive makes them a target for theft and resale). In newer vehicles they bolt a lot of stuff on top of each other (grille trim, radiator fan supports etc) to make it harder to steal and harder for a customer to replace on their own).

While radio/stereo prices have come down significantly as the demand has gone up, this doesn't necessarily mean you're not paying just because it's a mandatory or standard feature). It just means they add that to the sticker price of an alternative expensive vehicle.

People die because they are blinded by other peoples headlights because they don't know how to use the features of the vehicles they own. They aren't taught to do things they should because they rely on features that "make things safer". Yes. I am positive backup cameras and backup sensors have save a lot of lives. But if you can't back up a vehicle without those aids you shouldn't be driving it. If you can't park a vehicle without parking aids, you shouldn't be driving it.

Replacing something like this (a component that lots of people break because they can't drive and are bad at understanding how big their vehicles are) will be expensive to the consumer.

And additionally this is a component that is necessary for safety so it's the type of thing that will cause more problems in the event that it fails because any after market part will have to communicate with the rest of the system already factory installed in the vehicle. This isn't the type of thing where when it fails you can just ignore it like you might if you didn't want to replace your Bluetooth or your heat was blowing cold.

If a product is being made it will be used to profit off people. Yes even in the aftermarket. Doesn't matter how cheaply they can make it. It matters whether they can sell it and what price the market will bear.

At a time when everything around us is getting more expensive not because it's necessarily more expensive to make but because the line must go up and companies want to keep seeing record profits, you seem to believe that automakers are going to just make the decision to not do that.

And that's ignoring all the parts and components they still have on backorder.

Things that are a matter of public safety don't necessarily reach the bar where automakers will do that over what is profitable. Just look at the number of SUV's and pickup trucks that are so huge that the driver can't see pedestrians or at times other vehicles in front and to the sides of them.