GM loses bid to skip recall for lights that are too bright

[TechGuru]

DETROIT -- General Motors has lost a bid to avoid recalling about 727,000 small SUVs in the U.S. with headlight beams that can be too bright and cause glare for oncoming drivers.

In 2019, the Detroit automaker petitioned the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration asking to avoid a recall, saying the problem didn't affect safety for surrounding vehicles. The petition covered GMC Terrain SUVs from the 2010 through 2017 model years.

But the agency denied the request in a document posted Thursday on the Federal Register website. GM said it's reviewing the decision and deciding what to do next. It's likely the company will have to do a recall for not complying with federal safety regulations.

The company said in documents that the lights meet recognized industry standards. GM had only one complaint from a customer about headlights shining up into trees.

But the agency said parts of the headlight beam were three times brighter than allowed. That could cause glare or distract drivers of other vehicles.

GM loses bid to skip recall for lights that are too bright

General Motors has lost a bid to avoid recalling about 727,000 small SUVs in the U.S. with headlight beams that can be too bright and cause glare for oncoming drivers

abcnews.go.com

 

[-Virgil-]

That report is faulty; looks like it was written by someone clueless. Read the petition denial instead. The problem is that there's a reflection off part of the chrome frame behind the lens, which causes a spot of about 470 candela -- pretty much exactly what some nitwits call "squirrel finders", except it's directed about 80° outward and 45° upward. That's nowhere near a driver's line of sight, so there's really no possibility for it to cause backscatter in foul weather (which is what NHTSA claims is the safety hazard here) and there would have to be some really weird crossroad geometry for that to even be noticed by anyone else on the road. Also, the intensity isn't very high at all; this just doesn't add up to even a minor safety hazard.

I can't decide which team to cheer for; if this were on the AITA subreddit, I'd give it an ESH (Everybody Sucks Here): I'm all for minimum glare and backscatter, but on the other hand this is pissant stuff for NHTSA to be barking about, but on the other other hand the lamps are noncompliant in a manner that GM and their reputable supplier should have predicted or caught during R&D or validation, but on the other other other hand...seriously, NHTSA? Don't you have more important stuff to do, like messing up ADB after an 11-year wait, or saving Americans from the terrible danger of adjustable horizontal aim?