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General Motors was hit with a class action lawsuit on Tuesday with allegations that the headlights in various newer model GMC Sierra vehicles are defective. The class action lawsuit claims the headlights do not provide enough light for nighttime driving and compromise safety, putting vehicle owners, other drivers and pedestrians at risk.
Plaintiffs Armando J. Becerra and Guillermo Ruelas claim that the auto maker has had prior knowledge of the alleged headlight defect but has chosen to hide the problem from vehicle owners, posing a safety risk for customers and others on the road. GM has denied having prior knowledge of the alleged defect.
According to the GM class action lawsuit, Becerra bought a 2014 GMC Sierra 1500 and has taken it to the dealership a number of times, but they were unable to address the problem. Since the attempted repairs were unsuccessful, Becerra said he had to purchase a new headlight assembly for his vehicle, setting him back $400 to $500.
Ruelas alleges he had a similar issue at the dealership when he attempted to have the headlights on his 2014 GMC Sierra fixed. He ended up trading his vehicle in for a newer model GMC, but the 2015 model was no better and he continued to have the same headlight issues, according to the class action lawsuit.
Before the 2014 model year, GMC Sierras came equipped with three different bulbs for the headlight assembly: a light for low beams, another for high beams, and a third for fog lights. Starting in 2014, the headlight assembly reportedly included only one bulb for both the low and the high beams.
Shortly after the 2014 model year trucks were released, complaints surfaced in various locations on the internet detailing customer dissatisfaction with the alleged faulty design of the headlights. Owners complained of feeling unsafe to drive at night, and said that the headlights were “terrible” or “the worst I’ve ever experienced.”
The GMC Sierra headlights class action lawsuit brings forth seven counts against GM for unfair and deceptive acts and practices, breach of express and implied warranty, fraudulent concealment and unjust enrichment, among others.
Becerra and Ruelas hope to certify a nationwide Class of individuals who leased or purchased the vehicles with allegedly defective headlights. The affected vehicles are the GMC Sierra 1500 (model years 2014 and 2015), GMC Sierra 2500HD (model year 2015) and GMC Sierra 3500HD (model year 2015). They hope to seek certification for a California subclass as well.
The plaintiffs are seeking injunctive relief and costs of litigation but are not seeking monetary damages at this time. A notice has been sent to General Motors pursuant to the California Legal Remedies Act and if the defendant denies relief, plaintiffs may amend to add a claim for damages.
becerra and Ruelas are represented by David E. Bower and Adam Gonnelli of Faruqi & Faruqi LLP, Bonner Walsh of Walsh PLLC, Steven L. Marchbanks of Premier Legal Center APC and Craig M. Patrick of Patrick Law Firm PC.
The GMC Sierra Headlights Class Action Lawsuit is Becerra, et al. v. General Motors LLC, et al., Case No. 3:15-cv-02365, in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California.
UPDATE: On July 28, 2016, General Motors LLC sought dismissal of a class action lawsuit in which plaintiffs claim that the headlights in certain 2014 and 2015 GMC Sierra vehicles are defective.
UPDATE 2: The TCA GMC Sierra Headlight Defect Class Action Lawsuit Investigation is now open! If you purchased or own a 2015 Sierra or a 2014 light-duty Sierra, submit your information here to see if you qualify to participate in an investigation: https://topclassactions.com/lawsuit-settlements/investigations/858500-gmc-sierra-headlight-defect-class-action-lawsuit-investigation/
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8 thoughts onGMC Sierra Headlights Compromise Safety, Class Action Says
UPDATE 2: The TCA GMC Sierra Headlight Defect Class Action Lawsuit Investigation is now open! If you purchased or own a 2015 Sierra or a 2014 light-duty Sierra, submit your information here to see if you qualify to participate in an investigation: https://topclassactions.com/lawsuit-settlements/investigations/858500-gmc-sierra-headlight-defect-class-action-lawsuit-investigation/
I currently own a 2014 GMC Sierra with what I felt to always be poor quality lights. During my last recent visit to my dealer for routine maintenance I brought up this point and the fact that they continually fill with fog inside and the left actually has water droplets and puddles inside. Service managers response was it’s not an issue unless water forms inside which it clearly was at that time. I was informed he would check with GM to see if they would “help” and I haven’t heard anything else from them yet. I myself am a technician and know this is a design defect due to the elimination of the housing vents older units had and is also a safety related issue that will cause a vehicle to be rejected on a state inspection in my state of Missouri. I will be contacting my dealer again for an update on this issue soon, my base warranty expired but I purchased a bumper to bumper at time of vehicle purchase
My insurance has now sky rocketed due to an object in the road on a rainy night. I did not see it till I was right up on it. I own a gmc seirra 2014 with dim headlights. Prior to my accident I even complained at the dealership. The lights came back as good status .
I complained almost immediately and was told there is no problem with the lights
The first thing passengers say to me at night is ( are your lights on )
GM customer care Canada told me they have never heard of light problems , this is February 2017
Unbelievable
UPDATE: On July 28, 2016, General Motors LLC sought dismissal of a class action lawsuit in which plaintiffs claim that the headlights in certain 2014 and 2015 GMC Sierra vehicles are defective.
Worst headlights ever! Bought this 2015 GMC Sierra New. Cant see 25 ft. in front of me told Bob King Auto in Wilmington NC about it and they refused to repair the headlights because I answered the survey from GMC in Detroit honestly and told them about this issue and other issues pertaining to my truck oil smell,berliner,wind noise etc. so because of the bad review I gave Bob King of Wilmington NC refuses to work on my GMC which only has 5000 miles on it and has been very well taken care of. Head up when filling out the survey from them if you dont answer all questions excellent they will refuse to repair your truck that is under factory warranty! Also how many accidents or worse is it going to take for GMC to resolve this issue pertaining to the headlights I call Detroit almost every day and complain about this its sad we paid this much money for a truck that can only be used for day light driving! Also the direct line to Corporate Headquarters is 1 866-790-5600 in Detroit Michigan please call and voice your opinion pertaining to these so called headlights before some innocent person or even you gets injured because of not being able to see at night.
That should be heads up, and I called sorry about my spelling of some of the words. Anyway please let other people know about the headlights before someone is injured or worse keep calling GMC.
Incident Date:August 11, 2014
Description of the Complaint:
Today for the first time I drove my 2014 sierra texas edition in the rain at night…. Wow>>>>> I had to stop and wait for the rain downpour to let out so I could see where I was going. Not good. Driving at night is very stressfull and eye straining to the point of taking headache medications once you are done driving. Any wayt to fix this extremely dangerous problem? this should be considered a safety hazard to drivers and any others on the road. This issue needs to be addressed and resolved asap. And GM still says there is nothing wrong. So why are they changing the desing on the 2016’s trucks