GM Seeks To Dismiss GMC Sierra Defective Headlights Class Action

General Motors LLC is seeking dismissal of a class action lawsuit in which plaintiffs claim that the headlights in certain 2014 and 2015 GMC Sierra vehicles are defective.

The automaker told a California federal judge that the plaintiffs fail to show evidence of alleged injury or malfunction from the allegedly defective headlights.

“Courts routinely reject product defect claims like this, where there is no allegation of an actual product malfunction,” GM stated.

“Plaintiffs do not allege this headlight design has caused any accidents or injuries, or that their headlights fail to meet [federal regulations]. … They also do not claim that GM made misstatements about the headlamps’ brightness, and they do not claim that they sold — or attempted to sell — their vehicles only to learn that the vehicles are worth ‘less’ due to the alleged defect,” GM further argued.

Plaintiffs Armando J. Becerra and Guillermo Ruelas filed the GMC Sierra defective headlight class action lawsuit in Oct. 2015, stating that the headlights in their 2013 and 2014 GMC trucks are too dim and that the automaker knowingly expanded the use of its headlights to other vehicles, despite customers’ complaints that the cars were unsafe to drive at night.

In the class action lawsuit, Becerra says that he purchased a new 2014 GMC Sierra 1500 and experienced repeated problems with the headlight system and the inability to see at night. Becerra says dealerships were unable to fix the problem so he bought a new headlight assembly for nearly $500.

Similarly, Ruelas purchased a new 2014 GMC Sierra 1500 and allegedly had constant problems with the lack of light from the headlights. After returning the vehicle to the dealership for repairs, he was allegedly told that nothing could be done to fix the problem.

He eventually traded his 2014 Sierra for a 2015 model 1500 thinking GM must have fixed the defective headlights in the 2015 model. However, Ruelas says the 2015 Sierra 1500 headlights are no better than the headlights in the 2014 Sierra 1500.

According to court documents, the GMC trucks were fitted with a single bulb for low and high beams, rather than three bulbs normally used for fog lights, low- and high-beam lights.

Specifically, the lawsuit says despite numerous complaints about the 2014 GMC Sierra 1500 headlights, General Motors still expanded the same allegedly dim headlight design to the 2015 GMC Sierra 1500 and the 2015 GMC 2500HD and 3500HD.

“Headlights are critical safety features,” the plaintiffs assert. “Insufficient light for safe nighttime operation can and will lead to accidents and fatalities.”

According to the lawsuit, GM knew the Sierra headlight system was defective but owners had no way of knowing until they bought the trucks and drove them at night. GM allegedly knew there was a problem through customer complaints, warranty data, input from its dealerships and replacement parts data.

However, GM told the court in its motion to dismiss that Sierra owners are not disgruntled because the headlight system doesn’t work but instead because the system is simply different.

The plaintiffs are represented by David Bower and Adam Gonnelli of Faruqi & Faruqi LLP, Bonner Walsh of Walsh PLLC, Steven Marchbanks of Premier Legal Center APC and Craig Patrick of Patrick Law Firm PC.

The GMC Sierra Defective Headlight 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: 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/