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General Motors GMC Terrain Headlamp Petition Overview:
- Who: The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration rejected a petition filed by General Motors.
- Why: General Motors argued that defective headlamps in some of its 2010-2017 GMC Terrain vehicles did not pose a safety risk to other vehicles.
- Where: General Motors sells cars nationwide.
A petition filed by General Motors over its need to fix defective headlamps in certain GMC Terrain vehicles has been denied by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).
The petition was filed after GM discovered that some of its model year 2010-2017 GMC Terrain vehicles were equipped with headlamps that did not fully comply with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards, according to NHTSA documents published by the Federal Register.
GM argued in a petition, however, that the issue was of no consequence to vehicle safety and thus asked to be exempt from having to remedy the issue and notify drivers.
The non-compliance relates to the GMC Terrain vehicles’ low beam headlamps not meeting photometric requirements and specifically that they were found to be three times brighter than the designated maximum amount.
The brightness issue is related to the direction the beams are narrowly reflected on account of their housing, according to documents.
GM Unsuccessfully Argues Headlamps Don’t Pose Safety Risk
GM, meanwhile, claimed in its petition that, due to the “extreme angle” of the direction of the beams, they do not pose a safety risk for oncoming or surrounding vehicles.
“This angle, 80 degrees outboard and 45 degrees upward from each lamp’s optical axis, is far above the range where the reflection could cause glare for oncoming or surrounding drivers,” GM said in its petition.
GM further argued that the reflection of the beams would not interfere with the drivers of the vehicles, who it said would be unable to see them.
“These two small areas appear high above the vehicle, one to the far left and the other to the far right of the vehicle, well outside of the driver’s view,” the company said.
GM also pointed out that it has not received any reports of crashes or injuries due to the headlamp issue.
In rejecting GM’s petition, however, the NHTSA pointed out that the point of the Safety Act is to be preventative, and that recalls should be initiated before any actual deaths or injuries occur.
The NHTSA also disagreed with GM’s argument that the narrow reflection of the headlamps would have no effect on oncoming drivers,while stressing the importance of having safe headlamps.
“The beam of light coming from the noncompliant headlamp exceeds the photometric requirement by more than three times and may cause glare or be distracting to surrounding vehicles,” the agency said.
Last month, a class action lawsuit targeting GM claimed the company violated the rights of its employees by failing to alert them to their right to continue getting health insurance even after they’ve been let go.
Do you own a model year 2010-2017 GMC Terrain vehicle? Let us know in the comments!
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One thought on GM Must Fix Defective GMC Terrain Headlamps, NHTSA Says
I am owner of a 2017 GMC Terrain. I was never made aware this was an issue when purchased.