General Motors (GM) has lost the fight to avoid recalling around 727,000 small-sized SUVs in the U.S. The recall covered GMC Terrain SUVs from 2010 to 2017 with headlight beams allegedly too bright, causing glare for oncoming drivers.
In 2019, GM petitioned the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and asked the agency to avoid a recall because the problem did not directly affect the safety of surrounding vehicles.
According to documents filed with the NHTSA, the company said that the lights meet recognized industry standards and only had one complaint from a customer about headlights shining up into trees.
“While these reflections may be somewhat perceptible in certain extremely dense fog or snow conditions, there would be no effect on vehicle safety due to small size and far outboard location in the driver’s peripheral field of view,” said GM in a statement.
The NHTSA ultimately denied their request according to documents posted on the Federal Register. They stated that the headlight beams were indeed three times brighter than the limit allowed, which could severely distract drivers.
“NHTSA does not consider the absence of complaints or injuries to show that the issue is inconsequential to safety,” the document read. “Most importantly, the absence of a complaint does not mean there have not been any safety issues, nor does it mean that there will not be safety issues in the future. [T]he fact that in past reported cases good luck and swift reaction have prevented many serious injuries does not mean that good luck will continue to work.”
According to the NHTSA, motor vehicle headlamps are required to provide forward illumination for driving conditions that do not distract or cause safety consequences for the driver of the vehicle or other drivers.
GM is now required to recall all GMC Terrain SUVs manufactured from 2010-2017.