Tesla cannot avoid fixing the recall for cars with excessively bright headlights

Blinded Drivers It’s not just your imagination. There are cars on the road with headlights that are too bright, making them illegal to drive.

Two years after Tesla reported to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration that the low-beam headlights on some Tesla electric vehicles exceeded brightness limits, the company’s move to make those headlights street legal has failed. The NHTSA denied Tesla’s petition To avoid the recall, which means the company will need to issue a fix to nearly 20,000 Model 3 and Model Y vehicles from 2017 to 2023 for an issue the company described as “non-significant.”

A Tesla representative did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Tesla argued in its petition that because the bright lighting in question is outside the field of vision of oncoming drivers, “the noncompliance is immaterial as it relates to vehicle safety.”

In its response, Eileen Sullivan, NHTSA’s associate administrator for enforcement, wrote, “NHTSA disagrees with Tesla’s conclusion that there is no increased risk of glare to surrounding traffic or the driver of the vehicle involved in any driving condition.”

Headlights still produce glare that can affect other drivers, the agency said, citing public comment.

The group pointed to a similar decision it made in 2022 related to GM Terrain vehicles.

For Tesla owners, the NHTSA ruling means the company must provide free repair to affected cars.

Additional steps are possible

NHTSA does not comment on pending legislation, including its denial of Tesla’s request, but in an email to CNET, an NHTSA spokesperson said the organization is evaluating studies on LED headlight glare and may take additional steps based on what it finds.

“Some problems may arise from inappropriate use of high beams, illegal aftermarket bulbs, improperly maintained bulbs, or misaligned bulbs,” the spokesperson wrote.

Headlights that are too bright are illegal, and devices that don’t comply could be banned from being sold on platforms like Amazon, while drivers who use headlights that are too bright could face escalating fines, suspension of their driver’s license or civil liability.

“Although headlight technology has changed over the years, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) lighting standard has remained consistent in limiting the amount of bright light directed toward oncoming and going traffic,” the spokesperson said.

SUVs, which are longer on the road than sedans, have become the most popular cars in the United States. This, combined with LEDs becoming the main technology for headlights, has led more people to notice that HID low beams appear brighter and are harder to avoid.

Some modern cars have made use of adaptive lighting technologies that can adjust brightness, direction, or lighting pattern as driving conditions change, but many cars on the road are not equipped with these systems.

Headlights in the spotlight in Congress

Earlier this year, the U.S. House of Representatives joined the debate over bright headlights with the introduction of a bill from Rep. Mary Glusenkamp Perez, a Democrat from Washington state.

the Light safety law It would set the maximum permissible brightness limits for low-beam headlights on vehicles in the United States. So far, the proposal has only been sent to committee, meaning it has been assigned to a House committee for initial review, with no further action taken on it since March.

The bill seeks to revise current federal standards by setting the maximum permissible brightness for low beams.