Photo: J Alberto Ramirez via Facebook
General Motors has found a new way to dodge the NHTSA’s recall request for the 2010-2017 GMC Terrain’s too-bright headlights. Instead of replacing the headlights, GMC tries to fix the problem with a piece of tape.
We’ve previously reported that the 2010-2017 GMC Terrain had a headlight glare problem. More specifically, “a reflection from the headlamps’ housing is directed 80 degrees outboard and 45 degrees upward” with intensity as high as 450 to 470 candela or three times as bright as allowed at these measurement points. NHTSA has asked GM to bring the headlights in line with the regulation to emit no more than 125 cd.
Of course, replacing the headlights on more than 740,000 vehicles was not appealing to GM, so it tried everything to dodge the request. Its latest attempt was dismissed in March, leaving GM with no choice but to recall the affected vehicles and provide a free remedy for the 740,000 GMC Terrains involved. It took the Detroit carmaker about four months to devise a solution to this problem, and it came up with this genius idea.
At the end of August, GM announced that it had found a fix for the headlight glare problem by installing a “headlamp applique” that ensures the headlights do not exceed the 125-cd limit. Well, the fancy applique seems just a piece of tape, which means that GM is again mocking the NHTSA on this issue.
Alberto Ramirez went through the recall and was surprised to see what GMC calls “the applique” applied to his car. He vented his frustration on the GMC Terrain Owners & Fans Facebook group, posting a picture of the “fixed” headlamp.
“A piece of tape is the solution to the recall of the problem of the Headlights that GMC gave,” Ramirez wrote in his post. “This is not a permanent fix, and it’s unprofessional and ridiculous.”
Well, to be fair, it’s not just a piece of tape, it’s an entire kit, as GM describes it. This includes a template to mark the exact position where the tape needs to be attached. And, of course, the printed instructions to do all that properly. It’s unclear how long this sticker would stay on the headlight housing and what you need to do if it falls.
Judging by the comments to the Facebook post, most GMC Terrain owners would be rather inclined to skip the joke recall procedure. This is not advisable, as the DMV likely is tracking the recall compliance. You could be fine, but one day you could be involved in an accident, and some clever lawyer could prove that your faulty headlights contributed to the crash. Then you might have to deal with a hefty damage compensation. So, go for the tape, no matter how silly it seems, especially as it only takes 12 minutes to apply.
Of course, replacing the headlights on more than 740,000 vehicles was not appealing to GM, so it tried everything to dodge the request. Its latest attempt was dismissed in March, leaving GM with no choice but to recall the affected vehicles and provide a free remedy for the 740,000 GMC Terrains involved. It took the Detroit carmaker about four months to devise a solution to this problem, and it came up with this genius idea.
At the end of August, GM announced that it had found a fix for the headlight glare problem by installing a “headlamp applique” that ensures the headlights do not exceed the 125-cd limit. Well, the fancy applique seems just a piece of tape, which means that GM is again mocking the NHTSA on this issue.
Alberto Ramirez went through the recall and was surprised to see what GMC calls “the applique” applied to his car. He vented his frustration on the GMC Terrain Owners & Fans Facebook group, posting a picture of the “fixed” headlamp.
“A piece of tape is the solution to the recall of the problem of the Headlights that GMC gave,” Ramirez wrote in his post. “This is not a permanent fix, and it’s unprofessional and ridiculous.”
Well, to be fair, it’s not just a piece of tape, it’s an entire kit, as GM describes it. This includes a template to mark the exact position where the tape needs to be attached. And, of course, the printed instructions to do all that properly. It’s unclear how long this sticker would stay on the headlight housing and what you need to do if it falls.
Judging by the comments to the Facebook post, most GMC Terrain owners would be rather inclined to skip the joke recall procedure. This is not advisable, as the DMV likely is tracking the recall compliance. You could be fine, but one day you could be involved in an accident, and some clever lawyer could prove that your faulty headlights contributed to the crash. Then you might have to deal with a hefty damage compensation. So, go for the tape, no matter how silly it seems, especially as it only takes 12 minutes to apply.
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