GMC has recalled about 740,000 2010-2017 Terrain SUVs because their headlights are more than three times brighter than the law allows.
The federal government ordered GMC to conduct the recall earlier this month. The company had objected, saying that few owners had complained. It also claimed that the excessively bright lights focused too high to blind oncoming drivers with their glare. The government’s auto safety agency disagreed, requiring the company to repair the headlights.
GMC hasn’t revealed how it will correct the problem. But, in earlier communications with the agency, GMC said its headlight supplier had already designed a replacement part that corrects the problem. It may not require an entirely new headlight assembly.
Though most drivers are now familiar with the problem of excessively bright headlights, there’s already a solution on the way. The infrastructure bill President Biden signed into law late last year legalizes adaptive headlights — a technology used in other countries to mitigate the glare problem. It will take years for adaptive headlights to become common, however.
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