A lot of vehicle owners have been undergoing headlight replacement services over the last few months, and sadly, it’s not to get new halo headlights or other cool custom mods installed. These vehicle owners are among the thousands of people impacted by the latest series of headlight recalls.
A Staggering Problem
More than 400,000 vehicles have been tapped to have replacement headlights put in since the spring of 2014, with major brands like GM, and Volkswagen having to call back many popular vehicles due to headlight woes. On top of the known recalls, Consumer Reports recently ran an article, stating that they are receiving more complaints from consumers about faulty headlights than ever before. This could mean that more recalls may still be on the way.
Vehicles That Are Affected
The problems started last spring, when Volkswagen discovered a problem with the Passat that impacted 150,000 cars. The factory headlights were found to have a bad wiring connection, after the German automaker received numerous complaints about the headlights becoming dim suddenly, flickering erratically, and suddenly failing.
December 2014 brought another round of major recalls, with General Motors identifying 273,000 cars, trucks, and SUVs with a very dangerous headlight problem. With these vehicles, the low beams could suddenly turn off, or fail to illuminate, leaving drivers either only with high beams, or even completely in the dark, in the case of vehicles with high and low beams on one bulb. The vehicles in this recall spanned several model years with models including:
- Buick LaCrosse
- Buick Rainier
- Chevrolet Trailblazer
- GMC Envoy
- Isuzu Ascender
- Saab 9-7X
Check Your Car Now
Do you own any of the GM vehicles involved in the recall, or a Volkswagen Passat? If so, you should have received a notification in the event that your vehicle was a part of the recall. Often, though, the notices look an awful lot like ads from dealerships and end up getting thrown out.
You can find out whether or not your car was a part of the headlight recalls or any other recalls in the last 15 years by using a handy tool on the SafeCar.gov website, which is operated by the U.S. Department of Transportation. You just need to have your VIN number to use the search. In the event that you were a part of the recall, you can visit the dealership to get a free headlight replacement.
What if you’re Having Headlight Problems Already?
If you’re one of the drivers who is having problems with headlights on a vehicle that hasn’t been recalled, you can help to get to the bottom of the problem, by filing a complaint on SafeCar.gov. The U.S. Department of Transportation wants to hear from anyone who is concerned about vehicle safety, particularly if the problem has caused an accident.
After reporting the problem, it’s wise to have it looked at by a professional to see if there’s a problem. You may ultimately decide to have aftermarket headlights installed, or even treat yourself to an upgrade like halo lights.
Reference:
http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news/headlight-problems-leave-drivers-in-the-dark-010915.html