In the spring of 2024, Tesla informed the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration that the headlights of some 19,900 Model 3 and Model Y vehicles exceeded the maximum brightness allowed by law in the most extreme cases, almost double. But instead of fixing these excessively shiny EVs, the company filed a lawsuit weeks later saying it shouldn’t have done so, because the defect was “irrelevant” to safety.
Well, it took two years, but the Federal Reserve has responded to Tesla’s appeal with a resounding “Nice try.”
The cars in question range from model years 2017 to 2023. Key to Tesla’s defense, as outlined NHTSA’s own record The petition said the headlights were too bright in specific areas, and that these areas were “located away from the road, both horizontally and vertically, placing them out of the natural line of sight of the driver or other road users.” The company also attempted to prove this with its own study, analyzing how the beam appears to an oncoming driver and determining that other motorists “will not experience glare or distraction from their side.”
Another aspect of Tesla’s argument was that no one had ever formally complained about these headlights. In fact, NHTSA had no such record of reports, let alone damages or injuries. That is, at least until the administration opened the floor for public comment, when the two men stepped forward. Furthermore, as the decision (which is embedded below) notes on page 8, “The absence of complaints does not mean that vehicle occupants have not experienced any safety issues, nor does it mean that there will be no safety issues in the future.”
But back to Tesla’s argument as to why these headlights aren’t a problem. Technically, they’re only bright enough at specific angles that the vehicle manufacturer argues “fall out of the driver’s line of sight.” But, of course, a driver’s line of sight is always changing depending on the environment in which they live. Approaching one of these Teslas on the other side of a steep grade, whether meeting the summit or the valley, on a turn or on a straightaway, will eventually uncover one or two angles that cause problems.
Before you face the possibility of adverse circumstances. “Certain weather conditions such as rain, snow and fog may cause light from non-compliant lamps to appear, causing blurred vision to a driver or other road users driving near a vehicle with a non-compliant lamp,” the regulator explains.
Therefore, Tesla wanted to avoid it and sent it back. The company must inform all concerned owners and arrange for free repair or replacement of the problematic components. And EV makers aren’t the only ones fighting and losing this battle.
In 2022, GM tried to make a similar case for a much larger group of vehicles — about 725,000 GMC Terrain SUVs, to be more precise. The headlights on those SUVs were even higher than the brightness limits on Tesla’s (a detail you’re sure Tesla told the Feds as part of its petition), but GM unsuccessfully argued that the error was “irrelevant” all the same.
As someone whose struggles sharing the road with LED-toting modern cars is well-documented, I admit to some bias here, but I would also argue that I’m not alone. As A reuters report Citing Tesla’s unsuccessful petition, a recent survey showed that 6 in 10 drivers in the US agreed that “glare after dark is a problem,” and three-quarters of them believe the problem has gotten worse over the past 10 years.
Vehicle manufacturers will do everything they can to avoid recalls and spending money or time fixing anything. However, what stings in cases like this is their defense: that being blind on the road is “unexpected”, especially at a time when more people than ever are speaking out to the contrary.
Got any tips? Contact us at tips@thedrive.com
