Automakers believe they shouldn't be responsible for addressing excessively bright headlights.

      Christian Charisius/Picture Alliance via Getty Images

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      In the spring of 2024, Tesla informed the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) that the headlights on approximately 19,900 Model 3 and Model Y vehicles exceeded the legal brightness limit by nearly twofold in certain extreme cases. Instead of correcting these excessively bright electric vehicles, the company submitted a petition weeks later arguing that the issue was "insignificant" regarding safety.

      After two years, the federal response to Tesla’s argument was a clear "nice try."

      The vehicles in question include models from the years 2017 to 2023. A crucial part of Tesla’s defense, as noted in NHTSA’s records regarding the petition, was that the headlights were excessively bright in particular zones, which were positioned “off the roadway both horizontally and vertically, keeping [them] outside the driver’s or other road users’ natural line of sight.” The company also tried to support this assertion with its own study, evaluating how the beam appears to an oncoming driver and concluding that other motorists “would not experience glare or distraction from them.”

      Additionally, Tesla contended that no one had formally complained about these headlights prior to the discovery. Indeed, NHTSA had no record of such reports, nor any issues or injuries indicated. However, this changed when the agency invited public comments, with two individuals coming forward. Furthermore, the decision (included below) states on Page 8, “The absence of complaints does not imply that vehicle occupants haven’t faced a safety issue, nor does it guarantee that safety issues won’t arise in the future.”

      Returning to Tesla’s justification for why these headlights are not an issue: they are only too bright at certain angles that the manufacturer claims “fall outside the driver's line of vision.” However, a driver’s line of vision continually changes depending on their environment. Encountering one of these Teslas from the opposite side of a steep incline—be it at a peak, in a valley, or on a curve—can eventually lead to angles that create issues.

      This is before considering adverse weather conditions. “Certain weather conditions such as rain, snow, and fog could result in light from the noncompliant lamps creating veiling glare for the driver or other road users near the vehicle with the noncompliant lamp(s),” the regulator explains.

      Tesla's attempt to navigate around this issue has been rejected. The company must now inform all affected owners and arrange for the free repair or replacement of faulty components. Additionally, Tesla is not the only manufacturer to face this challenge and ultimately lose.

      Tesla is not alone in arguing against fixing headlights that significantly exceed brightness limits. In 2022, GM made a similar case for about 725,000 GMC Terrain SUVs. The headlights on these SUVs were even more over the legal brightness limit than Tesla’s (a fact Tesla likely highlighted in its own petition), but GM’s argument that the issue was “insignificant” was also unsuccessful.

      As someone who has faced challenges sharing the road with modern cars equipped with LED lights, I acknowledge my bias on this matter, but I believe I’m not alone in this feeling. A report from Reuters on Tesla’s failed petition noted that a recent survey found 60% of U.S. drivers agreed that “glare is a problem after dark,” with three-quarters of respondents believing the issue has worsened over the past decade.

      Automakers often try to avoid recalls and the costs or time associated with repairs. However, what is particularly frustrating about cases like these is the argument made that being blinded while driving is “insignificant,” especially when more people are voicing their concerns about this issue than ever before.

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