The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said on Friday it rejected a General Motors request that would have permitted the automaker to avoid fixing headlight glare problems on about 725,000 sport utility vehicles in the US.
If the agency had agreed to inform about the problem inconsequential, the automaker would not have been required to notify consumers of the problem and provide a free fix.
The automaker argued the issue did not impact vehicle safety and petitioned the agency in 2019 to declare the issue inconsequential for GMC Terrain vehicles from the 2010 through 2017 model years.
The automaker said the issue has been corrected in replacement parts and does not impact the present generation vehicles.
NHTSA said in particular weather conditions such as snow and fog the headlight problem could cause “glare to other motorists driving in proximity”.
The automaker said Friday it was aware of the agency’s ruling and “will review NHTSA’s decision and explore potential next steps”.
GM told NHTSA it was aware of only a single consumer inquiry associated with this condition and is not aware of any accidents or injuries.
