This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.
So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.
The contact owns a 2014 GMC Sierra 1500. The contact stated that the headlights were not bright enough at night to see past 20 feet. The dealer could not diagnose or repair the failure. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 26,000.
The headlights are so dim I doubt it would be any less safe to drive around with them off. I just purchased this vehicle, and my first time driving at night I had to park, get out of the vehicle and check to see if the light bulbs were burned out. The bulbs were not burned out, but they also do not function as headlights because they literally illuminate nothing. I can see the shadow of my truck in front of me in other vehicles headlights as they pass me. If an object, an animal, or a person were in the road in front of me I doubt I would be able to see them before it was too late. I believe a Sierra equipped with these headlights will likely be involved in a collision with serious injury, property damage, or even death. I can only pray and hope that I'm not one of them. GM has released a tsb with an expensive procedure to correct the problem signaling to me that they acknowledge that a problem exist.
The headlights are very dim. I can not see very far down the road and I can not see the shoulders of the roadway. It is not very safe to drive this vehicle at night with the factory installed headlights.
The headlights are unsafe for nighttime driving especially in darker rural areas and in bad weather. The side lighting from the headlights are nearly nonexistent especially around sharp curves. In order to read signs at night I often have to use my highbeams in order to read them regardless if there is traffic in front of me or oncoming. I drive home from work nightly with my high beams on the entire was unless there is a car close in front of me. I've yet to have oncoming traffic flash their lights at me do to having my highbeams on. I have made the dealership aware as well as corporate GM. As of now the only action they will take is to replace my old bulbs with the same bulbs they took out. This is an extremely common issue with this vehicle but yet no recall has been made. Only a tsb which I can't even get my dealership to follow.
Poor lighting (headlights), to the point where it is unsafe. Worse yet, I didn't know about the tsb which gives a slight improvement, and cannot get it done at no cost to me due to my warranty being over by 4,000 miles.
- Deerfield, NY, USA
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Headlights are unsafe for night driving. High beam also does not help the illumination issues. Driving in the rain at night is scary the lights are dim, and do not light up surrounding areas. Took truck to dealership, they kept it for 3 months put new bulbs in, and I still will not drive the truck at night, especially with my family with me. Spent 45K on truck and cant drive it at night. I have tried different bulbs, brands, looked for solutions, and still have yet to find any help.
I purchased this truck new in October, 2014. My research prior to purchase showed a number of complaints about the headlights, but I did not think there were enough complaints for me to be concerned. I was wrong. I live in a rural area and the headlights are definitely inadequate on the low beam setting. The mechanical shutter design produces a very sharp beam cutoff at about the level of the hood, making it seem like you are sitting in a darkened area above a bowl of light. The projector headlights provide little, if any, illumination of objects on the side of the road. I use the fog/driving lights continually on the truck or I would not feel comfortable driving it with low beams in unlit areas. For the sake of comparison, I have attached two images taken on two consecutive mornings at approximately the same location on my driveway. The truck picture was taken approximately ten minutes later than the car picture (both were approximately 6:45 a.M.). note there is a slight perspective shift due to the height difference in the vehicles and the driving/fog lights were not on on either vehicle when the picture was taken. Note the 25-year old technology sealed beam headlights show the fence posts at the right side of the vehicle where the GMC's headlights show a dark void. It honestly feels like you are driving through a tunnel of light in the truck. You have no hope of seeing any objects on either side of the road. There is a tsb on this issue that recommends replacing the bulbs and reprogramming the BCM. My truck has not had this performed because the dealership did not have the bulbs in stock when I asked about it. There is some debate on message boards regarding whether or not the update offers any benefits. Additionally, the new bulbs allegedly have a significantly shortened life over the originals and they can be difficult to locate when needed.
The basic design of the headlights does not allow for a sufficient level of lighting to safely operate the vehicle at night. There is virtually no lateral lighting, and the headlights do not illuminate the way forward, they only drop a shutter in front of the lights when one switches from low beam to high. There is no increase in light intensity or volume when switching to bright lights. Recall and fix!!!!!!
Very dim headlights causing difficulty driving at night and in rainy weather. 2014 GMC Sierra with 13000 miles.purchased truck in March of 2015 noticed lighting issue first time I drove at night
The headlights on this truck are inadequate for driving at night. If it's raining at night, I won't drive it. I bought a new truck from GMC, it's unsafe to drive at night, and GMC should fix it !!
There truly is no accident at this time. However... if this condition isn't corrected, there will be accidents. These may result in not only loss of life or property, but possible criminal prosecution. The issue: The projector headlamp design of the 2014 GMC Sierra is extremely subpar for lighting the roadway ahead of you. Individuals, in order to not "outdrive" their lights, would probably have to go below posted minimum speed limits on highways, presenting yet another issue for the driver as well as those who would approach from the rear in nighttime driving conditions. I contacted GMC... aware of the issue. No help at this time. I got the impression from the operator that "not enough people have filed complaints." I'm guessing that when the catastrophic and tragic happens, it will not matter that not enough people filed complaints... officially. Slight research on the internet will show many individuals complaining about the issue. But GMC's admission that they are "aware" but are taking no action at this point is very disturbing. I would have thought that design issues would have had to be cleared by an oversight Agency of some sort" I just discovered the extremely scary feeling of "driving in the dark"... basically... after having my truck since thanksgiving. But I drive mostly in the daylight, and have been on interstate 20 in one of the busiest sections with traffic at night... not realizing how much others' lights were helping. When driving alone on a rural road, however, it is tantamount to driving with a flashlight when it comes to safety. I am wanting to trust that the Agency tasked with safety will please look into this issue? before someone or multiples lose their lives and lawsuits ensue"
Vehicle has poor headlight performance when driving at night. Has been back to the dealer multiple times since purchase in 2014. Reprogramming and headlight bulb replacement was ineffective. Not safe to drive in rural/dark and or rain/snow/dark.
The contact owns a 2014 GMC Sierra 1500. While driving 65 mph, the headlights became unresponsive and produced dim lighting on the road. The failure hindered the contact's visibility. The vehicle was taken to be repaired, but the issue recurred. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The failure mileage was 35,600.
Headlights are terrible. In a dark rural area, they are so dim they are dangerous. You can easily outdrive your headlights. In the dark and rain, you should stay home. It's sad I can't drive my $50,000 truck at night. Dealer's "fix" was worthless. So angry. I will never own another GM vehicle!
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Clayton, NY, USA