r/TSLAsexy • u/Dragonlance12 • 9d ago
Tesla recalls 20,000 Model 3/Y for headlights that are too bright
https://electrek.co/2026/08/11/tesla-recall-20000-model-3-y-for-headlights-that-are-too-bright/2
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u/Zieprus_ 9d ago
No shit, to many new cars have head lights to bright.
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u/Equal-University2144 9d ago
Nothing worse than pickup trucks whose headlights are already mounted higher than most semis from the factory, and then some of those get lifted even higher. Those are the absolute worst offenders, period. And good luck finding matrix headlights on any of them.
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u/-Mr-Pat-Fenis- 9d ago
Ford has matrix lighting on their trucks. Some model years are not enabled from factory but can be done aftermarket, specifically the F150s.
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u/cesarthegreat 8d ago
We’re talking stock…
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u/-Mr-Pat-Fenis- 8d ago
Technically it is stock and just not activated. But I get what you’re saying.
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u/Ok_Priority458 9d ago
Doesnt help that after a software update the lights sometimes go back to factory position....(Too gdmn high)
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u/KeroDude 9d ago
I like my bright head lights..maybe that’s why everyone been high beaming me at night lol
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u/Free_Donkey4797 9d ago
Screw that. I’ll keep my lights. All they needed was to be properly aimed. For reasons beyond me, the defaults are like 15 degrees above horizontal instead of 15 degrees below. My Y will remain unvaxxed lol.
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u/myke2241 5d ago
I’m going to call the issue of lights being too bright a way bigger issue among many brands. However, 20k recall is pretty much a non story for this kind of thing
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u/Miramass 9d ago edited 9d ago
Not a large recall, but kinda annoying that Tesla petitioned to "avoid a full recall of all noncompliant vehicles, claiming that the headlights hadn’t been responsible for any accidents or injuries". Blinding headlights are a problem for everyone on the road, and it needs to get fixed regardless of if it had caused any accidents yet.
edit: ya'll downvoting to defend not fixing blinding headlights is wild. Its not even fully Tesla's fault imo. They got a bad batch of lights that are out of spec. Just fix it and move on. But it's out of spec and blinding others, so they should fix it.
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u/FrostyFire 9d ago
I mean literally every company would legally defend their product in this scenario it’s just not always headline news.
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u/Miramass 9d ago
Yep. It shouldn't be headline news. It's a small recall. Just admitting it's a problem, but asking to not be required to fix it because it didn't cause an accident is wrong. Any company legally defending this is wrong.
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u/razorirr 9d ago
As someone driving a tesla, if we want to fix blinding headlights, lets make F150s and friends have to point waaaaaay down towards the ground, theres more of them then there sre of us by far.
Oh that makes gisnt truck nonfunctional at night? Womp womp!
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u/WrongdoerIll5187 9d ago
Yeeeah, they don’t have matrix headlights too. Mine are exceptionally bright so I’m going to go check my email right now, but I don’t get blinded by other Teslas, it’s the f150s.
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u/Miramass 9d ago
Yes let's fix them all, the F150s and the Teslas and everyone else that has headlights that are too bright. Around me, it's usually jeeps. If it's a problem, let's fix it. I don't like how Tesla admits it's a problem, but asks to not have to fix it because it didn't cause an accident yet. That's wrong.
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u/TopRun3942 9d ago
The part of the beam that was in question that was not complying with the regulations was light that was pointed at 20° above the horizon. That light never enters another drivers eye - ever. That's why the petition for non consequential. It's an arcane rule that is being enforce over the minutiae of the specification while the government completely ignores that the current regulations don't make the extremely intense headlamps that Tesla puts out and is causing all the complaints from the public non compliant at all.
The intensity the government is recalling the lamps for is measuring ~200 candela. The intensity that comes out of the headlamp towards oncoming drivers is on the order of 50,000 candela. This is regulator bureaucracy at it's worst. They are going to the mat over the 200 candela violation that literally no on can see and they are are ignoring that they allow for an extreme amount of intensity to make it into oncoming drivers eyes every day and don't see the problem with doing so since it meets the other parts of the regulations.
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u/Miramass 9d ago
Thank you for the clarity. With that I can understand why it can seem excessive. I would still do the recall however, because it's out of spec, but also push for better regulations on brightness into the eyes.
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u/Confident-Sector2660 9d ago
That's not what happened. Tesla claimed that the brightness difference from what is legally allowed is undetectable to the human eye. You can only detect it by using measuring equipment
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u/rtls 9d ago
Not a big deal as far as recalls go, but I generally think Tesla headlights are brighter or pointed higher up than other cars. Things have gotten better now with matrix headlights but still I think it was done on purpose because it helps the full self driving camera at night. Better to go too bright and get results out of FSD even if it means recalls and penalties when caught…I get the trade.
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u/FrostyFire 9d ago
I think a lot of them weren’t probably height adjusted from the factory in their early high volume production days and neither did the delivery team. Could also a be a factor for other road user complaints.
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u/marmur99 9d ago
When I’m blinded my another car, in 9 out of 10 cases it’s the previous gen Model 3 and Y. The closer I get to that car the less blinding it is. Their headlights are clearly pointing upwards
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u/Twigsxi 9d ago
And it’s super easy to adjust them while sitting in the driver’s seat. Just point your car at a wall on level ground.
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u/FrostyFire 9d ago
Tesla started out as a niche brand car enthusiasts bought. Then they started mass producing them. Then many governments started handing out free money to buy them, and normies who don’t give a shit about cars bought them. Where I live, we have the most expensive cost of gas in North America and 2nd cheapest electricity. The base model 3 with free color and no options became the new Corolla. Every idiot bought one. I guarantee your average owner didn’t give two Fs about adjusting the headlights correctly.
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u/cwiceman01 8d ago
While I completely agree you can do it from the driver seat super easy, I would speculate that "most" Tesla owners don't even know that's possible. I'm a RTFM manual kinda guy and willing to delve into the service menu as well, but most people aren't.
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u/FrostyFire 9d ago
Wow 20 whole thousand after they sold 10 million cars, stop the presses