I have a 2020 S that I purchased in early 2019. By far one of the hottest (pun intended) topics, back in the early years, was the lack of LED headlights in the lower trims while the higher trims got LED headlights. The back and forth discussions were on what constitutes aftermarket upgrades and voided warranties. I was on the side that purchased an LED retrofit bulb that I felt provided a good balance of brighter and wider visibility without too many dark spots or blinding oncoming traffic. A side effect of going this route was reduced heat in the headlight housing. While the LED does put off some heat it is no where near the heat put off by the halogen bulb.
Last year I got a letter saying that Kia issued an OEM warranty extension from 5yr/60k miles to 15yr/150k miles if my hi beams failed.
Today I got a notice that it's progressed to a safety recall NHTSA Recall 24V148. They are working on a fix to the problem where the heat generated by the halogen bulb damages the high beam functionality.
I might be looking at this way too simply because I think this is an example where bureaucracy has completely failed the consumer.
The simplest fix I can think of is for Kia to license an LED retrofit bulb that will go into the existing halogen housing so that it doesn't create the heat problem. But I suspect Kia can't do that because of what the US has done to manufacturers.
US OEM standards for how the vehicle comes from the factory were originally written 40 years ago. In particular, LED technology is so far behind other standards in other countries that the US doesn't properly know how to update their standards to incorporate proper LED performance testing. Organizations like the IIHS, as a result, only test vehicles as they come from the factory. But manufacturers are forced to put relatively cheap OEM halogen bulbs in because they meet the antiquated US manufacturing standards that haven't kept up with newer technology. After I purchased the main ding on the IIHS testing on lower trim Tellurides were the headlights. It's only after people get into accidents that may lead to death and the NHTSA gets involved that mandatory recalls are put in place. None of this had to happen if the DOT and SAE standards were updated to account for allowing manufacturers to test and validate approved aftermarket solutions or license them. But that can't happen until standards written for cars from 40 years ago get completely updated (FMVSS No. 108) as opposed to just minor updates with influence from automotive lobbyists on what passes. This creates a safety need met by aftermarket retrofit parts. But then unregulated and unapproved aftermarket retrofit bulbs lead to excessive brightness that leads to more lobbying and government policy.
It looks like the fix will be a heat shield so the excess heat coming from a halogen doesn't damage the mechanism. This could be so much easier for the consumer.
Last year I got a letter saying that Kia issued an OEM warranty extension from 5yr/60k miles to 15yr/150k miles if my hi beams failed.
Today I got a notice that it's progressed to a safety recall NHTSA Recall 24V148. They are working on a fix to the problem where the heat generated by the halogen bulb damages the high beam functionality.
I might be looking at this way too simply because I think this is an example where bureaucracy has completely failed the consumer.
The simplest fix I can think of is for Kia to license an LED retrofit bulb that will go into the existing halogen housing so that it doesn't create the heat problem. But I suspect Kia can't do that because of what the US has done to manufacturers.
US OEM standards for how the vehicle comes from the factory were originally written 40 years ago. In particular, LED technology is so far behind other standards in other countries that the US doesn't properly know how to update their standards to incorporate proper LED performance testing. Organizations like the IIHS, as a result, only test vehicles as they come from the factory. But manufacturers are forced to put relatively cheap OEM halogen bulbs in because they meet the antiquated US manufacturing standards that haven't kept up with newer technology. After I purchased the main ding on the IIHS testing on lower trim Tellurides were the headlights. It's only after people get into accidents that may lead to death and the NHTSA gets involved that mandatory recalls are put in place. None of this had to happen if the DOT and SAE standards were updated to account for allowing manufacturers to test and validate approved aftermarket solutions or license them. But that can't happen until standards written for cars from 40 years ago get completely updated (FMVSS No. 108) as opposed to just minor updates with influence from automotive lobbyists on what passes. This creates a safety need met by aftermarket retrofit parts. But then unregulated and unapproved aftermarket retrofit bulbs lead to excessive brightness that leads to more lobbying and government policy.
It looks like the fix will be a heat shield so the excess heat coming from a halogen doesn't damage the mechanism. This could be so much easier for the consumer.
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