Yeah, we know they "have to offer a replacement" but it's hilarious that they have to "offer" $20 halogens for $150 LEDs.
NHTSA Targets Diode Dynamics LED Bulbs
- Thread starter SubLGT
- Start date
It's a bit of the opposite, that they typically state DOT approved then you know they are deceitful because DOT does not approve any aftermarket bulbs.
IMO it makes more sense to go after the sellers when it's Amazon or ebay, since the intent is to stop the sales and there's no reasonable way to go after thousands of accounts that get created and abandoned, would be like a game of wack a mole, and overseas manufacturers aren't in their jurisdiction, and importers potentially too numerous too, so it'd have to be done at the marketplace level.
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I'm talking about lighting violations like red/green/blue lights on the front of a vehicle (illegal), off-road lighting used on public streets, obvious things like that.
gathermewool
Site Donor 2023
To be fair, no one paid full price for DD LED’s. They offer 15% off coupons for just about every single holiday there is. I’m happily sporting just about every LED they make for my cars, except the Legacy. Interior and fog only there. The FXT already had reflector OEM HID, so no need there.
The admittedly expensive SLF fogs work very well in both applications during inclement weather, especially on roads without much lane marker shine.
The admittedly expensive SLF fogs work very well in both applications during inclement weather, especially on roads without much lane marker shine.
It's a real problem in my area. With all the hills and corners. Lifted trucks with Chinese LEDs pointed into the trees
Have you seen the latest truck trend? "Clapped" trucks. That's where a lift kit is installed only on the front. Must do wonders for headlight aim.
Yeah, like anyone who bought bulbs that they knew were "for off-road use only" for their vehicle care or will comply with that recall. They knew they create excess glare and weren't road-legal when they bought them, they just didn't, and likely still don't, care.
I guess this recall is why all the LED bulb vendors are suddenly making you enter your vehicle information before buying and not listing LED bulbs if you input a non-off-road vehicle and enter your address as a US one (a "restriction" easily bypassed by entering an off-road vehicle) it's like adult sites asking you to confirm your age by clicking "I'm over 18".
I mean, I sure af wouldn't, lol
Ah, the ole Carolina Squat. One of the most idiotic f'ing things ever.
NHTSA has taken enforcement action against Diode Dynamics for selling non-compliant LED headlight bulbs. At the same time NHTSA ignores the 2 largest sellers of illegal LED headlight bulbs: eBay and Amazon. And US Customs and Border Protection ignores all the illegal LED headlight bulbs entering the country from China.
"Ignores" seems like the wrong word to use here. They should go after the high profile companies first to send a message, and make most efficient use of their time. That's prioritizing more than ignoring. Amazon and ebay, even if they buy brand X, find it non-compliant and notify these two, the seller will just come back with a new account, same product, and call it brand Y or Z, maybe with a cosmetic change, or just a different picture.
In cases like this, it's "self-approved" or self-certified, meaning the company is ensuring that their part meets the specs given by the DOT. The same thing happens with motorcycle helmets, etc.
As I understand it, (aftermarket) LEDs simply aren't legal according to FMVSS 108 for headlight bulbs. They can offer halogens or HIDs, but HIDs will require ballasts, etc, etc.
How do we stop people from blinding other drivers with aftermarket LEDs?
Good headlights make you safer, but bad ones actively hurt other road users.
arstechnica.com
Helmets are not the same, are more universal in application and have criteria they test against while we know it is always the opposite with these LED drop-ins. They have no way to test a drop-in, without each specific housing per vehicle... which is what we've known all along, that besides the excessively cold color temp and the brightness, LED bulbs need to be in housings designed specifically for that specific LED bulb design. "DOT approved" or "Dot certified" is always a blatant lie when it comes to LED drop-ins sold as just the bulbs, without housings for specific vehicles only.
On the other hand, a vehicle specific housing, can be DOT approved based on same criteria, but only if used with the type of bulb it was designed for... goes both ways.
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I ran a set of these in my 300 for awhile.... ended up going back to halogens. It seems like every aftermarket LED creates a kind of “washed out” look in terms of color, as if the bulbs have awful CRI.
The reality is, the light housings are carefully designed by the automakers (or their suppliers) to be used with a specific bulb design. Sometimes people get lucky in that their housing works "okay" with LEDs. All too often, people won't admit that they screwed up by swapping them....
Or they say things like, "Gosh, my low beams work so well I don't even need to use high beams anymore!"
Ok, so you've turned your low beams into high beams and that's an improvement how? At least in the stock configuration, you could stop blinding people by turning them off.
4WD
$50 site donor 2024
Yeah, it’s getting worse … I carry night time clip on’s for my glasses
gathermewool
Site Donor 2023
Sucky LED on the left. Halogen on the right.
That’s a bit of an extreme example.
Here’s my 2017 Silverado that I referenced earlier. The cutoff is fine with the factory projectors but you lose the halogen hotspot and intensity. As I noted before, the cool color of the LED bulbs makes it difficult to see to drive on wet roads.