Journey with Confidence RV GPS App RV Trip Planner RV LIFE Campground Reviews RV Maintenance Take a Speed Test Free 7 Day Trial ×


Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
Old 12-06-2016, 07:36 AM   #1
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Oct 2015
Posts: 2,270
Have an early build 2015 GMC Sierra and don't like the low beams?

Do you have a 2015 GMC Sierra and have noticed that the low beams on the projector headlights sort of suck? This does not apply to the Chevrolets, as they have a different arrangement with another light below the projector lens.

I noticed this summer that while driving my 2015 GMC 2500 that the low beams of the projector type headlamps are really bad. As with all these projectors, you have a distinct cut off of light maybe 30 to 40 yards in front of the vehicle when on low beam. It never really hit me until this summer while we were in Sinnemahoning PA, which is a very rural area and on a moonless night is one of the darkest places I have ever been. Beyond that light cutoff line a reflective sign further ahead is not seen, nor Rudolph's eyes, nothing. I started searching around the web and found a lot of the same complaints and then stumbled upon GM TSB program PIT5374.

This applies to the 2015 models built prior to certain dates depending on the assembly plant, in my case it was Ft Wayne and applied to trucks made before 1-16-15, mine was built earlier that month.

I dropped off the truck last week at the dealer for an oil change and state inspection so I asked the manager if he knew anything about this TSB. He looked up the VIN and said we'll take care of it.

This morning was the first time I have driven the truck and man what a difference. Now reflective signs way out ahead light up. You still have a distinctive line between light and dark but you do get some bleed-over to the sides and in front of that line that was not there before. The light is also a lot brighter, I'd guess close to double.

They reprogram the Body Control module to put more volts to the headlights and replace the bulbs with a different design.

So if you have one and do not like the low beams, you may want to take it in and mention TSB PIT5374.
Mr Havercamp is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 12-06-2016, 07:50 AM   #2
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: Waynesville
Posts: 14,428
Have you driven at night since the changes with "On coming traffic "? DI'd you get the Bright Light signal from them? Some of the lights are Very Offensive! Youroo! !
__________________
youroo is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 12-06-2016, 08:18 AM   #3
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Oct 2015
Posts: 2,270
Quote:
Originally Posted by youroo View Post
Have you driven at night since the changes with "On coming traffic "? DI'd you get the Bright Light signal from them? Some of the lights are Very Offensive! Youroo! !
Picked it up yesterday afternoon and drove it to work today just to see if it made a difference. (its not a daily driver). I have about 10 miles of a two lane PA state highway and 25 miles of I-70 to get where I am at. The two lane is fairly busy at 5 AM as its a shortcut between two Interstates, gets a lot of commuting traffic, and it's also rural and dark. I would bet I met at least 50 vehicles opposing in that 10 mile stretch and did not get one signal. I did have 2 or 3 of the typical morons that I had to flip the signal at for never dimming theirs.

They had to do something with those replacement bulbs to get the light to bleed over like that. Inside, behind the lens, is a metal shield that raises when you kick on the high beams. Its all done with one bulb.
Mr Havercamp is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 12-06-2016, 08:27 AM   #4
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: Waynesville
Posts: 14,428
Thanks, that is good news, how many were driving Without their headlights? They are out there! and they reproduce! Youroo! !
__________________
youroo is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 12-06-2016, 09:11 AM   #5
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Oct 2015
Posts: 2,270
Quote:
Originally Posted by youroo View Post
Thanks, that is good news, how many were driving Without their headlights? They are out there! and they reproduce! Youroo! !
None without headlights, it was 5AM and the bars close at 2AM.
Mr Havercamp is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 12-06-2016, 01:49 PM   #6
Phat Phrog Stunt Team
 
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: South West PA
Posts: 3,012
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mr Havercamp View Post
None without headlights, it was 5AM and the bars close at 2AM.
I had the recall done and yes it is better but... the side lighting is terrible when making a turn off a main road into a country rd, lane or driveway with poor lighting, In my opinion the glare from the embedded turn signals in the outside towing mirror is part of the problem. They need a software program to turn the brightness level down. In my opinion it's a huge safety issue and should be fixed.
grayfox is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 12-06-2016, 01:57 PM   #7
Phat Phrog Stunt Team
 
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: South West PA
Posts: 3,012
I do know the headlights can be replaced with an after market Kit... $ 500 or there about.

There is a pending lawsuit against GM on this particular issue. As far as I know it has not turned into a class action lawsuit at this time.
grayfox is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 12-06-2016, 02:56 PM   #8
Member
 
pontiacdan45's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2015
Location: Twin Lakes WI
Posts: 82
Send a message via Skype™ to pontiacdan45
I have the same issue with the low beams. Poor design. Hope GM steps up on this.
__________________
Pontiac Dan

2015 Rockwood Signature Ultra-Lite 8289 ws
2015 GMC Crew Cab 2500HD Gas:
pontiacdan45 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 12-06-2016, 02:57 PM   #9
Senior Member
 
Ham Camper's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2014
Location: KY and FL
Posts: 184
Thanks for the info. I too have that same problem on my 2015 GMC 2500. I just thought I would have to live with it. I do not drive much at night so I don't think about it until this time of year when it gets dark at 4:30 pm.
__________________


Larry W8PO & Lori N8IHJ and Louie the wonder dog
2014 Surveyor Cadet 265RLDS
2015 GMC Denali HD
Ham Camper is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 12-06-2016, 03:12 PM   #10
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Oct 2015
Posts: 2,270
Quote:
Originally Posted by grayfox View Post
I had the recall done and yes it is better but... the side lighting is terrible when making a turn off a main road into a country rd, lane or driveway with poor lighting, In my opinion the glare from the embedded turn signals in the outside towing mirror is part of the problem. They need a software program to turn the brightness level down. In my opinion it's a huge safety issue and should be fixed.

The side lighting has not jumped out at me yet. That may be we are just used to the old style lights? To me the TSB for the low beam is a 200% improvement over what I had. I have driven a couple of newer vehicles with these projector lights and they all seem to be lacking somewhere.

Lawsuits and class action, probably not happening. From what I have read the "official" complaints are minuscule to the amount of them on the road and they meet all the Federal guidelines and specifications. I'm sure some attorney will suck himself onto it like everything else and maybe we'll all get new lights. Maybe even the ones with the LED strip running lamps?

I believe they also have a TSB issued for your turn signals. My truck must have been built after they addressed it as they do not bother me. You should check. They change the glass and the new has the LED's set at a different angle or something.
Mr Havercamp is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 12-06-2016, 03:41 PM   #11
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: New Orleans, La
Posts: 23
Poor lighting

I also own a 2015 and could not deal with the low output at night on country roads. Ordered a set of HID bulbs and transformers and changed them out, night and day difference.
speckeld is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 12-06-2016, 03:47 PM   #12
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Oct 2015
Posts: 2,270
Quote:
Originally Posted by speckeld View Post
I also own a 2015 and could not deal with the low output at night on country roads. Ordered a set of HID bulbs and transformers and changed them out, night and day difference.
What did you get?
Mr Havercamp is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 12-06-2016, 04:06 PM   #13
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: New Orleans, La
Posts: 23
can't remember exact brand, there are several out there at reasonable prices. I will say it was not easy to install on my 3500. Wheel wells had to be partially removed along with fresh air intakes. For the outcome it was worth the pain in the butt.
speckeld is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 12-06-2016, 05:21 PM   #14
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Oct 2015
Posts: 2,270
Quote:
Originally Posted by speckeld View Post
can't remember exact brand, there are several out there at reasonable prices. I will say it was not easy to install on my 3500. Wheel wells had to be partially removed along with fresh air intakes. For the outcome it was worth the pain in the butt.

Thanks, for now I'll go with the GMC fix as at least to me its a night and day difference.....literally. But I'm looking at those kits and I just can not leave well enough alone. The one thing mine did not have factory was the fog / driving lights. I had thought by now GM would of come out with the factory plug and play kit to add them as they had done on earlier models but no dice. Maybe another project someday using aftermarket for those too.
Mr Havercamp is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 12-06-2016, 05:47 PM   #15
Phat Phrog Stunt Team
 
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: South West PA
Posts: 3,012
FYI

GMC Hit With Lawsuit Over Sierra's New Headlights

GMC Sierra Headlights Dim? GM Fights Class-Action Lawsuit | CarComplaints.com
grayfox is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 12-06-2016, 06:17 PM   #16
Phat Phrog Stunt Team
 
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: South West PA
Posts: 3,012
Another FYI

GMC headlight recall concern - 2014 / 2015 / 2016 / 2017 Chevrolet Silverado & GMC Sierra 1500 - GM-Trucks.com
grayfox is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 12-06-2016, 07:06 PM   #17
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Oct 2015
Posts: 2,270
Thanks, I had read a couple of those articles previously. Those lawsuits are filed against big corporations all the time, especially the big 3. The Attorneys start getting all giddy when they smell the money and if you researched them you'll find they're probably to the legal profession what Burger King is to Fine Dining. They're hoping for a handout (settlement) and could give a rats ass about our headlights. Not long ago they were going after Ford for brake rotors warping. Ford was replacing a lot of them after warranty as a good faith deal. That got quiet quick as Ford probably puckered up and paid them off to just go away. I guess we'll see where it go's, but if I had to lay money down, I'd bet nowhere. I went through this sort of thing with one of the early GM 5.3's back in 2000. Those had a piston slap when cold that went away after 30 seconds and people went ballistic about it, despite GM saying "normal". I took mine in bitching twice and was told that too. Multiple class actions were filed and I opted in to two just for the halibut. I've never seen a check or any other documentation of the outcome. That motor had 267000 on it when I sold the truck in 2012 or 13, I actually forget, and is still running to this day, piston slap and all. I never did one thing to it other than oil changes Add to that if you search around you'll find the same exact complaints for lots of different brands / models with the projector headlights.

The funny thing is after I realized how much the lights truly sucked, I let my son who is 33 use the truck one weekend. He told me I was nuts and the headlights were great. Maybe we're all just to set in our ways and got used to sealed beams and reflectors?

Now that they've done that TSB I think I can live with it.
Mr Havercamp is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 12-06-2016, 08:00 PM   #18
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2015
Location: North Ga.
Posts: 420
Is this just a GMC problem or is it also Chevrolet? I have a 2015 2500 and don't really like the low beam lights as they shine like their is something blocking them from shinning very high. You can see a line of darkness in front of you especially when you go up and down a hill.
__________________
USAF Ret. ______________________________________
2015 24 FQSL NITRO TH
2015 2500 Silverado Crew Cab LTZ Duramax 4X4
2012 HD Street Glide
2008 Honda FSC600 Silver wing
hdmtnrider is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 12-06-2016, 08:13 PM   #19
win
Senior Member
 
win's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: Edmonton.Alberta,Canada
Posts: 163
Have an early build 2015 GMC Sierra and don't like the low beams?

I have the 15 Silverado also and the lights suck, what helped I installed putco led driving lights
win is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 12-06-2016, 08:34 PM   #20
win
Senior Member
 
win's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: Edmonton.Alberta,Canada
Posts: 163
Quote:
Originally Posted by win View Post
I have the 15 Silverado also and the lights suck, what helped I installed putco led driving lights

Click image for larger version

Name:	ImageUploadedByForest River Forums1481074467.177059.jpg
Views:	138
Size:	158.7 KB
ID:	126295
win is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Tags
sierra

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off


» Featured Campgrounds

Reviews provided by

Disclaimer:

This website is not affiliated with or endorsed by Forest River, Inc. or any of its affiliates. This is an independent, unofficial site.



All times are GMT -5. The time now is 02:55 AM.