2011 Buick Regal

THE HEADLIGHT ASSEMBLY SEAL IS ALLOWING MOISTURE TO ACCUMULATE IN THE HEADLIGHTS CAUSING DIMMING & LOW LIGHTING, THE HEADLIGHTS TO GO ON & OFF PERIODICALLY WITHOUT WARNING AND CAUSING THE ASSEMBLY WIRING TO MELT, CAUSING MORE DAMAGE AND ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS. WHILE MY HUSBAND DRIVING TO WORK IN THE EARLY MORNING ON THE HIGHWAY, THE HEADLIGHTS SUDDENLY STOPPED WORKING AND HAD TO USE HIS HIGH BEAM LIGHTS AND ONLY ONE HEADLIGHT WORKING. THIS HAPPENED APPROXIMATELY 6 AM ON 1/6/2020. GM HAS BEEN AWARE OF THE PROBLEM SINCE 2010 ON SEVERAL OF THEIR GM VEHICLES. NO RECALL HAS BEEN ISSUED.

MY CAR HAS BEEN BLOWING LIGHT BULBS VERY FREQUENTLY. I NOTICED THAT THE WIRE WHAT IS CHARD AND BURNED AND NAKED RESULTING IN THE WIRES TOUCHING EACH OTHER AND CAUSING MY LIGHTS TO FAIL. I REPLACE THE WIRING HARNESS ONCE AND TWO MONTHS LATER THE INSULATION WAS BURNT OFF OF THE WIRE AGAIN. THERE HAS BEEN 2 INSTANCES WHERE IVE BEEN DRIVING AND MY HEADLIGHTS HAVE WENT COMPLETELY OUT AT NIGHT TIME AND I LIVE IN A RURAL AREA WHERE THERE'S NOT A LOT OF STREET LIGHTS. IT ALMOST CAUSED ME TO WRECK. IT'S NOT JUST MY VEHICLE THAT HAS THIS ISSUE. I HAVE THREE FRIENDS WHO EITHER DRIVE A REGAL THEMSELVES OR HAVE A CLOSE FAMILY MEMBER THAT HAS ONE AND ALL THREE OF THEM HAVE TOLD ME THAT THEY'RE EXPERIENCING THE SAME ISSUES. THIS IS DEFINITELY A SAFETY CONCERN. AND IF IT WERE TO HAPPEN TO SOMEBODY ELSE WHO WAS MAYBE NOT SO LUCKY IT COULD HAVE CAUSED A FATAL ACCIDENT.

MY WIFE'S XENON HID HEADLIGHT ASSEMBLIES BEGAN LEAKING DURING MODERATE TO HEAVY RAIN.THE RAIN SHORTED OUT THE BALLAST AND THE HEADLIGHT WENT BLACK. I REPLACED IT AND SOON AFTER, THE OTHER SIDE DID THE SAME. THE ASSEMBLIES GOT WORSE AND BEGAN FOGGING UP DURING WEATHER CHANGES. THEN, MORE BALLASTS WENT OUT. I WENT TO GM AND THEY SAID THE ASSEMBLIES ARE OUT OF PRODUCTION AND NO LONGER AVAILABLE! THIS IS NOT AN OLD CAR. I FOUND NOS UNITS ON EBAY AND OTHERS, AS WELL AS USED UNITS FROM WRECKED CARS, BUT THESE WERE FROM $300 TO $1,500 FOR EACH SIDE! I CHECKED ONLINE AND NOTED THAT THIS APPEARS TO BE A HUGE ISSUE THAT HAS HAUNTED MANY FOLKS AND GM IS NOT ADDRESSING IT. I HAD TO ORDER ANOTHER BALLAST TODAY, SO I'M ORDERING TWO. I ALSO FOUND SO-CALLED AFTERMARKET UNITS IN CHINA, BUT DURING INSPECTION I FOUND THEY WERE ACTUALLY MADE AT HELLA SPECIFICATIONS FOR GM IN SLOVINIA, BUT BEING SOLD AS AFTERMARKET IN CHINA FOR $700 A PAIR. THIS SEEMS TO BE A MAJOR ISSUE AND IF GM NO LONGER SUPPORTS A NEWER CAR, ONE IS FORCED TO BY ANOTHER CAR. I AM OUT QUITE A BIT OF MONEY WITH NO HELP FROM GM /BUICK WHATSOEVER. HOW CAN THIS BE ALLOWED? THIS ISSUE BEGAN IN 2015!

I OWN A 2011 BUICK REGAL WITH THE VEHICLE OPTION "TT6" HID HEADLAMPS. BOTH HEADLAMPS ARE CURRENTLY INOPERATIVE. WHAT I HAVE DISCOVERED IS THAT THE FRONT HEADLAMP ASSEMBLIES HAVE CONDENSATION INSIDE OF THEM. THIS CONDENSATION IN TURN HAS CAUSED NOT ONLY THE HID BULBS TO FAIL BUT ALSO HAS CREATED CORROSION ON THE CONNECTORS WHICH ATTACH TO THE BALLAST MODULE INSIDE EACH LAMP. THIS HAS RENDERED EACH HEADLAMP COMPLETELY USELESS BECAUSE THE CONNECTORS INSIDE OF THE THEM CANNOT BE REMOVED AS IT IS A SEALED UNIT. THE BALLAST AND THE BULB CAN BE REPLACED BUT THE WIRING/TERMINALS CANNOT BE. ADDITIONALLY, EVEN IF THOSE COMPONENTS COULD BE CHANGED AND THE LIGHTS MIRACULOUSLY CAME BACK TO LIFE, THEY WOULD FAIL AGAIN IN SHORT ORDER DUE TO THE CONDENSATION ISSUE. SIMPLY BUYING A NEW HEADLAMP ASSEMBLY IS THE OBVIOUS FIX BUT EACH UNIT COSTS < $1,250 + TAX AND INSTALLATION, WHICH BY THE WAY, INVOLVES REMOVAL OF THE ENTIRE FRONT FASCIA...ANOTHER $300. THEREFORE HAVING TO SPEND AROUND $3,000 TO GET ONES HEADLAMPS TO FUNCTION IS THE ONLY RECOURSE OWNERS OF THESE VEHICLES. I FEEL THAT THIS IS A VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION BECAUSE THE LAMPS CAN JUST BLINK OFF WITHOUT ANY NOTIFICATION WHILE DRIVING WITH THE ONLY FIX BEING OBSCENELY EXPENSIVE.

TAKATA RECALL - THERE IS AN ISSUE WITH THE BALLAST IN THE HID HEADLAMP ASSEMBLY FOR THE CXL TURBO MODEL. THE SEAL MAY BE FAULTY DUE TO THE HEADLAMP SHORTING OUT EXCEPT FOR THE DAYTIME RUNNING LIGHTS. THEY SHORTED OUT RIGHT AFTER A HEAVY DOWNPOUR AND I WAS STOPPED BY A POLICE OFFICER AND TOLD THAT THEY (THE HEADLIGHTS) WERE OUT. I GOT OUT OF THE VEHICLE AND LOOKED AT THE THE LIGHTS ONLY TO REALIZE THAT THEY HAD MALFUNCTIONED AND THERE WAS MOISTURE IN THE ASSEMBLY ITSELF.