Tail Lamp ‘Defect’ Can Cause 2017-2019 GM Yukon Brake Lights to Fail, Class Action Alleges

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A proposed class action alleges certain Yukon SUVs made by General Motors suffer from a defect whereby the vehicles’ tail lamp housing or assembly can become “inoperable” and cause brake light failure.

The 50-page case alleges the “serious defect” affects certain 2017-2019 model year GMC Yukon, Yukon XL, Yukon Denali and Yukon Denali XL vehicles, and could pose a significant safety hazard in that the failure of a vehicle’s brake lights to illuminate increases the risk of rear-end collisions. According to the lawsuit, the tail lamp assembly issue potentially stems from either faulty LED strips that cause the brake or tail lights to fail, a faulty connection inside the assembly or a defective circuit board assembly caused by a weakness in the circuitry of the tail lamp. 

“Defendant General Motors LLC … has known or should have known about this issue for years but has not yet taken any action to remedy it,” the suit, filed in California on August 11, alleges.

According to the complaint, GM addressed a similar issue in model year 2015-2016 Yukon and Yukon Denali trucks by issuing a special coverage adjustment (SCA) whereby the automaker replaced inoperative tail lamps free of charge, reimbursed owners and lessees who paid out-of-pocket for repairs and covered tail lamp replacements for six years or 72,000 miles. Despite these measures, the 2017-2019 model year Yukons “suffer from the same or similar defect,” the case claims. 

The lawsuit says GM’s knowledge of the defect is “confirmed” due in part to numerous complaints filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) about the apparent Yukon tail lamp problems. According to the suit, drivers’ complaints are “replete with concerns that the tail or brake lamps work only intermittently and present a dangerous and unsafe condition.” 

The suit contends GM has done nothing to date to correct the “concealed” tail lamp defect, which the case claims manifests frequently outside of an affected Yukon’s warranty period. The cost to repair or replace a Yukon tail lamp/brake light assembly exceeds $800, according to the lawsuit. Per the case, GM has sold 2017-2019 Yukon models despite its awareness that the issue with vehicles’ tail lamp assembly poses a possible safety hazard to drivers. 

Per the suit, a vehicle’s tail lamp assembly includes the tail lights that illuminate when the headlights are turned on to create visibility for drivers behind the vehicle at night or in adverse weather. The assembly also includes a vehicle’s brake lights, the case stresses, stating a tail lamp assembly is a component that should last the entire useful life of a vehicle and not require repair or replacement. 

“The tail lamp assembly is a fully sealed unit and was not designed to be repaired,” the case expounds. “If there is a problem, the lamp is replaced as a complete and very expensive unit.” 

Another possible cause of the defect, the case posits, is the defective design of the alloy base circuit used to maintain continuity. The alloy, according to the suit, is unable to expand and contract due to the current design; when the alloy breaks, the current going to the tail lights cannot maintain continuity, causing failure when the circuit trace inside the housing cracks. The filing claims the Yukon tail lamp assembly should have had expansion and contraction points to prevent premature failure. 

The lawsuit also alleges the tail lamp assembly defect could be the result of condensation inside of the assembly. When this manifests, moisture in the air within the tail lamp creates a “fine mist or white fog” on the inside surface of the lamp lens, which can pose a problem for the complex circuit boards that power the LED tail lamps, according to the complaint. Overall, moisture within a sealed tail lamp assembly can cause all manner of problems, as it could enter worn housing and corrode circuit boards, causing the resistors to fail and the LED lights to burn out, the suit says.

The lawsuit looks to represent all persons or entities who bought or leased in the U.S. a GM model year 2017-2019 Yukon, Yukon XL, Yukon Denali or Yukon Denali XL. 

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