Night driving is stressful enough without your high beams cutting out or flickering when you need them most. If your vehicle’s high beams work only sometimes—or your automatic high‑beam system behaves unpredictably—you may be wondering whether California’s Lemon Law can help. Below, ZapLemon explains how intermittent high beams fit into California law and what steps you can take to document the problem and protect your rights.
Intermittent High Beams and California Lemon Law
Intermittent high beams can show up in several ways: the lights fail to engage, turn off without input, rapidly flicker, or an “auto high‑beam” feature switches erratically. Causes can range from a faulty stalk switch or headlight control module to wiring issues, camera/sensor faults in advanced driver-assistance systems, or software glitches. Because the issue may not happen every time, it’s common for drivers to be told “could not duplicate” after service visits.
Under California’s Song-Beverly Consumer Warranty Act (often called the California Lemon Law), a vehicle may qualify as a “lemon” if a defect covered by the manufacturer’s warranty substantially impairs the vehicle’s use, value, or safety and the manufacturer (through its authorized dealers) has had a reasonable number of opportunities to repair it. Lighting and visibility problems—especially those affecting nighttime driving—are often treated as safety-related. While the law doesn’t set a single magic number for repairs, serious safety defects may require fewer attempts, and vehicles that spend a cumulative 30 or more days out of service for warranty repairs can also meet Lemon Law criteria. Whether a particular vehicle qualifies depends on the facts and timing.
Examples help: suppose your SUV’s auto high-beam camera intermittently misreads traffic and kills your high beams on dark rural roads, or a headlight control module randomly reboots and leaves you in low-beam when you need more light. Even if a dealer notes “no trouble found,” those visits still count as repair attempts if you brought the car in for the same complaint. The law can apply to new cars and, in many situations, to vehicles sold with the manufacturer’s warranty still in effect, such as some certified pre-owned vehicles. Over-the-air updates and software patches count as repair attempts, too, if they’re performed to fix the same defect.
Steps to Take: Document Repairs and Safety Issues
Because intermittent defects are hard to reproduce, your documentation can make the difference. Note the conditions when the problem happens: speed, road type, traffic, whether “auto high-beam” was on, weather, time of day, and any dashboard messages. Short videos (even from a passenger or dashcam) showing the lights failing or toggling unexpectedly can be helpful. Keep a log with dates and a simple description like “High beams turned off by themselves on Highway 50, dry weather, no oncoming traffic.”
Whenever you visit the dealer, ask that your exact complaint be written on the repair order using plain language such as “customer states high beams cut out intermittently at night.” Request copies of every repair order and final invoice, even if the technician cannot duplicate the concern. If the problem happens after dark, consider scheduling a ride-along or leaving the car overnight so the dealer can test in similar conditions. If the issue persists, escalate to the manufacturer’s customer care line and keep notes of call dates and case numbers.
Prioritize safety while you pursue a fix. If driving at night feels unsafe, adjust your routes, avoid unlit roads, and use other lighting features responsibly until the defect is addressed. You can also search for and mention any technical service bulletins (TSBs) related to lighting or auto high-beams for your make and model, and consider filing a complaint with NHTSA if the defect poses a safety risk. If you think your situation might meet California Lemon Law criteria, consider consulting a lemon law attorney to review your documents and warranty status and discuss options like buyback, replacement, or cash compensation—outcomes that depend on the specifics of your case.
Intermittent high beams aren’t just annoying—they can raise real safety concerns. In California, repeated, unsuccessful repair attempts for a warranty-covered lighting defect—or significant time out of service—may give you rights under the Lemon Law. The strongest steps you can take today are to document the problem, keep every repair record, and promptly report new incidents to your dealer and the manufacturer.
This article is for informational purposes only and is not legal advice. Reading this page does not create an attorney–client relationship with ZapLemon. Attorney advertising; past results do not guarantee a similar outcome. If you believe your vehicle may qualify as a lemon, contact ZapLemon at (844) 927-5366 or https://zaplemon.com to request a consultation and get guidance tailored to your situation.