Consumer Agency: "Many Defective Car Headlamp Bulbs Distributed Online"

Over 60% of Halogen and Tuning LED Lamps Have Issues
Mold and Bacteria Growth on Unchanged Cabin Air Filters

Recently, as more drivers are directly replacing consumable automotive parts themselves, various products are being sold online; however, it has been found that many headlamp lamps with unverified safety are circulating. Additionally, cabin air filters that purify the air inside vehicles need to be replaced regularly to protect passengers' respiratory health, but since they do not directly affect vehicle driving performance, there are concerns that appropriate replacement cycles are often missed.

On the 20th, the Korea Consumer Agency announced that, in collaboration with the office of Assemblyman Mo Kyung-jong of the Democratic Party of Korea, it investigated the performance of automotive headlamp lamps distributed online and the contamination levels of cabin air filters in use, confirming these issues. In particular, among 20 headlamp lamp products surveyed, 13 were found to be non-compliant with relevant standards, and cabin air filters that had not been replaced for a long time showed growth of mold and bacteria.

Ten tuning LED lamps investigated by the Korea Consumer Agency. Among them, seven products were found to have performance issues.
[Photo by Korea Consumer Agency]

Specifically, in the luminous flux test for halogen lamps used for headlamps, 6 out of 10 products tested were found to be non-compliant with standards. The luminous flux of these products ranged from 529.80 to 950.26 lumens, which is lower than the standard (1350 to 1650 lumens), raising concerns that drivers may not properly recognize surrounding objects during nighttime driving.

In the investigation of power ratings for halogen headlamp lamps, all 10 products tested showed rated power (85W to 100W) higher than the standard power (55W for H7 type). The Consumer Agency warned that using lamps with power ratings higher than the standard may cause overheating of the lamps, shortening the lifespan of surrounding components or causing overloads in the electrical circuits of lighting devices, so caution is necessary.

Regarding tuning LED lamps, the results of tests on luminance, chromaticity, and luminous flux showed that 7 out of 10 products (70.0%) were non-compliant with the "Lighting Device Certification Evaluation Standards." Four products failed all three criteria of luminance, chromaticity, and luminous flux; one product failed luminance and luminous flux criteria; and two products failed either luminance or luminous flux criteria. All these non-compliant products were uncertified.

Current laws such as the Automobile Management Act stipulate that only parts meeting safety standards should be used in vehicles. However, since there is no legal basis to regulate defective headlamp lamps distributed before installation in vehicles, the Consumer Agency pointed out the need to establish safety management measures for headlamp lamps circulating in the market.

In the investigation of contamination levels of cabin air filters installed in vehicle air conditioning systems by driving distance, filters from vehicles with less than 10,000 km driven showed mold at 150 CFU/100 cm² and bacteria at 2,200 CFU/100 cm², whereas filters from vehicles driven between 20,000 km and 25,000 km showed mold on average 11.0 times higher (1,650 CFU/100 cm²) and bacteria on average 5.8 times higher (12,833 CFU/100 cm²). This indicates that the longer the driving distance (or the usage period of the cabin air filter), the greater the amount of mold and bacteria.

The Consumer Agency plans to share these investigation results with relevant government departments and propose the establishment of safety management measures for automotive headlamp lamps. A Consumer Agency official urged, "For tuning LED lamps, choose certified products, and replace cabin air filters within the appropriate cycle."