Auto High Beams Driving Me Nuts - Not Working Properly

[ValentinoRossi]

Hi, this is something that is driving me nuts enough that I finally need to reach out for help.... I love the auto high beams, when they work they are excellent. However, mine have not worked properly since the first week I bought the car (December).

First let me confirm, yes the light dial is turned to auto mode, and its illuminated (yes I have the issue where it stops working properly and the lights get stuck on and i have to turn the wheel to fix it). The auto high beam setting is turned on in sync settings.

What happens is, 80% of the time, I get in the car and drive the same dark back roads near my house I drive every day and they wont activate, even though its pitch dark in the woods, with no ambient lights around at all. I can toggle them myself and they work but its a pain because you have to toggle between 3 modes (high beams on, high beams off, auto mode on/off). Then sometimes in the middle of the drive (no i dont activate the windshield washer during the trip) it randomly starts working, usually in a more well lit area with lots of street lights where you would expect it to have trouble. Sometimes they wont work the entire trip.

I tried cleaning my windshield camera before a trip once to rule out dirt blocking the camera and it didnt help. Same issue that trip.

Some days it works fine. Its a real pita because you get used to having it work and then it doesnt and you are high beaming people until you realize its not working.

Any advice? Is this a known issue that will be fixed (perhaps related to the broken light switch issue/bug?)


PS. Another really annoying bug is that the kick to open the trunk works great to open, works about 90% of the time, however the same kick to close 30 seconds later works about 10% of the time.

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[generaltso]

How fast are you driving on these back roads? Auto High Beams only work above 32 mph.

 

[ValentinoRossi]

How fast are you driving on these back roads? Auto High Beams only work above 32 mph.

about 40mph, they do activate on the same roads at the same speeds when they working properly. It's very obvious when they are working properly and they arent because when they work they activate a lot, even on major highways if no cars coming. I'm fairly certain the speed factor is not the problem.

 

[generaltso]

Then it sounds like you’ll need to have it checked out by your dealer.

 

[heisnuts]

Any chance your windshield has been replaced either for the recall or breakage?

 

[dbsb3233]

PS. Another really annoying bug is that the kick to open the trunk works great to open, works about 90% of the time, however the same kick to close 30 seconds later works about 10% of the time.

I've found the fob (probably PAAK too but I don't use it) receivers on this vehicle to be quite weak, and very picky. Things block the signal, even my body if the pocket I have the fob in its turned outward some. I think that's the real problem - not the liftgate kick sensor (which seems quite forgiving), but the authorization sensors (fob/PAAK).

I have the same issue just unlocking the doors. Then I turn my hip in to give the fob a more direct line, and it works.

If I stand where the fob is roughly centered with the license plate, and kick from there, it works nearly every time.

 

[2FlyMache]

Mine work pretty well but the previous cars I've owned with this feature all seem to suffer some of the same tendencies. Such as: turning off sometimes from reflections from white reflective street signs, Vertical truck tail lights sometime aren't recognized and they'll turn on. I usually leave them on but will occasionally disable based off of some of those things. I also will manually turn them on in my neighborhood in the early morning when car is below 32 mph. Lots of bambi's in the yards

 

[Ford Motor Company]

Hi, this is something that is driving me nuts enough that I finally need to reach out for help.... I love the auto high beams, when they work they are excellent. However, mine have not worked properly since the first week I bought the car (December).

First let me confirm, yes the light dial is turned to auto mode, and its illuminated (yes I have the issue where it stops working properly and the lights get stuck on and i have to turn the wheel to fix it). The auto high beam setting is turned on in sync settings.

What happens is, 80% of the time, I get in the car and drive the same dark back roads near my house I drive every day and they wont activate, even though its pitch dark in the woods, with no ambient lights around at all. I can toggle them myself and they work but its a pain because you have to toggle between 3 modes (high beams on, high beams off, auto mode on/off). Then sometimes in the middle of the drive (no i dont activate the windshield washer during the trip) it randomly starts working, usually in a more well lit area with lots of street lights where you would expect it to have trouble. Sometimes they wont work the entire trip.

I tried cleaning my windshield camera before a trip once to rule out dirt blocking the camera and it didnt help. Same issue that trip.

Some days it works fine. Its a real pita because you get used to having it work and then it doesnt and you are high beaming people until you realize its not working.

Any advice? Is this a known issue that will be fixed (perhaps related to the broken light switch issue/bug?)


PS. Another really annoying bug is that the kick to open the trunk works great to open, works about 90% of the time, however the same kick to close 30 seconds later works about 10% of the time.

Hi there. Can you send us a DM with your VIN and dealership info? I can look into this on my end.

 

[ValentinoRossi]

Any chance your windshield has been replaced either for the recall or breakage?

Negative on both, no recall (Oct 2021 build) and hasnt been replaced)

 

[ValentinoRossi]

Hi there. Can you send us a DM with your VIN and dealership info? I can look into this on my end.

Thank you, will do.

 

[machefan2022]

I don't have a mach-e yet but do have a new ford with auto high beams. On my expedition you can use the left stalk to cycle off-on-auto by pulling/pushing the stalk. Be sure you didn't turn your high beams off using that?

 

[ValentinoRossi]

I don't have a mach-e yet but do have a new ford with auto high beams. On my expedition you can use the left stalk to cycle off-on-auto by pulling/pushing the stalk. Be sure you didn't turn your high beams off using that?

Hi, yes I am certain I am not doing that accidently, I always confirm the auto high beam icon is displayed when I notice the issue.

 

[Motomax]

My favorite is when it decides to randomly blind cars sitting perpendicular to you on a side street or at a traffic light.
there’s also a right hand turn from a well lit intersection on my commute where my car believes I needs all of the lightz but only at the intersection, not before.

 

[Kabish]

My favorite is when it decides to randomly blind cars sitting perpendicular to you on a side street

HAHA!! I had this happen the other day.. The road has a SUPER tight turn to the left and there is no road to the right. Sheriff parks there perpendicular all the time and my car turns on the high beams about 30yrds before the turn...

Nothing like high beaming a cop car lol One of these days he's going to light me up with red and blues!

 

[dbsb3233]

Mine has been working pretty well overall, but just a few weeks ago it kept turning on the high beams when I was just a few car lengths behind another vehicle. And his tail lights were well lit. It normally sees those and stays in low beam, but that night it turned the highs on 3 times. I finally had to manually turn them off.

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