Ive gone into vehicle setting and tried the different options for when the automatic high beams go on and off. My issue is that the eyesight camera ( I think is what's reading the abient light ) picks up high beams reflecting off highway signs and turns off the high beams. The high beams turn off on my secondary highway as some property owners have street light style poles on their property. Another issue I've had is when passing a vehicle on a divided multiple lane highway the high beams come on sometimes as I'm passing the car beside me so I've just blasted this person as I'm passing them. I now turn off the automatic high beams so this doesnt happen. I'm thinking of having the dealer just turn off this feature. Just wondering if people are having similar results.
Automatic high beam
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I had a 2016 Mazda with the automatic high beams and it did the exact same things. I guess these are instances that the software engineers have yet to figure out. Still, I feel it's considerably better than manually working the high beam which has always been a pain ever since they moved the high beam switch from the floor to the stalk decades ago.
I also wish everyone had and would use auto high beams. They're not perfect but all of us would be better off not being blinded by cars coming in the opposite direction. Many people are either too lazy, too forgetful, or too uncaring to turn off their high beams. With the much brighter output of modern lighting, this is getting dangerous.
I also wish everyone had and would use auto high beams. They're not perfect but all of us would be better off not being blinded by cars coming in the opposite direction. Many people are either too lazy, too forgetful, or too uncaring to turn off their high beams. With the much brighter output of modern lighting, this is getting dangerous.
I recently purchased a 2021 Ascent and find that I am having the same difficulty Jigger mentions. My driving is primarily on rural roadways and I have particular difficulty due to today's highly reflective traffic signs constantly turning off my high beams. To me, this makes for a very unsafe driving condition, at relatively high speeds on rural roadways. I too am considering having the dealer disable this function. Just thought I'd reinforce your concern Jigger.
I had the dealer turn off auto high beams because the system is not very smart. Countless times it would blast people when they shouldn't come on, and times when I needed them for deer and such they wouldn't come on.
It's a great feature in theory, but in the end proved to be problematic.
It's a great feature in theory, but in the end proved to be problematic.
Mine have always worked surprisingly great.
I too have never had an issue with them. I think they work best in rural areas actually.
I leave my automatic setting on all the time. I am in the Denver metro area. I found them very responsive to oncoming traffic.
Why did you have to have the dealer turn them off? Can't you just pull the turn signal stalk towards you (to its normal position) and leave it there?
Our 2020's auto high beams work surprisingly well. Our driving is probably 85% "rural" and 15% "suburban" (though it's still a small town area) and I'm impressed with how well the system works. It's never failed to correctly detect an oncoming vehicle for me...ever. It sometimes does see false positives with road signs and such, but I would say it correctly ignores these far more often than it gets fooled by them. It also works well in our neighborhood, where there's a plethora of reflectors on the side of the road, on mailboxes, porch lights on, etc. I think it does a very nice job of tuning out most of the noise in the picture feed it gets. It is, of course, never 100% right. But I've found that it errs on the side of caution by keeping the high beams off unless it's sure there are no oncoming vehicles. Again, it's never missed an oncoming vehicle for me.
I believe that insures that pushing the stalk forward to the high beam position makes it turn on the highs regardless of conditions...it takes the sensor out of the picture. If you pull the stalk back, that just locks it in low beam.
Oh -- right. That would allow you to continue to use automatic headlights, but would keep the high beams manual.
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Did they check the calibration before disabling it. ...Interesting, my auto hi beams have worked flawlessly, the best system I've ever used, smart enough to know cars from lights near the side of the road. My Lincoln will react to reflections off of street signs, porch lights, and reflective vests, and it needs a dark stretch of road before it can calibrate itself before it works( it's a 2014), and my Jag, surely in a nod to sir Joseph Lucas, will occasionally flash hi beams when following a car that is about a quarter mile ahead- it does this maybe three times a year, and then it's fine the rest of the time, it's the only actual issue I've had with the car in 1.5 years, and i figure I'll never duplicate that phenomenon for the dealer.
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The only way an owner can disable automatic high beams is by turning off automatic headlights. So, sans a dealer option that can be changed, pulling the stalk is the only way to activate high beams in "auto" mode when the car would otherwise keep them off - or disabling automatic lights all together.
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I drive my new 2021 Ascent in about 50-50 highway/rural and the headlights and the auto highbeams are fantastic. Especially compared to my 2018 Premium Outback with the halogen lights and the separate sensor for the auto highbeams (I think it was the last year). My wife was always complaining about the way they worked on the Outback.
I used to use the AHB's all the time in the early morning going to work. I do hate that the turn signal stalk has to be so far away from the wheel. I think the Subaru stalks are just the right distance normally (I have short fingers). I hate the ones we've had on our Fords, they're always just a little to far away and I have to reach for them.
I used to use the AHB's all the time in the early morning going to work. I do hate that the turn signal stalk has to be so far away from the wheel. I think the Subaru stalks are just the right distance normally (I have short fingers). I hate the ones we've had on our Fords, they're always just a little to far away and I have to reach for them.
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Didn’t want to start a new thread in this, but just checked with my dealer and they say they CAN turn off the auto high beam function, but are NOT allowed to do so.
If others have had this done by the dealer using their computer device, can you post on whether you met this resistance and/or overcame it?
Thanks!
If others have had this done by the dealer using their computer device, can you post on whether you met this resistance and/or overcame it?
Thanks!
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I think it's so that automatic headlight mode complies with state and federal laws, so, I'd expect zero dealerships are allowed to, and, a tech may get fired for doing so. All states have high beam laws that require turning off high beams for various conditions - so, when headlights are in automatic mode, the car adheres to the law (to the best ability of the technology). The law is, in general, 500 feet (1,000 feet in some states) in front, and 200-300 feet approaching from the rear.
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Robert,
While nicely said, not sure that answers my question. Have submitted email to SOA with situation so far. Also, since all cars don’t have auto dimming, even with auto headlights …
Seems like I’ve read in several places that others have had this change completed at their dealer? If it can’t be changed because of some federal of state law, why would the dealer be able to change it?
While nicely said, not sure that answers my question. Have submitted email to SOA with situation so far. Also, since all cars don’t have auto dimming, even with auto headlights …
Seems like I’ve read in several places that others have had this change completed at their dealer? If it can’t be changed because of some federal of state law, why would the dealer be able to change it?
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It's listed as a dealer changeable setting. I'm guessing that, since laws regarding it are state driven, it may be dependent on the state of the dealership. Many of SoA's instructions to dealerships include following related state and federal law. So, I wonder if it's a state based issue in various states?
Maybe someone can start a topic asking for those who've asked, what state, and what was the answer?
Correct - so, since the car doesn't control the high beams, the car isn't bound by the laws.
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Will see what SOA says - I can’t imagine Florida having restrictions 😮
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