[KlayST]

Know I've seen a few other post in regards to this but after a few months of ownership I think I've figured out what the cause is for the headlights to automatically come on at random on a sunny day. I've come to notice this seems to happen mostly when traveling in the afternoon sun(around 2-3pm) when traveling in a North to North Easterly direction(sun is almost directly behind, tad towards drivers side rear quarter).

My hypothesis is that the angle in which the sunlight is hitting the windshield it creates a blockage of light getting to the sensor. Observations have been on this same stretch of road on a sunny day the lights always come on like clock work, if it's cloudy they do not. Recently I've been taking a different route to work and every time I was on a stretch of road pointing in a N to NE direction the lights would come on, turn on a side street they go back out.

Any other thoughts or observations?

 

[Carlson]

Noticed that too, lights come up when the sun is low and behind the car. Always thought it's not a bad thing - the upcoming drivers are having the sun right in their eyes, and having the lights on improves my car's visibility.

 

[brian60]

The day I bought my car the salesman was doing his usual "Just in case this dude knows 0 about cars I'll tell him how to drive starting with the basics" speech, and he told me I'll usually always want to have my car into the far right "automatic on" position and I immediately switched it to the position to the left and turned my fogs on. Always hated the automatic option, and having lights on at all times is safer anyway. The time or two that I have accidentally put it into automatic mode I've noticed, however, that it is bipolar and decides to turn on and off at weird times for sure.

 

[UnfocusedST]

The sensor sits top middle of the dash. So if it doesn't see enough light it will turn the headlights on. Keeping it clean might help.

Sent from another garage.

 

[ride_4_pow]

I noticed that the cornering HID's don't work unless I'm in automatic mode, which is kind of annoying.

 

[mazui]

It's definitely more sensitive than the automatic lights in my other car. Lights will come on if there's a shadow on the sensor long enough. But unlike my other car, I can actually turn the lights off if I so choose so it's not a big deal.

 

[KlayST]

Noticed that too, lights come up when the sun is low and behind the car. Always thought it's not a bad thing - the upcoming drivers are having the sun right in their eyes, and having the lights on improves my car's visibility.

True, never thought of it that way. Was thinking more along the lines of wasting bulb life. :lol:

I noticed that the cornering HID's don't work unless I'm in automatic mode, which is kind of annoying.

Know the adaptive headlight feature only works in auto but never checked for the corner lamps. Ford should of made it where you turn those features on/off in the settings menu so you could customize it to your liking.

 

[cheatingk9610]

I keep mine all the way to the left during the day. Keeps only the LED strips on (which I like). I'll turn it all the way to the right at night because they turn off automatically when I turn the car off then.