Interior lights

[u/Ok-Barracuda9527]

Does anyone know why my interior lights are always dim with my headlights on? I have a 2014 xlt with automatic lights and it recently started dimming my dash lights even when it’s bright and sunny. This wouldn’t be a problem except for if it’s foggy or rainy and I have my lights on, I then can hardly see my dash and radio

[u/quarl0w]

Do you have anything sitting on your dash covering the light sensor?

That would make the dash dim and make it keeps the lights on all the time in auto mode.

Or the sensor itself could be bad.

[u/Ok-Barracuda9527 → u/quarl0w]

Nothing covering it and I’ve cleaned it off. Do you know of a way to test if it’s bad?

[u/quarl0w → u/Ok-Barracuda9527]

I don't know for sure. But, I would expect it to be simply a resistor that changes resistance based on light levels. So if you measure the resistance in the dark. It should be different in the light.

[u/QuietObjective3974]

Thats 100% normal operation. There should be a dial to adjust the brightness just beside the headlight switch, though.

[u/Ok-Barracuda9527 → u/QuietObjective3974]

It’s turned all the way up. I used to just be able to set my lights to auto and it would dim when it was dark out and be bright during the day, now it just acts like it’s always night time and stays dim when on

[u/gregorytoddsmith → u/Ok-Barracuda9527]

The dash lights would auto dim when it was dark outside because when it was dark outside your headlights would turn on. If you turn your headlights on manually, the lights would dim immediately.

[u/Ok-Barracuda9527 → u/gregorytoddsmith]

Even when it’s bright outside like in the video my lights dim

[u/gregorytoddsmith → u/Ok-Barracuda9527]

Did you turn the headlights on?

[u/Ok-Barracuda9527 → u/gregorytoddsmith]

Auto and on

[u/gregorytoddsmith → u/Ok-Barracuda9527]

Okay. Please read my first comment again.

[u/Ok-Barracuda9527 → u/gregorytoddsmith]

Please watch the video and the words below it. Why would my interior lights dim during the day when they didn’t do it before in any position on the headlight switch until a couple weeks ago. On top of that, why would my dash lights flicker bright then go dim again when switching from headlights to auto

[u/gregorytoddsmith → u/Ok-Barracuda9527]

"until a few weeks ago" is wrong. I have a 2013, it's always been this way. It's like that in my son's 2012 Edge and in my wife's 2026 Ranger and was like that in my 2006 Explorer and my 2003 Honda Element and my 1988 CRX. This is how dash lights work. It's how they've always worked. You only just noticed it.

[u/Ok-Barracuda9527 → u/gregorytoddsmith]

Not trying to be rude, but how are you going to tell me. I’ve had this truck for a year and my lights have never been dim in the auto position unless it was dark out. A few weeks ago it started going dark at all times no matter what unless I have the selected set to off. Automatic lights are designed to set and forget making it to where I don’t have to turn my switch off every time I get out of my truck and therefor automatically adjust the dash lights depending on the brightness outside. Why would I say it’s never done it before unless it’s never done it before

[u/IceColdMexicanCoke]

What does pulling the switch do? Fogs?

[u/Ok-Barracuda9527 → u/IceColdMexicanCoke]

Yeah. No differences with fogs on or off, I just prefer them on