Ambient Lighting Problems

[Sunny32_1967]

Just checked my 2012 Limited and the rear door handles are not lit. The only ambient lighting is from the back of the front center console.

Thanks for confirming that Scotty. I am glad i was not shortchanged..

 

[3587]

So, every time I get in my Ex I have to shut off the ambient lighting... How can I get it to remain off?

 

[peterk9]

Page 520 of the 2015 Owner's Guide;

Ambient Lighting (If Equipped)
When activated, ambient lighting illuminates footwells and cupholders
with a choice of colors. To access and make adjustments:
1. Press the Settings icon > Vehicle > Ambient Lighting.
2. Touch the desired color.
3. Use the scroll bar to increase or decrease the intensity.
To turn the feature on or off, press the power button.

Is that what you have been doing and it comes back on?

Peter

 

[3587]

Page 520 of the 2015 Owner's Guide;

Ambient Lighting (If Equipped)
When activated, ambient lighting illuminates footwells and cupholders
with a choice of colors. To access and make adjustments:
1. Press the Settings icon > Vehicle > Ambient Lighting.
2. Touch the desired color.
3. Use the scroll bar to increase or decrease the intensity.
To turn the feature on or off, press the power button.

Is that what you have been doing and it comes back on?

Peter

Yes. Every single time I have to go into settings and shut it OFF. Also, the brightness does not work. I dim it all the way down, but it stays at its brightest setting.

 

[Sunny32_1967]

Yes. Every single time I have to go into settings and shut it OFF. Also, the brightness does not work. I dim it all the way down, but it stays at its brightest setting.

So i tested this on my Ex Sport 2015 in this order. If it doesn't work for you, perhaps you need to visit the dealer. My Ambient feature was turned on so this is what i did:
1. Unlocked my car with the Door Handle sensor. Ambient light turned on to its default light blue color. Once the MFT booted up, the color changed to Red (my setting).
2. Started my car and went in to the settings on the MFT and switched off the Ambient lighting. The cupholder, door locks and pedestal lighting turned off.
3. Press the Push Button to turn off my car. The default Blue lighting came on again.
4. Locked my car with the door sensor and walked away for 5 mins.
5. Unlocked my car with door sensor. Ambient lighting with default light blue color came on.
6. Started my car and the Ambient lighting went off and stayed that way, until i turned off my car and opened the door to exit. That is when the default color light came on.

I think the default light blue light goes off only when MFT is booted up since the ambient color features are controlled by MFT. And by the way my brightness feature works just fine. The moving of that electronic slider is certainly choppy but it does work for me.

 

[peterk9]

3587, you should have the dealer check that out. It should stay OFF once you have turned it off in the Ambient Lighting screen. I tested mine and it remained OFF when I restarted the vehicle. Yours is not working the way it should.

Peter

 

[3587]

3587, you should have the dealer check that out. It should stay OFF once you have turned it off in the Ambient Lighting screen. I tested mine and it remained OFF when I restarted the vehicle. Yours is not working the way it should.

Peter

I'll tinker with it more tomorrow and see what I find out. It's too darn bright, so I want it off.

 

[TerryVanpool]

Mine has done this since new. Now has 4800 miles and 5 months on it. On mine the ambient light will stay off during the rest of the drive but the next time you get in it the lighting will be on again. The dealer is not interested in fixing it and say they cannot duplicate the issue.
If you find a cure "please" let us know.

 

[Sunny32_1967]

Mine has done this since new. Now has 4800 miles and 5 months on it. On mine the ambient light will stay off during the rest of the drive but the next time you get in it the lighting will be on again. The dealer is not interested in fixing it and say they cannot duplicate the issue.
If you find a cure "please" let us know.

TerryVanpool, I believe what you are seeing is by design. My functions the same way. I went to the dealer for mud flaps and poked around in more Sports 2015 models and found the same behavior as mine. I think it is just by design.

 

[peterk9]

Sunny and Terry, when you turn the 'Lighting' off and then shut the vehicle off and restart it, does the Ambient Lighting come back on at that point?
Mine doesn't. It stays off. I haven't tried driving it to see if it comes back on.

Peter

 

[TerryVanpool]

Sunny and Terry, when you turn the 'Lighting' off and then shut the vehicle off and restart it, does the Ambient Lighting come back on at that point?
Mine doesn't. It stays off. I haven't tried driving it to see if it comes back on.

Peter

Peter it may stay off for a day or two then it is back on at the highest brightness. There is no rhyme or reason to it.

Sunny if this is by design it is stupid.

 

[peterk9]

Thanks for the reply. I'll have to give it a try for a few days and see if mine turns back on. I can't believe it is designed to work the way it does for you two. If you turn it OFF, it should stay that way until you turn it back ON.

Peter

 

[Sunny32_1967]

Sunny and Terry, when you turn the 'Lighting' off and then shut the vehicle off and restart it, does the Ambient Lighting come back on at that point?
Mine doesn't. It stays off. I haven't tried driving it to see if it comes back on.

Peter

Peter, In my case if i turn off the Ambient lighting, and then shut the vehicle off and restart it, it turns on to default light blue but only for a moment until MFT boots up. Once MFT is booted and functional, Ambient lighting turns off and stays that way, whether I drive it or not.

 

[Sunny32_1967]

Peter it may stay off for a day or two then it is back on at the highest brightness. There is no rhyme or reason to it.

Sunny if this is by design it is stupid.

Terry, I concur... Off should just keep it off and not let it turn on even for a moment. Kind of defeats the purpose.

 

[peterk9]

Peter, In my case if i turn off the Ambient lighting, and then shut the vehicle off and restart it, it turns on to default light blue but only for a moment until MFT boots up. Once MFT is booted and functional, Ambient lighting turns off and stays that way, whether I drive it or not.

I believe that is the way it works. I don't think you can turn off the default lighting which I think is separate from the Ambient Lighting system.

Peter

 

[Sunny32_1967]

Yep, I think you are right and this is what I have found to be true in my car and the other explorer sports models on the lot.

 

[jmr061]

This makes sense, if you all recall Ford Reps have verified that the ambient lighting defaults to blue when opening and closing doors regardless of what you have your setting at. MFT is a computer so it has to "boot" up. It doesn't use your settings until it boots up so it makes sense that the ambient lighting doesn't use your settings until it is booted up.

 

[3587]

I tinkered with it last night... Seems that it stays OFF now after I startup/shut off the vehicle.

 

[TerryVanpool]

I tinkered with it last night... Seems that it stays OFF now after I startup/shut off the vehicle.

Turn it off and leave it off. See if it comes back on in a day or two.

 

[Sunny32_1967]

I tinkered with it last night... Seems that it stays OFF now after I startup/shut off the vehicle.

What do you mean by tinkered with it? What exactly did you do to make it work as you wanted it to? Care to share?