head lights

[allie]

i just bought a 2012 ford explorer and i find the head lights are a problem. they shine so close to the ground and do not light up much for distance. there is a difinative line where the light seems to end, ( it is as if you had a round flash light and covered up the top half of the light) all you have shining is the bottom half. this is how my headlights shine. it is awful and hard to see at night. does anyone else have this problem or a soulution...HELP!!!

 

[RandyH2]

Sounds like they may be out of adjustment. A trip to the dealer... Or maybe someone with more energy can go out and take a picture of the lights shining on the garage door with distance from door and a yardstick to show the height of the light pattern...

 

[snowbird]

I've noticed that with ours. So I drive with brights on when no one else coming. Living up here in deer country at night in rural minnesota with the limited sight distance its not safe. I think it has to do I think with fed regulations.

 

[allie]

i have been back to the dealer 2 times. they make adjustments with very little improvement. i still see a horizon line where below it is light and above it no light. in the rural part of buffalo, with no street lights & hilly roads i am terrified to drive at night. i wonder if i could install different lights??? i can not believe Ford could install such a dangerous lighting system.

 

[1tufgt]

i have been back to the dealer 2 times. they make adjustments with very little improvement. i still see a horizon line where below it is light and above it no light. in the rural part of buffalo, with no street lights & hilly roads i am terrified to drive at night. i wonder if i could install different lights??? i can not believe Ford could install such a dangerous lighting system.

The hard cut off is natural with projector headlights. Unlike standard lights that have glow above the cutoff lines.

You might have to take the dealer out in a dark area and show them your concern.

 

[vulnox]

Yeah what you have is normal and assuming it is adjusted correctly, it's far from dangerous and has more light power and distance than standard lights, the cut off just messes with people.

The lights don't have a separate bulb or filament for high beams, so your lights are always on high, which is why you get more light power than a regular system. To prevent you from blinding everyone though it cuts off at a certain point. Putting on your "high"beams just raises a flap that changes the way the light is directed.

As someone said, just use high beams when not with or against other traffic. I compared our Explorers lights to other vehicles and even the stock halogens were brighter and had a longer throw. Unless yours really are wrong somehow, it's most likely in your head.

 

[peterk9]

i just bought a 2012 ford explorer and i find the head lights are a problem. they shine so close to the ground and do not light up much for distance. there is a difinative line where the light seems to end, ( it is as if you had a round flash light and covered up the top half of the light) all you have shining is the bottom half. this is how my headlights shine. it is awful and hard to see at night. does anyone else have this problem or a soulution...HELP!!!

You should see that cut-off on the HID headlights. Because of my garage configuration, the right light is about 2 feet from the wall while the left is 7 feet away. During the day with the garage door behind me open, the left headlight beam is clearly visible on the wall while the right doesn't even look like it is on. That is how sharp that cut-off is.
BTW, welcome to the Forum allie.:wavey:

 

[boss377]

i have been back to the dealer 2 times. they make adjustments with very little improvement. i still see a horizon line where below it is light and above it no light. in the rural part of buffalo, with no street lights & hilly roads i am terrified to drive at night. i wonder if i could install different lights??? i can not believe Ford could install such a dangerous lighting system.

Your lights are operating as designed. It is not dangerous; you probably haven't driven vehicle with a modern lighting system before now.
The sharper the cut-off the better.

 

[peterk9]

i have been back to the dealer 2 times. they make adjustments with very little improvement. i still see a horizon line where below it is light and above it no light. in the rural part of buffalo, with no street lights & hilly roads i am terrified to drive at night. i wonder if i could install different lights??? i can not believe Ford could install such a dangerous lighting system.

As others have mentioned, your lights are operating normally. What you could try is to upgrade the bulbs. I went to the Philips X-treme Power bulbs in my previous Highlander and was very happy with them. The downside is that they do not last as long. I have always upgraded the headlights in all the vehicles I've owned except the present one with the HID.

 

[allie]

Thank you!

THANKS, to all for your great advice and educating me. I appreciate your time and agree I will have to get use to the new lights.

 

[bluelion]

I have to agree that the lights are aimed too low. I am familiar with projector lights since my two previous vehicles had projector hids and I did not have this issue. The dealer adjust my headlights on Thursday but I haven't driven at night to see if they aimed it high enough.

 

[allie]

just wondering how bluelion made out with the adjustment on your lights, let us know.

 

[bluelion]

Finally got to drive at night...although the dealer did aim them a lil higher, they were still on the low side. So I took matters into my own hands. I waited til it got dark last night and pulled up to my garage and adjusted them a little bit higher. Then drove around my neighborhood and noticed a huge difference. It doesn't appear to be blinding oncoming traffic nor is it shining into peoples rear view mirrors.

 

[DMesk]

What about towing a trailer? When you put tongue weight on the back it goes down and raises the headlights, With projection type headlights it seem like all vehicles that tow should have self leveling headlights,
Also if your lights seem low(like mine) check your tire pressure.
Mine are low but people shine thier brights at me when towing. I have reduced the tongue weight to less than 150lbs but with the bigger trailers I wonder what the answer is?

 

[bluelion]

well, i currently don't have anything to tow anyway, so i'm good on that part. but i agree, any tow package should include auto leveling lights, not just the wiring,tranny cooler and such....

 

[JAZNY]

I'd watch adjusting up if you plan to load up the vehicle, even without towing.
Moving my daughter to college with a full XLT / Tow Pkg but nothing on the hitch, I was repeatedly flashed for lights in oncoming drivers eyes. Yes it was a packed vehicle, but the angle change was more than I expected since I put the heaviest items right behind the 2nd row seatbacks.

 

[Rcb51chevy]

Try driving one of these at nighttime, then give us a real answer, it is not ok or acceptable lighting. YOU DO NOT KNOW WHAT YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT!

 

[peterk9]

Try driving one of these at nighttime, then give us a real answer, it is not ok or acceptable lighting. YOU DO NOT KNOW WHAT YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT!

Who's post are you referring to??

 

[hosedagain]

Try driving one of these at nighttime, then give us a real answer, it is not ok or acceptable lighting. YOU DO NOT KNOW WHAT YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT!

You are right, on a dark rural back road the projectors could be an issue, I had a Mazda 3 (projectors) and both my wife and I hated those lights and also felt they were useless. Go down a sharp hill the lights illumination would almost disappear not shinning high enough to see the road, all illumination is very low, do that going 60MPH, don't feel safe because you can't see far enough ahead.
They are what they are and I don't think any thing can be done to change the way they work. As somebody said different expensive bulbs that burn out quickly compared to the stock lights could help. Its all about style not safety.

 

[allie]

i agree with hosedagain. i had mine adjusted higher and people frequently flash me like my bright lights are on. i must be blinding them which is unfortunate. but other wise in my rural area with hills i can not see. i don't know what is worse, blinding the other guy or me driving blind with these horrible headlights.