I love the lighting on the instrument panel and the LCD screen. Now, if only Ford put a glove box light, that would have been nice

 

Yeah, I had only had the truck a couple of weeks IIRC, and I was thinking, "WTF? I *just* got this thing, to get rid of a problematic car... argh."

Then, when I realized what had happened, I laughed pretty hard.

@JeffP - no links, no docs, just know from experience. Park your truck in front of a wall, facing it (to see the headlights easier) and put a hat over the sensor... see what happens.

@Noble - the dash lights do come on, I think, on mine. They only dim when it's dark out. I'll have to check tomorrow (I'm driving a different vehicle today) and report in.

-John

 

They dim to the last setting you had the dash lights on, and it's based on how dark the sensor is. Example:

I was driving late one night, and turned the dash lights down as low as they would go so my night eyes could see more of the road. The next evening (at dusk) I get in turn the lights on and the dash lights are at full brightness, a few minutes later it gets dark enough and the dash lights dim to the last setting, which is very dark. I usually have to bump them up a bit for normal driving around town at night.

You should be able to see this by using something to cover the sensor like the "hat" that was mentioned earlier.

 

I'm assuming it's the same as the 2011 dash -

The panel is ALWAYS controlled by sensor on the dash, which controls the headlights. The dash should go dim when the headlights are turned on by the automatic process.

The headlights will also come on if you turn on your windshield wipers, and if they only came on for the windshield wipers, the instrument panel lights will stay bright. Additionally, the headlights will turn off as soon as you turn the key off, rather than staying on with the timer you selected in the Driver Information display.

 

Thanks guys. Since so many of you are aware of what's going on that must be the way it is. Sure would be nice if Ford would have something in the manual about it and personally I wish that Ford would quit making so many decisions for us about the "comfort" functions of the truck without letting us override them.

 

That's an option, but I do like the auto function after I'm used to it now. So then the headlights would be on all the time.

My 09 is different. Maybe they changed it in the newer ones. Just want my cake and eat it too lol

 

I've got a 2002 XLT with manual lights. Driving in the rain today with headlights on and suddenly the instrument lights turned off 10 minutes into drive. Cycled the headlight selector ****. Instrument/interior lights come on in other positions but not in the headlights on position. I checked to make sure the headlights are working and they are. Thought maybe a fuse but fuse boxes don't look like they used to...a bit daunting!