Daytime Running lights?

[murphy]

The problem is that Ford doesn't want them to be turned on. I asked my dealer to turn them on and he called the Hotline to ask about it. He was told that Ford does not support turning them on. You probably have to find a super successful dealer that is not afraid to go against the Ford party line to get them enabled.

 

I gave up and now run with the parking lights and the fog lights on when I remember to turn them on. The fog lights don't work unless the parking lights or low beam headlights are on.

[corncobs]

Today I saw a 2014 SS Fusion behind me with DRLs ( at least I believe so ) and when he turned on his turn signal the DRL turned off. Just like you see on a lot of other car with LED DRLs.

I checked mine and it doesn't do the same thing. Can anyone else try / check this it's not really important just curious.

[vett93]

I took my 2 week old FFE Titanium to the dealer in SF Bay area where I bought the car from. I asked the service dept. to turn on the DRLs. They told me that it is illegal to turn on these DRLs in California. The service writer and his manager insisted that it is illegal to modify lighting equipment and turning on DRLs would be modifying factory lighting equipment.

 

Hard to believe....

[hermans]

They are BSing you. They just don't want to do it.

[Waldo]

Today I saw a 2014 SS Fusion behind me with DRLs ( at least I believe so ) and when he turned on his turn signal the DRL turned off. Just like you see on a lot of other car with LED DRLs.

I checked mine and it doesn't do the same thing. Can anyone else try / check this it's not really important just curious.

 

That's how my 2014 Canadian car works. I was quite surprised when I noticed this in a reflection the other day as I don't know of any other Fords that do this up here in Canada. Chrysler, VW and a few others have done this for a few years though.

[Waldo]

They are BSing you. They just don't want to do it.

 

But that was my point a couple pages back, there really are a lot of weird state laws that could be interpreted as making certain configurations of DRL illegal. That's why Ford won't make it an official procedure.

[corncobs]

 

That's how my 2014 Canadian car works. I was quite surprised when I noticed this in a reflection the other day as I don't know of any other Fords that do this up here in Canada. Chrysler, VW and a few others have done this for a few years though.

Interesting maybe it's a new feature on the 14 MY with a different control module. The one we saw had a GA license plate so it was either imported or a fleet order car or it's a feature that comes automatically with DRLs with MY 2014

[hermans]

GrySql lives in California and had his turned on at his dealer. Vette93 also lives in California so it must not be a state restriction in Cailf.

[inco]

On some Canadian cars the DRL light does go out when the turn signal goes on. This allows oncoming traffic to clearly see the signal and yes my Fusion also has it. It has to do with the proximity of one to the other. If it is something like less than five inches away then the DRL turns off until the turn has been completed. :shift:

Edited March 31, 2014 by inco

[Waldo]

GrySql lives in California and had his turned on at his dealer. Vette93 also lives in California so it must not be a state restriction in Cailf.

 

Or his dealer turned them on illegally, knowingly or not.

Edited March 31, 2014 by Waldo

[GrySql]

 

Or his dealer turned them on illegally, knowingly or not.

I am certainly not a CA legal expert but when I read Division 12 of the CA Vehicle Equipment Code it contains nothing that speaks to the altering of factory lighting that I could find.

The Code has the basic requirements for vehicle lighting and usage.

There might be some other special place that 'altering factory lighting' is found, I don't know.

 

The state laws about DRL's are superceded by the Federal law now in effect.

That law describes the type, brightness and other attributes of DRL's and makes them optional for vehicles manufactured and sold in the US.

 

It's not very current but this article has some interesting thoughts on DRL's.

 

Ford is marketing the new Transit Connect with optional DRL's and I suppose it won't be long that other Ford models will also be offered with them as optional accessories.

I often see '13-'14 Fusions with DRL's and wonder how that happened, are they special 'fleet' cars or done like mine. I hesitate to flag down a driver to ask them but if the occasion arises I'll find out.

Edited March 31, 2014 by GrySql

[hermans]

This is interesting. From US Road management and Engineering Journal

 

"Why has it taken so long to introduce DRLs in the United States? Some state lighting laws inadvertently prohibited DRLs until the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) agreed to permit automakers to offer them on vehicles sold in all 50 states. This action, which preempted the state laws, followed a petition filed by General Motors. The Institute had filed a similar petition based on studies showing that DRLs are an inexpensive way to reduce daytime collisions between vehicles. After initially granting this petition, NHTSA terminated rulemaking in 1988, saying that the matter wasn't clearly a national safety issue and that auto manufacturers "tended to oppose, rather than support, the proposal." NHTSA then changed course again, approving DRLs in 1993."

 

 

Grysql, you beat me to this. NHTSA trumps any state law that would prohibit turning on DRLs.

Edited March 31, 2014 by hermans

[GrySql]

The DRL's have new Fed laws that has made specifications different in a staged year change, they are becoming dimmer because of a perceived 'glare' factor.

This change is in alignment with Canadian and European specifications.

I doubt very much if turning on my DRL's using Ford's existing software has created a legal issue in CA.

We have members who had their US FFH DRL's turned on in Canadian Ford Dealerships without any hesitation.

 

I second hermans on the Dealer who said it was illegal, I suspect they were following the Ford current DRL denial guidelines, or didn't know how to do it.

[corncobs]

There are also other Ford models that come with LED DRLs light strips.

 

IIRC:

 

Escape

Edge

Fiesta

Taurus

 

Why do they not at least offer it. I would have paid an additional 1k for the European style head lamps with HID and LED turn signals and DRL.

[hybridbear]

Today I saw a 2014 SS Fusion behind me with DRLs ( at least I believe so ) and when he turned on his turn signal the DRL turned off. Just like you see on a lot of other car with LED DRLs.

I checked mine and it doesn't do the same thing. Can anyone else try / check this it's not really important just curious.

That's how my 2014 Canadian car works. I was quite surprised when I noticed this in a reflection the other day as I don't know of any other Fords that do this up here in Canada. Chrysler, VW and a few others have done this for a few years though.

On some Canadian cars the DRL light does go out when the turn signal goes on. This allows oncoming traffic to clearly see the signal and yes my Fusion also has it. It has to do with the proximity of one to the other. If it is something like less than five inches away then the DRL turns off until the turn has been completed. :shift:

US Chryslers with DRLs do this as well. I think it looks hideous!!

[gkinla]

US Chryslers with DRLs do this as well. I think it looks hideous!!

 

I just checked my DRLs and they remain on when the turn signal is used.

[ChrisAshton84]

I just had mine enabled at a Lincoln dealer. They had no problems with it, though oddly enough they made a point of telling me that they would only work when the lights selector was on 'off' - they wouldn't work with 'auto'. This isn't true, they seem to be on all the time that the car is in drive. State Farm won't give me a discount for it, but I feel a lot better with them on.

[IraF]

I have my FFH set to "auto" and my DRL's come on during the daytime hours except when I put the car in park and then they go off and come back on when the car is put in drive. Your dealer is misinformed.

Edited April 4, 2014 by IraF

[kuzzi]

I'm trying to get mine turned on and am getting the "can't do it on a HyTi runaround". I'll let them know the specific steps next time I see them, but I can't help but wonder if I would not have gotten into my accident if the DRLs were turned on. It was a somewhat brighter than normal rainy day when I was hit and the way he swiped across my front was as if he never even saw me. DRLs would have probably prevented this.

Edited April 8, 2014 by kuzzi

[murphy]

The sad part of the DRL situation is that the Owner's Manual describes how they work with the disclaimer "If Equipped". :rant:

[milleron]

I'm trying to get mine turned on and am getting the "can't do it on a HyTi runaround". I'll let them know the specific steps next time I see them, but I can't help but wonder if I would not have gotten into my accident if the DRLs were turned on. It was a somewhat brighter than normal rainy day when I was hit and the way he swiped across my front was as if he never even saw me. DRLs would have probably prevented this.

 

Had you tried to get them turned on before the accident? If so, might there be contributory negligence on Ford's part? I've mused over the possibility that this ludicrous situation could land FMC in court. If GM's current situation doesn't give them pause, especially as it could pertain to this matter, I'd be a little surprised.

[kuzzi]

 

Had you tried to get them turned on before the accident? If so, might there be contributory negligence on Ford's part? I've mused over the possibility that this ludicrous situation could land FMC in court. If GM's current situation doesn't give them pause, especially as it could pertain to this matter, I'd be a little surprised.

 

I never tried to get them turned on before but it wasn't until last night I made the accident connection.

 

On a side note it always weirds me out when I see FoMoCo as "FMC" since I work for an FMC.

[Waldo]

I'm trying to get mine turned on and am getting the "can't do it on a HyTi runaround". I'll let them know the specific steps next time I see them, but I can't help but wonder if I would not have gotten into my accident if the DRLs were turned on. It was a somewhat brighter than normal rainy day when I was hit and the way he swiped across my front was as if he never even saw me. DRLs would have probably prevented this.

 

Did you have your wipers on? The auto headlights will turn on when your wipers are on.

[Waldo]

 

Had you tried to get them turned on before the accident? If so, might there be contributory negligence on Ford's part? I've mused over the possibility that this ludicrous situation could land FMC in court. If GM's current situation doesn't give them pause, especially as it could pertain to this matter, I'd be a little surprised.

 

Ford has convinced themselves that they have a strong legal defense in that DRLs are not a proven safety feature. Not that I agree with it, but it would be pretty hard to prove legally that they are and thus Ford is negligent in any way for not making them available.

[kuzzi]

 

Did you have your wipers on? The auto headlights will turn on when your wipers are on.

 

I don't remember if I had them completely on or if I were running them manually on demand by pushing the lever toward the floor, I always have both hands on the wheel right next to the levers when the road is wet. It wasn't raining too much, more of a drizzle, plus the Rain-X was doing its job.

 

So is Rain-X too good a product and made me not turn the wipers on completely which prevented the headlights from coming on? hahaha