Adaptive Headlights issue

[Carlbrainiac]

Hey everyone.  New to the forum with a cry for help if I may.

I got my 2015 Ford Focus Titanium X on Finance 31st July 2018. In the service history it mentioned that there had been an issue with the adaptive headlights in the past. I didnt think much of this because I had assumed buying from a Ford dealer they would have carried out a multi point inspection and put any issues right.

Less than a year after having the car sure enough I began having issues with odd head light behaviour. Then it went away for a bit. And now once again it has happened only this time they have now stopped turning with the steering wheel and passenger one points off to the left and down at the ground. Which is odd because the last time this occoured it was the driver side one doing the same thing only in the opposite direction.

Long story short all Ford want to do is charge a diagnostic fee which I dont need. Its obvious what the issue is and personally I think charging £130+ to plug a laptop in and press a couple of keys is a racket. Then ford also say it's out of warranty anyway and I'll need to pay. Done a quick google and it appears this is actually a very common wide spread issue with apparently the only real solution seems to be replacing the very expensive headlight unit which I presume I would need two of. Surely I shouldn't have to pay this? It's a known fault.

I have contacted ford uk who just repeat the same thing over and over. It's out of warranty and dealers just want to charge diagnostic fees. I have now contacted BBC'S Watchdog to see if that goes anywhere. I also intend on calling the finance company because I'm now paying for a car that isn't safe and not fit for purpose and will now also fail an MOT. See what they say.

I'm sure theres somewhere in the fine print which basically says I'm screwed though which is annoying to say the least as I over exerted myself on the monthly payments of this thing and went to a "trusted" main dealer as I had problems with a previous car so thought going for a newer car it would be safe and reliable.

My question is are there any electronic whiz kids here who would have the know how to either pull the relay on it and just set them as normal straight ahead headlights set to the MOT pass position. Also ideally stop the warning flashing up on the dash. Or would someone have the know how to actually fix the issue rather than expensive replacement that in a short while could have the exact same issue again.

Thanks in advance and apologies for the long post.

[Stoney871]

The fix for that fault is new headlights, had it on my 2015 ST.
New lights need programming to the car as well, not just a simple unit swap.

Sent from my SM-G965F using Tapatalk

[Carlbrainiac]

34 minutes ago, Stoney871 said:

The fix for that fault is new headlights, had it on my 2015 ST.
New lights need programming to the car as well, not just a simple unit swap.

Sent from my SM-G965F using Tapatalk
 

Was this done for you under warranty? If not how much did it costs? Also does it guarantee the issue will not happen again?

 

[Stoney871]

It was a warranty job as car was only 6 months old.
Light units are not cheap tbf and still needs the diagnostic / programming.
Probably would be worth allowing the diagnostics as recommended as it's possible that a reprogram of the units would suffice.

Sent from my SM-G965F using Tapatalk

[Phil21185]

2 hours ago, Carlbrainiac said:

I had assumed buying from a Ford dealer they would have carried out a multi point inspection and put any issues right.

This is your first time around with a Ford dealer, isn't it...?

You know, I wouldn't mind paying dealer prices for parts and labour if they actually weren't sheistering turdblossoms. They can't even be honest or do a good job even when you pay them 2 or 3 times what everyone else charges.

Hope you get sorted but I don't think you'll be able to get anything out of them.

Incidentally, there are some really nice aftermarket headlights for the 3.5 on amazon. £380 a set though and I'm not exactly sure about legality.

[Carlbrainiac]

27 minutes ago, Phil21185 said:

This is your first time around with a Ford dealer, isn't it...?

You know, I wouldn't mind paying dealer prices for parts and labour if they actually weren't sheistering turdblossoms. They can't even be honest or do a good job even when you pay them 2 or 3 times what everyone else charges.

Hope you get sorted but I don't think you'll be able to get anything out of them.

Incidentally, there are some really nice aftermarket headlights for the 3.5 on Amazon. £380 a set though and I'm not exactly sure about legality.

Interesting. Hadn't considered after market option. Thank you 👍

[Carlbrainiac]

39 minutes ago, Phil21185 said:

This is your first time around with a Ford dealer, isn't it...?

You know, I wouldn't mind paying dealer prices for parts and labour if they actually weren't sheistering turdblossoms. They can't even be honest or do a good job even when you pay them 2 or 3 times what everyone else charges.

Hope you get sorted but I don't think you'll be able to get anything out of them.

Incidentally, there are some really nice aftermarket headlights for the 3.5 on Amazon. £380 a set though and I'm not exactly sure about legality.

Interesting. Hadn't considered after market option. Thank you 👍

 

Would these fit?

https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.co.uk%2Fulk%2Fitm%2F401901056393

[Phil21185]

27 minutes ago, Carlbrainiac said:

Interesting. Hadn't considered after market option. Thank you 👍

 

Would these fit?

https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.co.uk%2Fulk%2Fitm%2F401901056393

They look like they would fit if yours is a facelift model, however, I would stress researching into the quality and legality of any aftermarket headlights - they will need to mass an MOT after all!

For example, have you got LED HID's or projectors already (Titx I would guess you do); are they compatible with any levellers and washers already installed?; will the BCM need programming with ForScan - stuff like this.

[kajeeves]

Have you tried looking into it yourself to see if you could fix it?

The normal problem is that a couple of wires inside the headlight rub/chafe when the adaptive lights move left/right. Take the headlights out and have a look to see if you can find any damaged wiring. If you can see damage then repair accordingly. 

If the wiring is damaged it may have caused a fuse to blow. So check your fuses. 

After that you might need to clear any DTCs that have been set. 

[Carlbrainiac]

3 hours ago, kajeeves said:

Have you tried looking into it yourself to see if you could fix it?

The normal problem is that a couple of wires inside the headlight rub/chafe when the adaptive lights move left/right. Take the headlights out and have a look to see if you can find any damaged wiring. If you can see damage then repair accordingly. 

If the wiring is damaged it may have caused a fuse to blow. So check your fuses. 

After that you might need to clear any DTCs that have been set. 

Yeah I will pull the headlights out when I get a moment. Cheers 👍

[Carlbrainiac]

Is it possible to still safely close the bonnet and set the alarm if I remove the headlights, lock the car up and bring the head lights indoors to inspect them in warmth comfort and decent light as I dont have the luxury of a garage. I park on the street

[Carlbrainiac]

Sending it in to my mates garage. See what he can do

[Carlbrainiac]

Is it possible to simply turn off the adaptive part of the headlights?

[Stoney871]

Is it possible to simply turn off the adaptive part of the headlights?

If you put the lights to 'on' but not 'auto' do they straighten up?

Sent from my SM-G965F using Tapatalk

[Carlbrainiac]

8 hours ago, Stoney871 said:

If you put the lights to 'on' but not 'auto' do they straighten up?

Sent from my SM-G965F using Tapatalk
 

Haven't tried that yet. Always have them on auto. Could try it and see.

Evertime I stop though the passenger one comes back centre. But a while after setting off its then back to pointing down and off to the kerb

[Stoney871]

Haven't tried that yet. Always have them on auto. Could try it and see.
Evertime I stop though the passenger one comes back centre. But a while after setting off its then back to pointing down and off to the kerb

When there's no input from the steering sensors the lights must be reverting to the neutral position but as soon as you move off they're going off again as the steering sensors start getting input again.
I feel at this point that a diagnostic is now the only logical starting point to know for sure what is causing the malfunction.

Sent from my SM-G965F using Tapatalk

[Alex.S]

On 10/23/2019 at 10:49 AM, Carlbrainiac said:

Is it possible to simply turn off the adaptive part of the headlights?

Knowing Ford the adaptive lights would be an extra? Or maybe standard on higher trims like the titanium x? Either way there must be basic headlight units for the zetec etc. So there will be after market headlights out there.

Id think a decent mechanic will be able to source and fit them. 

[Carlbrainiac]

On 10/23/2019 at 10:56 AM, Stoney871 said:

Ok so my mate had a look at the garage he works at today. Diagnosed it and the code that comes up everywhere he googles it looks like it needs a new headlight ☹ Although just been chatting to a company called focus city on Ebay who say they are aware of this issue and have I checked the module under the dash and the ballast. If it was the module under the dash then that might explain why they have stopped turning with the steering. But then the diagnostic code says otherwise...

Anyone ever brought these:-

https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.co.uk%2Fulk%2Fitm%2F322458608422

My only concern is they'll be coming from China for one and god knows what import duties and customs tax would be slapped on them. But frankly I just flat out refuse to give Ford anymore of my money. Especially when it's a know fault, may not solve the issue and even if it does who's to say it wont happen again in a couple of years

 

[Alex.S]

Whatever mechanic you’re using, I’d get them to source the aftermarket parts then if any problems they can’t blame ‘your’ parts.

i had a headlight unit fitted on a 2010 Astra , mechanic got it from Taiwan thru eBay I forget the make. Unit was £250 fitted. Guy charged me £10 for finding it online. Obviously wasn’t adaptive or LED. Told me he doesn’t fit cheap crap as it tends to come back and bite him on the *****. 

[ST 54VAGE]

I have this same issue but if i start the car without the lights in auto(turned off) and then turn them to the dipped beam setting they stay straight and then while driving i change them to auto and the adaptive lighting works

[Angus vS]

I see nobody has posted since 2019. I have had the same problem with adaptive headlights for the third time (twice on the passenger side) and now on the driver's side and am fed up with forking out huge sums (over £1000) with Ford to fix this problem. What was the solution for you in the end. Is there a fix or an aftermarket solution to ensure this does not keep repeating itself.