Head lights not coming on when wipers are on

[Lloyd]

My state does not require headlights on when wipers are on; there are situations in my state where wipers are required but headlights are not. Do any states specifically require that headlights turn on whenever wipers are turned on? I ask because none of my other cars had/have that "feature."

Yes, I believe that California was the first.

 

[sleepydoc]

My state does not require headlights on when wipers are on; there are situations in my state where wipers are required but headlights are not. Do any states specifically require that headlights turn on whenever wipers are turned on? I ask because none of my other cars had/have that "feature."

According to this site, Arkansas, California, D.C., Delaware, Illinois, Kansas, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pensylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, & Tennessee.

Minnesota specifies they be used during rain, snow, hail, sleet and fog or when visibility is less than 500'. If you're using your wipers it's pretty self evident that you'd need your headlights, too.

 

[JOHNNYK]

Model Y - According to Tesla service tech TODAY - the new firmware has taken out the auto headlights on when the wipers go on. Check on your display - no green lights showing up; and if you get out of the car - no headlights on. Since headlights on is a law in most states when wipers are on - this seems like a very stupid change. This is NEW - mine came on until recently and I just noticed it. There was NOTHING in the release notes about it????

Same here. I know they did come on before. I noticed a few weeks ago they did not. Today I drove in huge pour downs, but the lights did not come on.

 

[Vicj]

All This is just another example of Tesla accidently fixing something when it wasn't broken, while trying to update something else. Again, Musk using owners for beta testing, instead of perfecting updates before they're sent out.
Does anyone REALLY believe the Tesla statement that they took it away to comply with state regulations?? What regulations? Where? How is driving with headlights on against any regulations anywhere?
Is it any different than a lot of cars now? No. Except that our headlights require a lot more effort to turn on manually than other cars, potentially creating a safety hazard.

 

[Tha_Ape]

I don't see how removing this feature makes the car meet regulatory requirements. Unless the requirements state the operator must manually turn them on.

I think it's a misinterpretation of drivers responsibility. I'd imagine it's the operators responsibility (not the manufacturers) to make sure lights are on when driving at night, yet Tesla hasn't removed auto-headlights.... I probably shouldn't give them any ideas.

in most cars you can turn the headlights on without looking away from the road, too. Teslas sleek, minimalist approach makes it more difficult. Having them come on automatically is way more elegant.

 

[OxBrew]

Tangentially related: can the lights just be left on all the time somehow? I prefer to leave them on all the time. Last I checked, I need to set them back to auto when I stop, so I gave up. (I like daytime running tail lights as well as headlights).

Subarus do this right, let you leave them on, and they go off when you shut down.

 

[NCAviator]

I am not aware of any state or country/region that it is unlawful to have your headlights ON when wipers are on. So Tesla, you should implement the feature that is unlawful in many states. The headlights should go ON when the wipers are ON. Period. Then you are helping your customers in states or regions that require such action.

The other option is to have in settings a switch to implement the law for those users that want it done automatically.

 

[RocDeef]

I thought I was going crazy. Every car I've had since 2007 had lights that automatically turned on with the wipers. I can't imagine a situation where a state would say you can't have your lights on with your wipers.

 

[Vicj]

There isn't one. That statement from Tesla is just their typical bulls**t response when they screw up. They'll fix it, eventually. Maybe. But it's more important to add more games, or car colorizers, than anything mundane, like safety. That gets more press for them.

 

[TessaNana]

It would be really easy for Tesla to have a setting you could select to allow the lights to come on with wipers. I'd like to have that again.

Agreed. At least let us have the option!

 

[Ron J.]

The real issue for Tesla is probably their potential liability if they say the headlights will be automatically turned on when the wipers are on, but if for some reason the headlights do no come on. If you get a ticket or get in an accident while it's raining and your headlights were not on, then you might want to bring a suit against Tesla claiming they were responsible.

 

[jcanoe]

The real issue for Tesla is probably their potential liability if they say the headlights will be automatically turned on when the wipers are on, but if for some reason the headlights do no come on. If you get a ticket or get in an accident while it's raining and your headlights were not on, then you might want to bring a suit against Tesla claiming they were responsible.

Somehow other auto manufacturers manage.

 

[kevwatkins]

They took the ability of the lights to automatically come on when the wipers go on (whether the wipers are in auto or manual mode). You have to manually turn the lights on when your wipers go on (either in auto or manual mode) to comply with most laws for headlights to be on when wipers are on. In the past, and in most other cars, low beam headlights and tail lights go on automatically when wipers are on. I am trying to find out WHY Tesla would take this feature AWAY in the firmware when it is such a safety issue and a law in most states.

Let’s have this Automatic again… the number of dumb drivers in the uk who can’t remember where the light switch is! It just makes sense not to add Tesla drivers to that list

 

[Arizone]

This is probably my biggest peeve with the vehicle. I live in Seattle so it's frequently drizzly. When I leave home it's usually shady enough to have the lights automatically come on, and the automatic wipers eventually come on if I'm not impatient when enough droplets collect, but by the time I am down the road and onto the freeway where it is the most misty from water being kicked up, where I am most legally liable like no taillights for a vanishingly gray car, the lights turn off again from the overall brightness. I have to first realize this, miles down the road, and then dig into the system menu to turn the lights back on, unlike the wipers that now have their own shortcut, not to mention their instant stalk access. Finally, when I arrive and open the door the car pings me that the lights are left on, even though they can automatically turn off? Just an unpolished and unsafe experience all around.

 

[Ron J.]

I agree that Tesla's implementation for the headlights is really poor as compared to traditional cars. At least the wipers now have 3 ways to turn on (left stalk, voice and dedicated control Icon). But headlights cannot be turned on via voice, nor is there a physical control and no option for a dedication icon on the screen. Having to go thru on=screen menus to turn the lights on is a really poor implementation

 

[jcanoe]

Having to go thru on=screen menus to turn the lights on is a really poor implementation

You can bring up headlight settings on the Tesla screen by activating the high beam switch (push the left side steering wheel lever forward.)

 

[Hookemhorns]

What am I missing here? If different jurisdictions have different requirements, just make the automatic headlights with wipers an option in the lights control screen. But I’m at a loss why they don’t just have it built in, as many (all?) high end cars do. Mine do. Leaving this feature out is puzzling.

 

[Big Earl]

What am I missing here? If different jurisdictions have different requirements, just make the automatic headlights with wipers an option in the lights control screen. But I’m at a loss why they don’t just have it built in, as many (all?) high end cars do. Mine do. Leaving this feature out is puzzling.

It's worse than that. The feature was there for years, and they removed it!

 

[RefleCs]

In europe most cars have this function and you can enable it in the menus of the specific vehicles. Tesla removed a perfectly safe feature that, in my opinion, should be mandatory on every car. I want an option to enable it just as my last 3 cars had (past 12 years)

 

[Gjelaso]

To be fair, it's exactly like every other car on the road but I agree it's really frustrating to go from 'better than everyone else' to 'just like everyone else.' The least they could do was put an option to turn the feature on manually.

It’s not like every other car on the road. My BMW X3 had lights that came on automatically with the wipers. So did my Lexus and Audi. It’s been a feature for at least 5 years on these cars.