I left very early in the morning yesterday and tried the Automatic High Beam Dim on my SR5P and was pleasantly surprised how well it worked. I tried it other times but because I was on the highway it did not turn on the high beams, most likely because of all of the traffic.

This time I was on a winding road with few on coming cars and I did not approach a lot of vehicles from the rear so the brights stayed on. It did not diim the brights when I went under streetlights. When there was an oncoming vehicle or I came up on a vehicle it dimmed the brights. It would not wait until the vehicle was fully facing me on winding roads before it dimmed them. It dimmed them a good distance back when I approached a vehicle but not to the point where it interfered with the bright lights usefulness.

The only thing I don't like is that the turn signal lever is forward to turn on the brights and that is not the normal position so when I go to use the turn signals its not where it normally is.

This is a very functional feature of Toyota Safety Sense and I will use it often.

I was impressed with it too and will be using it in the future.

Do you have this situation:

If oncoming vehicle has really dim headlight, 4Runner auto high beam system can not detect it.


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It definitely seems like auto high beams works best when there's not a lot of additional noise in the area to confuse it. A dark two lane road, or windy road, seems like the perfect environment for it to work well. Interesting to hear that it shuts off when you approach a vehicle from the rear, that's good.

It will dim for an oncoming vehicle and if followed by another vehicle will return to high beam then to low. You will get flashed back.

does anyone know where the sensor is for that automatic high beam? was it behind the rearview mirror?

I believe there's a camera of some sort behind the rearview mirror that's attached to the windshield. My wife's 2016 Lexus GS350 F-Sport has a similar system and it detects the ongoing traffic headlights. I think that camera system is used for the other safety stuff.

Love the automatic dim for the high beams, but why would they not have auto lights? Am I missing something?

I don't know where the optimum line is between automation and human intervention, but I believe we are headed to a state of existence like that in the "Idiocracy" movie.

It depends on your trim Level,
My 21 limited has auto but my 22 SR5 does not
I can tell you that neither has the Intermittant turn signals for lane change !!

Sounds like auto dimming headlights have come a long way since my 1961 Cadillac. A big, bulbous pod atop the dash with a little adjustment wheel on the back. It would ping pong between highs and lows with each street light, and other tomfoolery.

I know what you mean, but in a way it does. Holding down the lever to the first position will flash the turn signals until you release the lever. Push the lever until it latches in the second position, they will flash forever. In a way, the first is intermittent in that it only last as long as you hold the lever, not forever.

In my RAV4, if you just tap the lever, the turns flash three times then stops (the number is customizable in settings).

Yes, I think auto dimming have come a long a way!