Problems with dashboard lighting

[drdrei]

Been struggling with a problem on my WS Fiesta Zetec which is under warranty and has been booked in for repairs. Best way to explain it is with a picture.



In the image of my dash, the two buttons for the hazard and door lock switches work fine, except they are not backlit when the headlights are on like the rest of the dash. I noticed this problem about 2 months ago and was told the enture console PCB would have to be replaced. The dealership has done this but when I went to pick up my car last night the problem persisted.

As a loan car I received a new WT Fiesta CL, which when I went to pick up my car it did have these two buttons backlit when the headlights were on. So one can only assume that my car i faulty as the buttons should be backlit like the loaner was.

But, today after being told my car was fixed (which as it turns out it still wasn't) I then went to the loan car to show the difference, but it then also didn't work.

Very strange, but as the dealership visibly saw last night, the CL Loaner was working.

So .... am I jinxed, or is there some strange setting that I'm failing to notice which may be the cause of the dash lights not being backlit?

[Caydus]

I noticed that on my WT LX too.

I thought my mind was playing tricks and thought they were never backlit in the first place.
The buttons work just fine and it's not hard to find them with the rest of the cabin lighting. But I really don't remember if they were backlit in the first place.

[In Focus]

Hit that "menu" button to the left of the stereo volume control and do some exploring. I can't remember if that specific option is there, but I was able to (if I wanted) change plenty of settings, including the language used on everything, and the trip computer to miles instead of kilometres, and so on.

[Foobar]

I went for a drive tonight in my WT and they are definitely backlit, no question.

[waterskier]

september 2010 wt backlight no longer working either

[drdrei]

Hmmmmm... Surprised the dealer did not pick up on this, but anyhow.

In the Menu settings there is a sub-menu, "Display Settings".
Under this there is a function called "Dimming".
You have two options, something along the lines of "Auto" and "Daylight".

When you use the "Daylight" setting it makes the display set to full brightness, whether or not you have the headlights on. I mostly drive in the day, so have this set to Daylight as I also like to have my headlights on during the day, for added safety, but also want to be able to see the display in full sunlight.

Here is the how the system works.

When you don't have the headlights on, not all the dashlights work (e.g. A/C controls, sterring wheel controls, etc. do not light up). Makes sense. When the "Dimming" function is set to "Auto", all these dashlights will come on, including the lights I'm having problems with.

When you set to "Daylight" and turn on the headlights, the vehicle information display doesn't dim, but the A/C, steering wheel and other dashlights come on, all as expected - except the door lock switch and hazard light switch.

This seems a little strange and appears to be a design flaw rather than an intentional thing, but I worked out that this must be the case on all Fiestas. I do recall changing the loan car's display settings to "Daylight", which explains why I had the "problem" when I went to show the dealer that car's dash, also. Apparently when they made the final fix, by reloading the software it must've reset this function back to Auto, hence why everything appeared working again.

Strange that no one, including me and the dealer, picked up on this when I went to get the car serviced (which is when I first mentioned the problem) and they stated the whole dash control board would have to be replaced.

It wasn't until I reflected on what I had done, after the car was "fixed" and brought home that it clicked!

[Caydus]

I can back that story up.

Menu -> Display -> Dimming -> Auto/Daylight

I tried switching it from Daylight back to Auto while the headlights were on.

Central Locking/Hazards light up

Switched back to Daylight

Central Locking/Hazards turn off

[drdrei]

Begs the question of why they would design it like that?!