Cornering Lights
The acronyms AFS and AFLS in these symbols or indicators stand for Active Front-lighting System or Adaptive Front or Cornering Light System. The difference is very subtle and is the result of a manufacturer choice only.
- But first, is one of these truly your symbol?? If yes, then continue on below.
- Otherwise return to our main Picture Symbols page and scan again!
If it includes the word OFF, it indicates that the system has been turned off with an available switch. Look for the switch, which may have been tripped accidently. It may also be tucked nearly under the dashboard where it can be hit by the driver’s knee in a Toyota or Lexus.
More Versions
The acronym SRH changes the reference to Steering Responsive Headlights, but is exactly the same type of system. If any of the OFF lights flash or remain lit, they indicate a fault in the system, and your dealer will be needed for a repair. The letters seen alone in yellow/amber/orange is also a malfunction light.
Another indicator of a malfunction are the picture symbols to the left, a curved arrow, indicating movement, above or split by a headlight beam, one adding the exclamation point. The beam is represented by the closed rounded triangle with lines above it. The last one is seen on its side with a bent arrow in one corner.
The symbol is used by manufacturers who call the system Adaptive Forward Lighting (AFL), Active Bending Light System (ABL), Static Bending Light System (SBL) or Cornering Headlights. Another example of multiple industry names for the same basic system and again, your dealer will be needed for repairs.
Either headlight system move the direction of the headlights left or right – the arrow – in concert with the steering. When the system is off, the headlights work as they have for a century, so there is no need to be concerned.
Note that these active systems often have an on/off switch that may have been accidentally been tripped on the dashboard (as noted) or inside a menu found in an instrument panel display. Look for the same acronym on a switch or in the menu.
If you drive a Polestar, note that they have begun using the symbol to the right to indicate that a lamp has malfunctioned. Follow the link here for more.
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Remember that only proper service and repair procedures will ensure the safe and reliable operation of your car. In addition, proper safety procedures and precautions, such as the use of safety goggles, the right tools and the equipment should be followed at all times to eliminate the possibility of personal injury or improper service which could damage the vehicle or compromise its safety.
These posts are for information sharing purposes only, and should not be used in lieu of an OEM service manual or factory authorized service procedure. We are not in the auto repair business nor do we publish automotive service manuals. Nothing we include on these pages and posts has been reviewed, approved or authorized by any vehicle manufacturer.
Technology is always changing and what is current and accurate today may be literally out-of-date and inaccurate tomorrow. And when it comes to the current state of flux in the auto industry, nothing is more true.
The author has 25 years of automotive experience and has assembled the most extensive collection of symbols and warning lights anywhere (over 1,000!) and can help you open and start any keyless start car with a dead key fob battery. BA, St. Joseph’s College, ME: MS, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, NY
Can Your Car Windows Open on Their Own??
Why Are My Windows Open?
If you’ve ever walked out to your car and found all the windows open, this is our subject. We’re going to discuss a feature found in cars from a number of manufacturers that catches people with their pants down. Or their windows down. This is not about a fault or a system failure or a warning light, but about something working exactly as it is supposed to, but doing it seemingly at random on its own.
Vehicles made by BMW and Mini, Honda and Acura, Ford and Lincoln, Maserati, Mercedes, Toyota and Lexus and Volkswagen Group, include what is called a convenience feature, which opens all the windows for ventilation when the unlock button is pressed and held. The sunroof will be open as well and the car unlocked.
From what we’ve discovered only Mercedes and some vehicles made by the Volkswagen Group offers the option to close everything again using the lock button. The Honda we have here does not.
Its An Accident!
So, what is causing the surprise window openings can be explained by accidental button pushes. Whether carried in a bag or in a pocket, something pressing on the unlock button for an extended period can and will activate the feature, if the key fob is within 50 feet or so. Remember that while the key fob’s keyless access can only operate within 18 to 24 inches of the vehicle, the buttons on the fob will work from a much greater distance.
For a fob carried in a pocket, preventing this may be a simple as turning the fob over on the key ring. The buttons will face the other way, if like me, your keys rest in the pocket the same way each time.
If it is carried in a bag, the nature of keyless open and start can easily lead to the fob migrating to the bottom of the bag. In this case, you might try using a device like this carabiner or snap hook. It can be hooked to a strap like on this computer bag and still actually be closed into the bag. But it won’t work its way to the bottom. The devices come in many different sizes and colors so you can be a stylish as you’d like and they can be found online or at most hardware stores.
To finish off the functions of the actual convenience feature, the windows will stop short if the button is released, and will continue down if it is pressed and held yet again. Some vehicles require the unlock button to be pressed and released once before the convenience feature will work. In Honda and Acura vehicles, the feature will work by holding the mechanical key turned to the right in the key cylinder, but this will not happen accidently. Also, turning and holding the key back to the left will close the windows and sunroof.
The feature can be disabled in Ford Motor Co and Toyota and Lexus vehicles, but you’ll need your dealer. In fact, the feature in a Toyota and Lexus must have first been activated in this way.
So, if ever you find your windows wide open one day, don’t panic — find a new way to carry your key fob.
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Remember that only proper service and repair procedures will ensure the safe and reliable operation of your car. In addition, proper safety procedures and precautions, such as the use of safety goggles, the right tools and the equipment should be followed at all times to eliminate the possibility of personal injury or improper service which could damage the vehicle or compromise its safety.
These posts are for information sharing purposes only, and should not be used in lieu of an OEM service manual or factory authorized service procedure. We are not in the auto repair business nor do we publish automotive service manuals. Nothing we include on these pages and posts has been reviewed, approved or authorized by any vehicle manufacturer.
Technology is always changing and what is current and accurate today may be literally out-of-date and inaccurate tomorrow. And when it comes to the current state of flux in the auto industry, nothing is more true.
The author has 25 years of automotive experience and has assembled the most extensive collection of symbols and warning lights anywhere (over 1,000!) and can help you open and start any keyless start car with a dead key fob battery. BA, St. Joseph’s College, ME: MS, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, NY