Mirrors: Description and Operation

REAR VIEW MIRRORS

Exterior Rear View Mirror
Power exterior rear view mirrors allow the driver or passenger mirror to be automatically or manually positioned. The position of the mirrors are controlled by the exterior mirror control switch. Adjusting the exterior mirror control switch to the LH or RH position determines which mirror will be controlled. The exterior rear view mirrors are available with a heated option. The exterior rear view mirrors are heated to remove frost, snow, ice and condensation. The heated exterior rear view mirrors are heated for a period of 10 minutes via the rear window defrost switch.

Heated Exterior Rear View Mirror
The heated exterior mirror feature will only function when the rear window defrost is operating. There is no separate control for heated exterior mirrors; they function anytime the rear window defrost is ON. The heated mirror power is supplied by the rear window defrost relay through a separate central junction box (CJB) fuse that isolates the heated mirrors from the rear window defrost in the event of a concern.

Auto-Dimming Interior Rear View Mirrors
The automatic-dimming feature has two photoelectric sensors that detect forward and rear light conditions and adjusts the reflectance level of the mirror to eliminate unwanted glare. The reflectance level is variable and depends on the amount of rear glare in relation to ambient light conditions in front of the interior rear view mirror.

When the forward sensor detects daytime conditions, the rear sensor is inactive, and the mirror stays in a high reflectance mode. When the forward sensor detects night time conditions, the rear sensor is active and detects glare from the headlights of vehicles approaching from the rear, or other glare producing light sources. To provide increased visibility when backing up, the mirror will automatically return to a high reflectance mode whenever the shifter is placed in reverse.

If the forward or rear sensors are blocked, the auto-dimming interior rear view mirror might not work correctly.