Principles of Operation

PRINCIPLES OF OPERATION

The exterior mirror control switch is located on the LH door trim panel. Adjusting the exterior mirror control switch to the LH or RH position determines which exterior mirror glass will be controlled.

Heated Exterior Rear View Mirror
The rear window defrost switch controls the operation of the heated exterior rear view mirrors. The heated exterior rear view mirrors only operate when the rear window defrost system is operating. The heated exterior rear view mirror power is supplied by the rear defroster relay through smart junction box (SJB) fuse 13 (15A), which isolates the heated exterior mirrors from the rear window defroster system in the event of a concern.

Interior Auto-Dimming Rear View Mirror
The interior rear view mirror may be equipped with an auto-dimming feature. The interior auto-dimming rear view mirror automatically reduces the glare caused by headlamps reflecting in the interior rear view mirror. Power is supplied to the interior auto-dimming mirror when the ignition is in the RUN position or the accessory delay is active. The auto-dimming feature is disabled when the vehicle is in REVERSE.

The interior auto-dimming rear view mirror has 2 photoelectric sensors, a forward facing sensor and a rearward facing sensor, that detect forward and rearward light conditions. Based on these inputs, the automatic dimming feature adjusts the reflectance level of the interior rear view mirror glass to eliminate unwanted glare. The reflectance level of the mirror glass is variable and depends on the amount of rear glare in relation to ambient light conditions in front of the interior mirror.

When the forward sensor detects daytime conditions, the rearward sensor is inactive and the interior rear view mirror stays in a high reflectance mode. When the forward sensor detects nighttime conditions, the rearward 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 interior rear view mirror will automatically return to a high reflectance mode whenever the vehicle is in REVERSE.

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