2021 TRD Pro Headlight Dark Spot on Low Beams

Hello everyone,

Please let me know if I'm in the wrong place, been lurking on this forum for a while but this is my first post.

I had a question regarding my 2021 Trd Pro's lowbeams. There is a noticeable dark spot when I have the lowbeams on, only on the left side, in the upper part of the beam. They disappear when I turn on the high beams. I have had trouble finding anything relevant to this issue on this forum. Was just wondering if this was normal or some sort of defect?

I don't have any pictures right now but can take one tomorrow night if it is necessary for an answer. Hope some of the experts on here can provide some help.

Thanks ahead of time!

 

Possibly a void in the beam pattern so you don’t shine into the eyes of oncoming drivers with low beams. The void isn’t necessary with high beams because it’s assumed you won’t be shining them at oncoming drivers. And it’s not necessary on the passenger side because... no oncoming drivers over there.

Just a guess, as we haven’t seen many reviews yet of the new led housings. Please share your thoughts and post up some photos. We’re all curious!

And welcome to the forum! Hope you stick around.

 

Thank you for your reply and insight! That could very well be what it is, it just seemed odd that it was only on one side of the lights. I will take some pictures tomorrow night and post them. Like you said there is not a lot of information available online regarding the new led housings. The led's have been great and the void I mentioned is hardly significant just something I noticed and was hoping to get a verdict on.

 

Someone else posted something similar. Must be so it doesn't blind people?

 

Every vehicle sold in North America has a light cutoff that it high on the right and drops as it moves left, it’s a legal requirement. The LEDs giving off a bit of color and having such a crisp clear cutoff it’s more noticeable.

Fun fact - on some actual nice cars they have a setting for driving on the left side or the right side of the road which will reverse the cutoff of the lights so it’s legal to drive your exotic in other countries.

 

Seems normal, 2021 Venture.

 

I have a 2021 limited. Same annoying light cutoff on the left.

 

How are the low beam led lights on a dark hiway? Better than the halogens?

 

Miles better than halogen. Not quite as bright as HID
https://www.4runners.com/threads/2021-stock-limited-led-headlights-and-fog-review.16620/#post-191482

 

Thank you all for the replies, I will get pics up ASAP. Seems like it’s by design though from the replies so far.

 

Thank you for posting this. I assumed it was common knowledge that left-side headlights are aimed lower as a safety requirement to prevent blinding oncoming drivers. But you know what they say about ass u me -ing

 

Sorry for the delay, here's a photo of what I'm referring to.

 

I’m sorry, but I don’t see a problem. Actually, it looks great ! Much better than my halogens, even with the H9 conversion.

 

I don't think there is one! Thanks all for the replies!

 

Agree the headlights look great in this pic. Very wide and bright illumination. The relative dark spot circled by the OP is just what you'd expect from the cutoff built into most modern headlights (whether LED, HID or Halogen) combined with the lower aim of the driver side headlight for safety reasons per DOT regulations.

My only concern based on the picture would be about throw -- ie how far forward these headlights are projecting. It's very hard to tell from photos, thus the value of objective tests like those done by IIHS. But there seems little reason to doubt that these new LEDs are far superior to the old halogens when it comes to the width and amount of illumination they provide -- for whatever distance forward they're providing it.

 

Yep, normal. Are your fogs turned on in this photo?

 

I don’t believe they were.

 

I love the HID conversion in my 18 TRDOR. NO dark spots

 

I just bought my 2021 4 runner & I see the same spot. It is easy to see it in the picture but it is a still pic. My issue is that it follows the road when driving & I find myself hyper focusing on that dark spot as I am driving. it is very annoying to me. I was driving it home last night & had instant buyers remorse. I don't know what to do to fix it.

 

I see it too, but don't have an issue looking over it. Haven't looked to see what's causing it either. If it bugs you that bad, I'd take it to the dealer and ask that they take a look at it sooner than later. There are a lot of people that notice it, it seems, so they're surely aware and might have a fix.

 

thank you.. that is a great idea.. i love the vehicle and have owned many 4 runners/toyotas period and was super excited about them finally having led lights but my eyes hone right in in that stupid spot. lol
i planned on calling them this morning. thanks.

 

Maybe you can try adjusting the height level on both?
It's an 8mm socket. Not a big deal.

 

Every Toyota with factory LED headlights has the “spot”. My gf had a 17 corolla that had the spot and now her 2020 Camry hybrid has the spot too.

 

Not to beat a dead horse (it's been noted earlier in this thread) but this is totally normal and by design. Left headlights are aimed lower for safety reasons. And this is more noticeable with LEDs because they are so bright in the areas they illuminate and have a nice sharp cutoff for the areas they are not supposed to illuminate -- by design.

So, this is not a flaw of any kind.

While not recommended, the "spot" could be eliminated by raising the aim of the left headlight so it matches the aim of the right. Then the cutoff would be a straight line. Then, what you'd notice is just that the headlights are very bright for the distance they work, then things are very dark past that. Again, totally normal.

 

Well, I don't know what it is that they need to do but I can tell you that in my opinion, this is a FLAW. I have a Ram limited also & it to has LED headlights .... nothing like this.. .they are awesome. no spots, no void in the lights, they just work perfectly & exactly how you would anticipate that they should work. I would LOVE to have the same experience w/ this new 4 runner. I am hyper sensitive or OCD or anal, whatever someone would like to call it but I have had enough cars, trucks, suv's in my life to know that this is NOT normal. it is as if something is blocking the path of the headlights going all the way across the road. I have spoken to the dealership & they in the process of trying to make this right for me. I trust that one way or another, they will.

 

Have you spoken to the manager yet?

 

yes. I have spoken to the mgr.

 

Definitely sounded like it.

The headlights aren’t great, but they are also not defective. They have dark spots, all of them. It’s either by design or by omission of the same. The shop “looking into it” is them shutting up an annoying customer. Understandably.

 

I am far from an annoying customer but I am not blind either... it is a faulty design on Toyota's part if that is there solution for changing to LED lights. I am also not ignorant to the fact that salesman /dealerships are in the business to make money. However, I have been a long time customer of this dealership & as idiotic as it may sound, I would like to think that they are truly trying to make things right. I guess I will find out..lol. If they don't then I guess I will know where my customer loyalty stands w/ them.