What Are Follow Me Home Headlamps & How It Works?

Follow me home headlamps have become one of the essential safety features in modern cars. It helps and prevents you from any miss-happenings in day-to-day parking conditions like dark, potholes, mud, etc.

On this page:
Definition
Working
Uses
FAQs

Depending on the car manufacturer, your vehicle might have a different name or button to activate this safety feature.

Also, I strongly recommend that if you want or planning to buy a new car soon, you should consider follow me home headlamps feature in your checklist.

Now, let’s understand what is follow me home headlights and how it works in detail.

Follow Me Home Headlamps
Follow Me Home Headlamps in Datsun

Follow Me Home Headlamps Definition

Follow me home headlamps, also known as guide me headlamps, is one of the safety features given in modern automobiles (both four & two-wheelers). This feature switches or remains “ON” the front set of headlamps for a limited period – 10 to 15 seconds, providing you with a safer path while you park your vehicle in the parking or nearby to your home.

Usually, unknown parking places can be different compared to your know location, which brings insecurity, especially for women drivers. Here, I’ve also covered the most-trusted car parking apps that offer well-maintained spaces.

Working Function Of Follow Me Home Headlamps

Follow me headlamps come into action as soon as you switch off the ignition of your car while approaching your home/office, followed by locking your car.

Right after you lock it via key, an ECU (electronic control unit) processes and sends an electric pulse, also known as a signal via electronics assembly, to actuate a front set of lamps.

Follow Me Home Headlamps Function
Car with guide me headlamps providing a clear path

This actuation of headlamps remains “ON” for a few seconds (depending on the car model and make), which is taken care of by a trained program via a microprocessor.

I’ve also researched and noted differences between Ricer & Tuner cars, in addition to EV facts & Urus Facts.

A Video Overview of Follow Me Home Headlamps

This clip shows the FMH functionality of the Maruti Baleno car.

Clips Source: Ankit Tripathi

Uses Of Follow Me Home Headlamps

Now you are fully aware that Follow me headlamps or guide me lamps is a safety feature. Usually, this feature comes in standard inexpensive cars, but now manufacturers are providing them as an optional feature or standard.

Of course, it will cost you a bit more. Personally, I suggest you this feature in your future car. That’s saying, there are many reasons & use cases to prefer to follow me home headlamps in a car. Let’s have a look!

  • By investing little extra money, you can have a feature that will show a way through dark spots such as parking.
  • It will help you find your car in the parking, crowd and other possible places where we usually struggle or forget.
  • Look cool in both condition, whether it’s finding your car or using it as follow.
  • An excellent feature for all women drivers who park their car far from home/flat. With the help of guiding me home headlights, she can pass car length and remaining distance without worrying.
  • Except for safety concerns, follow me home headlamp feature grabs the attention of fellow car owners as you walk out like a Boss.

Parts Involved In Functioning Of Follow Me Headlamps

Follow me headlamps involve verities of spares; however, we will talk about the most important accessories used in working of follow me headlamps.

How follow me headlamps work
Follow me headlamps parts and functions

Here’s the list of involved in the working of a follow or guide me headlamps:

  • Standby power: This action comes under the battery of any vehicle where they enough charge to glow the front headlamps for 15 or more seconds. Don’t worry, this won’t affect your starting problem.
  • Actuator or switch: Many high-end automobiles involve an automation process, but a max of modern car involves an actuator. This operation involves input via a switch or via a touch function, which gives the actuation input with a set time to the front headlamps.
  • Time function: Timing functionality is fully adjustable with the help of an assembly switch or touch in modern automobiles. Usually, we get somewhere between 10 to 15 seconds which can be adjustable from the light assembly or touch function.
  • Dimming function: The dimming function works in sync with timing. Lamps switch “ON” as soon as you get off the car and automatically reduce the brightness level, which ends up as switch “Off”.

List of Best-Selling Cars Brands Offering Follow Me Home Headlamps as Standard:

  • Suzuki
  • Hyundai
  • Kia Seltos
  • Tata
  • Toyota
  • Ford
  • Honda
  • BMW
  • Ferrari
  • Lamborghini

And other brands like Mercedes, Audi, & other brands too.


How Do You Turn On Follow Me Home Lights?

Turning on follow me home headlamps is quite an easy task. However, this functionality depends on manufacturers. The simple and most common method that you can find in any modern car. You have to pull the headlamps lever towards you and leave the rest on the electronics.

Here, maybe your car doesn’t offer this functionality, but you can always look into your car manual to access this functionality. Given below are the steps for specific car brands:

How To Activate Follow Me Home lamps in Hyundai vehicles?

Hyundai Creta Front Lamps
Hyundai Creta Front Lamps

Follow the given steps to turn on Follow me lamps in your Hyundai vehicles:

  • First, turn off the ignition & lamps.
  • Now, pull-out ignition key (ignore in case of keyless feature).
  • Double press the remote key lock switch to turn on the headlamps.
  • Lights will glow for 20 seconds and automatically switches off.

*This feature will be working in all the latest Hyundai cars such as Creta, i30, etc. In addition, Kia cars offer the same functionality.

How To Activate Follow Me Home lamps in Toyota vehicles?

Toyota Fortuner Front Lamps
Toyota Fortuner Front Lamps

Follow the given steps to turn on Follow me lamps in your Toyota vehicles:

  • Turn off the ignition & lamps.
  • Pull out the ignition key or push the button in case of a keyless feature.
  • Pull the right-hand side lever (headlamp) to your side and get outside the vehicle.
  • The system’s designed headlamps will glow for 30 seconds to rest automatically.

*This feature will be working in all Toyota cars.

FAQs

Are Follow Me Headlamps Different From Daytime Running Lights?

Yes, as the name suggests, daytime running light is used for the day only. However, guide me, headlamps are used in dark or night spaces.

What Is Pathway Lighting?

Pathway lighting is a follow me or guide me home headlamps used by BMW automobiles. Here, the basic functionality is the same except for the name of the technology. You get a light follow-up of front headlamps followed by switching off and locking the car. However, the timing of lights varies from 15 to 90 seconds.

How Does Use Follow Me Home Headlamps In Creta?

Follow the given steps to tun-on Follow Me Headlamps in Hyundai Creta:

1. Keep ignition and parking lamp in the “Off position”.
2. Remove the key from the ignition system.
3. Once you remove it, double press the lock button is given on the remote.
4. This will switch on the headlamps.

As preset by the timer, both headlamps will remain “ON” for 20 seconds. You can also turn them Off using unlock switch on the remote.

Written by Shailesh Thakran

Hi, I'm think tank behind Throttlebias. I love blogging, mainly about Automobiles. Via Throttlebias, I want to educate & share in-depth articles about Car Detailing and related areas. Outside Throttlebias, I love to write marketing & stuff.

2 thoughts on “What Are Follow Me Home Headlamps & How It Works?”

  1. Hi Shailesh, it’s good to know that how – Follow me home lamps provides convenience and safety. I really enjoyed the information you posted above. Looking forward for more guides about cars.

    Reply

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