SOLVED: Mirror dimming problem when night driving '16 Limited

Problem: When driving at night, noticed a problem where as cars behind got closer, the rear view mirror was not properly dimmed. When cars were further back, the mirror seemed to work as designed. This bothered the heck out of me.

Solution: I reported this to my dealer, and their response was (as expected), nothing they could do, must be the tinted window (BS answer). What I found was the REAL reason it 'un-dims' as cars approach closer is the center rear headrest blocks enough of the light coming from the cars headlights as it gets closer behind. The headrest is in direct line to the second sensor on the rear view mirror that detects light behind you, and it behaves as though there is nobody following. There are two ways to resolve this
1. Remove the center rear headrest. (Can double as a nice elbow rest for rear passengers )
2. Turn the mirror upside-down, relocating the sensor on the top edge of the mirror. This unfortunately puts your controls for garage doors on top too which is not as convenient, and makes the compass readout upside-down.


To really fix this would require a redesign in the mirror, so Toyota, if your listening.....

 

that's crazy that the middle headrest does that. this is looking like another classic ³rd gen ball drop lol. thanks for reporting it, I've already removed my middle rear headrest so I'm good. flipping the mirror is a good idea... do you know if there's any pitfalls from that?

 

I don't know of any issues with flipping the mirror, other than the garage door opener buttons being on top and the compass being backwards.

 

my 2016 limited don't have that problem.

 

I wonder what a new mirror would cost?
I'm tempted to take one apart and see if I could rewire the sensor to the top.

 

Haven't noticed this, but will have a look and see if this happens. Auto dim seems to act as expected, but maybe tailgaters affect the sensor.

 

I do not have this problem (16'dcor)

 

I have a '16 Limited and don't have this problem at all. I have a medical issue that affects my eyes so I don't drive much at night, but my eyes are real sensitive to bright light. I drove a Chevy work van that after dark car headlights were painful at times. In my limited time driving my Tacoma at night I've never been uncomfortable with bright lights.