Ford Taurus Owners Manual: Adjusting the headlamps

The headlamps on your vehicle are properly aimed at the assembly plant.

If your vehicle has been in an accident, an authorized dealer should check the alignment of your headlamps.

Vertical Aim Adjustment

1. Park the vehicle directly in front of a wall or screen on a level surface, approximately 25 feet (7.6 meters) away.

• (1) 8 feet (2.4 meters)


• (1) 8 feet (2.4 meters)

• (2) Center height of lamp to ground

• (3) 25 feet (7.6 meters)

• (4) Horizontal reference line

2. Measure the height of the headlamp bulb center from the ground and mark an 8 foot (2.4 meter) horizontal reference line on the vertical wall or screen at this height (a piece of masking tape works well). The center of the lamp is marked by a 3 millimeter circle on the headlamp lens.

3. Turn on the low beam headlamps to illuminate the wall or screen and open the hood.

To see a clearer light pattern for adjusting, you may want to block the light from one headlamp while adjusting the other.

On the wall or screen you will


On the wall or screen you will observe a flat zone of high intensity light located at the top of the right hand portion of the beam pattern.

If the top edge of the high intensity light zone is not at the horizontal reference line, the headlamp will need to be adjusted.

4. Locate the vertical adjuster on


4. Locate the vertical adjuster on each headlamp. Using a Phillips number 2 screwdriver, turn the adjuster either clockwise or counterclockwise in order to adjust the vertical aim of the headlamp.

5. Close the hood and turn off the lamps.

HORIZONTAL AIM IS NOT REQUIRED FOR THIS VEHICLE AND IS NOT ADJUSTABLE.

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