What if your hazard lights didn’t turn off and left you wondering why won’t my hazard lights turn off? This is one of those car situations that most of us will find ourselves in eventually. However, there are some easy things you can do to prevent it from happening. In this article, we are going to discuss this issue in detail.
Table of Contents
What Is The Use Of Hazard Lights?
These lights were first introduced by automobile manufacturers in the 1950s with the intent of creating more visibility for vehicles on the road. The Hazard lights are used to warn other cars on the road about hazards on the road such as accidents, emergency vehicles, bad weather, etc.
Most drivers are still confused about what the hazard light switch does and why it is important to turn it off in certain situations. They are located right next to your parking lights and turn signal switch.
Why Won’t My Hazard Lights Turn Off? What Is The Reason?
This problem may be caused because of the flasher relay going bad. This is a small relay that allows the lights to flash based on the current flow and a resistor inside that causes them to flash. When this is faulty, this will cause them to flash very slow, very fast, or in some cases stay solid.
The lights staying on after the car has been shut off suggests you might have a corrosion issue in one of the sockets or potentially a shorted-out turn signal switch assembly.
There are some basic reasons behind it. Let’s see what they are.
1. Malfunctioned Electrical Relays:-
The electrical relays are the essential part that switches on and switches off the hazard lights. If they have malfunctioned when the hazard lights are on, you won’t be able to switch them off.
2. Electrical Short:-
It is another problematic thing that can make the hazard lights not turn off. It generally occurs when there is an internal fault in the circuit board. When there is an electrical short, the hazard lights will turn on by themselves they will also flash at an abnormal speed.
3. Problem With The Turn Signal Switch:-
If the hazard lights are not turning off even after turning a corner, it could be due to a malfunctioned turn signal switch. The turn signal switch enables the hazard lights to turn on and off when turning a corner. They can get faulty due to bad wiring or mechanical issues such as a damaged clock spring.
4. Malfunctioned Hazard Switch:-
A malfunctioned hazard switch might also cause this problem because it has a toggle that controls the supply of power. When you turn on the toggle, the gateway completes and allows the power to pass through. As and when you turn it off, the gateway opens by cutting off the power.
However, sometimes the gateway malfunctions no matter how many times you turn off the toggle, the gateway doesn’t open. It will make the hazard lights not turn off.
5. Faulty Sensor:-
These sensors are usually linked to the hazard lights. When someone opens the car’s doors without switching off the sensor, the car’s hazard lights will turn on. Which is followed by a horning sound.
But sometimes, the sensor gets faulty and relays the signals to the hazard lights even when they are turned off. Which will make the hazard lights on even when you press the switch-off button.
6. Low Voltage Problem:-
This problem is caused due to a faulty or old battery which makes the hazard lights stay on. It is because the low voltage will slow down your car. If your car is a premium model, the chances are high that it has been designed to automatically turn on the hazard lights whenever it slows down.
How To Reset Your Car’s Hazard Lights?
The hazard lights can be reset by pressing the button on the dashboard. Your car’s manual will have a diagram explaining exactly where the buttons are. In some cars, you can also press a button on your keychain to reset them. If your car doesn’t have these features, you need to pull over and turn them off.
Do The Hazard Lights Drain Battery Of Your Car?
Traction control or anti-skid system might be affected by the use of hazard lights because it uses the same computer system as the battery to work properly. It means when you use your hazards, the car’s computer system will notice that you are drawing more power from the battery.
It will activate the traction control to prevent your tires from getting caught down in snow or rainy weather and will prevent spinning out of control.
How Long Can You Leave Your Hazard Lights On?
If you are stuck in traffic and leave your hazards on for an extended period, it will cause a problem for other vehicles. It’s better to turn them off sooner. In these cases, you should exercise caution when turning off your hazards. Because this may confuse other drivers and lead to an accident.
What You Should Do To Turn Off The Hazard Lights?
Step 1:-
Firstly, you need to check the switch of the hazard lights and see if the switch got stuck. Because sometimes the switch tends to stick and make the hazard lights stay on.
Step 2:-
If the switch is working properly then the contacts in the switch might be burned and fused. You need to remove the fuse and switch and replace it.
Step 3:-
Then put the fuse back in and the switch. Make sure that it should be normal after putting the fuse and switch back in.
Step 4:-
If the electrical relays are faulty, you will have to replace them, but you will also have to check the other issues if they are okay.
Step 5:-
To solve an electrical short, open the circuit board. Check if a conductor is causing the short, remove it while being careful. If the wires are worn out and responsible for the shorts, you will have to replace them.
Step 6:-
If there is a problem with the signal witch causing this issue then you can fix it by checking the turn signal switch and the clock spring by resolving them appropriately.
Step 7:-
You also need to check the hazard switch if it is the reason behind this issue and need to repair or replace the affected parts of the hazard switch which will make the hazard lights operate correctly.
Step 8:-
The sensor prevents the hazard lights from turning off, you can temporarily disconnect them from the hazard lights until you can fix them or install a new one.
Step 9:-
Try closing all the doors properly, and if the lights go off, your car door hinges are faulty. You can then go ahead and fix the hinges to avoid experiencing the same problem again.
Hence these are some solutions for solving this problem. By properly following these steps it will not make you wonder anymore why won’t my hazard lights turn off. If you are unable to solve this issue or facing some difficulties in doing so. Then you should take the help of the professionals they’ll help you out in diagnosing the problem properly.
Conclusion:-
We hope the above-mentioned information will help all the viewers and will not make you wonder anymore why won’t my hazard lights turn off. If anyone has any more doubts regarding this issue feel free to comment your doubt in the comment section we’ll try to solve it as soon as possible.