What Causes Headlights to Turn On By Themselves?

Having a headlight or headlights (if both are affected) that turn on by themselves can be a frustrating nuisance and a potential safety hazard. This post will explore why this might happen and how to resolve it promptly.      

We shall cover the reasons why your headlights turn on by themselves and provide monitoring steps for resolving the issue. Although this situation of your headlights turning on by themselves can be annoying and inconvenient, it doesn’t have to remain a lasting mystery or an ongoing issue. 

Potential causes of headlights turning on by themselves

Headlights are a very sensitive part of a vehicle that illuminates your path at night and when driving in dark areas. With this being said, there are lots of circumstances that could result in a headlight turning on by themselves and here we shall briefly look into these causes:

• Faulty headlight switch
• Short circuit in the wiring harness 
• Corrosion on the headlight switch
• Bad relay switch
• Faulty relay in the headlight system 
• Wrong wiring in the headlight switch
• Issues with the power train control module
• Disconnected and corroded battery terminals
• Fluctuations in the electrical system
• Electrical system glitch
• The automatic sensor turned on

How to properly diagnose and repair the issue 

It’s not enough to be worried about your headlights turning on by themselves, you need to do a proper diagnosis to determine where the fault is from. There are a good number of cases that could prompt headlight dysfunction, your ability to detect them will save your day.

To diagnose a faulty headlight, inspect the following and follow through with the repair strategies:

1. Check the vehicle’s battery:

Checking the vehicle’s battery to ensure there are no faults from this end is a great job. The battery is charged by the alternator to supply power to the electric system of vehicles. If the battery’s charge is low, obviously there will be fluctuations in the headlight illumination. By simply replacing the alternator or ensuring the wiring is intact, this problem would be resolved.

2. Assess the electrical system:

The electrical system is the powertrain of the vehicle lighting system. It powers the control module. You should examine this system and be on the lookout for faults, your hand manual will be very useful here. Take your vehicle to a mechanic for any connection issues.

3. Examine the headlight switches for malfunction:

If the switch is having a glitch then it’s possible for the headlight to turn on by itself. Therefore check the switch and ensure they are in good condition to prevent that situation.

4. Avoid trial and error approach:

You need to stop trying to fix a headlight issue on your own without prior informative knowledge and instructions. This will make way for a more serious issue to arise. 

Potential risks of ignoring a faulty headlight 

If you ignore a faulty headlight or pay less attention to it, the problem escalates and sometimes will require changing the headlight assembly completely.  

Aside from posing a more serious issue, it could endanger your life as you will be unable to see other approaching vehicles. More also, other vehicles would be at risk as they won’t take note of your turning signals and thus, hazards will be unavoidable.

The need to consult a qualified mechanic 

There’s a great need to consult a qualified mechanic for issues relating to headlights turning on by themselves. it may actually be something simple on diagnosis, maybe a simple switch issue or fuse requiring replacement or better still as commonly known, your automatic headlight might be on. And thus, it comes on when it dims fit which is not an issue. Once a mechanic assesses the issue and it’s automatic you will be notified. This outcome will make you feel relaxed as an automatic headlight is a normal thing. Hence, a professional is required to get the issue fixed.

Conclusion

Headlights turning on by themselves can be a terrifying experience as it can be difficult to diagnose and fix the issue at one glance. We understand just how important it is to be able to drive safely without having to worry about good lighting. That’s why we provided you with the knowledge needed to diagnose and fix this issue.