Car lights have remained largely the same over the years. But the systems that run them have changed dramatically, which is why most laypeople are incapable of fixing defective lights. The guide below will show you some practical troubleshooting tips.
Dodge Charger Headlights Won’t Turn Off – Why?
1). The CANBus configuration is faulty.
2). Are you sure the headlights won’t turn off, or they’ve simply taken longer than expected to turn off? In other words, they are programmed to stay on for a little while after you shut the engine down. Have you modified the vehicle in recent months? Maybe your technician added a new program without making you aware.
Do the headlights persist at specific times of the day? Some headlights turn on automatically during particular times of the day. Sometimes, that is daytime. In other cases, it is nighttime. Either way, you must disengage this system to prevent the headlights from staying on when you want them off. The headlights may persist because this system is defective.
3). The relay is bad.
4). Bad connection wires.
5). The switch is bad.
6). Maybe the headlights are supposed to stay on even in the daytime. Dennis A. Attwood published a paper in SAE International highlighting the benefits of running daytime lights as a means of avoiding collisions. Additionally, The National Law Review published an article noting that permanent headlight usage could reduce road accidents. In other words, your Dodge Charger’s headlights are working as expected.
How To Fix It?
1). If you need a quick fix because you don’t want to drain the battery, kill the power by pulling one or more cables from the battery. Life Wire wants you to prioritize the negative cable to prevent a short circuit. The negative line has a minus symbol. The lights can’t stay on once you disconnect the battery.
2). You can also resort to pulling the fuse or relay if you want the other components to retain power, including the computer and radio.
3). Reflash the lighting program with starscan.
4). Deactivate the headlights before shutting the engine off. If your car keeps the headlights on for a little while after you turn the engine off, shutting the headlights off beforehand removes this delay.
5). Replace faulty relays.
6). Clean your windscreen if the car has auto headlights. Auto headlights use sensors to track changes in the ambient light. If the manufacturer placed those sensors on the dashboard, a dirty windscreen could compromise their functions, keeping the headlights on for longer than expected. This is why Torque encourages consumers to clean their windscreens.
7). Secure all the wires and connections. Make sure they are sufficiently tight. Depending on the model, you may see a tan wire running between the rotary dimmer system and clusters and a green line running to the high-low beam selector.
8). Check the circuit breakers.
9). Replace a defective switch.
Dodge Charger Dash Lights Won’t Turn Off – Why?
- You did not turn the car off.
- You had a tazer installed at one point, and it was removed. This could create complications if your technician forgets to reboot the system.
- Your software is out of date. This allows the radio to stay awake, which, in turn, keeps the bus awake.
- Faulty battery.
- Defective instrument cluster.
How To Fix It?
- If you want to reduce the drain on the battery in an emergency, dim the cluster to the lowest setting. This keeps the battery alive long enough for you to take the car to the mechanic, especially if you must wait a few hours before driving to the nearest garage. Admittedly, the cluster shouldn’t drain the battery. But if it concerns you, dimming the lights will put you at ease.
- Cycle the ignition through ACC, RUN, and finally OFF. This will eliminate the glitch, leaving the dashboard in a state that allows the cluster lights to deactivate after a while. This won’t work for every model.
- Restore the radio to the factory default.
- Reflash the BCM.
- Use your warranty. Take the car back to the dealership.
- Make sure you turned the car off.
- Update your radio software.
- Perform a cold reboot by disconnecting the battery terminals for half an hour.
- If you can’t identify the factors keeping the BUS awake, reinstalling the modules related to the bus may help.
- Perform a crank test. Replace the battery where necessary.
- Replace a faulty instrument cluster.
Dodge Charger Hazard Lights Won’t Turn Off – Why?
- Loose connections
- Stuck switch.
- Defective switch. The relay’s contacts are probably burned or fused.
- Water entered the fuse box. Keep this problem in mind if you recently washed the car. Something is shorting. This is why some people are hesitant to clean the engine bay. They prefer to leave this task to a professional that knows how to navigate this area without causing harm.
- You have an aftermarket alarm that your dealership installed before you bought the vehicle. You won’t notice it because the dealership doesn’t always install the siren. It only becomes apparent when a power failure occurs, activating the alarm and turning the hazard lights on.
- You blew a fuse.
- The car has a mechanism that automatically turns the hazard lights on when you park or if someone knocks the vehicle. This mechanism includes a button that allows you to turn the hazard lights off.
- You unknowingly turned the hazard lights on.
How To Fix It?
- Make sure you switch the hazard lights off. Check the manual to confirm that you applied the correct instructions.
- Check the Front Control Module. Make sure the connectors are clean and secure.
- Replace a defective switch.
- Unstick a stuck switch.
- If water entered the fuse box, this problem should disappear once the moisture dries. You can expedite the process by leaving the hood open.
- Remove any alarms you’ve discovered.
- Replace a blown fuse.
- If your car has the option, use a button on the dashboard to reset the hazard lights.
Dodge Charger Dome Lights Won’t Turn Off – Why?
- The door is open.
- The door is misaligned, or it has a bad latch and hinges.
- The door is closed, but you forgot to turn the dome lights off manually.
- Defective dome light switch.
- In some cars, the dome lights stay on for a few minutes after you switch the engine off and close the doors. They will turn off automatically if you leave them alone.
- The detection switch can stick. Once the signal fails to reach the ECU, the vehicle won’t know that you closed the doors.
- The switch that controls the dome lights is damaged.
How To Fix It?
- Turn the dome lights off manually.
- Shut all the doors. Open each door and slam it shut for good measure. You should also inspect each switch. Fix any switches stuck in the open position. Don’t ignore loose switches with excess play. Replace them before they cause further harm.
- Fix a defective door. The lights won’t turn off if the latch is too damaged to interrupt the circuit. Ask a technician to troubleshoot the issue. You may solve the problem by simply slamming the door with more force. But the issue will worsen until it introduces new faults in places you did not expect. You are better off fixing the problem once and for all.
- Use the dimmer switch to turn the dome lights off.
- Check the instructions to confirm that you’re using the correct switch to turn the dome lights off.
- Replace the switch that controls the dome lights. This assumes the switch is damaged.
- Trace the wiring that runs between the dome lights, doors, and the car’s electrical system. Look for loose connections or damaged conductors.
- If all else fail, remove the bulbs. This prevents the dome lights from draining the battery. You can put them back once a mechanic troubleshoots and solves the problem.
Dodge Charger Interior Lights Won’t Turn Off – Why?
- The door is open.
- The door switch is stuck.
- You manually moved the control knob to the on position.
- You have a defective door switch.
- Some models have internal lights that stay on for several minutes before turning off automatically. You can check the manual for a workaround.
How To Fix It?
- Close the doors. Slam them with a bit more force. This includes the trunk. Many people forget the trunk.
- Use the dimmer switch to lower the brightness. The interior lights are less likely to drain the battery. This gives you the opportunity to find a mechanic.
- Move the control knob to the off position.
- Replace a broken door switch. Confirm your suspicions by pressing each switch and waiting to hear a click. The car won’t realize the doors are closed because the switch is broken. Again, don’t forget the trunk.
- Even though you’ve already gone through this process, repeat it. Start the car, wait five minutes, and switch it off. Remove the key, open each door, and shut it. Once all the doors are closed, wait a few more minutes. The internal lights should turn off.
- Check the manual to find out how to turn the internal lights off. Cars usually feature a three-position switch. The lights may persist because you don’t know how to turn them off. You might be surprised to learn that the same controls manipulating the headlights will also deactivate the internal lights.
Don’t hesitate to consult an expert. Lights work hand in hand with the car’s electrical system. You don’t want to tamper with the electrical system unless you know what you’re doing. You may do more harm than good.