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Help - Parking Lights ON draining battery

44K views 16 replies 14 participants last post by  sbr711 
#1 ·
Hi All,

I am having this problem from today evening. Today I went out to do some shopping and when came back to car parking saw my parking lights ON. I tried turning it OFF by moving the light switch to OFF but no help. Strangely when I turn on the ignition (not start car) the lights go OFF in light OFF mode but in ON/AUTO mode along with light, the wiper starts automatically. So, wiper is ON when car ignition is ON or I am driving.

Before turning ignition OFF (and car engine OFF) I set the light to OFF and its OFF but as soon as I turn OFF the ignition and try to lock car, parking lights come back ON even in light mode set to OFF.

Please suggest me what could be wrong. My battery will be drained by morning.

B.A.
 
#4 ·
Try pulling the Low Beam Headlight relay in the distribution panel under the hood. The relay is labelled. Pull it straight up to remove - it will fight you a bit. It should disconnect the power to the headlights & marker lights. When you need to drive the car again just pop the relay back in. That should preserve your battery while you sort out the underlying cause.

Good Luck
 
#6 ·
Hi All,

I am having this problem from today evening. Today I went out to do some shopping and when came back to car parking saw my parking lights ON. I tried turning it OFF by moving the light switch to OFF but no help. Strangely when I turn on the ignition (not start car) the lights go OFF in light OFF mode but in ON/AUTO mode along with light, the wiper starts automatically. So, wiper is ON when car ignition is ON or I am driving.

Before turning ignition OFF (and car engine OFF) I set the light to OFF and its OFF but as soon as I turn OFF the ignition and try to lock car, parking lights come back ON even in light mode set to OFF.

Please suggest me what could be wrong. My battery will be drained by morning.

B.A.
You might try changing both bulbs if they aren't too expensive. I've seen some very strange things happen when the bulbs blow and create a new path to ground. And or installed incorrectly.
 
#7 ·
I had something similar on my all stock 2009 Limited 2.4L. I drive around with my headlights on all of the time. When I shut the car off and take the keys out of the ignition, the head lights automatically shutoff.
One night I got a call from my neighbor saying my lights were on. Thinking the kids had fooled around with my car I went outside and my parking lights were on. I tried switching the lights to off but they wouldn't shutoff. I turned them on and then off but the parking lights stayed on.
I finally put the key in the ignition, started the car, and turned the lights off. That worked.
I don't know what the deal was and have not had it happen since.
 
#8 ·
Similar thing happens on mine from time to time. This morning when I arrived at work the parking lights stayed on. Luckily a co-worker informed me when they came in.

At home I park underground so the lights always turn on. I have the headlights on 'auto' so I never really use the knob.

I just try to make a point of ensuring they are off when I park.

Brake lights, head lights, and the high mount stop light have been replaced last month. It's just one of those weird quirky things that I just learned to deal with.

Sometimes it doesnt even want to start. You turn the key and everything turns on but it just won't turn over (no starter sound). Turn the key a few more times and it will eventually start. It's something on my 'look-into-this' list but I just haven't gotten to it.
 
#9 ·
The same thing has been happening to me recently with my 2007 Sonata. It killed a year-old battery (Sam's Club replaced it) and drained the brand new replacement two nights later!

Have very bad news and what might be slightly good news.

This appears to be a known problem Hyundai isn't taking responsibility for. There are details in these threads I've linked to below, but it looks like the issue is with the relay in the fuse box that turns the lights out. The relay is embedded in the box, which means the entire box has to be replaced. It's very darn costly.

With my car, the problem seems to go away if I don't have any electrical systems on when I stop the engine and leave the car. I make sure all lights and the radio are off, turn the key, and then open the door. For some reason, if I have the door open before I've tturned off the lights and engine, the parking lights seem to have more chance of coming on.

I'm hoping my little work around works until I research a good price for the box and find a reliable mechanic. I'm determined not to be gauged by the dealer.


http://www.hyundai-forums.com/181-nf-2006-2010-sonata/105390-parking-lights-stay.html

Parking lights don't turn off : Hyundai Sonata Common Electrical & Lights Problems

http://www.hyundai-forums.com/181-n...parking-lights-stay-fuse-box-replacement.html
 
#10 ·
Okay everyone I have the answer to this problem, it's a long explanation so bear with me. I will include a rough guide on how to fix this problem for any DIYers out there.

I own a 2006 SONATA so everything I am saying pertains to that vehicle. I cannot guarantee wire colors and locations will be the same on other years but the principle is still the same.

The issue here is that the headlights are on a different circuit from the tail lights and parking lights. Both circuits have relays which are basically small switches controlled by electromagnets. Turn your headlights off, the relay turns off and opens the switch, and the bulbs go out. Turn one more click to parking lights, or off, the relay turns off, BUT the switch gets stuck and keeps the circuit working and the bulbs lit. You can sometimes jiggle between the settings on the switch enough and the magnet in the relay turning on and off will eventually shake the switch loose.

So if this were the headlight relay you could just swap out the relay in the engine fuse block but the tail light relay is built in to the passenger compartment relay box. I opened it, and the relay is an integral part of the circuit board. So to fix this without buying a new fuse block, we're going to cut some wires and move our whole relay setup outside the fuse block.

If you don't really know much about wiring diagrams and electronics I advise you do not try this yourself. However, you can explain to a mechanic what you believe to be the issue and ask if he can create this external relay for you.

First I removed the fuse panel cover, plastic trim, and steel brace from underneath the steering wheel. Fuse panel cover is on the side of the dash when you open the driver's side door. 4 phillips screws for the steering wheel lower trim. Two screws visible from the side and 2 more from the bottom. Then there are clips to be popped out along the top. 4 10mm bolts for the steel brace which are easily visible.

Second I removed the fuse block. I unplugged as many connectors as I could. Push in the tab and wiggle as much as you can to release them. There are 2 10mm nuts and then a terribly placed phillips screw around the backside. Use a stubby screw driver for that.



Red Arrows point to the two nuts and the screw which is not visible in that image.

The fuse box has a cover on each side that cover some wires. Those also have to be removed. now take the box and move it out of the way, we are going after the wiring harness.....

I will post the rest of this but I am out of time and didn't want to have to start this over again later.
 
#12 · (Edited)
I have the same problem but cannot see the pictures you posted
What is problem you have ??

Lights stuck on ??

Yes ??

Remove side cover to expose junction block at dash... use large solid object (screwdriver handle will suffice), and tap the junction block firmly... did the lights turn off ??

Yes ??

Replace the junction block..
 
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#15 ·
Wow, I am very thankful that I just double checked and I do NOT have the park light problem. I actually mis-interpreted the problem and it turns out its my break lights which do not turn off and it was such an easy fix. It was my break pedal which was not going back all the way to its resting position, a little bit of WD-40 on the pedal mechanisms and a drive around the block to get the pedal to lubricate better seemed to fix it right up, also it was cold as ever when the problem happened, we were having -26 degrees celcius, and with a windshield factor the temperature was more like -36 degrees celcius.
 
#16 ·
Having same problem with parking light staying on. If i tap fuse box with screw driver handle lights go off so I'm pretty sure I have fuse box problem. My question is about the part number I have a 2006 sonata GLS 2.4 with part # 919503k050 but when my car is entered on several parts sites 919503k010 comes up other # comes up as for v6. Does anyone know if they are interchangeable. there is a big price difference.
 
#17 ·
Visit local dealer of choice, and let the counter person load VIN into MICROCAT and pull correct number...
 
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