06 Accent - Parking lights stay on

06 Accent109 k KM - I'm in Toronto. It's a few months short of 5 years old.

Last Wednesday I tried to start the car, the battery was totally flat, not even a click. I hadn't used the car since the Sunday previous, during thunderstorms. I did use my headlights.

Car started fine with a boost, no problems over the next few days, only drove during the day, so headlights not used, and it was dry.

This past Sunday I was out, and we again had thunderstorms. Turned on the headlights to be more visible.

I parked the car, turned off the headlights, and shut it down. When I got out and locked the car, I noticed the parking lights were still on. I checked and the lights were turned off. The instrument panel lights were also on. Started the car, switched the lights on and off, turned off the car and again turned the lights on and off. No success, the parking lights and instrument panel lights stayed on. Headlights turned on and off okay.

Went home, it was still raining, car ran fine. When I got home the parking lights and instrument panel still stayed on no matter what I tried. I pulled fuses 34 and 35 (left and right side lights). Headlights and brake lights still worked, but the parking lights and instrument panel lights were off.

The next morning I replaced the two fuses and started the car. The parking lights and instument panel lights stayed off. I headed off to my dealer, and turned the headlights on as an experiment. The roads were dry, no rain.

When I got there and turned off the lights and the car, the parking lights stayed on.

The mechanic saw that the lights were on when they should not have been. He was able to get them to turn off by turning them on and off a couple of times. He was unable to get the lights to stay on. He checked and was unable to find any problems.

I'm now waiting for a rainy day to see what happens, and probably revisit the dealer.

Two questions: - can I safely drive the car during the day with fuses 34 and 35 pulled? - any ideas what is going on?

Thanks

Reply to
Chuck
Loading thread data ...

"Chuck" wrote

I'd say yes on the fuses if you've already driven it. Have you check out the wiring diagram on

formatting link
? If not, you should.

In days of old, I'd say it may be a bad switch, but today . . . . . . . I don't know how your system works. Often, the switch sends a request to the computer to turn the lights on and the computer may do so. That makes for lots of potential places for problems. Not to mention that intermittent problems are tough to find, even when paying $75/hour for diagnostic time.

Reply to
Ed Pawlowski

Have you tried this scenario? Leave the switch in 'On' position. Turn off the ignition, take the ignition key out, then check to see if the parking lights have gone out. This is the way I have my 2001 Elantra set up, a saleman advised me on this routine when I bought the car. The parking/running lights are always 'On' if the ignition key is in the slot, whether the engine is running or not.

Reply to
Irwell

Have you tried some lock lube the ignition key slot? Some powered graphite lock lube may be worth a shot. Or perhaps some WD40 or silicone spray.

It could be that the key-present switches in your ignition are stuck and think the key is inserted when it is not.

In my Sonata, leaving the key in causes the parking lights to come on. Take the key out and the lights go off. So if the switch got stuck or broken, I would expect the lights to stay on.

Reply to
motormouth

Irwell wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@40tude.net:

The key was out of the ignition for most if not all of my attempts to get the parking lights off.

I don't think I left the headlights (switch) on during this problem. I'll have to test that. I previously did leave the switch on, so my headlights were on all the time when the car was running. They turned off properly when the ingnition was off and the key was out.

Reply to
Chuck

motormouth wrote in news:b146af21-04ca-45c4-8cc7- snipped-for-privacy@a7g2000yqb.googlegroups.com:

Definitely worth a try.

Reply to
Chuck

"Ed Pawlowski" wrote in news:6pqdnYqsG6YUetPTnZ2dnUVZ snipped-for-privacy@giganews.com:

Haven't driven it without the fuses in.

Agreed, intermittant problems are a joy to deal with.

Thanks for reminding me about hmaservice.

Reply to
Chuck

Most likely, the tail lamp relay internal to the instrument panel junction block is sticking. To remedy this, you'll need to replace the junction block.

The switch itself does not directly control the relay, but sends a signal to the Body Control Module, which in turn controls the relay. To verify that my suspicion is correct, you'll need to check whether the wire for the tail lamp relay from the BCM to the junction block is grounded. If not, the problem is 100% in the junction block. Haven't done one on Accent, but have done some on a couple other models for the same condition.

Reply to
hyundaitech

MotorsForum website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.