2003 Corolla Headlights on in middle of night

For the past two weeks, my headlights go on in the middle of the night. I took it to the dealer, they had it for two nights and said they couldn't find anything wrong and that the headlights didn't go on. Has anyone had an issue similar to this? I'm tired of waking up to either a dead battery or an almost dead battery.

Reply to
i_wanna_run
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There was a recall by toyota about 2 or 3 months ago world wide. It had someting to do with headlight relay or ciruit errors. Ring up the dealership and ask then about the Corolla Headlights recall. ( Try to call other dealer if not toyota it self in Melb)

google come up with the following

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Regards, Marc.

Reply to
my_3mail

I called two toyota dealers and they said there weren't any recalls for my car. I'm taking it to another toyota dealer next week. If they can't find anything wrong, I'm taking it an electrician. It's still under warranty, which is why I want the dealer to fix it.

Reply to
i_wanna_run

Might this be a description of your issue? This is a title header from toyota service bulletin #EL001-03:

"If the battery in 2003 model year Corolla and Matrix vehicles is allowed to discharge to a

point where the vehicle will no longer start, a check of headlight operation should be

performed. In some cases, a depleted battery may result in damage to the DRL Relay.

An updated Daytime Running Light Relay has been created to address this situation."

===

Applicable Warranty*:

This repair is covered under the Toyota Comprehensive Warranty. This warranty is in

effect for 36 months or 36,000 miles, whichever occurs first, from the vehicle's

in-service date.

Reply to
Philip

OR... how about this Toyota TSB: (EL003-03) March 13, 2003

"Some customers may complain that the headlights turn on with the switch in the "OFF"

position while the vehicle is parked. This could result in a dead battery after an extended

cold soak. An updated Headlamp Switch has been made available to address this

situation."

-philip

Reply to
Philip

so I should tell the dealer these possible solutions?

Reply to
i_wanna_run

IThe dealership had to replace the headlight switch, which involves disassembling the steering column. I was out of warranty due to high mileage, so I had to pay out-of-pocket for it. It set me back about US$350, if I recall correctly.

i_wanna snipped-for-privacy@hotmail.com wrote:

Reply to
anonymanx

Do you want your problem fixed by them? Sometimes you have to lead the horse to water.

You might want to join:

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where we have some of the more popular toyota TSBs on PDF for downloading. You'll have to join the forum to have access to the files section.

-Philip

Reply to
Philip

Thank you for your help! I joined that other group as well. I'm learning a lot about Toyotas and how to deal with the dealers and service guys.

Reply to
i_wanna_run

Many dealers and car makers won't acknowledge the existence of any free fix, even if your car is still under warranty, unless you use their exact terminology for it, and most likely they don't call this a recall but instead refer to it as a service campaign, service adjustment, special policy adjustment, etc., all for things we know as secret warranties. The best sources of information about these are the web sites dedicated to specific makes of vehicles, and the Lemon Times newsletter. But having the exact technical service bulletin (TSB) number is always a help.

Reply to
do_not_spam_me

I also find that I get better service when my dad is with me. I'm not one to whine about females not getting equal treatment, but I've owned my own car for five years now and I just get better service when my dad comes with me, whether it's for actual maintenace or buying a car. So he is coming with me to the dealer next week, armed with these two TSB numbers and we'll see if we can get anywhere.

Reply to
i_wanna_run

Yo, babe. Come over here and *I* will surely give you damn good "service"!!!

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Reply to
Sharx35

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