Parking Lights Come On By Themselves? Try These Tips!

You may be baffled by the fact that your parking lights come on by themselves.

These lights are found on the back and front side of your vehicle. They may by white or amber on the front and red on the back. These lights are visible at a 500-foot distance, and you use these when parking, hence the name.

Driving with the parking lights on is illegal, which is why you need to make sure they are working as they should.

So what should you do when the lights come on by themselves… Even when your vehicle is off? Here are common reasons and what you can do about it.

Parking Lights Come On By Themselves

Your parking lights are important components of your car’s lighting. Every car needs parking lights, and these are located on the front, back and on each side. When driving at night, you need to turn the lights on. Once the lights are on, the vehicle body’s perimeter and dimensions become more visible.

But what should you do when the lights come on by themselves? Moreover, why does this happen?

Generally, parking lights are not supposed to turn on by themselves. It is not normal for these lights to stay on, as well, when you don’t have the engine running. When this happens, the battery gets drained quickly.

So, it is important to address this issue to prevent the problem of draining your batteries. You will need to take your car to a professional to get this issue fixed. But an alternative to this is doing the job yourself, which only requires a few important tools and some techniques.

First of all, parking lights come on by themselves because of a malfunction in the switch, light sensor, bad relay, or a grounded wire.

This is why it is important to track the primary source of the problem. For instance, if your car system has an issue, then your parking lights cannot be turned off. The same with a bad relay causing the parking lights to stay on.

In this case, you will need to replace the relay to get it fixed. If you have observed that another relay in your car has the same part number as the parking lights relay, then it is possible to use it. You just need to remove your parking lights relay and swap it for the same one from the other circuit.

However, it is also possible that a mere swap of relays can be unsuccessful. Thus, the problem with the parking lights may have another source. Your light sensor or the switch for your parking lights are malfunctioning. This is why you need to diagnose what exactly is causing the problem.

Just remove the part and check for damage. But do note that there are not always visible physical indicators.

As an example, there can be an internal shorting in a faulty parking light switch due to overheating. The lights tend to melt easily or burn and crack, causing damage to the electrical connections.

If you fail to discover the root of the malfunctioning problem, then you may need to disable your parking lights. You can do this by disconnecting the battery or removing the main fuse.

How To Fix Parking Lights That Come On By Themselves

As we have mentioned earlier, you may either take the vehicle to a mechanic to get this issue with parking lights fixed. However, you can also try these two things that will prevent further issues, then you can have a professional conduct a further inspection and diagnosis of the problem.

1. Disconnect your battery.

The quickest and easiest thing you can do is by disconnecting your battery. Disconnect one of the cables from the battery using the right-sized wrench or socket. If this is your first time to try doing it, you need to start with the negative cable to prevent any short circuit.

The moment you disconnect the battery, this will immediately turn the parking lights off and prevent the battery from running out of juice.

2. Remove the fuse or relay

Another easy thing you can do is by shutting the parking lights off as you remove the fuse or relay. It may seem a little complex but all you need to do is to locate the fuse panel and find out the fuse or relay you should pull out. This way, you can prevent losing power on your computer or radio.

But these are only quick and temporary fixes you can do. Ultimately, you still need to have a technician look into this problem further to provide the result you want.

Bottom Line

Your parking lights provide support in times of emergency. You also need it when driving in the dark or a foggy road. This is why it is best to make sure your lights are working as they should and not turning on or staying on unnecessary to prevent your battery from getting drained.

With all these things in mind, consider the tips we have shared on how to address the parking lights that come on by themselves and ensure the long lifespan of your lights. You may try the temporary solutions we have provided and then have a professional look into it further for a more permanent and effective solution to this problem.