Why your car headlight will not turn off? [Philkotse guide]

Not all cars are made the same way but there is one similarity that you can find in almost all of them: headlights. In fact, we might never even see a car built without a pair of headlights ever!

Everybody knows what a pair of headlights are for and what they do. These are just one of the elements that you are less likely to think about because they rarely show problems.

But when they do, headlights that are stuck on are just one of the common problems that car owners have to deal with.

Everybody knows what a pair of headlights are for and what they do

Would you rather have your headlight stuck turned on? Or turned off? While a car with a non-working headlight will be calling for danger at nighttime, a car with a headlight stuck on can give you equal stress.

Far from what you might think is a safer headlight failure, this can actually drain your battery very quickly. If this happened while you’re on the road, it may leave you praying that your battery doesn’t die before you’re stranded where you don’t want to be in.

The good news is that there is actually a solution to this. But before that, you should know which concern to prioritize first.

Your primary goal should be to keep your frozen headlights from draining your car battery. Philkotse.com prepared some tips on how you can do just that.

We might never even see a car built without a pair of headlights ever

1. Disconnect the car battery
2. Take the headlight fuse off after
3. Take the headlight relay off
4. Make sure your headlights are fully disconnected

The headlight systems in most cars are usually not too complicated. But there are situations where you will need the help of a professional to fix some headlight-related issues. But of course, you can always take the matter into your own hands to try and solve it by yourself.

This is what we’ll be helping you out with today. Here are some basic tools along with the procedures that we’ll be applying for today. Aside from that, we also made a list of the possible reasons as to why your headlights may refuse to turn off.

• Multifunction switch
• Light sensor
• Daytime running light module
• Grounded Wire
• Relay
• Headlight Switch

>>> Related: [Philkotse guide] 5 helpful headlight upgrades you can do at home

Quick solution for your headlights to prevent battery drain

If you don’t have the time to address the problem as soon as you notice it, we can help you with preventing the headlights from draining the battery. There are actually two ways in which you can achieve this.

Disconnecting the car battery

The first one is the easier way to do it. All you have to do is disconnect one of the battery cables. This is pretty easy to do and you’ll only need a socket or wrench in the perfect size.

If you have never disconnected a single car battery in your life, it’s a good idea to start with disconnecting the negative cable first. By leaving the positive cable, you are preventing the chance of a short circuit from happening.

All you have to do is disconnect one of the battery cables

Both the negative and positive cables are usually easy to recognize because of their universally recognized color labels. Black is often the negative one while the red one is positive.

If you don’t see any distinguishable difference from the two, you can look for the plus (+) and minus (-) sign on the battery posts.

Once you disconnect the negative battery cable, see to it that it’s moved away from the battery as much as possible.

This will make sure it doesn’t get bumped into or nudged and comes back making contact with your negative battery post.

Once you disconnect this successfully, you’ll notice that the headlights are turned off. This will make sure the battery doesn’t get drained.

Once you disconnect the negative battery cable, see to it that it’s moved away from the battery as much as possible

>>> Related: Choosing the best headlight for your car: 5 common kinds for drivers

Important notes when performing this

It is very important to keep in mind that a disconnected battery can leave you dealing with ugly consequences. First off, the memory on your onboard computer has a high chance of being wiped out just after disconnection.

So once you start it again, it would have to undergo a “relearning” process. Although this may seem harmless, it can actually affect the fuel economy of our vehicle for some time.

The memory on your onboard computer has a high chance of being wiped out just after disconnection

You may also be prevented from undergoing emission tests where codes need to be pulled from your computer. If you do, they’ll be able to know that you recently disconnected the battery.

Some car stereos come with a security feature in which it needs a special code after power loss. You will need to make sure that you find this code first before attempting to disconnect the car battery.

Removing a relay or fuse to turn off the headlights

The second way of shutting the non-stop headlights is more complicated than the first tip. This involves removing the appropriate relay or fuse.

This means that you would have to locate the right fuse panel first. Then, you need to figure out which is the right relay or fuse to remove.

This will prevent the event of power loss to your main computer as well as the stereo. This way, you won’t need to worry about resurrecting it back to life with codes and such.

Remove the appropriate relay or fuse

>>> Related: 

• 3 things you might not know about fusible link and car fuses
• Car maintenance: Things you should know when the fuse keep blowing

What do my headlights stay on?

The actual process of tracking the root of this problem can be more complicated than you think. This is mainly because of the variety of headlight systems out there these days.

For example, there are vehicles that are designed with headlights that stay on for some time even after the engine is shut off.

The actual process of tracking the root of this problem can be more complicated than you think

If your car has that feature, there may be a problem with the system. Try shutting the headlights off before you shut the engine then see if there’s any difference.

Another possible cause is daytime running lights that automatically turn the headlights on without affecting the dash lights.

A bad headlight relay can also cause your headlights to stay on. This is easier to address because you can check it yourself if you know what you’re doing.

There are various headlight systems out there these days

These are just some of the possible causes why your headlights are stuck lit. While you can proceed to do the repair by yourself, we always suggest seeking the help of an expert if you have little to no idea about what you’re doing.