Having your car’s interior light on at all times can not only be annoying but also drain your car’s energy. It can also keep you from reaching the best mileage and reaching your highest speed and acceleration. Because these lights are connected to multiple other parts of your car that can affect them, troubleshooting the problem and getting the root cause can be difficult. For this reason, we have compiled some common causes and fixes to the problem that may help you resolve it sooner.
Causes of interior lights being stuck on ON
1. Failure to close door properly
Most of the interior lights are directly connected to the doors on your car, and an improperly shut door can cause them to illuminate. In some cases, it can also be your car’s trunk causing the issue as some lights may also be directly in wiring with it. Simply open your door and shut it with enough force to resolve this.
2. Damaged or faulty switch
Your car’s interior lights are designed to be switched on and off both manually and with the car’s internal programming. In case of a loose, faulty, or stuck switch, some lights may remain on even if there is no problem with any components or car’s programming. Ensure you check all the related controls and turn them on and off manually to see whether there is a mechanical fault.
3. The dimmer switch may be set to the highest brightness
A car’s dimming function can cause problems if it is switched to the most elevated position. The light dimming switch is placed near the left side of the dashboard and can affect the interior lights when adjusted to the brightest setting. Simply turning it off or lowering down the location may resolve your issue.
Ways to turn off the interior lights
1. Adjust the light’s switch
Before you worry about a faulty component or other mechanical failings, make sure to check all the interior lights switches. The lights may have been manually turned on by either the button on the roof or nearby the dashboard.
2. Turn off all light switches near the doors.
Other than the roof, all doors will also have a point of control for the interior lights. A passenger may have turned a light on through their particular control point, making the roof’s switch ineffective in turning it off.
To resolve this, simply turn all the manual switches on each door to the OFF position to fix this. Once done, you should be able to hear a clicking sound, after which the lights will effectively turn off.
If this doesn’t solve your problem, the case may be mechanical or pain in the car’s programming. Make sure you look for signs of a defective switch or get the issue diagnosed by a professional.
3. Check your headlight switch setting.
Most new generation cars come with an adjustable knob to control the interior light brightness. Adjusting to the highest setting can lead to the interior lights staying illuminated despite being turned off from most manual switches.
In such a case, locate the adjustable knob and either dim it down to the lowest setting or turn it off.