2004 Sonata Parking Lights - Mind of Their Own

Hey All:

I thought I had seen something similar to my problem posted quite a while
ago, but a cursory peek into the archives didn't turn up a thread. Maybe it
was in one of the other auto groups I hang out in...

Anyway, last night my wife's car decided to turn on the parking lights all
by itself, in the garage. I know for certain that they were not on earlier,
as I had been out in the garage several times throughout the night. I
walked out through the garage at one point and discovered them on. I
checked inside the car to see if the keys were in the ignition, and they
were not - not even in the car. She keeps the headlight switch in the ON
position for normal everyday driving, so it is essential to remove the keys
from the ignition, or the complete headlight system will remain on when you
shut off the car. I turned the headlights to the OFF position, and the
parking lights went out.

The one notable consideration is that this car does have an aftermarket
remote starter system installed in it. I'm going to be checking with the
installer of the system today, to see if there could be an implication
there, but at the same time I thought I'd throw it up here for comment as
well.

As well, I'll be searching the wiring diagrams later as I have time, but if
anyone has encountered this already, I'd appreciate the heads-up.

Thanks,

 

A glitch in the remote start system could certainly cause the issue. If
the car sees an ignition on and ignition off situation without the door
being opened, it'll presume you're still in the car and leave the parking
lamps on.

Also check the battery. If the batter gets low enough, the car could
presume the lamps were turned off and then back on manually. Electronics
operating on low voltage can do some weird things.

 

Thanks HT. Of course, since last night there has been no recurrence of
this. Will just have to wait and see if it happens again.