automatic headlights not turning off
06-05-12, 09:49 AM
#16
Lead Lap
more headlight fun.
parking in my garage:
lights set to automatic
turn the car off
doors are all closed
did not lock the doors
go into the house
lights turned off
gas station this morning:
lights set to automatic
turn the car off
doors are all closed
lock the doors (FOB, one click)
lights turned off
office parking garage:
lights set to automatic
turn the car off
doors are all closed
lock the doors (FOB, one click)
lights did not turn off
Difference between the gas station and office?
I back into my office parking spot and I was close to the car when I locked it.
parking in my garage:
lights set to automatic
turn the car off
doors are all closed
did not lock the doors
go into the house
lights turned off
gas station this morning:
lights set to automatic
turn the car off
doors are all closed
lock the doors (FOB, one click)
lights turned off
office parking garage:
lights set to automatic
turn the car off
doors are all closed
lock the doors (FOB, one click)
lights did not turn off
Difference between the gas station and office?
I back into my office parking spot and I was close to the car when I locked it.
I have determined through scientific investigation and irrefutable testing that his is all somehow related to whether the Bass are biting that day.
As crazy as it seems, I now know that this relationship is there.
Hopefully this factoid will help y'all get to the bottom of this dilemma.
Always happy to help out, Mikey Lulejian - Lake Oconee, GA
"Never ever let facts get in the way of a GOOD STORY !"
06-05-12, 10:02 AM
#17
I have determined through scientific investigation and irrefutable testing that his is all somehow related to whether the Bass are biting that day.
As crazy as it seems, I now know that this relationship is there.
Hopefully this factoid will help y'all get to the bottom of this dilemma.
Always happy to help out, Mikey Lulejian - Lake Oconee, GA
"Never ever let facts get in the way of a GOOD STORY !"
10-24-12, 08:51 AM
#18
Driver School Candidate
Join Date: Oct 2012
Location: ca
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I am having intermittent trouble with my headlights not turning off when in the automatic mode. Doors shut. Even stay on when key fob lock button pushed twice. Drained my battery now twice. No problem detected at the dealer. What do I do? 2006 Lexus GS 300
10-24-12, 09:40 AM
#19
Driver
Thread Starter
my year old battery died so i took the car into the dealer.
dealer blamed the auto headlight issue on the battery.
my 2 cents...
the auto lights failed, causing the battery to go dead (more than once).
dealer blamed the auto headlight issue on the battery.
my 2 cents...
the auto lights failed, causing the battery to go dead (more than once).
10-24-12, 09:42 AM
#20
Driver
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: DFw, TX
Posts: 147
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I have this same issue w my 07 ls460. Pressing lock button 2 even 3 or 4 and it still doesn't turn off. It will lock my car but lights stay on. This does not always happen.. Maybe once a day or so.
10-24-12, 10:42 AM
#21
You can view his video in this thread: https://www.clublexus.com/forums/ls4...-wont-set.html
One of the other contributors, who works in the automotive repair business, has said that failure of these switches in several Lexus models is very common.
This may be an intermittent condition and difficult to demonstrate, however you should have all your door position sensor/switches replaced. This is also a serious safety issue and the NHTSA may force a safety recall, so, if your dealer will not replace the sensor/switches at no cost then be sure to save the receipt.
Last edited by jmcraney; 10-24-12 at 11:58 AM.
10-30-12, 05:44 AM
#22
Driver
Thread Starter
Dealer said the door switch is $22.
If the fix holds, I'll replace the broken switch.
*Replacing the switch takes all of 5 minutes.*
10-30-12, 08:52 AM
#23
If they are $22 and it only takes 5 minutes, change them all and be done with it. Mine was still under factory warranty so I let the dealer do them. The new switches are much more positive actuation and the spings seem stronger.
JR
04-01-13, 06:45 PM
#27
If you want to buy a new part, it seems that you just order it by the description "door jamb switch." A key word search using the term "jamb" will get you there. I've looked and looked and everywhere, Sewell or Parkplace and others, you just order a "door jamb switch." I think in most of the cases of this "headlight staying on" problem a bad switch is not the cause. However, replacing the switch will likely fix the problem but the fix may not be permanent. The fix likely comes from removing the switch mounting screw and re-torqueing it. I will try to provide some details in the next few days.
04-02-13, 06:13 AM
#28
If you want to buy a new part, it seems that you just order it by the description "door jamb switch." A key word search using the term "jamb" will get you there. I've looked and looked and everywhere, Sewell or Parkplace and others, you just order a "door jamb switch." I think in most of the cases of this "headlight staying on" problem a bad switch is not the cause. However, replacing the switch will likely fix the problem but the fix may not be permanent. The fix likely comes from removing the switch mounting screw and re-torqueing it. I will try to provide some details in the next few days.
04-02-13, 06:19 AM
#29
i don't think it is a torque issue. The problem may be corrosion. Why don't you do us a favor and run the mounting screw out and back in and tell us if that seems to fix it.
04-04-13, 09:36 AM
#30
We have seen this problem about the headlights failing to turn off automatically come up several times and we have had numerous reports of premature battery failures and mysteriously dead batteries. One of our astute members, FLYCT, has shown us how the switch that senses the driver’s door position is related to these events. I’ve learned that the conventional name for the switch is Door Jamb Switch (DJS) and it is a sort of generic item and the same part is used in most Toyota products.
During my several years of searching the Internet for reports of “wind noise” I looked at lots of Carfax reports for LS460s that were for sale. Some of the most common entries were multiple battery replacements and multiple notations that the charging system had been checked.
In light of what we know today, I suspect all these battery problems were related to the DJS or its associated circuitry. A problem with the DJS would only cause a battery problem if the headlights were on when the ignition was turned off and the driver was the only person in the car and he didn’t open one of the other doors or trunk after he exited. The fact that there are so many reports makes me think that the DJS problem is more pervasive and subtle than we have so far appreciated.
Of course the switch can fail because of latent manufacturing defects, damage, end-of-life or other causes. In our discussions we seem to be at the point of believing that the DJS failure is causing these problems and that may be the case in some of the events. But there may be another cause to consider.
In my quest to find a part number for the LS460 DJS I found this very interesting thread in the Club Lexus Forums GS-Third Generation: https://www.clublexus.com/forums/gs-...or-solved.html
I have been concerned about my car developing this problem and I take the extra precaution of extinguishing the lights with a double-press of the remote key Lock button each time I leave the car and the lights are on.
Because of my concern I decided to remove the DJS on one of my doors to see if the design was the same a described by the GS owner above. And, indeed it is. The harness to the DJS is a single wire and the DJS body is designed to be electrically bonded to the vehicle chassis via the mounting screw. When the door opens, the switch closes, providing a ground connection to the single wire attached to the switch, indicating that the door is open. A loss of the electrical bond would be the same as the door never indicating open. The bond is a pressure connection on the switch body and a thread connection at the nut-plate in the car via the mounting screw. Some potential problems would be inadequate torque of the mounting screw, or improper passivation of the screw. Passivation issues could range to poor coating conduction to inadequate corrosion prevention. If you continue to have problems after you change the switch be sure to consider the screw.
There was no evidence of corrosion on my switch or mounting screw. I did a bonding test of the screws on the other three doors and they seemed adequate and about the same as the door where I removed and reinstalled the DJS.
I found a thread in one of the other LS460 Internet forums that was interesting in relation to this subject. This is probably a second order failure effect and unlikely to be a problem for most of us. I can tell he didn’t go for my advice. Check this: http://us.lexusownersclub.com/forums...ff-on-its-own/
Here are some pictures of the DJS on my front passenger door:
During my several years of searching the Internet for reports of “wind noise” I looked at lots of Carfax reports for LS460s that were for sale. Some of the most common entries were multiple battery replacements and multiple notations that the charging system had been checked.
In light of what we know today, I suspect all these battery problems were related to the DJS or its associated circuitry. A problem with the DJS would only cause a battery problem if the headlights were on when the ignition was turned off and the driver was the only person in the car and he didn’t open one of the other doors or trunk after he exited. The fact that there are so many reports makes me think that the DJS problem is more pervasive and subtle than we have so far appreciated.
Of course the switch can fail because of latent manufacturing defects, damage, end-of-life or other causes. In our discussions we seem to be at the point of believing that the DJS failure is causing these problems and that may be the case in some of the events. But there may be another cause to consider.
In my quest to find a part number for the LS460 DJS I found this very interesting thread in the Club Lexus Forums GS-Third Generation: https://www.clublexus.com/forums/gs-...or-solved.html
I have been concerned about my car developing this problem and I take the extra precaution of extinguishing the lights with a double-press of the remote key Lock button each time I leave the car and the lights are on.
Because of my concern I decided to remove the DJS on one of my doors to see if the design was the same a described by the GS owner above. And, indeed it is. The harness to the DJS is a single wire and the DJS body is designed to be electrically bonded to the vehicle chassis via the mounting screw. When the door opens, the switch closes, providing a ground connection to the single wire attached to the switch, indicating that the door is open. A loss of the electrical bond would be the same as the door never indicating open. The bond is a pressure connection on the switch body and a thread connection at the nut-plate in the car via the mounting screw. Some potential problems would be inadequate torque of the mounting screw, or improper passivation of the screw. Passivation issues could range to poor coating conduction to inadequate corrosion prevention. If you continue to have problems after you change the switch be sure to consider the screw.
There was no evidence of corrosion on my switch or mounting screw. I did a bonding test of the screws on the other three doors and they seemed adequate and about the same as the door where I removed and reinstalled the DJS.
I found a thread in one of the other LS460 Internet forums that was interesting in relation to this subject. This is probably a second order failure effect and unlikely to be a problem for most of us. I can tell he didn’t go for my advice. Check this: http://us.lexusownersclub.com/forums...ff-on-its-own/
Here are some pictures of the DJS on my front passenger door: