Owning a vehicle with dashboard lights that stay stuck on even after you turn your car off is a major annoyance.
You know that your dashboard lights are supposed to turn off the second that you turn your key off. On top of that, you know that those dashboard lights staying on indefinitely are going to wear down your battery.
Maybe on a warm summer night when you are parked in your driveway that’s not a major concern.
But parked somewhere that you don’t have access to a jump box or jumper cables? Or your dashboard lights drawing down your battery on a frigid, freezing winter night?
That’s a completely different situation altogether!
In fact, it’s a recipe for waking up with a totally dead battery and the headache and hassle of fixing that – and the stock dashboard lights – bright and early in the morning.
This quick guide runs through almost everything you need to know about why this could be happening to your car and what you can do to fix the problem ASAP, though.
Jump right in!
Why Do My Dashboard Lights Stay on When Car is Off?
Truth be told, there are a couple of different reasons your dashboard lights might be stuck on even after you turn your vehicle off.
Some of these options are pretty easy to remedy, many of them without even having to think about bringing your vehicle in to the garage or having a mechanic look at it.
Other problems, though, are little more technical, little more involved, and might be best tackled by professionals that know exactly what they are doing (and have the tools and equipment necessary to knock that fix out in a hurry).
Ignition Switch May Be on the Fritz
For starters, you might just be dealing with a switch in your ignition that isn’t behaving the way it should be.
Your ignition system controls pretty much everything in your vehicle, from firing up your car to controlling the electrical system, the antitheft system, and even the lighting throughout your vehicle.
If there is a problem with your ignition switch your car might “think” that it is still on even after the key has been moved to the “off” position and removed from the ignition itself.
When you’re dealing with a dashboard that doesn’t want to turn off when the car is this should be the first thing that you check. A worn out ignition, faulty ignition switch, or a blown fuse could be the culprit.
Your Battery May Need Attention
Another common cause of this problem is an older battery that just isn’t holding a charge the way it used to, or a battery that isn’t able to efficiently modulate the “juice” it pushes through your car.
A battery on the fritz can tell your dashboard lights to stay on even after the ignition switch is off just by flooding them with a trickle of electricity that they wouldn’t have had otherwise.
If you’re concerned that your battery is the culprit behind this problem you’ll want to put a crank tester on and confirm that it’s working the way it should be. As long as you’re getting 12.65 V out of that battery you can eliminate it as a problem point.
Any other number, though, and you might need to swap out your battery for something else.
Electrical Cables and Wiring Issues Could Be Causing Trouble
Obviously, electrical cables, wiring components, and harnesses that have become dirty, pulled loose, or are flat out just not working the way they should be could cause this problem, too.
Usually when you’re dealing with electrical cable and wiring problems you are going to see your dashboard lights flicker more than stay stuck on even after the key has been removed from your ignition.
If you are seeing flickering lights this is where you’re going to want to zero in on.
You might have to carefully inspect every inch of electrical wiring from your dashboard lights to the wiring harness (and then from the hardest to your fuse box and battery), but it’s worth figuring out exactly what’s going on – especially if these lights are killing your battery every time you turn your car off.
Your Vehicle Could Be Suffering from Low Oil Pressure
Believe it or not, low oil pressure in your vehicle can contribute to your dashboard lights sticking on far longer than they should!
This problem usually happens when your oil level is recognized as being lower than optimum by your car computer, flipping the “low engine oil” light on in your dashboard.
Sometimes, though, that switch never gets flipped off even when your ignition has been turned to the off position and your key removed.
If that’s the case, that dashboard indicator is going to stay on no matter what and your battery is going to run down until the computer sees that the oil situation has been fixed.
Take care of the oil problem ASAP but then check to see if the sensor itself is misbehaving and is the root cause behind why your dashboard just won’t blink out for the night.
The Anti-Lock Brake System Could Be the Culprit, Too
A similar problem can be found if your antilock braking system triggers your dashboard sensor, turning that light on permanently – even after your ABS issue has been resolved.
You might have to track this problem back to the dashboard light wiring harness, the ABS sensor itself, or even the ABS breaking mechanisms in your vehicle.
Again, it’s worth treating the root core issue – the problem with your ABS system – first to make sure that your vehicle is operating safely and efficiently. Only after that should you try and chase down the problem that’s keeping your dashboard lights on.
At the end of the day, you may just be dealing with a situation that requires a professional inspection from a legitimate mechanic.
If you have tried all of the things we highlighted above and your dashboard lights still won’t turn off it’s time to call a trusted mechanic in your area and have them poke around under the hood to fix it for you.