Headlights turning off and on intermittently

[Reign]

I have had my 2015 Genesis sedan for 5 months (I purchased it with 12k miles on it). On 8-10 different occasions, at night, my headlights unexpectedly turn off for 5-6 seconds, flash back on for a few seconds, turn off for a few seconds and then turn back on. Dealer says they can't get this to happen for them so they are doing nothing about it.

Has anyone experienced this? If so what was the problem and resolution? Thanks

 

[balfor]

whoa, that is pretty scary. I drive some dark two lane curvy roads to get home and if my lights went out for five seconds I would probably be dead. Has not happened on my genesis but I lost my lights on my old camaro a few times, it was a short in the headlight switch.

I would push the issue with them and have them check the switch and wiring.

 

[DFWGenny]

Agreed, that is a SERIOUS issue. If you get no satisfaction from the dealer. Escalate to you zone rep. It sounds like an overload of the headlight circuit. There is no fuse, there is a breaker that interrupts the circuit as you describe. Sounds like there was a short somewhere.

 

[Nikgen]

Has not ever happened to mine. That's a really serious issue that could get you and others killed . Put that reminder of the liability in writing to them and, I suspect, they'll change their tune on this.

 

[Mark_888]

This is obviously a serious safety issue. You should file a complaint here immediately, and mention that dealer refuses to fix it:
https://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/VehicleComplaint/index.xhtml

Have a video camera/phone ready to record the next time it happens. But I have a few questions:

1. Did dealer try it at night?
2. Where there any unusual lighting conditions when it happened, or did all the outages occur during a certain kind of lighting or certain location?
3. I assume this happens when lights are on auto?
4. Does it every happen if lights are manually set to be "ON" all the time (except that they shut off when car is turned off)?
5. Is there anything on your dash?
6. What kind of inspection, parking, etc stickers are on your windshield, and exactly where are they located?

 

[kman]

I wonder if you could have the same issue that was occurring with the previous generations of Genesis, where the turn signal stalk would cause some kind of a short when the headlights were in the ON mode (not auto) and you would turn the turn signal on or off. Initially the dealer couldn't replicate it, but it got to a point where it happened almost every time and finally my turn signal stalk was replaced and the issue was gone.

 

[Reign]

Thanks for the feedback everyone! I have thought about taking a video but it is intermittent and from beginning to end it may last 10-15 seconds. In addition I don't want to video my dash/lights while driving. To answer the questions above:

[*]Did dealer try it at night?
I presume so. I let the "shop manager" take it home for the night

[*]Where there any unusual lighting conditions when it happened, or did all the outages occur during a certain kind of lighting or certain location?

The last 2 times I recall I was driving in the rain on an interstate and I was driving home on a more rural road (I don't recall that it was raining)

[*]I assume this happens when lights are on auto?

Yes
[*]Does it every happen if lights are manually set to be "ON" all the time (except that they shut off when car is turned off)?

I have never had them in the on position only Auto

[*]Is there anything on your dash?

No

[*]What kind of inspection, parking, etc stickers are on your windshield, and exactly where are they located?

The only thing I have is a toll pass/sticker, on the windshield near my mirror

ALSO, when this happens the Lights Mode menu flashes on my display (the one that shows Auto, DRL Off etc) flashes

 

[DFWGenny]

ALSO, when this happens the Lights Mode menu flashes on my display (the one that shows Auto, DRL Off etc) flashes

Again, that sounds like a fault and should have shown up in the OBD port readout.

I would go to another dealer if I had that option.

 

[puzzled]

I just had this happen on Friday night.

Stalk was set to auto. Lights turned off and turned back on.

 

[radicaltimes]

There is a auto on setting and a sensor on the top of the dash. If it gets to cloudy r driving under a underpass the lights will come on . Maybe check to make sure the sensor is clear and nothing blocking it.

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[srobak]

THis has been a problem that has plagued auto lights for the last 20 years. It is precisely why I do NOT use auto lights. The wrong light reflected or refracted the wrong way during the wrong time of day or night into the sensor can cause all sorts of weirdness to happen - and I have seen it across multiple models for years. To be honest - I am pretty surprised the NHTSA & USDOT allows for it to exist on cars.

Save yourself the grief & use the manual switch. It really doesn't require any additional effort to turn them on.

 

[Reign]

Radicaltimes
Thanks for the suggestion. Nothing is in fromt of the sensor and the "situation" occurs when its dark out (no ambient light)

 

[Mark_888]

THis has been a problem that has plagued auto lights for the last 20 years. It is precisely why I do NOT use auto lights. The wrong light reflected or refracted the wrong way during the wrong time of day or night into the sensor can cause all sorts of weirdness to happen - and I have seen it across multiple models for years. To be honest - I am pretty surprised the NHTSA & USDOT allows for it to exist on cars.

Save yourself the grief & use the manual switch. It really doesn't require any additional effort to turn them on.

My first generation Genesis does occasionally turn ON the auto lights when it does not need to, mostly in the winter time when the sun is at a lower angle in the sky (but still shinning brightly). But I have never had a problem with the lights going OFF when it is dark.

 

[Mark_888]

Thanks for the feedback everyone! I have thought about taking a video but it is intermittent and from beginning to end it may last 10-15 seconds. In addition I don't want to video my dash/lights while driving. To answer the questions above:

[*]Did dealer try it at night?
I presume so. I let the "shop manager" take it home for the night

[*]Where there any unusual lighting conditions when it happened, or did all the outages occur during a certain kind of lighting or certain location?

The last 2 times I recall I was driving in the rain on an interstate and I was driving home on a more rural road (I don't recall that it was raining)

[*]I assume this happens when lights are on auto?

Yes
[*]Does it every happen if lights are manually set to be "ON" all the time (except that they shut off when car is turned off)?

I have never had them in the on position only Auto

[*]Is there anything on your dash?

No

[*]What kind of inspection, parking, etc stickers are on your windshield, and exactly where are they located?

The only thing I have is a toll pass/sticker, on the windshield near my mirror

ALSO, when this happens the Lights Mode menu flashes on my display (the one that shows Auto, DRL Off etc) flashes

At this time of year, I would not count on the dealer driving home or coming to work in the dark.

Can you try it for awhile without the toll pass?

Otherwise I would turn on the lights manually until this is fixed. I would also contact the NHTSA website and file a complaint, and notify Hyundai Motor America to open a case (bypass the dealer).

 

[Reign]

This happened again this week (Tuesday and Wednesday night) but this time I captured it on video. After I emailed th video to the new car manager, they have finally started to take some action. The local dealer has provided me a Genesis loaner until they can fix it. I received a call from a regional rep as well. I will keep you up to date as to the status

 

[C-130Geek]

This is totally unacceptable. I now have a little over 15k on my Genny and have never experienced anything like that. Hope the dealer resolves SOON.

 

[markpoisson]

"ALSO, when this happens the Lights Mode menu flashes on my display (the one that shows Auto, DRL Off etc) flashes".

The only time that happens in my car is when I change the switch. It DOES not happen when in Auto mode and the sensor turns the light on/off. Therefore, I believe this is a faulty switch.

 

[Nikgen]

My first generation Genesis does occasionally turn ON the auto lights when it does not need to, mostly in the winter time when the sun is at a lower angle in the sky (but still shinning brightly). But I have never had a problem with the lights going OFF when it is dark.

+1 - may come one too early, but I've never had a car with auto headlights turn them off at night, even in brightly lit outdoor areas.

 

[Nikgen]

"ALSO, when this happens the Lights Mode menu flashes on my display (the one that shows Auto, DRL Off etc) flashes".

The only time that happens in my car is when I change the switch. It DOES not happen when in Auto mode and the sensor turns the light on/off. Therefore, I believe this is a faulty switch.

Agreed - you likely have a bad switch or a loose connection. That is very dangerous and needs to be fixed. The car should not be driven at night until that is corrected.

 

[powerslide]

I have the exact problem described. Turning stalk to the ON position makes them come back on. It does seem to happen when it is raining or had recently rained. I installed aa radar detector and I'm pulling power from the connector behind the mirror. I haven't tried to determine if it could be contributing. It happens about once a month for the last 6 months.

I would love to know if you get it resolved