Why do headlights stay on after key has been removed?

[280Z Turbo]

Why? It makes no sense to me. My Saab was smart enough to kill the headlights automatically after you turn the key off. The Focus will turn off the headlights, but keep the parking lights on.

It seems like a good way to drain the battery.

[Speed_Racer]

I've wondered the same thing. My parent's Subaru takes care of it for you, as does my MR2. But my Dad's Civic won't, and I've left his lights on while doing things more than a few times just out of habit. It seems like such an easy thing for manufacturers to add, too.

[giant_mtb]

None of my family's vehicles turn the headlights off when you turn the car off.  Just chimes at you when you open the door to say "HEY FUCKER, YOU LEFT THE LITES ON."

[S204STi]

Maybe to allow you to illuminate something without having to have the keys in the car?  I dunno, it seems logical to me as well to have the headlights' power supply controlled by the ignition switch.

[Byteme]

Maybe to allow you to illuminate something without having to have the keys in the car?  I dunno, it seems logical to me as well to have the headlights' power supply controlled by the ignition switch.

Back with the earth was still cooling cars hadlights were totally independent of the ignition system.  Leave your lights on and you have a dead battery when you return. 

Sometime in the 70's I believe if you had your headlights switched on and you turned the ignition off the headlights stayed on for something like 30 seconds to allow you to safely get to the front door; that was the saled pitch anyway.  This was a luxury car feature that few cars had.  Most just had an on off switch.

Now all sorts of cars have that feature. Our Mazda 6 does, but our Mazda 3 doesn't.

[Raza]

So you can turn the lights on when the key is removed.

[Colonel Cadillac]

Pfft....that's automatic for me.

[sportyaccordy]

I don't have that feature... seems silly to not put it in though, that's a 30 cent relay that will save a tow truck trip that will most likely happen under warranty

[Eye of the Tiger]

My Focus never left its lights on. Your Focus is dumb.

[280Z Turbo]

My Focus never left its lights on. Your Focus is dumb.

Mine is a Mk I Euro version. Yours was the facelifted redneck Americanized version. Mine is better.

[Eye of the Tiger]

Mine is a Mk I Euro version. Yours was the facelifted redneck Americanized version. Mine is better.

Mine had a driver that knew how to operate a headlight switch.

[280Z Turbo]

Mine had a driver that knew how to operate a headlight switch.

Was the driver also an Americanized redneck?

[Eye of the Tiger]

Was the driver also an Americanized redneck?

But of course.

[AutobahnSHO]

My Caravan had extra options- including turning the lights off for you, a minute or so after key removal.

Subaru they go off with the key, but there IS a weird switch to turn on parking lights.

Sienna they turn off about a minute after key removal...

[Onslaught]

Why? It makes no sense to me. My Saab was smart enough to kill the headlights automatically after you turn the key off. The Focus will turn off the headlights, but keep the parking lights on.

It seems like a good way to drain the battery.

Do they turn off after a minute or two?

[MaxPower]

My pickup truck's lights are link to the driver's door.  After I turn off the vehicle the lights stay on until I open the driver's door.  Decent, only problem is when you reach through and turn off the car from the passenger side.

Subaru they go off with the key, but there IS a weird switch to turn on parking lights.

Whenever I turn that switch on I always forget to turn it off!

[Onslaught]

Lots of Fords keep the lights on for about a minute after you turn them off now.

[S204STi]

Subaru they go off with the key, but there IS a weird switch to turn on parking lights.

So you can have your parking lights on without having the key on.  Won't drain your battery as fast.

[BimmerM3]

Most cars that I've been in either have automatic lights (come on by themselves, turn off by themselves, but there's an override switch if you want to turn them on whenever, even if the key is gone) or manual lights that don't do anything unless you tell them to.

[AutobahnSHO]

Subaru they go off with the key, but there IS a weird switch to turn on parking lights.

Whenever I turn that switch on I always forget to turn it off!

So you can have your parking lights on without having the key on.  Won't drain your battery as fast.

One of the big themes on the Subaru thread (or actually Non-Subaru general car forums) was the switch getting left on and running the battery down. Apparently a lot of mechanics/oilchange guys bump it (flip it to see what it does?) and it gets left on without the owner's knowledge...

[Tave]

I don't have that feature... seems silly to not put it in though, that's a 30 cent relay that will save a tow truck trip that will most likely happen under warranty

Sporty, meet:

[VTEC_Inside]

I haven't gone out of my way to try it on anything, but discovered on our old '02 Accord and my RSX you can leave the lights on and walk away, but they will shut themselves off after 30s to a minute.

Neither of them outwardly advertised that feature as far as I know.

P.S. Anyone else remember that car battery commercial (I think it was DieHard) where they used the guys pickup truck headlights to light their evening basketball game? That's all I could think of for leaving them on, lol...

[AutobahnSHO]

I haven't gone out of my way to try it on anything, but discovered on our old '02 Accord and my RSX you can leave the lights on and walk away, but they will shut themselves off after 30s to a minute.

Neither of them outwardly advertised that feature as far as I know.

Betcha it's in the owner's manual. 

[Tave]

P.S. Anyone else remember that car battery commercial (I think it was DieHard) where they used the guys pickup truck headlights to light their evening basketball game? That's all I could think of for leaving them on, lol...

Ha! Don't remember the commercial, but I remember doing that in the summer when I was a kid.

[saxonyron]

So you can have your parking lights on without having the key on.  Won't drain your battery as fast.

Audis are the same way.  Only the parking lights can be turned on with no key, and i'm pretty sure even they'll go off once the battery gets low, so the battery won't totally die.  I can program them to turn on when I turn the car off, or when I unlock the car with the fob at night.  The tail lights and fog lights turn on so you can happily leave or approach your well lit car instead of tripping around in the dark. A minute or so later, everything goes off.  Same with the Expedition, the Suburban and my folk's Grand Cherokee.  I thought pretty much all cars had that feature.

[BimmerM3]

Sporty, meet:

+1. I was going to point that out, but forgot by the time I finished reading the thread and typed my own post.

[Minpin]

Mine shut off when I open the drivers door. Works fine for me.

[hotrodalex]

I prefer having a manual switch. I'm bot an idiot and notice my lights are still on. Only time I've leftthem on is the parking lifts in my camaro since they aren't always completely visible.

[giant_mtb]

Yeah, I like the ability to have the lights on if I need them without having to turn the car on.  Sometimes, the lights in the garage just aren't enough.

[TurboDan]

Maybe to allow you to illuminate something without having to have the keys in the car?  I dunno, it seems logical to me as well to have the headlights' power supply controlled by the ignition switch.

That's the down side. My Saab killed everything after the key was out of the ignition, including the power outlet and windows. Just the locks and hazards could operate.