Hazard lights going off for no reason??
 

Hey guys,

I was just driving in to work and my hazard lights were going off for no reason. The button was not pressed nor blinking like it was, but the lights were flashing on and off. The green signal indicators were not going off either. The only way i knew was seeing the reflection in the car in front of me.

After pressing and pressing the hazard button they finally stopped.

WTH was going on?? I finally got to work and the button works seamlessly now.

I took out the assembly and i dont see any frayed wires or anything like that.

**Puzzled**

:wtf:

Happened to my daughter's X5 a couple times, and I still have no clue.

LOL, ok, well good to know I'm not crazy, nor my car is.

This is only the first time I've seen it do this. Hopefully the last......

If you've unlocked your OBC...the next time you go out to the car AND before you start up the engine...turn the ignition to position 1 and do OBC TEST 9. Or if you have a multi-meter...check your X5's battery voltage.

Check to see if your battery's voltage is below 12 volts. As mentioned many times...low voltage will cause odd/strange electrical gremlins. If you do TEST 9 after you've started the engine and your alternator is working properly, it will have put enough surface charge on the battery that when checked, the battery's voltage will be 12 volts or higher.

If this happens, then you need to remove this surface charge, then check the battery. You can see several ways to remove the surface charge in the info below:

The cars hazards go on automatically after an accident I believe. Maybe you tripped the system somehow?

:iagree:

The lights in the car are controlled by the LCM, each exterior light is controlled individually, even the license plate lights wired individually... The LCM activates the lights based on the status of the corresponding switch, and also based on the iBus telegram that it can receive from the iBus - if you have proper setup, you can turn on/off each light on your car separetely - when the battery is dying, it gives off "fluids" and the system modules are being turned on/off and they generate codes/telegrams, that sometimes make no sense (and nothing happens) but sometimes do make sense, and then you have windows rolling down on their own, wipers going off... my speedometer cluster somehow went into euro mode, and when i started the engine one day, I saw that I had like 200K miles on it instead of 120-130 K miles!!! I thought I'd have a heart attack... turned out, it was the 200K kilometers... I never was able to repeat it at will after that... lol...

Check your battery.

after battery/volt test check your haz. button housing
 

not sure of the proper name, but if you have already checked the battery, fuses, volt read out and are still at a loss it is possible it may be something rather simple.

the buttons for the hazard lights and central locking the are located in the console are seated in a housing. that housing sometimes cracks, or debris can get encumbered between the switch/button and the housing causing unwanted results, such as your central locking button becoming inoperable or your hazards coming on/off.

one way to do this would be to utilize a non marring pry tool at the gear housing at the 6 o'clock position, pop that up, and then curl your hand back to the button housing and push it up to check. instructions in bentley manual.

chrissoto any follow up on the issue?
 

just checking in ... you may help someone else with your solution.

thanks

Just for my own clarification (being an e53 owner for only 2 months) ...when you say "gear housing" are you referring to the boot aka "skirt" around the gear shift lever (#3 in the diagram below)?

http://www.realoem.com/bmw/diagrams/l/q/3.png

Had the same problem....
 

my hazard lights were going off for no reason, interior lights stayed on after locking car, interior lights would come on by themselves with flashers while driving. New battery fixed all! The LCM does strange things with an old battery..........

Cheers...

I have the same symptom (car is e39 530):

Hazard lights come on, doors unlock & the dome light comes on. I have no water seepage.
Sometimes it does that while driving - I noticed it does that when the auto lights turn on.
I am inclined to think it's a weak battery. I will have to test it thoroughly. I was/am worried it's a failing LCM or GM3 module. Hope it's only the battery.

Doru
 

My 2003 E39 had all the same exact symptoms as yours, My battery seemed to be OK (12+ volts) but it was 7 years old.
New battery fixed all.........it wont fix immediately.....it seems that the LCM has to adjust/relearn after the new battery.

Cheers,

yes - the skirt around the shifter #3
 

QSilver 7-

yes- in your picture #3. you can see toward the bottom of the skirt that there are small quarter inch or so areas that are underneath. there is one approximately at 6 o'clock that i used a precision screw driver head with tape ( my non marring prying tool) to pop up this skirt. It will then provide access for you to examine the switch for the hazard or the central locking button.

In my case, my central locking button no longer worked. It turns out after removing the skirt for the shifter, and then curling my hand under the console, i pushed up from underneath to push out the central locking button. [same could be done for hazard button to check it- I believe the housing is one unit for both, but obviously two separate buttons. The housing for the central locking was damaged not allowing pressure to be held when pressed down upon. Simple glue and duct tape fix- back in business.

It's page 612-9 in Bentley manual.

Thanks... :thumbup:

Replaced the battery under warranty. I think the LCM got all confused with the low voltage. Once I had the new battery in, at first I lost the right reverse light (white one at rear) with the warning on the dash. And it did not work. Then, the reverse lights come back with the previous symptom: flashers on, doors unlock, dome light on.

Then, after the next cycles, the symptom was gone. Weird things with low voltages.........

Symptom is back.

As soon as i put the key in the ignition and barely turn 1/100" (pos I is not reached - the key just moves from pos 00:

1. hazard lights are on
2. doors unlock
3. dome light turns on

Have to take the key out, use the remote to lock-unlock (otherwise the dome light stays on, and the central console locking mechanism does not work).

Scanned with GT1, and in INPA I got:
512001 DWA-LED flashes after activation
512002 Anti-theft alarm system, false alarm
512003 Central locking unlocks or locks automatically
512004 Central locking button not functioning
512048 radio and reception problem during vehicle access.

Contents of defect code memories (not selectable or deletable):
Radio - No communication possible
ZKE - 94 GM: LED for anti-theft alarm system, open circuit
ZKE - 5E GM: Central-locking drive, passenger's door

The battery looks strong. Not sure what the problem is.

P.S.: Also the INPA Diagnosis Test Schedule gave me this:
ZKE - 94 GM: LED for anti-theft alarm system, open circuit
Burglar alarmsystem (ZKE) zke
ZKE - 5E GM: Central-locking drive, passenger's door
Seat/steering - column memory slm

Had the same weird electrical issues with my e46 before....dealer told me its the ignition switch.....ordered the part and replaced it myself....problem solve!

Or you could ask Scott from bmwgm5.com .....he might be able to help you...after reading your last post sounds like the problem is the GM3....

Issue fixed
 

The issue is fixed for good. Chased the issue, couldn't find anything wrong. Suspected the LCM & airbag module. They were good. Last week, I noticed a greenish hue on the pass side HID light. Changed the ballast and the issue disappeared.
Maybe this can help someone else with the same issue.

Glad you finally found the culprit.......
 

Surprised that the LCM didn't give you a HID light warning...........

I was suspecting the LCM all this time to be honest. I thought that the GT1 was giving fits too. See a few posts above - January 29th - the "issues" diagnosed with GT1. The software "knew" something was wrong, but it was pointing in the wrong direction... Maybe the "hiccup" in the ballast created some weird signal enabling the crash recognition program every time the low beam came on. I don't know? :dunno:

Hazard Lights Going Off
 

Thanks for the thread below, really helped me a lot, for the past few days when it's really been cold, after starting my hazard lights were flashing and the dome light stayed on, suspected my battery because it's 5 years old but had a load test a few months ago that indicated it was good so I thought it would be fine until spring, but the thread below tells me to go get a new battery. Really appreciate all of the help on this post.

Carbob, actually check your ballasts.
Unplug one by one and see if it gives you the fits. The "crash recognignition program" minus deployed airbags was what I had when one of the ballasts started to go, although the lights were working fine. Haunted me for a few months.

+1 for the ballast! This is weird problem! I was chasing this issue for months back in 2011. At one point, I reviewed everything that was done to the car for the past year and sure enough, I converted to Xenons using aftermarket lights and set of used BMW (Hella) ballasts. I could not see even remote relationship here, but after swapping one of the ballasts with cheap Chinese knock-off the problem disappear! I even borrowed oscilloscope and briefly tested to see if ballast introduces some kind interference into the car’s electrical system, but did not found anything suspicious during the test.
P.S. The “cheap Chinese knock-off” still working with no issues for four years / over 60k miles! It is my daily driver.

I had a similar experience, although i happen to know EXACTLY what happened to mine, it started at starbucks, my wife had her tea, i had my black coffee, we jockeyed for cupholder space (which does not completely fit two venti cups!!) my coffee spilled a small amount , (10-12 drops) onto the hazzard light switch, and then from out of nowhere, click click click click! the hazzards activated. then stopped for a minute or two, then started up again. I suspect that my coffee completed the switch circuit and allowed the lights to blink. then after a day or two, it all went back to normal. I pulled the switch out, and sprayed some contact cleaner in there. its all good now! :)
:thumbup:

I just had this happen to me which is why I searched for anyone else who may have had a similar issue.

I was parked, turned the X5 on and noticed in the window reflection on the building that my hazard lights were on. There was no audible clicking in the car, the dash lights were not blinking like they do when the harzard lights are triggered, the turn signals wouldn't work, and the hazard light button wasn't flashing. I tried to press the hazard button but it didn't work. I turned the x5 back off and then back on again but that didn't work.

I decided that I couldn't do anything where I was at since I didn't have tools so I drove off. Within 100 yards of driving the lights went back to normal. This seemed really odd, but if you guys are saying it's the battery that might explain it. I bought the X5 a little over a year ago and haven't checked the battery ever. The voltage is reading 12.5v as it sits right now, but who knows if it maybe dropped a bit low and freaked out the LCM.

Anyone else have this experience?