Did you know that the directional signal flashers on your dashboard are designed to provide clues to malfunctions elsewhere on your vehicle? If one of your directional flashers stops flashing or stops making that ticking noise when it flashes, the light isn't necessarily out of order. The manufacturer of your vehicle has cleverly utilized these lights to tell you that a light on the outside of your vehicle is not working.
Using the left flasher on your dashboard as an example, here are what various symptoms indicate:
- If the left flasher on your dashboard stays on without blinking or making a noise, get out of your vehicle and check whether your left directional signal lights are on in the front and the rear. If one is out, simply replace the bulb. After you replace the bulb, the dashboard flasher should work normally again.
- If your left rear directional signal light goes on but does not blink, and your left front directional signal doesn't go on at all, but both your of right directional signal lights are working perfectly, your left front directional signal bulb is bad. After you replace it, the left rear light will start to blink again.
- If all of your directional signal lights are not going on, check the fuse.
- If all of your directional signal lights go on but don't blink, your flasher unit is bad. This unit usually plugs directly into the fuse box, so look for trouble there first. After you replace the bulb or fuse that's defective, the dashboard flashers should go back to normal.
- If both signal lights on one side are not going on, check to see whether the bulbs need replacing. If they don't, the signals may not be grounded properly. Take your vehicle to your mechanic and they should be able to tell you if this is the case.
- If there is no light on your dashboard when you move the directional signal lever, either the bulb on your dash board flasher is out or the unit is malfunctioning.
- If one signal light is flashing faster or slower that the other, check to see whether the bulb is the proper one for your vehicle. A heavy-duty bulb will flash faster than a standard bulb. Also, check for loose connections or corrosion around the socket the bulb fits into.
- Be sure to replace burnt-out bulbs at once. They usually cost very little. Most service stations will replace them for the cost of the bulb.
