Why did my headlights stay on?

ProudDUB

I drive a 2007 Ford Focus. My head lamps have a switch whereby they come on if you turn the switch on and go off it you turn the switch off. There is no time lapse or delay in when they go off, nor is there any connection to your leaving the key in the ignition, leaving the engine running, or having any of the car doors open. Turning them on/off is as simple as turning a table lamp on/off.

Tonight, they stayed on for about a minute AFTER I turned them off and took the key out off the ignition. They went off by themselves, without me doing anything at all. This is the first time this has happened.

Any idea what could be behind this?

magentis

Thats probably a feature of the car called "follow me home" headlights.Where by the headlights stay on for a timed interval when you take the key out/lock the car.What is the spec level of the car?Is it a zetec/ghia/titanium?

Sobanek

You must have pulled the indicator stalk by accident.

magentis

Ah yes sobanek,i remember now thats how you activate it in some cars!

Gavman84

Ya have it on my Focus pull the headlight stalk before turning off engine they stay on for 30 seconds or so.

ProudDUB

Ok, I'm with ye now. So even though I was out of the car, the ignition was turned off, the lights were turned off, the key was in my pocket....the headlamps still came on, because I possibly knocked the indicator switch with my arm as I was getting out of the car?

If that is the case, how come the indicator lights themselves didn't come on? Or did I make the headlamps come on by hitting the indicator switch in a different direction, to the one used to make the indicators come on?

I actually kinda like this if it turns out to be a feature of the car. Me porch light is broken so its dead handy having the car lights do it.

Cheers folks. I have my NCT soon and I was fretting I may have some sort of electrical lights issue that would affect me passing.

Cee-Jay-Cee

Because it's an actual feature of the car and the indicators aren't wired into that feature.

jimgoose

It's called autolamp delay, and is a common feature of light-sensing automatic headlamps. The idea is that the lamps stay on for an interval - adjustable in some cars - to see you to the door, or whatever. You must have finagled the controls unbeknownst to yourself!

mgbgt1978

ProudDUB wrote: »

Ok, I'm with ye now. So even though I was out of the car, the ignition was turned off, the lights were turned off, the key was in my pocket....the headlamps still came on, because I possibly knocked the indicator switch with my arm as I was getting out of the car?

If that is the case, how come the indicator lights themselves didn't come on? Or did I make the headlamps come on by hitting the indicator switch in a different direction, to the one used to make the indicators come on?

I actually kinda like this if it turns out to be a feature of the car. Me porch light is broken so its dead handy having the car lights do it.

Cheers folks. I have my NCT soon and I was fretting I may have some sort of electrical lights issue that would affect me passing.

Normally activated by pulling back on the stalk...as if flashing your lights.