Tail lights won't shut off.

Are you familiar with the switch on top of the steering column, between the steering wheel and the gauges? It is a forward / backward button and turns on "parking lights" mostly for legality over in the UK. Check that and make sure they're off, it's easy to hit and one that isn't common here in the states, I don't think anyway. Keep in touch :)

any updates?

Thanks for posting this was just about to disconnect the battery. Now I remember bumping it while vacuuming.

Certainly! I wish all questions could be answered so simply.

Thank you I had the same problem, I was about to disconnect the battery until i ran across your post! Thank you very mmuch, i was so irritated now all is good again.

Thanks internet and Waith. Washed my STI, wiped down the interior with armour all. Then as I am packing up notice the tail lights and front running lights are still on. They always go off when the engine is off. Damn did I get wiring wet....oh no. Pulled the fuse, so the car will still start, have been doing that everytime I drive, fuse in and out. But what a poor design. I was set to go to the dealership to fix this.

I just had my 2005 Subaru Outback detailed and had the same problem with tail and front running lights still on after I have left the car. The answer was in the switch on top of the steering wheel. Thank you, thank you, thank you to "With" for posting! Saved my bacon on this one. Now I can rest knowing my car will start in the morning! Thanks so much again!

That was supposed to say thank you to Waith for posting. Sorry, auto correct changed it. Thanks again!

Ha Ha, this issue had me going too. I'm a 3 time Subaru owner and couldn't figure it out. Saved me money! Stupid switch! Like others probably just bumped it cleaning my steering wheel. THANKS!

Just want to keep this thread relevant. Top post fixes problem. Was treating my interior and afterward noticed my driving lights would not shut off.

Glad it helped MaynardW!

Lifesaver... After we had two neighbours and a random stranger knock on the door to tell us that we had left the lights on, this post helped us work out why, thank you very much....

THANK Waith we're saved! I had the same problem with my SUBARU FORESTER 1998. I used my windows phone for navigation and i put it in front of the gauges board. I must have bumped the switch (i never knew what it's for) accidentaly while taking my phone back to my pocket.

All of these answers are so specific to this question. I am amazed by the response and hope Subaru designers are watching this. Eegads, what a simple thing to fix. Thanks everyone. I'm posting another question about Subaru Foresters today, an idle issue. Thanks again.

Hi Sunny, This is actually a useful tool and is required in the UK as a safety feature, if I'm not mistaken. It's just something most mfr's don't utilize on vehicles here in the states, so people are unaware of it. I like the button because I can check my trailer lights or whatnot without the car running (since the lights are off with the key off). Anyways, take care and I'll look for your question later tonight. Gotta get to work. Additionally, to everyone reading this thread, I mark just about every response as helpful because it's great that this is helping so many people and it's great that everyone has come here! Best regards,

Thanks. Walth...I wouldn't have thought of that. Good application, but could be just a effective somewhere else, I guess. My other question is posted. It's about idle issues. Thanks again.

Same prob 03 Forrestor but they remain on

Ah, okay. Just sent you a PM MrMatts78.

I just want to say Thank you for you answers, you guys just saved me $90 for some electrical diagnosis which mean a push of a switch.

OMG, I just bought a Subi. Battery was dead in the morning with lights barely on. I removed the fuse to have them off. Then read this and hit myself in the head lol. I thought that switch was for the hazard lights...stooopid, HA ! Hey, where are the hazard light ???

Your hazards button is most likely in the controls area (center of the dash) with the radio / temp switches or up between the top vents in said section. Just depends on the Subie.

For the last 2 months my husband has been disconnecting/reconnecting the battery of our '06 forrester. He was saying someone told him it was a universal switch. Finally, today, after scouring the inter webs trying to get a ballpark figure for what that will cost to replace and coming up empty, I googled the problem and this answer popped up. I immediately ran downstairs, told him about it, and we marched outside. I could see the disbelief in his eyes, and sweet victory was mine when those gosh darn lights turned off when he hit that button. He also thought that was the hazard lights button, so didn't think twice about it causing the problem. Thank you! Who knows how much we would have spent at the shop having it diagnosed and "fixed" and who knows what!

WOW!! Well, don't feel too bad, we all start somewhere / make mistakes / live and learn. Glad to hear you found the source. It's better than the one tail light situation I tried helping with that turned out to be the radio harness ground connector. He figured that out through a friend.

I am so glad to keep reading replies where this question I posted so very long ago has helped. Don't all of you think that Subaru could weigh in on the subject, that maybe they should-rewrite the owner's manual to accommodate the possibility that this problem will arise? I hope so. I am still at issue with the Idle Control Valve, mostly because it is so expensive, according to local mechanics, to get to it. I'm about to leave the Subaru fan club.

I would just buy one from Ebay for 9.99 (from china) or 14.71+ in the US. Same part number as the $222.00 units on RockAuto (and probably 300- 350+ from the dealer). Ebay search for:: 22650-aa192

So are you having trouble with it starting / running? When you come to a stop does it idle REV idle REV idle REV?

Hey all. Just got a 2008 Subaru Legacy. I thought my issue was the same as everyone else's, just flicking the switch back to normal. It turns out I have a more farfetched issue. My issue is with the inner headlights. So I'm parked outside of the bank late at night and noticed when I had my lights switched to "off", there were these very dim inner headlights that would remain on - all other parking lights were off except these 2. Then when I set the car's back to normal, those 2 inner lights turned off and the normal, outer more headlights turn back on... In other words, my headlights will never shut completely off. I think the car may think they're off when they're on, and on when they're off, or something of the sort. When reading multiple sources on the web on the issue, only issues related to this parking light switch would appear. So, I decided to post to one of the forums about my issue to see if anyone may know what I'm dealing with here. It may seem like a stretch but hopefully someone with more car expertise will lead me in the right direction. Thank you.

Have you read the thread with the radio ground? Have no idea if it is related. Electrical gremlins are just that!! Read:: http://www.cargurus.com/Cars/Discussion-t26437_ds585679

Hello walth - Thank you for the timely response. I am by no means a car expert, so I don't really know what you mean by a "radio ground". I took a look at the thread and saw something about a radio ground; but it did little, as i did not know what to look for really. Is there some menu on my car's radio that gives me control what lights are on or off? Sorry i am untrained in the world of cars my friend. I may just have to take it in to the shop. Thank you for your help.

I would recommend asking around, people familiar with imports and/or a good reputation, honesty, etc. Don't just assume that a dealer will be the best place, or vice versa. I kind of agree on the shop as I would not want this issue to be my first lesson with fixing cars.. And if you'd like, start a new question, combine your posts and then keep updating it with what is happening, etc.

Mahalo plenty for first answer to this query! Just had daughter's 2004 Forester detailed - pulled car into garage - bleeding tail lights were on, WTF??!! Read this answer, flipped switch, all good! I'd have had a dead battery and a ton of angst if I hadn't seen/googled issue. Next beer on me :)

Hazard switch is in off position and lights are still on. Any Ideas? 03 Subaru Legacy

For months I have been pulling out the stupid fuse everyday!!! I was finally bringing the car in Friday to get fixed and wanted to check on cost.. and found this. I so wish I would have looked it up a long time ago. I feel like such an idiot.. Thank you!!!

Thank you for your spot on response! I was getting pretty steamed at the car repair shop. I picked up my 2004 Forster and then this "problem" develops. Of course, I had taken the car to get it cleaned after its new R&P, and valve cover gasket. No doubt the detail guy hit the switch in his cleaning zeal! Saved me a great deal of heartache. You are my hero today!

THANK YOU!!! I had sat my phone up there to use my GPS and must have clicked the switch. Problem solved! THANKS SO MUCH!

Rock On Mazie and Jodi!! No problem! I'm glad the OP asked!!

Thank you Walth you saved me from having to disconnect the battery !!

I have a slightly different problem where the dashboard lights stay on after shutting off the engine and turning off lights. Any ideas?

Craigy, is that turning off the engine from "on" to "acc" or is that from "on" to "off and pulling the key out"? I don't like electrical gremlins.. it could be a ground issue or melted/nicked wire or something. This might be something for your models forum (impreza/OB/forester/etc) where there are tons of gurus. The subie forum here is really quiet and unless one or two others chime in, idk that I'll be much help. I would like to know what it turns out to be though.

Thank You, My son and I went on a vacation and then suddenly started having the "lights on" problem. I was looking for relays under the hood and we were camping and did not have internet access in the boundary waters near Minnesota/Canada border so for the next two days I unhooked the battery every time we stopped for a long time. That resulted in ruining the cable clamp. Now I see this thread and sure enough I had asked him to wipe the dust down on the cars dash board and never thought there would be a lights switch that does such a damn thing as that. Thanks.

Glad it helped Kerry. If you ever have another issue with sometime staying on and draining the battery, you might try pulling a fuse instead of disconnecting the battery each time. Fuses are probably in two spots, under the dash behind the coin tray and then under the hood.. just depends on the car. Best regards

I had this problem a couple years ago and forgot the fix, but remembered finding the solution online. Thanks! Flipped the switch accidentally while cleaning my interior. Which apparently I don't do often enough to remember that switch

Omg....just went insane removing fuses and bulbs and tail lights. My mind was fried. Had an appointment this morning for a diagnostic check. Figured I'd check the internet and found this post. THANK YOU!!! Now I feel like an idiot....a relieved idiot....but PHEEEEWWWWWW!!!

thank you most sincerely

I have same problem with my lites staying on so I though I have a short and took car to a Saab dealer fortunately the technician was out of state for a conference so I went and got my car back and start checking again on Internet til I finally read from the right person.Thankz. PS dealer fee for just diagnostic was $ 120.00 saved.

Hi im have the same issue with my rear taillights staying on they wont go off i played with the switch on top of the steering wheel but it doesnt matter what position it is in taillights still stay on

Noya, I posted a link about a year ago regarding the radio ground. Scroll up to find it but I have never looked into what the real issue is. For now I would pull your coin tray and remove the fuse every night until you figure it out.

what if you have the column switch in either position and the lights remain on?

Could be something in the radio ground, read above - I think it's mentioned twice and one of those has a link to the radio ground taillights on issue. No promises though

I had this same issue last night so I pulled the fuse so it didn't kill my battery figuring I'll look it up today. So glad I hit on this first thing. I'll go fix that switch as I bet that's what happened. Thank You so much- I thought it was really odd. You've helped a great deal.

Thanks Waith... same problem with running lights and license plate lights staying on . I had been to the car wash -- and the person cleaning my car must have bumped the switch on the steering column. Sad thing is that when I called and talked to the service manager at Subaru, he could not give me any advice except to have it diagnosed (of course for a fee). A big thank youi

Thanks man - Cleaned the dash etc - something I never do -!!!! next day dead battery. I had already pulled the battery terminal in preparation for service tomorrow. Very humbling experience. Bob in Canada

Thanks Walth, you saved my vacation....... was doing all the right things before heading out ... car serviced,check, clean the car,check.... didn't know there was such a switch on top of the steering column, after sometime of the lights being on I was headed out to pull the battery and kiss the vaca goodbye, I read your post and issue resolved. I will raise a cold one in your name while camping at the beach, Peace and thanks a million.

Thank you so much for this advice. Gave my car a deep cleaning today and the running light and rear lights would not go off. Just went out and found the switch as you described and turned the lights off !!

As a 69-year-old "former" mechanic my wife had to tie me to my rocking chair and lock my tool box to keep me from pulling relays, ripping out wires, and lighting up my old mutli- tester to figure out what the hell was wrong with the tail lights. Probably mice in the glovebox.... What a relief to find so many folks had had the same problem as I, the expert. Many thanks and now I can concentrate on the two burned out front running/parking lights. I can still change a bulb. I think.

Thank you so much!! Three years later I have this happen & that was the solution!! Thank u Wrath!!

Walth...you are a genius! 2017 and you're still a life saver. I was stumped because it made no sense that the battery was dead yet the taillights were lit. My son has the same make and model and I'm telling him right now just in case it happens to him. Such a simple fix!!! Thank you!

Years after your original post and thanks! Just bought a 2006 Forester a couple of weeks ago and arrived home tonight from a long road trip only to find the tail lights wouldn’t go out. It’s pouring rain and my husband and I were taking turns trying to figure it out. Then brain flash! Google it! And there your answer was, just as helpful as it was 3 years ago. Thank you!

Thank you SO much. It's Christmas Eve night. The lights wouldn't shut off. Thought I had tried everything. One google search and voila! I can go to work on Tuesday. You gave me a huge present!

Thank goodness for google. Its such an odd problem yet such a simple solution. Merry Christmas!

Man..two in an hour on Christmas Eve. Merry Christmas!

Same thing happened to me after wiping down my 03 Forester dashboard while going through a carwash. I knew it was something weird. I had no idea that switch was there. Why is it even there on cars Fuji Heavy Industries ships to the U.S.?

European parking lights. But yeah..could have just made a different cover and eliminated the switch head.

Folks, my 2014 base-model Forester does *not* have this infamous switch on top of the steering wheel and I’m having the issue with the tail lights not shutting off. In fact, I got them to shut off once, thought the issue was solved only to see it turn back on entirely on its own (car completely shut down, no key in it or anything). I recently brought it to service a sensor that was making my ABS lights go on - any chance the dealership messed something up? Is the light switch on the 2014 model in a different spot? Thanks so much!

Milton, I’m not familiar with the newer models but looking at a column switch on eBay, it appears that there is not a switch that could be hidden there either. The other fellow had issues with a radio ground on an older model. You might try joining subaruForester.org and asking. Best regards

Hi walth, Thanks a lot for your reply. I have just registered on that forum to see if I can get some help. I am starting to wonder if there's simply an electrical issue with the car. As I mentioned, a few days ago I had the car brought to service because out of the blue the ABS, Traction Control and Hill Assist lights came on. They replaced a sensor that was kicking those on and things seemed to be back to normal. Then a couple days later, the hill assist light now comes on at random. And now the parking light. It's crazy to me that I got it to turn off just to see it come back on (with the car fully shut down) by itself. I've owned this Forester for about 3 weeks. Love the car overall, except for this! Have a good holiday weekend, everyone!

Holy crap! It was so simple; I just had a lot of work done on my '06 Forester a few days ago. Come back from work and the lights wouldn't shut off. Was about ready to pull my hair out and stomp my way back to the garage!

Lmao this is a on going problem, thank you for posting this. I accidentally hit the switch on my way home and didn't realize it. Was outside my house for forty minutes before I went for some online help. Wish I did it Sooner. Glad I am not the only one who had this problem.

Thank you!!! My battery went dead last night as the lights stayed on and today I noticed they were not turning off. Reading this info. saved me from disconnecting the battery.

Thank you both! Much thanks Chris! You the man! My 2004 Impreza outback sport had same problem...I bumped that stupid switch and didn't noticed nothing until next morning when I couldn't start my car and both front and rear lights were on! Thought perhaps I needed new battery so I went and got one. Car started again but walking away I noticed taillight bulbs were still on...That's when I went to investigate further, thinking maybe daytime running lights was culprit so I disabled that (not it). Depressed I may have to call in again for not going to work with car issues, I searched for answers online and stumbled upon this! Thank you all! Save me a bunch of money and I'm not with geico!

Glad you got it Sir X. Wow, over 15k views.

thanks very grateful

This thread has been going for a long time. You just helped an ASE Master, Shop owner, keep his nephew going home after being evacuated for hurricane Florence 2018. He came down to Florida, I replaced his A/C compressor, replaced some burnt out bulbs, nothing huge. Sunday night, he’s at the Jaguars game and we noticed the lights were on. Battery already drained, won’t start. Found you great people! Lights out, battery charger on. Looks like he will make roll call at work tomorrow! Thanks!

The extent of this thread shows just what a problem this is for a lot of people. Subaru should highlight that switch and it's use (?) better.

After 12 years and 135000 miles, this happened to my 2007 STI - After manipulating all the switches, buttons, stalks . etc, and reading the owner's manual with no good results, off to the dealer. The mechanic that services my car identified the problem immediately with no charge. Checking this forum would have saved a twenty mile trip to the dealer. Will check here first with next problem. Thanks

THE COMMENT WAS SO HELPFUL.

Thankyou! i called an Oriley's to see if they heard of this problem and they hadn't. so thankyou for not lettingme jump start tomorrow morning!

The switch! OMG thank you!

very helpful thank you

Thanks

Chris your a stud. Switch on top was issue

having the same problem with 2002 suzuki vitara bought from car auction any ideas?

Hmm not real familiar with the Suzuki’s.. might be a short circuit or something related. Hope you find a quick resolution

Ohmygosh, even something from four years ago helped me tonight, yay!!!

Yeah no kidding! 5 years and 17,500 views!!

*book marked : )

2016 forester...car totally off, tail lights illuminated. only way i can make the light turn off is by pressing the brake pedal.

I just had the same problem... Thanks internet

follow up: took it to dealership and they said it was a simple fix: when they did something w the tail light a few months ago (some recall regarding taillight brightness) they didn’t tighten it enough (in effect) so the electrical was all messed up...was also connected to the other issue i was having (it would randomly slip into neutral while i was driving at any speed). the guy said the same fix would take care of both issues cuz they were connected...somehow. happy to move past this. learned so much. thx for maintaining this forum!

thank a lot, i looking fix this think 1 day, at last i saw this post, and it solve..

Thank you! This did it! I was about to take the car to a mechanic...whew

Just fixed my 2000 Impreza. Switch bumped while cleaning. Batter dead, rear lights stuck on. Stupid switch above steering wheel. Who would have guessed. Years after your post!

Another person helped!

I wish I had found this weeks ago. I installed a new radio, and I guess I must have bumped that stupid switch and never noticed. I thought it was the radio. Ended up having to get a new battery. Here's the thing: I installed the new battery tonight in the dark, and THAT is the first time I noticed the taillights were still on. GAH!!!!! @*$&^% I probably could have saved my old battery from its untimely demise. Live and learn.

Chris - if you are still here 6 years after answering the original question, here is another thankyou from a new person you have helped. I'm away from home on tour teaching and thought I was going to wasting hours awaiting roadside service/dealing with battery issues for the next few days. I hope you are still connected here and can see how many people you have helped. Top marks from Australia!! Cheers!

Thanks. Loaned my car to a friend, and it came back with lights on. I didn't find out for hours, but fortunately my battery is good.

Thanks. I was trying all sorts of things trying to figure this one out!

Saved us tonight! Neighbor came over we were about to pull the fuse when I googled and bam! Yup, hubs hit the switch earlier while cleaning the car! Thank you so much!

Awesome!

YES!!!!! AWESOME!!!!! THANK YOU!!!!!!! :D :D :D

THANK YOU CHRIS!!!!!!

You’re welcome, glad it’s still helping

Thanks! Test driving and I must have bumped the switch when placing my phone on the dash. Easy peasy. <3

This is too funny - we have an 04 Impreza that we use as a loaner car, the last two borrowers ( mechanically minded manly types ) both took a swipe at diagnosing the wiring problem... fuses removed, theories about relays and bad switches.... and all along it was the parking light switch on the steering column... your answer is still saving people trips to the shop. Thank you!

Does anyone have a picture of this switch? My brake lights come on from time to time when the car is off even if they weren't on when I first turned the car off. I'll take a look and the lights will be off and by the morning the battery is dead from the brake lights coming on in the middle of the night. Can't find any button on the steering column but since I'm in the US I imagine the easy fix isn't in the cards for me. 2015 Subaru Forester.

if this doesn't work search for column switch, https://howtune.com/articles/239-subaru-lights- stay-on-and-won-t-turn-off

Look at how many lives you’ve had a positive impact on for the last decade. How much money, How much time, How much aggravation you’ve saved all these people is incredible! Well done Chris (or Walth),Well done!

This post just saved my butt!! Thank you so much. Never in a million years would I have thought to check for that switch.