Your dashboard provides a wealth of useful information, such as your driving speed, how much petrol you have, how hot your engine is, engine oil pressure, and any vital notifications or warnings.
As a result, if the dash lights fail, you may be putting yourself at risk.
So what happens when there is no dash light when I turn the key? it might signal a more serious issue.
If you want to find the reasons, let’s keep scrolling this post for the common causes and solutions.
Cause And Solutions Of No Dash Lights When I Turn The Key
If you turn key no lights on dash, it might be for many reasons. The problems can arise from the battery, alternator, wiring, fuse, starter, circuit, headlights, taillights, and bulbs.
In these situations, you should determine an exact reason and repair it as soon as possible.
Dead/Bad Battery
The dead battery can cause the dash lights not to illuminate when you ignite the engine. Try to recall the last time you charged it.
If it hasn’t been charged recently, it’s better to charge it before you do more checkups.
In case your battery is completely charged, but the dash lights still don’t work properly, check its connection.
Try twisting the cables and posts to see if the dashboard indicators light up. Leave the car key and radio on to inform you if you come into contact with the faulty post or cable.
Once a cable is properly connected, the radio will produce noise.
If the lights come on but turn off when you start the car engine, the issue is either corroded cables, clamps, or a drained battery.
When you check the battery, you must ensure it provides at least 12V. If the battery shows signs of failure, replace it. Yet, if the battery is good, tidy out its cables.
Faulty Alternator
An alternator turns the energy from the engine into electricity, which powers electrical parts such as your dash lights.
When the alternator fails, it stops supplying power to the dash lights, making them malfunction. Due to no power, your dash lights will not operate while you are trying to ignite the car.
In this case, you should take steps to diagnose your alternator. If you cannot do it yourself, take your car to a repair shop and replace it as needed.
Blown Fuse
If the dashboard lights do not illuminate whenever you turn the key, this is usually due to a blown fuse. Replacing a fuse is simple and can be done by yourself.
The fuse will blow when the current flowing through the fuse exceeds its capacity. To safeguard the other components from damage, the fuse may also blow.
A fuse might blow due to old age. When this happens, you can deal with dash lights that do not turn on even after inserting the key.
You can follow these steps to test the fuse:
- Locate the fuse that supplies electricity to your dash lights. You must check all fuses labeled “lights” if your car has more than one.
- Examine the fuse to check whether it is faulty. Check the metal strip, or filament, to see whether it is broken, and inspect the fuse for blackening. Either of these indicates that the fuse has blown.
- If necessary, replace the fuse and test your dashboard lights again.
A Break In The Vehicle’s Electrical Circuit
Driving your vehicle frequently for a long time might experience numerous road bumps, collisions, and vibrations. The rats may also gain access to the dash light cables and bite them.
In case the cables fail, the dash lights will not illuminate when you turn the car key.
Moreover, a bad connection could cause a break in your vehicle’s electrical system. Even after you check every component, no dash lights will illuminate.
An electrical circuit malfunction might be dangerous. The experts advise you to take your vehicle to a mechanic who can identify the problem and provide a suitable solution.
Headlights Are On
A defective alternator or a failed battery can also make the dashboard lights overshadow the headlights.
When the alternator malfunctions to create a suitable amount of electricity, the more powerful headlights use all of it.
The battery may possibly be insufficiently charged to power all of the LEDs in your vehicle. This is seen when the headlights turn on, but the dash lights turn off.
Thus, in this situation, you should turn on and off the headlights to see what happens to the dashboard. Then, check the battery and alternators to determine the cause.
When the problem is a faulty alternator or battery, it is advisable to repair them.
Wrongly Adjust The Dimmer Light Switch
Another common reason why a car starts but no dash lights is the dimmer switch. This switch controls the brightness of the dash bulbs.
In case you mistakenly touched the switch, you may have reduced the brightness.
Although your fuse is fine, the dash lights do not illuminate after turning the key. In this case, please check the dimmer switch.
If you mistakenly turn off the dimmer lights, turn them back on.
The Taillight Doesn’t Work
Nowadays, the two lights share the same circuit and fuse in most vehicles. When there are no dash lights when you turn the key, your taillights may have also gone off.
If there are no lights on dash and car won’t start, please double-check the vehicle’s fuse and circuit. They can be blown or fail while you try igniting the vehicle.
Check the car taillights after ensuring that the fuse is operational and that the dimmer switch is not malfunctioning. You must repair them if they are broken.
Burnt Dash Bulbs
After lengthy use, the dash lights may become defective. While it is doubtful that all of them will burn out simultaneously, they may have burned out due to high currents.
This is especially true if the cluster fuse is blown.
However, this issue will only affect older automobiles. They offer incandescent bulbs that will eventually burn out. However, newer vehicles use LED lights rather than bulbs.
They are unlikely to be harmed.
Examine your information cluster to check if any dash lights are burned out.
If they are toasted, you must replace them, and your dash bulbs will function normally again when you turn the key in the ignition.
Defective Starter
No lights come on when I turn the key can be a symptom of a defective or burnt-out starter. If your automobile has no power, but the battery is fine, you should examine the starter.
To start the car, a little motor gets electricity from the battery. When the starter fails, you’ll hear a clicking noise.
It might happen when the starter is damaged or loose connections. Check the wires and fusible connections leading to the starter to ensure they are in excellent working order.
Inspect the starter fuse and relay to ensure they are working properly and receiving electricity. When either of these has failed, replace them before replacing the starter.
Conclusion
It can be aggravating to have no power to the dash lights or ignition in your vehicle. However, you now understand the primary causes of this issue.
We hope that this advice will assist you in determining the specific cause of no dash lights when I turn the key. Some are not difficult to repair and can be done quickly.
It is recommended that you visit a professional mechanic for more challenging issues.
When you take your automobile in for routine maintenance, you might identify and treat various issues.
If you have any queries or want to learn more about frequent dashboard light problems, please leave a comment below