Hi everyone. I have a 2013 Jaguar XK which is still under manufacturers warranty. On 2 occasions I have parked and locked my car only to return to it to find my headlights, and brake lights on. I always leave the light setting in the auto position. I did a search and couldnt find anything similar to my situation. The dealership is unwilling to replace anything until something is officially diagnosed. This doesnt help me much as I could come back to the car one day to a dead battery and be left stranded. My only resolution to this point is to manually turn on the lights when needed and leave them off during the day. Please note that I use a ctek 4.3 nightly and had my battery replaced by the dealer in Oct 2015.

Any input on similar experiences and resolution would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

 

Is this when its home, in your garage, or when you are out-and-about?
Was the car locked at the time?
Just thinking that maybe if it wasn't locked, locking it might prevent the situation, even when its in your garage.

 

It was parked all day in my garage. Then I went out for perhaps a 15min ride to my destination. This was at dusk so it wasnt quite dark yet. I then parked and locked the doors using the remote. Something also to note I parked under a lighted area (light standard) in a parking lot. Not sure if this could have impacted a sensor. Also, im not sure if this is related but I have also seen the lights click on and off while driving in daylight (and not under a bridge or cloudy day). I was thinking it may be a relay or something but not sure if the lights have that or not. The dealership is hesitant to change anything until it breaks.

 

I have not used the auto function in the Jag but have used it in my Lexus. The way the Lexus works is if you have the auto function on and have the car locked as soon as you get within say 20 feet from the car all of the light features come to life. Could it be by some chance that you didn't notice them turn on when you approached the car. Also if you go into car settings how do you have the auto function set.

 

I was approximately 100 meters (300ft) min away from the car when I approached it. I always park at the back of the lot. I was able to see the lights on from the building entrance even before I entered the parking lot. The lights are set to 'auto' and turn off once i lock the doors. I never use the delay setting so in order to conserve the battery.

 

Mine sometimes does this in the auto setting, when i notice this i simply turn the lights off manual

 

I spoke to the dealership again but this time they said they spoke with their top mechanic. He said that when the battery gets weak in xk's the lights will turn on for some unexplained reason. They now think it could be a battery draw somewhere possibly related to the battery system itself. Must be a considerable draw since I charge the battery nightly with the ctek 4.3. They said they need the car for a week to assess so I have scheduled an appointment. I will provide an update once I hear the results.

 

So far you would be the 1st to get this explanation from a dealer. Somehow I can't buy into it but we'll have to see.

 

I agree Jagtoes. But it also looks like there arent many others who have experienced this. I hope they can get this resolved. However, I will now be reluctant to use the auto lights setting regardless for fear of getting stranded.

 

steve_k_xk, Does this happen after its been parked with the car off or do you notice this right after the car is turned off and doors locked?

 

This has happened only when ive parked the vehicle and the auto lights will simply not turn off even when I've locked the car

I haven't experienced the issue of locking it then returning to notice the headlights have been activated

 

Hi all. I had my dealer look again and this time I was very persistent. They ended up replacing part C2Z5018 (turn signal switch assembly) which appears to have resolved the issue. They also added this comment:
'Checked wiring and connectors, after further inspection, found switch for headlamp to have an intermittent short. Intermittent headlight switch issue. Intermittent failure, Replaced switch verified operation ok'

They actually replaced the part about 2 months ago but i wanted to be sure this resolved the problem prior to posting. Hopefully this update can help someone who may need this advice at a later date.

 

I wanted full headlights whenever driving both day and nite. Couldn't find such a function in my '07 XK. I have worked around this by setting the headlights on "auto", and then placing a small piece of black tape over the light sensor at the top of the dash. Now the car thinks it is "night" whenever motor is running (headlights on), and the headlights turn off when I cut the motor.

 

Your stick should look like this:

 

I've not experienced this problem in my '08 and I use the auto feature all the time. The lights on my Toy Venza stay on after I park, but, will turn off when I depress the FOB lock.
It's on auto, as well.