Honda CRV alarm for headlights stopped working

[Ruhl14]

I had this problem with my daughter's 2004 CRV. I read the posts and went to swap the driver side door switch with the passenger side. I found that the only thing wrong was the screw that holds the switch in place was loose. The screw also acts as the ground for the switch. It was loose and not grounded, thereby creating the problem. Check the screw to make sure that it is tight. This may be the only thing you need to do.

[finnchick]

After my battery needed to be boosted, my door-ajar, lights on and key in ignition warning "indicator" beep are no longer working and also when I open my drivers side door, the dome light doesn't turn on. The doors auto re-lock by themselves even if I've opened the door and closed it again. I was told by Honda that I have to bring it in. Is there a way I can fix this myself by possibly just changing a fuse?

[Copytech99]

^^^ Check your plunger switch to see if it is in place and working. Check to make sure the mounting screw is tight.

[sonnymac]

Hey all, I finally had it after my wife left the lights on again today. I found this link and just swapped my drivers side plunger switch with the passenger side and it works like new! Thank you CopyTech99! We are passing the CR-V on to our teenage son and I am relieved that I won't (shouldn't) be getting calls from him to jump the battery.

[jofowan]

Same deal on my '02; headlights drained battery because the alarm stopped working. Thanks to this forum, I switched the two driver's and passenger's door push-button door switches, and viola, the headlights-on alarm is now working.

As noted above, on screwdriver was all it took; very simple.

Wish I'd researched this years ago. Thank you AF.

[Naebother]

Just changed the passenger "plunger" switch unit with the driver side and the "lights on" warning sound worked no more call from my wife stranded. Thanks everyone

[2002CRVowner]

Yes, what you suggested worked! The cover for the switch had broken on the driver's side, and the passenger's side was very difficult to unscrew. But the door open alarm and key in the ignition alarm returned. Now to get another switch cover at some point.

This forum rocks! Thank you! This battery has been drained *so* many times over the years. Wish I knew this before!

[gah500]

This forum rocks! I followed the direction to switch the driver-side and passenger-side "plunger" switch units and the warning sound came back. Thanks to all of you for your kind advice. I am sure I will be visiting this site more often.

[Bearwho]

Wow, thanks! The plunger in the door jam was the culprit for me.. Not only does it scream my lights are on, but, it tells me now, that the key is in the ignition. The dome light works properly too.. It was going off and was dark when I opened the door.. The dome light comes on when you turn the car off, but it wasn't working for the door. The plunger switch had been pushed back into the hole in the panel. I just fit it back into the plug and screwed it back on and voila. Thanks again. I love my 2003 CR-V Honda (Though I'm recovering from a wrecked 2007 Prius. Eeek as far as fuel economy goes).

[Tomajck8688]

Thanks. Swapped the plunger switch with the passenger side. My headlight alarm now works again. Took me 5 minutes.

[tqol]

I just bought a 2003 CR-V for my daughter, and the battery ran down last night by leaving the lights on. Found this post, and just completed the switch swap. Alarm is working as expected. A major relief as she gets ready to head off to college. Thanks to everyone on this thread!

[ShelbyB]

I just drained my battery (again) because I was not warned (again) that the lights were on. Being on the road at a hotel is making this particular instance more of a hassle than usual. I am anxious to try the plunger switch swap when I return home to see if it solves this stress inducing problem. It causes stress even when I turn the lights off because five minutes later, I'm never 100% sure that this little task got done. I'll be crossing my fingers and losing sleep hoping for a good Samaritan in the morning. Stay tuned.

[ShelbyB]

Next morning.

I had the bike in the car. I made a 6 mile round trip to AutoZone to buy a wrench to remove the battery. The plan was to put 20 lbs worth of battery in my backpack and bike back to AutoZone to have it charged. Fortunately, a kindly looking good Samaritan and his little girl were walking to their car and I mustered up the audacity to request a jump. I spent the next 30 minutes driving around, wasting gas, checking out the local scenery while my aging battery recharged. Crisis solved.

Now onto the root cause. As the cure was advertised as a one screw driver fix, and I had nothing better to do on labor day, I decided to attack it right here in the hotel parking lot. Here is the synopsis:

1) The plungers are on the aft side of the driver and passenger door frames pointing outwards. They are covered by small black rubber boots.
2) The bolt holding the assembly in place is directly below the plunger protected by a rubber flap integral with the plunger cover. The flap cover opens easily with a strategically placed thumbnail.
3) My bolts were over-torqued and required the proper size Phillips screwdriver with gentle/firm pressure to loosen the bolts without stripping the heads. It is a combination Phillips hex head screw, so it's obviously better to use a socket wrench if available.
4) Pull out the plunger assembly and unclasp it from the wiring harness by pushing on the release tab. CAUTION: Do NOT allow the wiring harness to fall back into the door frame. This did not happen to me, but the harness did everything it could to retreat into the abyss of the inner body of the door frame. Extra hands would be useful here to avoid an expletive filled tirade.
5) I swapped the assemblies and pretended to leave the lights on as I got out of the car (unlike yesterday, when I did this without pretending). I was immediately serenaded by the sweet sound of a high pitched warning tone for the first time in 3 years. Also, the key in ignition beep-beep-beep and dome light is now working correctly. Victory!
6) I'll buy a new plunger for the passenger side when I'm bored someday. It is not as critical as the driver side, but the bizarre automatic door locking logic is probably confused by a non-working plunger.

[mvb416]

Having the same problem too. No buzzer when lights on. I've gotten pretty good at remembering but then others drive it or my 2-year-old will play with things and leave the lights on and no one notices when they take her out. Dead battery on the way to watch the Super Bowl the other day.

So, time to do something about it.

I am going to try the switcheroo with the passenger side door first and if that succeeds, yay me and thank you guys!

If not, I found the part # 35400-S5A-013

and I see 2 listings for it on ebay at present for about 6-7 bucks. So, if switching it doesn't work. I'll go buy one of those.

I will check back in and let you know but a HUGE THANK YOU already. I was afraid this would cost me $$$!!

[truetempo]

I just want to say thank you to all who shared the solution to this annoying headlight alarm failure problem. I swapped the switches from passenger side to driver side and the alarm works perfectly now. Great info, thanks again.