Headlights turn on when it rains during day light...

Hello,

I have a 2006 pontiac montana sv6 shorty and during the daytime when it doesn't rain, my daytime lights (fog lights) come on and the main headlights turn off as expected.

However, during broad daylight when it rains, my headlights will turn on. Is this a problem? Every other montana sv6 that I pass on the road when it rains don't have their headlights on...only the daytime running lamps.

Thanks in advance.

Do you have some special wiper blades? There is a light sensor in the middle of the dashboard that tells wether it is dark or not. Are you laying your umbrella up there?

Do you have some special wiper blades? There is a light sensor in the middle of the dashboard that tells wether it is dark or not. Are you laying your umbrella up there?

I'm not aware of any special wiper blades that were installed. I have placed any objects near the sensors either. I looked for the sensor but could not locate it. Is it visible? Is it right were the windshiled meets the dash board?

Thanks in advance

It could be that the rain on the windshield may be enough to trigger the sensors to activate the headlights,( the rain blocks some of the passage of light making it appear darker outside.)
I have read articles in the past where manufacturers were developing systems to turn on the wipers and/or the headlights when it starts raining. It is more of a safety feature,( I live in NY and it's been law since the early '90s that when it rains and you need to use your wipers, you must turn on your headlights. It was passed to help others see you in the rain.) I have an '06 Uplander and I don't recall my lights coming on in the rain.

Do you have some special wiper blades?

Interesting that you guys mention wiper blades...

So it rained again today and I did an experiment with my wipers. When I turned on the wipers after a minute the headlights came on. It was just spitting so I turned them off for as long as I could and low and behold, the lights turned off within about 30 seconds.

Now the question... Is there an issue with my wiper blades causing the lights to turn on? I live in Canada so we do not have laws that say headlights need to be turned on in the day when it rains. With that said did I purchase an American made vehicle?

I'd like to thank you guys or gals for helping me narrow down my issue.

Is there an issue with my wiper blades causing the lights to turn on?


The reason I asked about wiper blades is that when the wipers are in "intermittent mode", between wipes, they are "parked" right over the sensor. Try running them not in "intermittent mode" and see if the lights turn on.

I'll bet that's something the design engineers didn't think of when re- designing these vans :lol:. Haven't heard of this issue with the previous design vans.

I know this is an old thread, but I figured that I would shed new light on this. I just got a 2006 SV6 and read most of the manual. There is no problem. You just have a rare option. In the 2006 manual, section 3-15:
Wiper Activated Headlamps
This feature, if equipped, will automatically activate
the headlamps and parking lamps after the windshield
wipers have been in use for about 30 seconds and when
all of the following conditions are met.
• The exterior lamp control is in AUTO.
• The headlamps have not already been activated by
automatic lighting.
• The automatic lighting feature has not been
disabled using the exterior lamp control.
See Exterior Lamps on page 3-14 for additional
information.
If the wipers are activated for over 30 seconds and the
exterior lamp control is in the parking lamps position,
or the automatic lighting feature has been disabled using
the exterior lamp control, a HEADLAMPS SUGGESTED
message will appear on the Driver Information Center,
if equipped.