New to Fiat.

**Blacknd** · 08-10-2019, 09:33 AM

I just purchased a 2013 Fiat.
In my stupidity and excitment I never realized the headlights not turning off after test driving.
From searching I've narrowed it down to the stalk or the BCM.
Is there any tests that can be done between the two, to determine which is actually bad?

**map** · 08-10-2019, 12:46 PM

That's tricky... and I'm simply guessing here. So you shut off the car, open the door, and they remain on? This is the headlight and not the fog lights, correct? When you test drove, did the seller hook the battery up just before? On mine, both the stalk and the BCU can activate the headlight relay.

You could try pulling the negative battery post, wait for 2 minutes, then reconnect. This could reset the BCU.

I'm not sure on the '13, but on the '15 there are 2 ways to turn off the lights. One is to twist the stalk to off. The other is a menu setting, where you can have them go on/off with the ignition. If equipped, you might use that option and see if they go off. The stalk should override the BCU. The BCU is simply another way to shut off the headlights.

Start the car then turn off the stalk switch and see if they go out. If I turn on the headlights after shutting down, lights will stay on and don't time out.

Next try the auto-shut off setting, start the car, then power off. If they still remain on, I'd check the fuse panel. I believe yours has a fuse and a relay in that box. I would start by swapping out the relay (after removing the negative battery cable). It is possible the relay contacts could be stuck. The stalk switch and BCU simply turn on this relay, which then turns on the lights.

**Fiat500USA** · 08-10-2019, 01:00 PM

Originally Posted by Blacknd

I just purchased a 2013 Fiat.
In my stupidity and excitment I never realized the headlights not turning off after test driving.
From searching I've narrowed it down to the stalk or the BCM.
Is there any tests that can be done between the two, to determine which is actually bad?

Welcome to the forum.

Check to see if the "Follow Me Home/Headlight Delay "feature is activated:

Follow Me Home/Headlight Delay
When this feature is selected the driver can choose to
have the headlights remain on for a preset period of time.

Activation
Remove the key or turn the ignition to the OFF/LOCK
position, and pull the multifunction lever toward the
steering wheel, within two minutes. Each time the lever
is pulled, the activation of the lights will be extended by
30 seconds. The activation of the lights can be extended to
a maximum of 210 seconds.

Deactivation
Pull the multifunction lever toward the steering wheel
and hold it for more than two seconds.

**rustbucket** · 08-10-2019, 03:50 PM

Originally Posted by Blacknd

I just purchased a 2013 Fiat.
In my stupidity and excitment I never realized the headlights not turning off after test driving.
From searching I've narrowed it down to the stalk or the BCM.
Is there any tests that can be done between the two, to determine which is actually bad?

More than likely there's not anything bad and it's exactly what Fiat500USA says it is. Some time spent with the Owner's Manual is time well spent. Had my 500 Sport 5+ years and still had to refer to the manual time to time and still do with my current Abarth. The FIAT seems like the Space Shuttle after my Stone Age Ford Ranger- there many customizable settings for everything from what the instrument cluster displays to how long the radio stays on after you shut the car off. It's all there in the manual.

**smark** · 08-10-2019, 10:03 PM

I have a free Fiat app, on my phone, and iPad. That has the whole 500 owners manual PPD on it. Still refer to it, after 8 years of ownership. I never look at the paper version, that came with the car.