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Ford F150 Daytime Running Lights Not Working

Ford F150 Daytime Running Lights Not Working

The Daytime running lights (DRL) are a marvelous safety feature in the Ford F150 pickup trucks, but these are more common in new models.

These are not helpful for yourself but help other drivers on the long highways by providing signals about the presence of your vehicle.

Ford F150 daytime running lights do not work because of the broken bulbs due to accidents and blown out bulbs associated with the excessive heat due to overvoltage. In addition, defective relays, problematic resistors, inaccurate settings in the module, blown-out fuse due to electric arc, and short circuits also cause this issue. Furthermore, the damaged ground harness, worn-out small wires in the switch, and corroded connectors are strongly related to the non-functioning of the lights. A sensor is responsible for sensing the outdoor light, but dirt covers it frequently and ultimately makes it unable to have a signal for tuning the lights on during the day. 

These lights are not like the headlights, and these are situated near the headlights at the front side but do not mix them with fog lights.

These have automatic settings to operate and keep glowing during the day, but you can make them on and off depending upon the need.

There are many reasons behind their non-working, but few are more common, demanding an appropriate solution.

Broken or blown out bulb

There are more chances of an accident causing damage to the truck’s front bumper when it runs on the streets.

Occasionally, accidents are so minor that we don’t realize the damage until something comes up, and then we find out what happened.

Commonly, bulbs of the lights break by a sudden accident, and you do not come to observe it immediately.

As these bulbs start losing their working, there comes a quest to find the reason, and most of the time, the broken bulbs are the reason.

The blown-out bulb is one of the biggest causes of non-functioning, and you cannot judge it by simply looking at the bulb.

Poor connection between the bulb and other hardware in the socket brings an arc of electricity between them.

This arcing brings a lot of heat to the settings, and this excess heat is sufficient for the bulb to make it blow.

The high voltage for a long time creates excessive heat that is non-manageable, and the result is a blown-out bulb.

Frequent mechanical vibrations are not appropriate for the quality of the bulb as these are responsible for the snapping of filament.

Poor quality bulbs are more prone to damage, and most of them have thin filaments that are easy to break at weak connections.

The solution to the problem is simple as you can replace the filament bulbs with LED bulbs because they are long-lasting.

Avoid overheating and get rid of accidental injuries by careful driving and keep your eyes open to observe the damage as a priority.

Check the transmission for high voltage, and if you find it difficult for yourself, ask for a professional technician for help.

Problematic switch

These lights get operational commands by the dashboard, but you can install a switch for controlling them.

This switch helps to turn them on and off as desired because these are lights are best suited to drive on long journeys on highways.

There is a five-way control switch at a side on the steering wheel that is responsible for

The problematic switch is responsible for the non-working of DRL only if one of them is not working.

Mostly, this problem comes when there is no proper maintenance inside the vehicle and the dirt over the switch.

Commonly, the jammed switch is the cause when these lights in Ford F150 are hard to turn on by pushing the button.

Some parts of the switch are not in contact with the wiring, and other connectors in the module and the light starts flickering.

The non-appropriate lubrication is also problematic for the switch because the switch is stuck, which proves dangerous.

It is better to change the switch on an urgent basis without hesitation.

You can change on your own, but a technician is better because the switch has some strong connection with the transmission in the Ford F150 truck.

You have to lubricate it with a suitable agent for a better surface for appropriate functioning in turning the lights.

I have faced this problematic switch and found that a dielectric grease works better for lubricating the surface.

Damaged harnesses

The light harness helps supply power for brighter results during the day, and it should have a proper connection with the transmission system.

The broken ground wire is also responsible for daytime running lights to stop working and for inspecting this, you must know its exact location.

The ground wire is present at the lower footwell, and it is the place where your feet sit against the kick panel.

Low-quality harnesses and excessive overheating in the system from overvoltage are the most common causes of damaged harnesses.

You must inspect this DRL problem by a technician and replace the old harness with a new and better quality one.

Melted socket

The faulty connection of the socket with the switch and the broken wirings are the significant reasons for the melted socket in daytime running lights.

The overheating inside the assembly due to high power transmission signals from the engine is dangerous.

You have to check it immediately if one of your lights is not working but check a manual before the inspection to understand the location of wirings.

Problem with the settings on the dashboard

The dashboard is present on the front side near the steering wheel and behind the kick panel, and it controls all the settings in the Ford F150.

The daytime running lights automatic switching is present in the settings, and by going through a few steps, you can make your presence visible to other drivers.

You can turn DRL on by switching on the ignition and turning off the headlights, and the system will automatically start to work.

A non-appropriate setting on the dashboard is hazardous since the wrong message by the module to the sensor.

You can take your vehicle to the company to fix this setting if the situation is out of your control but do not try to manage.

Corroded connectors

Sometimes, corroded betray connectors bring the flickering of the daytime running lights, and eventually, they stop working.

The insufficient lubrication leads to the contamination of wires with the water, and corrosion starts to appear on the wires in Ford F150.

The wires in the switch and the ground harness also become corroded.

You have to make sure that there is sufficient lubrication for a friction-free surface, and you have to try to remove the rust if it is already present.

Faulty sensor

The sensor is located on the dashboard and used to sense the outside light signals, and it works for tuning on the daytime lights.

It must sense it accurately, and otherwise, no signals will transfer to the automatic switching system on the module.

Sometimes dirt and debris cover this sensor and make it unable to sense the outside light.

The need is to make it clean regularly to have a sound functioning of the sensor and ultimately the precise lighting system.

Defective relay

The relay helps provide the power to these lights from the battery, but a defective relay leads to significant losses.

Daytime lights stop working due to a poor relay and sometimes, these lights remain on if the switch is off that a person finds it difficult to turn them off.

A defective relay also brings a burning smell coming from the dashboard near the steering wheel in the pickup.

The general wear and contamination in the switching elements is the root cause of the malfunctioned relay.

Replace it with a new and better quality one but contact a professional for this replacement.

Cracked resistor

The resistor helps bring the variation in the voltage that goes to the bulb to light it up.

A cracked and defective resistor cannot perform its function, and no light comes on during the day.

A burning smell and stuck-in light are also the resultant aspects of the faulty resistor, and I had suffered from this situation for my pickup.

You have to inspect this defect and replace the old resistor with a new one to fix this issue.

Blown fuse

There are more frequent chances of blown-out fuse behind the non-working of the daytime running lights in Ford F150 trucks.

An overloaded circuit, damaged wiring, short circuit, and the wrong type of fuse are the significant causes of the blown-fuse.

There are many reasons, but you have to check for the actual one and then go for the immediate remedy for the problem.

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