Headlights won't come on, everything else works.

[GizmoEV]

Any one else have the headlights not come on in any mode? This is on my US 2016 Soul EV+. My wife called me and said the headlights wouldn't come on. She disconnected the 12V battery for a minute to see if forcing a computer reboot would fix the issue and it didn't change anything. Everything else works just fine. Looked and couldn't find any headlight fuse, either. Even our 2018 model doesn't list headlight in either fuse panel. She is driving home with the fog lights. Fortunately it is mostly freeway and it is a clear night.

Hopefully this is under warranty. I need to see if I can get the software upgraded to eliminate the CHAdeMO cutoff at 83%. Maybe other things are fixed too.

 

[notfred]

Haven't had a chance to look at the wiring diagram yet, but as well as checking fuses there's normally a headlamp relay. That may be playing up or have had a connection come loose.

 

[GizmoEV]

I've been trying to find that, too. I can hear it under the hood somewhere but can't hear it from inside the car. I think I've narrowed it down to somewhere on the driver's side firewall area. The trouble shooting items in the shop manual say to check all those things but I can't find anything labeled "head light" or anything remotely close. I'm not sure if this is under warranty or not. I'm at over 60k miles right now.

 

[notfred]

The shop manual is really bad. I think the headlight relays for low and high beam are part of the Smart Junction Box (SJB), and the Body Controller Module (BCM) is definitely involved as well because that's what the headlight switch is connected to. The SJB mentions

Fail safe (When MCU/CAN fail, directly operates head lamp/tail lamp)

The SJB is the fuse box by the driver's knee where the OBDII connector and off switch are located. The BCM seems to be hidden behind the radio infotainment head unit. There is mention of an "ICM" relay, but that doesn't mention headlights as part of its functions.

I'm thinking that there has to be another wiring diagram showing the wire colours, connector pin outs and locations and we don't have that.

 

[GizmoEV]

I finally got time to do a little more checking on the headlight issue. I tested every blade fuse to make sure it was good. I still haven't found the issue. I'll dig around under the dash to see what I can find. I can hear a click when the headlights should come on but just can't figure out where it is coming from. I may still have to go to a dealer.

Thank you for checking the info you had.

 

[ksoul2084]

I finally got time to do a little more checking on the headlight issue. I tested every blade fuse to make sure it was good. I still haven't found the issue. I'll dig around under the dash to see what I can find. I can hear a click when the headlights should come on but just can't figure out where it is coming from. I may still have to go to a dealer.

Thank you for checking the info you had.

Here's what they list in the service manual for "Headlamps do not light on":

Ignition fuse (LOW:10A, HIGH:20A) blown
Check for short and replace fuse

Head lamp fuse (15A) blown
Check for short and replace fuse

Head lamp relay faulty
Check relay

Lighting switch faulty
Check switch

Wiring or ground faulty
Repair if necessary.

If you hear a clicking sound maybe the relay isn't quite doing the job?

 

[notfred]

Yes, but there are no headlight fuses or relays, not in the manual and not listed in the fuse boxes on the car. I suspect that is from a different version of the car which wasn't so full of CAN buses.

 

[BigEdgar]

Hi, I know this post is a little old, but I just had this issue tonight - both low beam headlights are not working. The parking lights and the hi-beams work just fine and the bulbs are only a few months old and it's unlikely that they both failed simultaneously (I'll double check tomorrow). Did you ever find the solution to this problem?

 

[Cosmo]

Me too. Happened yesterday after charging. Did you work it out?

 

[AJAY]

I also had this problem with my 2016 EV+. Here is how I solved it.

Both the low beam headlights went out at the same time. It seemed logical that the problem was not the bulbs both failing at once, so I suspected something else between the bulbs and the power.

While checking fuses, I accidentally lost the 20amp ACC fuse without being able to test it. I put in the spare fuse but that didn't solve the problem.

I then pulled both low beam bulbs and replaced them with new bulbs. One of the ones I pulled was dark on one side and clearly burnt out. The other bulb did not have any visible signs of being burned out. I had read that it's better to replace both bulbs at once to keep them even, so I did that.

It was hard to change the bulbs because none of the Youtube videos I found on the topic showed equipment that exactly matched the Soul EV headlight set up. I had to use slip joint pliers to gently to loosen the bulb without squeezing it before it could be taken out.

Since replacing both bulbs worked, perhaps there is something in the system that prevents a single low beam from working by itself?