Electrical Gremlins in Your Car – Diagnosing and Fixes

Electrical gremlins are problems with the electrical systems in your vehicle that are hard to diagnose. They may have pretty weird symptoms and may seriously affect the comfort of your vehicle or even stop you from driving at all.

In this article, I will recap all the articles I've written in this blog about various electrical gremlins in all possible cars. I will focus on quick solutions and will also give you some links to enhance your knowledge about the possible issues.

Electrical circuit problems

A lot of various gremlins in your vehicle may appear because of circuit problems. Wires and connections form a very significant part of the electrical system and may cause all kinds of different problems.

For example, your reverse sensor may suddenly stop beeping because of the circuit break. I know cases when a person kept replacing alternators in his vehicle almost every year thinking it was normal.

In some cases, the power in your car may stay on when the ignition is off. Or the rearview camera may stay on when you are driving forward because of circuit problems.

In my personal car once both fog lights stopped working and I had to dig so deep I couldn't even imagine.

So, electrical circuits may cause all kinds of symptoms and they are pretty hard to diagnose. So, you will most likely need professional help.

Electrical circuit problems highlights:

• Level of urgency:high
• DIY inspection:possible but very complicated
• DIY repair:mostly impossible
• Can you drive?yes
• Price for repairs:$150 - $350
• Symptoms:all kinds of different symptoms with all possible equipment
• Ways to solve:diagnose wiring and connections, inspect electrical equipment

Electronic brake problems

EPB or Electronic Parking Brake is the system that substituted manual parking brakes in modern cars. It has special motors on the brake calipers to automatically engage the parking brake when you press the button in your car.

Unfortunately, the malfunctioning EPB is one of the most common electrical gremlins in modern vehicles. While Hyundai is the leader in terms of the number of complaints, other brands closely follow it.

Diagnosing this problem is pretty hard and you may require help from the dealership.

EPB problems highlights:

• Level of urgency:medium
• DIY inspection:impossible
• DIY repair:impossible
• Can you drive?yes (unless it's locked up)
• Price for repairs:$200 - $350
• Symptoms:locked parking brake, EPB doesn't engage, EPB warning on the dash
• Ways to solve:take it to the dealer, try resetting the system by disconnecting the battery

Instrument cluster electrical problems

There are various electrical problems that affect the dashboard in your vehicle. In some cases, the instrument cluster may just stop working or glitch heavily. But in most cases, the issues are minor like a certain light not working or clicking noise inside the dash.

In most cases, solving this problem on your own is not that easy just because taking the dash off the vehicle is super-hard. If your instrument cluster is showing signs of problems, you may try resetting it by disconnecting the battery.

If this doesn't work and the dash keeps showing some anomalies, there is no way you can solve it on your own - find someone to get professional help.

One more thing is that the dash itself won't affect other components of your vehicle. But if it's broken, you may not notice overheating and other problems. This, in turn, can lead to serious consequences.

Dash electrical problems highlights:

• Level of urgency:low
• DIY inspection:impossible
• DIY repair:impossible
• Can you drive?yes
• Price for repairs:$250 - $550
• Symptoms:glitchy dash, functions not working, no lights, no data
• Ways to solve:try disconnecting the battery for some time, take it to a professional

Electric gremlins problems

Mechanics say "gremlins" to all weird electrical problems that are hard to diagnose and they show strange symptoms. Like when the bad MAF causes transmission damage or the alarm keeps going off whatever you do with your car, it just doesn't care.

I've seen a mechanic who found out that the broken wheel speed sensor eventually led to transmission damage. So, whenever your electrical system goes crazy in a vehicle, you are having a gremlin in your car.

A lot of gremlins are connected to parking sensors that keep beeping when not needed or don't beep when needed. Also, headlights often develop gremlins by turning on and off on their own. Or some random light may start blinking and then stop doing this suddenly.

Once I had a situation when my car suddenly stopped and all the lights on the dash came on. After a few minutes, the vehicle was OK to drive. And also, the window went up and down when I tried to close it in the parking lot.

Electrical gremlins highlights:

• Level of urgency:medium
• DIY inspection:impossible
• DIY repair:impossible
• Can you drive?yes
• Price for repairs:$0 - $300
• Symptoms:glitch, unusual behavior, temporary problem
• Ways to solve:check the battery voltage, check wiring and connections, take it to a professional mechanic

No-start problems

Electrical problems in your vehicle may easily lead to a no-start issue. For example, there is an anti-theft system that can block your car from starting because of a gremlin or just a glitch.

In many vehicles, you may experience immobilizer problems. Sometimes, it's just about the key fob battery, but in many cases, you will need to ask for professional help to even start the vehicle.

Also, all your keys may stop working because of issues with the immobilizer, keyless entry system, or other units. All these problems can be cured by a good car electrician.

No-start problems highlights:

• Level of urgency:high
• DIY inspection:possible but complicated
• DIY repair:impossible
• Can you drive?no
• Price for repairs:$200 - $450
• Symptoms:engine won't crank, light may or may not go on
• Ways to solve:check the battery, check the key fob, find a good mechanic

Relay problems

The electrical system in your car has literally dozens or even hundreds of various relays. They automatically turn on and off certain features in your vehicle.

When a certain relay goes bad, it can start clicking. If you hear a clicking noise behind the dash or behind the glovebox, it's a clear sign that a relay is broken. Also, a broken relay may be clicking when the power is off because some relays are still active when you turn off the engine.

The only possible way to fix the problem is to replace the relay. And here something may go wrong because some relays in your car are placed so badly that you won't be able to get to them without professional help.

Relay problems highlights:

• Level of urgency:low
• DIY inspection:possible but complicated
• DIY repair:possible
• Can you drive?yes
• Price for repairs:$20 - $250
• Symptoms:certain functions may not work, clicking sound
• Ways to solve:replace the faulty relay

Voltage problems

Of all kinds of electrical problems, voltage issues are the most common and the most dangerous for your vehicle's equipment. If the voltage goes up, everything may be fried immediately. If it goes down, your car will experience heavy glitching in all of its dozens of electronic control modules (computers).

When 12 volts go to your ignition coils but there is still no spark, you need to check the coils themselves. If headlights go dim but the voltage in the system is OK, check the connections on the lights and wiring. If lights are flickering, this is a sign of uneven voltage and some spikes in the system which is not a good thing for your vehicle.

Also, sometimes flickering lights may tell you about the problems with the alternator or voltage regulator. Ignoring these issues is certainly the worst thing you can do.

Voltage anomalies should be diagnosed quickly - ignoring them may lead to heavy damage to the electrical system of your vehicle.

Voltage problems highlights:

• Level of urgency:high
• DIY inspection:possible but complicated
• DIY repair:impossible
• Can you drive?yes
• Price for repairs:$150 - $350
• Symptoms:anomalies with electrical equipment, dimming or flickering lights
• Ways to solve:use multimeter to test various equipment and find the source of voltage issues

Electrical problems and warnings

If your car experiences weird issues with warning lights, this is a clear sign that the vehicle needs urgent inspection and professional help.

For example, the airbag light that doesn't go off after you start the car may mean that the problems are with the battery or alternator, not with the safety system. If you see the traction control light or warning, it doesn't necessarily mean that your ABS or throttle is experiencing problems. This may be one of the electrical gremlins doing their bad business with your car.

A good inspection is the one thing you need when your car experiences unusual behavior of warning lights.

Warning light gremlins highlights:

• Level of urgency:low
• DIY inspection:possible but complicated
• DIY repair:impossible
• Can you drive?yes
• Price for repairs:$150 - $400
• Symptoms:abnormal behavior of warning lights on the dash
• Ways to solve:check the battery voltage,onlyprofessional inspection will help