02 530i hazards and interior lights coming on during startup

**syphilouis** · 03-30-2017, 11:43 PM

Okay so for the past year every now and then when I start my car the hazards come on and also the interior lights, and I have to turn them off manually. Sometimes when I turn the car off the interior lights also stay on, so I went ahead and replaced my light control module hoping that would fix the issue but it didn't.i searched around the forums but I have not found a fix. Anyone have any suggestions?

**jclausen** · 03-31-2017, 01:00 AM

Ignition switch

**StephenVA** · 03-31-2017, 01:08 AM

+1

**syphilouis** · 03-31-2017, 01:27 AM

Originally Posted by jclausen

Ignition switch

I don't have any other symptoms (visor doesn't cause anything when running)

**syphilouis** · 04-01-2017, 12:09 AM

Went ahead and replaced the ignition switch, wasn't the problem. Next?

**edjack** · 04-01-2017, 02:13 AM

What is the battery voltage before startup?

**syphilouis** · 04-01-2017, 04:32 AM

Originally Posted by edjack

What is the battery voltage before startup?

13.2, the battery was recently replaced as well as the alternator.

**syphilouis** · 04-10-2017, 09:00 PM

Bump

**TheAngryBear** · 04-11-2017, 12:23 AM

Have you spilled anything on your center console? It could be gunk in the hazard switch.

How about your door looms? Any cracks in the conduit in any of the doors? Trunk loom?

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

**syphilouis** · 04-14-2017, 12:12 AM

No, everything is good as far as I have found with the wiring, and I have replaced everything but the air bag/crash sensor unit in the center console but don't think it would be that?

**syphilouis** · 04-22-2017, 11:00 PM

I may have found the culprit last night, I was able to get ahold of a laptop with p.a. Soft and found I had a code for the crash sensor being activated, I went ahead and cleared the code and so far it hasn't came back. I will update if the issue comes back for anyone experiencing similar issues.

**syphilouis** · 04-29-2017, 06:47 PM

So after a few days it is doing it again, however now the interior lights aren't staying on so it's just the hazards...

**geargrinder** · 04-30-2017, 09:24 AM

Hmmm.

Does your theft system work? I think those systems go on when theft detection is triggered... if your car had the siren disconnected, it could be going into theft mode and you wouldn't know except for stuff like this. Although your symptoms seem a bit wider and random for that...

Unfortunate news for you - it's actually the GM that controls interior lights, not the LCM. So if its module related it would be that. You could have a bad door sensor leaving the interior lights on for sure. The GM also controls the "DWA" (aka theft alarm) BTW. The hazards are more of a mystery, which is why the DWA theory is a possibility. When an alarm is triggered, the GM tells the LCM to flash the exterior signal lights. I had weird alarm problems when I had the "P-bus" shorted out in my car - basically the alarm system couldn't disarm and so would go off when you opened the doors etc. and wouldn't go off until you started the car. I could see some PO wrestling w/ that and deleting the alarm siren...

**JimLev** · 04-30-2017, 10:01 AM

Was your red clown nose light below the rear view mirror flashing too?
It's suppose to flash if a break in was attempted. Like GG asked if the siren was disconnected/dead maybe you have a bad door sensor or bad interior motion sensor which is triggering it.
Can you park the car and not lock it to see if the hazzards still flash?

**syphilouis** · 04-30-2017, 06:38 PM

Ah good to know GG and Jim, I'll look into the gm module this week. The alarm works, however my passenger door lock is jammed or something because it doesn't lock with the central locking and I don't think I've ever noticed the clown nose flashing other than when it's armed. It may still be something to do with the crash sensor, is that supposed to be replaced after an accident? I rear ended a car that rear ended a car back in october and have just finished replacing everything. Looks like I'll start making a checklist of things to go through. I need to buy a new laptop so I can run p.a. Soft and scan/program all the modules again

**geargrinder** · 05-01-2017, 08:31 AM

Yes, I've heard weird things about the crash sensor causing issues after being triggered. And yes for sure could also be related to the door lock issues tripping something. Of course the doors are all controlled by the GM so if the GM is problematic then that could be just another symptom rather than a cause (although the GM's are not known for high failure rate...) Good tip from Jim on the clown nose, I forgot about that.

**syphilouis** · 05-01-2017, 11:36 PM

Yea the clown nose doesn't flash when I get in the car or anything, only when it's locked

**geargrinder** · 05-02-2017, 08:03 AM

Then might indeed be a confused / borked GM, or, the crash sensors / MRS system.

If you could source or borrow a spare GM cheap that might be helpful to quick swap in.

Again, there's a few stories of weird stuff like this from those airbag/crash bits going bad. There should be both the main center module ("MRS" module - you can replace those w/ junkyard ones as long as they aren't 'crashed' and are good... BTDT... but be careful w/ coding, they can get borked from improper coding attempts, BTDT too), and the side-impact crash sensors (which are in the floors under carpet apparently - I've never messed w/ one...) not sure which one you got the code for...

**JimLev** · 05-02-2017, 09:52 AM

Never had any dealings with crash sensor problems. If the sensor was triggered the air bags and seat belt tensioners should have been triggered, right?
Those events didn't happen.

**syphilouis** · 10-01-2017, 11:18 PM

I'm still having this issue, however, it is less frequent than it was before. any more ideas on what it could be?

**pleiades** · 10-02-2017, 07:58 PM

Originally Posted by syphilouis

I'm still having this issue, however, it is less frequent than it was before. any more ideas on what it could be?

If it hasn't been mentioned already .... xenon ballasts. Do you have xenon lights, and if yes, have the ballasts been replaced with anything aftermarket?

I mention this only because those were exactly the symptoms my car was having after installing some cheapo ballasts ....

**Firstbmw528** · 10-02-2017, 09:52 PM

So have you tried pulling the alarm fuse just to fill out that as a possible culprit?

**Qsilver7** · 10-03-2017, 03:54 PM

Originally Posted by JimLev

Was your red clown nose light below the rear view mirror flashing too?
It's suppose to flash if a break in was attempted. ...

Originally Posted by syphilouis

Yea the clown nose doesn't flash when I get in the car or anything, only when it's locked

Originally Posted by syphilouis

... The alarm works, however my passenger door lock is jammed or something because it doesn't lock with the central locking and I don't think I've ever noticed the clown nose flashing other than when it's armed. ...

...It may still be something to do with the crash sensor, is that supposed to be replaced after an accident? I rear ended a car that rear ended a car back in october and have just finished replacing everything.

The clown nose (DWA status LED) illuminates when the car is armed...but also FLASHES in specific ways which can indicate an issue with open monitors. Does it flash rapidly for the 1st 10 seconds then slow down? If yes...perhaps you have a failing door module. See chart below to determine the status of your DWA (anti-theft alarm siren system):

And since you indicated that you were in an accident...you may want to check further into the issue being your crash signaling. This feature was once contained into its own module...but since 9/96 build date-up...this feature was incorporated into the MRS/SRS (multiple restraint system/supplemental restraint system & GM programming). It turns on the interior lights and hazard lights (just like what you're describing) when involved in an accident...as well as unlocks the doors.

**syphilouis** · 10-06-2017, 04:14 PM

Originally Posted by pleiades

If it hasn't been mentioned already .... xenon ballasts. Do you have xenon lights, and if yes, have the ballasts been replaced with anything aftermarket?

I mention this only because those were exactly the symptoms my car was having after installing some cheapo ballasts ....

I have some issues every now and then with one headlight not coming on right away now that you mention it< this set of ballasts is only a year old though cause the ones that were on the car when I bought it started melting right at the bulb connector and caught fire. ill see if I can get another set and maybe that will solve this, however why would the interior lights stay on until turned off manually?

- - - Updated - - -

Originally Posted by Qsilver7

The clown nose (DWA status LED) illuminates when the car is armed...but also FLASHES in specific ways which can indicate an issue with open monitors. Does it flash rapidly for the 1st 10 seconds then slow down? If yes...perhaps you have a failing door module. See chart below to determine the status of your DWA (anti-theft alarm siren system):

And since you indicated that you were in an accident...you may want to check further into the issue being your crash signaling. This feature was once contained into its own module...but since 9/96 build date-up...this feature was incorporated into the MRS/SRS (multiple restraint system/supplemental restraint system & GM programming). It turns on the interior lights and hazard lights (just like what you're describing) when involved in an accident...as well as unlocks the doors.

where are the front crash sensors located?

**Qsilver7** · 10-06-2017, 06:18 PM

Originally Posted by syphilouis

where are the front crash sensors located?

Since your car was built after Sept/1996...you don't have "crash sensors" like BMWs had prior to 9/96. Your MRS/SRS system's collision & impact sensor info can be found in this TIS doc: https://www.newtis.info/tisv2/a/en/e...irbag-sensors/