My son has a 2012 Fit and we are having some issues with the lights. Two highly recommended shops cannot replicate the problem to find it. I'm assuming that there is a short or a bad socket because I can kind of straighten out the wires and it will go away for a while.

Basically, if you turn the left turn signal on EVERYTHING starts to blink... backup lights(very dimly), both blinkers, and brake lights. I fiddled with the wiring on that side (it was all kinked up) and it stopped for several months. Could this be as simple as a bad socket?

I tried to attach a vid, but i am unable to. Sorry, I'm new here and not very tech savvy.

I build old cars, these new ones are like looking into a human brain. Any help would be nice.

 

Sounds like there’s voltage seeping through the ground somehow. I don’t know how. Could be a socket, but maybe something easier to fix first? I’m no mechanic but If I was in your shoes I’d try to start by cleaning all the ground connections, unscrew them and clean with a soft wire brush. Make sure there’s no rust/corrosion.

If it’s the harness that going that’s a bit more work, so I’d start with the simplest solution and go from there. There might be some chewed up wires from animals causing the power from the signal relay to go through all of the left side hardness, but I would’ve expected something else. Depending on if it’s only the front corner, the rear corner, or all four sides, it could be anywhere.

If cleaning ground wires doesn’t work, can you please check to see if it happens to ALL the lights (including cabin), which might indicate a power/battery issue. Or does it happen ONLY on one side? And does it happen ONLY in the front/rear of the car? Do the headlights/high beams also blink? This might show if its the harness, something in the fuse/relay box, etc. And give the guys more info to work with.

 

I shouldve been more clear. It is only the back lights, and both sides.

 

Cool that narrows it down. It sounds like there might be corrosion or shorting in harness or at the socket as you thought. The voltage from the turn signal relay might have a bad ground and is looking for a better route to ground.

What happens when you unplug the left turn signal bulb and activate the turn signal? (I assume you’ve taken it apart but just in case use this video here: )

If the bulb is removed and the lights don’t flicker, you’ve got a bad ground or the connector is bad, which IMO is best case.

If the bulb is removed and the lights still flicker, it’s either the harness, relay/fuse box, or the turn signal switch cluster itself (least likely because it’s only affecting the rear).
You need to get a multimeter and start testing the bulb sockets to make sure that the grounds are all showing continuity between sockets with little to no resistance. Then you gotta check that there are no connections and no resistance between positive leads. That’s where I would start.

 

Yep! It was a bad ground coming from the left turn signal. I greatly appreciate it! It was an intermittent problem so it was a pain to track, but we finally got it.

 

Intermittent problems are the worst! Service writers and technicians think we’re insane or dumb!

I’m glad you fixed it! Good job nailing the problem despite the techs not believing you lol.