thecleaner

I am getting a high beam and a turn signal failure, but not consistently. I contacted my dealer and he said they would pull the headlight and check the connection because the error is not consistent. The dealer is an hour away. Anyony know how to pull the Headlight bucket out to check to keep from making a service appt.
TIA,

GM Austin

There is a special tool for unlatching the headlight module in your trunk. Check the owners manual.

DEETZ22

You open the hood, take the special tool and just turn it to take the whole headlight out, be careful when putting it back, the black plastic part underneath the headlight breaks very easily...

phaedrus242

We've had a great deal of success with this issue by not only changing the bulb, but the socket as well.

Dennis C

I had this issue pop up last night for the first time...

I received an error message last night about the turn signal bulb, and the indicator flashed more quickly than usual when turning right. Visual inspection of the vehicle while the signal was flashing showed that both bulbs were working properly. This morning, the issue was gone.

While driving in, I turned on my high beams and got an error message about high beam failure. I noticed that the halogen "flash to pass" bulb lights up on the right side, but the xenon high beam doesn't come on.

I think I'll take the headlight assembly out this evening and make sure everything is clean and dry.

Does anyone know if there was a TSB for this issue? The only one I could find was W311 which is for 2003 Cayenne S models with halogen headlights... not quite the same issue.

Dennis

HD2pct

Everything can look perfectly clean and dry, with no visibile oxidation on any of the contacts, and you can still experience this. Take a light abrasive - like maybe a pencil eraser, and go over all the contacts and do the bulb too at the base.

It will then magically work. Until next time it happens, that is.

Dennis C

I'll give it a try... I may as well use my hair dryer to try to dry out the condensation in the headlights while I've got the assembly out...

Dennis C

Problem solved! (So far, anyway...)

This situation was getting worse and worse for me... almost every time I used the high beams I received an error message, and often when using the right turn signal.

I tried cleaning the contacts as mentioned above, I used a pencil eraser, I tried a Q-tip dipped in alcohol, etc. Nothing worked.

I decided to re-clean the contacts today, giving special attention to the connection inside the fender. When I did this, I noticed that the black plastic "cradle" into which the headlight assembly fits was loose. The connector bolts were quite loose, allowing for considerable movement. I can only imagine how much it moved when the vehicle was moving. I tightened up the bolts using a 10mm wrench, and now everything functions perfectly. No error messages, everything works.

For good measure, I removed the driver's side assembly to check the bolts, and they were also very loose. I tightened them up, and now I think everything is good.

charlieXS

last night I started up my car and the passenger headlight (lower bulb, non-xenon) was out and I had "Checked Dipped Beams" ! on the screen...

Never heard of a headlight going out in 2 years...

pokerjarvis

Thank you Dennis!! I've recently been experiencing multiple faults of various nature with my front lamps. "DIPPED BEAM!" "HIGH BEAM!" "SIGNAL INDICATOR!" etc. I replace a few bulbs and cleaned the contacts. The error messages continued, though the lamps appeared to be functioning properly. After reading Dennis' post re: the 10mm housing bolts, I too found mine to be loose. I tightened 'em up and viola! all faults disappeared. Muchas gracias amigo!

HD2pct

Great tip!!!

Dennis C

Awesome! Glad it helped. Since I tightened mine, I haven't had another problem. As for TSBs, I did find one, number 9414 for "Main headlight shaking while driving due to loose fastening screws". The recommended fix is essentially to tighten the screws and use medium strenght Loctite to make sure that they don't come out again.

jeremy77

Folks, I thougt I share my experience. This finally happened to my '06 Pepper S couple weeks ago. Was just driving, going across a railroad. Right after then, as I'm turning right, I got the "check signal indicator" message and the right turn-signal indicator flashes faster than usual. From what I can tell (using the reflection from a car in front of me), the signal itself wasn't flashing.

I tried Dennis's tip by checking/tightening the cradle bolts. But both of them were tight. Very tight. Perhaps this loose bolt phenomena doesn't happen in '06 MY. So I tried cleaning the pins using the prescribed directions on the previous posts, but no luck. The problem reoccured everytime I went through speed bumps.

I'm thinking that the connection between the light pins and the socket might be loose (or shorted when I drive over bumps). So I use a flat-head screwdriver, and *slightly* bend the light pins in order to maximize contact pressure. Lo and behold!!! It's been working like a charm for the last 4 days. Hope this tip might be helpful for those who are still experiencing this issue.

Dennis C

Jeremy,

That sounds a little different than my issue. In my case, the bulb was still flashing, even though I got the error message. Glad you worked your issue out. It is still surprising to me how finicky the lighting system can be in the Cayenne.

jeremy77

Dennis -- I agree with how finicky it is. In fact, the issue with the lighting system in my CS wasn't quite resolved yet. Several days after I originally had thought that I got it resolved, it occured again. I brought it up to my dealership when I went there to have a 2-year service done last weekend. And I learned something new.

As it turned out, both headlights weren't quite secured yet. Apparently, in order to secure the headlights properly, you should turn it all the way until you hear a "pop." The service consultant showed it to me, and so far so good. I've been going full speed on speed bumps and railroad tracks. We'll see how well it's actually working this time.