Your headlights might be the only thing that keeps you safe when driving at night, so if they keep burning out, you may be reasonably concerned.
So, if you’re in this situation, you may be wondering why your headlights are burning out. If you’d like to find out, keep reading to see what I learned!
Why Do My Headlights Keep Burning Out?
If you notice that your headlight bulbs keep burning out, it may be due to the housing not being properly fitted onto the car. This situation might be worsened by vibrations when your vehicle is moving on rough surfaces such as off road terrain, and may also be due to electrical failure from moisture getting into the housing.
If you’d like to learn more about why headlights keep burning out, including the main causes and fixes by popular models, keep reading for more useful facts and tips!
Why Do My Car Light Bulbs Keep Blowing?
Your car’s headlights and other bulbs might keep burning out for the following reasons:
- Excess voltage is being directed towards the bulbs (check their wiring to make sure everything is in good condition)
- Water has gotten into the headlight housing and is short-circuiting them
- Your headlight housing isn’t fitted properly. Try rattling it with your hands to see if it moves, and if it does, tighten the fit so it doesn’t vibrate when you drive
- Your headlights themselves aren’t fitted correctly and you have to screw them in so they stay in place
- You touched the bulb with your bare hands, leaving behind oil that created uneven hot spots when the glass heated up and shattered it. To avoid this, always hold the bulbs with a dry paper towel, cloth or gloves
- You had the light running for too long, which strains the filament in halogen bulbs and causes them to break
- Your environment is cold, causing the bulb filament to become brittle and eventually break. To prevent this, you can try switching to a bulb that doesn’t use filaments (ex. LED)
- You turn your headlights on before starting the vehicle. When you eventually start the engine, the lights will go off then come back on, and if this goes on for long enough it could affect their lifespan
Why Do My Low Beams Keep Burning Out?
Low beams could keep burning out because of faulty wiring, and if they are halogen bulbs, this may be due to excess vibration.
Therefore, check the headlight housing to ensure it’s dry, the wiring is done properly and everything is tightened as needed.
Why Do My LED Headlights Keep Going Out?
LED headlights don’t use a filament to create light, so the lights going out means there is likely a problem with the electricals, e.g. bad wiring.
Why Does My Driver’s Side Headlight Keep Going Out?
If the headlight on your driver’s side keeps going out but the others stay functional, there could be a problem with the headlight housing on that side.
Therefore, check to ensure your headlight is fitted correctly and the wiring is done as required.
Why Does My Toyota Headlight Keep Burning Out?
According to Toyota forum members and experts, headlights keep burning out either because they’re not OEM or the wiring is bad.
Why Does My Dodge Charger Headlight Keep Burning Out?
Some Dodge Charger models have a problem with their headlight fuses that causes HID lights to burn out, meaning they need to be replaced.
Why Does My Jeep Headlight Keep Burning Out?
Vibrations when driving off road could cause your headlights to burn out, especially if they have a filament.
This is a common problem in Jeeps that haven’t had their tires balanced and aligned, something that increases the intensity of vibrations when driving.
Why Do My RAV4 Headlights Keep Burning Out?
If the headlights on your Toyota RAV4 keep burning out, it might be a problem with the wiring that causes them to receive too much voltage.
Why Do My Prius Headlights Keep Burning Out?
Toyota Prius models are notorious for having headlights that burn out very quickly, and the situation is bad enough that a group of Prius owners have launched a class action lawsuit against Toyota.
Experts who have inspected the models in question have found that the issue is faulty bulbs, but sometimes the problem persists.
Why Do My Sylvania Headlights Keep Burning Out?
People on different online forums that discuss their Sylvania LED headlights burning out say this occurs because they’re low quality and aren’t built to last.
Why Do My Traverse Headlights Keep Burning Out?
Chevy Traverse owners whose headlights keep burning out have usually found a solution after trying out different types of bulbs in the market.
They recommend you start with something cheap and simple then work your way up.
Why Do My 2014 Kia Sorento Headlights Keep Burning Out?
Kia Sorento headlight issues have frequently been linked to electricals, so if you’re having problems, check the alternator, wiring, etc.
Why Do My Subaru Crosstrek Headlights Keep Burning Out?
Subaru Crosstrek owners whose bulbs keep burning out say that most aftermarket bulbs were the issue and that they resolved the problem by switching back to standard bulbs.
To know more about headlights, you can also see our posts on why do headlights flicker, what headlights to use in fog, and how long do LED headlights last.
Conclusion
Your headlights might keep burning out due to bad wiring that directs too much voltage to the bulbs. It might also be due to loose fitting in the housing that gets worsened when the car is moving on rough terrain, causing vibrations.
Touching the bulbs with your bare hands is also bad for them because you might leave oils on the glass that cause uneven heating and eventually shatter it. Therefore, always handle them with dry cloth, towels or gloves.