Dash light blinks once when using left turn signal

[wheat]

We have a 2003 Toyota Corolla LE (standard). Recently the weather has gotten really cold and we believe it killed our battery one morning since the remote wouldn't even unlock the doors and the car wouldn't start. Took the car to Advance Auto Parts and bought an $85 battery and had them install it and the car worked like new! This was about a week ago.

So I've started noticing a couple of days ago that sometimes my high beams would come on for no reason. I'd just flick the stick a couple of times and they would pop off. No biggie. This morning our neighbor was banging on our door at 5am to tell us our headlights were on and I could've sworn they were on auto to shut off/on.

So I start messing with the switch and it is pretty noticeable that sometimes its hard to shut off the lights and sometimes I can't even get the high beams to turn on. Also every time I flick on the left turn signal, the entire dash blinks on/off for a second...I did it multiple times at a stop light and we noticed a burning smell...we weren't sure if it was the car in front of us or what but decided not to use the left turn signal until we figure out the issue.

Do you guys think this issue is due to the new battery or just from age?

[mikered30]

There is a tsb for your car when the lights come on by themselves in the cold. I believe it is a faulty switch. Since it is a tsb and not a recall, you have to pay for the fix. I may have a copy of the tsb.

[wheat]

Sorry but I'm new to the forums and not very car savvy

What does TSB mean?

[gideon1331]

Technical Service Bulletin

It means there is a part that should be replaced under warranty without it actually having to outright fail first. Once out of warranty the repair should still be made but the owner is responsible for the cost.

Sometimes there is also an extended service campaign, which is basically a TSB, but the warranty period is extended for that particular part of the car.

[mikered30]

If you can find it online, as the corolla toys site is down, it is TSB EL003-03. This could potentially kill you brand new battery if not taken care of soon and it may solve your other problems.

[aspen007]

Sounds like your dimmer/high-low headlight switch needs replacment.

I believe The dealer part number is 84140-02170 (w/o fog lights) and 84184-02200 (with fog lights). The part costs about $200 from the dealer. You can find new aftermarket replacements for as little as $50 on Ebay and Amazon.

It's pretty easy to replace the turn signal switch and only requires phillips head and blade screwdrivers.

First tilt the steering wheel down and remove the three Phillips screws from the lower half of the plastic steering column cover. One screw is on the bottom side of the cover just to the right of the steering wheel tilt adjust lever. The other two are on the front of the lower cover and may be hidden by the steering wheel, turn the steering wheel from side to side while looking at the cover thru the steering wheel and you'll find them.

With the screws out, pull down on the plastic cover to separate and remove the lower half. Push up and to the right to remove the upper half.

The switch is held in place without any bolts or srews, just a plastic tab. Use the tip of a screwdriver blade to depress the black plastic retaining tab on the turn signal switch, remove the switch and disconnect the white wiring harness.

Install the new switch making sure to line up the tabs with the metal bracket and push till it seats. Reconnect the wiring harness. Test your work before replacing the covers.

Replace the steering wheel covers, top first. This is the only part that takes a little patience. Be gentle, it will snap back into place. Once the top cover is in place, replace the lower cover and install the screws.
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[mikered30]

If you google TSB EL003-03 the first link to gen vibe pops up with the TSB.