August 29, 2021
At one time or another, most drivers honk their horn at someone who might be texting at a stoplight or not paying attention when they're driving. But what happens when you tap on your horn and all of a sudden it won't quit? Everyone's looking at you like you're an angry jerk and all you want to do is turn it off!
It helps to know the basics of what's happening when you honk your horn. There's a switch in the steering wheel, of course, and when you press on it, it sends power to a relay which then energizes the horn. Bingo. Sound. When the horn sticks on, one of these parts or the wiring has developed a problem.
With the ear-splitting noise inside your cabin, it may be hard to keep your cool, but do your best to stay calm. Try pushing the horn several times; it may un-stick the switch if you're lucky. If not, there are a couple of things you can try.
First, if you can, pull your vehicle off the road and into a spot where you're not disrupting traffic. If you feel comfortable rummaging around in your vehicle's fuse box, you might be able to pull the fuse that manages the circuit for your horn system. A hint: the fuse boxes sometimes have a label inside showing which fuse goes to which part of the vehicle. Find the fuse that goes to the horn and pull it out (sometimes there's a fuse-pulling tool inside the fuse box).
But many people don't feel like tackling that. Yes, you can drive over to a service facility with the horn blaring (not the best idea). Or call your service facility and see if they might be able to send someone over to where you are so they can shut off the horn.
At the shop, a technician can check wiring, switches, relays and other components to find out what's wrong. This is something that should be left to a professional for a couple of reasons. First, repairs around the steering wheel can involve airbags. Second, some horn components may be part of a vehicle's alarm system.
The bad news is that your horn may not give you any warning before it starts blaring uncontrollably. But the good news is that a horn doesn't malfunction all that often, and now you have a plan if it does.
Tuffy Tire & Auto Service Center Grove City
2131 Stringtown Road
Grove City, Ohio 43123
614-871-4020
http://www.tuffygrovecity.com
April 13, 2025
Today's Tuffy Tire & Auto Service Center Grove City article focuses on severe service maintenance. Many Grove City drivers are not aware of them and yet there are also very vocal advocates in Ohio who think that severe service schedules apply to everyone. Somewhere between a complete lack of awa... More
April 6, 2025
You might be familiar with brake pads and rotors, two components of your vehicle's brakes that have to be regularly serviced. Here's another important component of your brakes: the calipers. Calipers are used in disc brakes, the type of brakes now found in most recently manufactured vehicles. A... More
March 30, 2025
Let's face it. Vehicles are complicated machines, each having thousands of parts. And since they're subjected to heat, cold, vibrations, bumps and much more, these parts wear out and need to be replaced. When your service advisor says you need a new part, you may have many options. Let's say ... More