I've not excperienced this before but the headlights cut out for a scary few seconds but then came back on. Fortunately, this was in a lit area so I was able to see.

We live in a country area and this could be a real hazard if it happened at night.

Can anyone help to suggest where I track this issue down? I'm guessing at a lose connection somewhere?

Any advice regarding or experience of this problem would be appreciiated.

It's a 2011 Punto Grande.

When was the last time you changed the bulbs? However, did they both cut out at the same time? Then it's probably not the bulbs.

Bulbs do wear out just like lightbulbs at home, and they are quite inexpensive to replace. The only tool you need is a pair of regular small nose pliers (just to make it easier).

The bulb is of type H4.

Thanks for your reply. I'm guessing that the headlight bulbs were replaced two or three years ago following the complete failure of them. but my memory is a little hazy on this!

My issue now is that both lights cut out but then came back on so the bulbs appear to be working but the power to them was lost temporarily. I'm not sure where to start to track an issue like this down!

Yeah, it can't be the bulbs in that case. You could try checking the headlight relay. Apparently there are some that are heat-sensitive/activated, ie. they would cut off power when they start to overheat.

But the most likely is a bad ground somewhere. You could try driving on a bumpy road and see if the lights go out more often than on normal roads. In that case, it's almost certainly a bad ground or half-broken wire.

RedPeril said:

Thanks for your reply. I'm guessing that the headlight bulbs were replaced two or three years ago following the complete failure of them. but my memory is a little hazy on this!

My issue now is that both lights cut out but then came back on so the bulbs appear to be working but the power to them was lost temporarily. I'm not sure where to start to track an issue like this down!

Click to expand...

Were they switched on constantly.. ?
no switching between main and dip.. for example

Is it fitted with 'cornering lights'?

Have you had rain in the last week..?

Southern UK has been dry lately.. but other regions have not..

Charlie

Search: https://www.fiatforum.com/grande-punto/340244-headlights-still-flicker.html?p=4492385 ?

Thanks for the replies.

Often the headlights are turned on during daytime driving (and obviously during lighting up time) so the bulbs do get used a lot but they do work now. The car did not go over a road bumb before the incident but the 'grounding' idea seems to make the most sense to me but I can't for thelife of me track down where this could have happened. The battery earth is very sound.

The car is standard so has no cornering lights.

Rain? ...yes we get plenty of it here in Devon and we've had the car since new so I'll watch to see if it's a new fault developing after rain but I think it's unlikely. I think that all I can do at the moment is to observe and hope that there is no reocurence.

Any further toghts would be appreciated.

RedPeril said:

Thanks for the replies.

Often the headlights are turned on during daytime driving (and obviously during lighting up time) so the bulbs do get used a lot but they do work now. The car did not go over a road bumb before the incident but the 'grounding' idea seems to make the most sense to me but I can't for thelife of me track down where this could have happened. The battery earth is very sound.

The car is standard so has no cornering lights.


Any further toghts would be appreciated.

Click to expand...

Hi again

Bad ground.. a poor electrical earth..

Not a collision with terra firma

The cornering lights apparently have controls in the boot.. an area often quite damp in the uk.

People do have damp issues with the underbonnet fusebox too..

Usually from a badly refitted lid