horn doesnt work when its cold

[paulabreu]

So like the title says, my horn doesn't work when its cold outside, its been -10 all day around here and the horn hasn't been working all day :(, its the second time it happens.

Any ideas of what it could be? i'm going to be bringing it to the dealership either way

[leecheefoto]

Did you wash your car?

Check your fuse

If not then it could be your wires or the steering wheel spring

[paulabreu]

Did you wash your car?

Check your fuse

If not then it could be your wires or the steering wheel spring

havent wash the car in a week lmao, last night when I locked the car it was fine, but this morning when I got to work and locked it, noticed the horn didnt make any sound, so when inside the car and tried from steering wheel and nothing...so not even when activating the alarm

[Flagrum_3]

I'm think the horn has a relay, if it does, try changing it out. Temp changes along with condensation tend to effect relays somewhat. Can't hurt to check!.


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[paulabreu]

I'm think the horn has a relay, if it does, try changing it out. Temp changes along with condensation tend to effect relays somewhat. Can't hurt to check!.


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hmm...what is a "relay"? :)

[leungalv]

you might considering taking it to Richard at Friendly Autobody ... I had the same issue where my horns would work once, then die, then work once again after 15 minutes, then die. When I parked the car, I would lock the door, it would honk once then stop.

In the cold, it was a craps shoot for it to work. In the rain, it wouldn't work. Sooooo I took it to Richard, he installed a heavy duty relay and added a 30amp fuse. Since then it's been working perfectly.

I also have 4 hella horns installed :)

Info on what a relay is - http://www.ado13.com/techs/relay.htm

[McGuyver_3]

a simple answer to what a relay is, its a sophisticated switch. you have + and - to activate a coil which magnetically flicks open or closed a switch that powers whatever you are connecting.
The fog and the horn relay are the same type of relays and are right next to each other if memory serves me correctly. switching the 2 would be the easiest way to check if your relay is no good.

[Lockdown]

Chances are you can hear the relay when you hit the switch. If you can't, that's the issue but a more common cause for horn failure is the ground.

[citrus]

I have seen this happen a few times over the years with a few different models of vehicles. Most of the time it is the plastic in the steering wheel shrinking and warping in the cold allowing the horn switch to contact. We do live in Canada, eh!

[citrus]

Doh! Disregard my last post, I misread what you wrote, I thought you were saying the horn gets stuck on. My bad.

[Darkice]

with my 06 it happened alot just on cold days though and then it would work again.. i think its just the cold haha

[McGuyver_3]

Well cold or not it should work regardless. No that you use the horn all that often but it still is considered a safety item.

[Lockdown]

Fix it or get it fixed because you never know when you will need it for safety reasons like Dan said.

It's not just installed to tell other drivers how you feel about their lack of signals

[Flagrum_3]

Well cold or not it should work regardless. No that you use the horn all that often but it still is considered a safety item.

I don't know about you Dan, but my horn gets a work-out everyday :chuckle Especially with my bus horns installed, I get attention. ;)

Your right though, regardless of the cold, the horn should work.

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[paulabreu]

Thanks for the input guys, I'll be stopping by the dealership today to get it checked... Yesterday it didn't work all day and today is the same :-(

[Lockdown]

Post up your findings, I'm curious who is right on this and wonder if there will be more of the same issue popping up.

My horn has saved my life, numerous times, get it looked at asap. You never know when you may need it

[paulabreu]

well, went to the dealership this morning after a fun drive from Guelph to Newmarket without horn and lot of snow :(, so when i got there magically the horn is working :s it hasnt been working since yesterday...anyways, as always, they couldn't find anything wrong as it was working while they had the vehicle. When im driving back home from the dealership I tried the horn a couple of times ( people must have thought i was crazy or something ) and it worked until i stopped to put gas then turned it on again and again, no horn....still no horn :(.

Also, noticed last night that when I have highbeams on and I put windows up/down the lights dim a little, same happens when moving the side mirrors.

Just what I need on top of all the problems I have with this car...Its only a year old and problems keep coming and coming, i think i may have a lemon lmao....anyways, anyone want to take over my financing and get into a nice problematic vehicle?

[Lockdown]

The lights are normal. Happens in almost all vehicles.
Don't sweat that. The car was inside when the dealer checked it?
Nice and warm inside?

[paulabreu]

The lights are normal. Happens in almost all vehicles.
Don't sweat that. The car was inside when the dealer checked it?
Nice and warm inside?

i would think so, not really sure, i was waiting inside all the time.
they said they didnt find anything wrong with the horn but i would think there has to be something wrong with it

[McGuyver_3]

this is sounding more and more like a sticking relay. Judging by what you say you have a second gen?

[paulabreu]

this is sounding more and more like a sticking relay. Judging by what you say you have a second gen?

yea its a 2011 mazda 3 GX AT.
How hard would that be to fix?

[Lockdown]

Not hard at all. Do you know what a relay is?

When it's not working, can you hear the relay when you press the horn?

[Flagrum_3]

This is sounding more and more like a sticking relay. Judging by what you say you have a second gen?

Big +1, as I mentioned earlier, with the drastic temp changes recently relays sometimes start to act up. We've been having a rash of issues with the relays on our buses lately, we simply just change them out and it usually solves the issues....it's a relatively cheap fix.

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[paulabreu]

Not hard at all. Do you know what a relay is?

When it's not working, can you hear the relay when you press the horn?

i dont know what a relay is really, i googled it but im dumb when it comes to this :), i do hear a click noise that ive never heard before when i press the horn, would that be it?

btw, 3rd day in a row that the horn is not working :(

[McGuyver_3]

a simple answer to what a relay is, its a sophisticated switch. you have + and - to activate a coil which magnetically flicks open or closed a switch that powers whatever you are connecting.


i dont know what a relay is really, i googled it but im dumb when it comes to this :), i do hear a click noise that ive never heard before when i press the horn, would that be it?

btw, 3rd day in a row that the horn is not working :(


Yes that click would likely be it. This means that you have probably a broken wire to the horn from the relay somewhere OR you could have a bad horn itself. I remember I installed one upside down on my car as it was more convenient that way and it ended up filling up with water lol. After turning it around and all the water out of it, it started working again. More then likely it will not be the ground for the horn itself as they ground themselves on the body. Are you any good with volt meters or accessing the horn? aka removing the front bumper?

[paulabreu]

Yes that click would likely be it. This means that you have probably a broken wire to the horn from the relay somewhere OR you could have a bad horn itself. I remember I installed one upside down on my car as it was more convenient that way and it ended up filling up with water lol. After turning it around and all the water out of it, it started working again. More then likely it will not be the ground for the horn itself as they ground themselves on the body. Are you any good with volt meters or accessing the horn? aka removing the front bumper?

I could try but i dont have a garage, i would have to wait until warmer weather. I tried the dealership already but it worked for them ? lol, of course. Is there any good place I could take it to get it checked beside a dealership or Jimmy?

[TheMAN]

agreed... it sounds like a frozen relay
early genwons had frozen relay issues below -30 which prevents the fuel pump from running, thus no start

[mhsnmk]

Your car’s horn is a safety feature built into the car to help get others drivers attention if they start to get into your lane, or in other situations to warn people around you of your presence to prevent wrecks or injury.

This is why it is important for you to have a functioning horn. Sometimes though your horn may stop working. Normally there are a few possible problems if this happens. Continue reading to learn what these problems are and also solutions for them
https://www.autoguysland.com/car-horn-not-working/

[Flagrum_3]

I could try but i dont have a garage, i would have to wait until warmer weather. I tried the dealership already but it worked for them ? lol, of course. Is there any good place I could take it to get it checked beside a dealership or Jimmy?

I've had this issue twice. If the horn is working intermittently it is most likely a connection issue, and most likely due to corrosion. Check the connections and replace them if corroded and then coat them with lithium grease or dielectric.


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