Are the lights behind the climate controls supposed to be on all the time?

New owner, I'm asking because I have no frame of reference. The lights behind the climate control and beneath the Auto shifter in my vehicle do not stay on when I have the headlights on at night. I can't tell if they're supposed to only be on part-time, but I cannot figure out what triggers them turning back on. Is it supposed to be this way? Or do I have some kind of wiring or bulb issue?

 

either your light switch on your steering column or the dimmer switch. my girlfriends 1997 honda had an issue similar to this but it was just the dimmer. not sure if the same can happen with toyota, but play with that little wheel to see what happens.

 

There is a dash dimmer control to the left of the steering wheel. Is that turned all the way up ?

 

the interior dome or map lights come on for a few seconds and then go off controlled by the doors but the dash lights should stay on unless someone messed with the wiring.

not sure what you mean by lights under the auto shifter, but the climate control lights should always stay on with the headlights but are not on with the daytime driving lights

 

Yes, that is turned up, but it only affects the instrument panel lights, which are fine.

 

My dome lights are working when I open the door. By auto shifter lights I mean the lights that light up the little P,R,N,D,2,L indicators at the base of the shifter. Those and the climate controls aren't reliable and do not stay on when the headlights are on.

 

well those should stay on any time the headlights are on (not daytime driving lights, those just turn on the headlights)

most likely its your dimmer switch has failed, if it goes out you wont have any interior dash lights when the headlight is on. the fact they come on then go off I would think indicates the resistor that dims the lights is bad

 

It should affect all interior dash lights. Not limited to only the instrument panel.

 

Did anyone find an answer to this? My 09 is having weird lighting issues as well. at first my buttons on the dash left of the steering wheel started going out 1 by 1 till only RSCA was lit. Then that went out but sometimes would come back. Then my gear shifter light went out but that was a bulb or so i thought. Finally got a new LED bulb for shifter light, it was on when I installed it but went back out tonight to see how it looked at night and not only was that not working the climate control lights all of a sudden wasn't working now. There has to be a wire or something causing all of these to not work. Also my driver power window light is on but nothing else. Very confused at this point. Thanks for any help!!

 

Check grounds around radio area.