Vauxhall Meriva - Hazard warning lights permanently on!

Honest John Back Room » Technical matters
What is life like with your car? Let us know and win £500 in John Lewis vouchers | No thanks
View Threaded
Mon 27 Nov 2023 19:25
Vauxhall Meriva - Hazard warning lights permanently on! - rustonboy

Came out of Lidl with the shopping to find that our lovely 2006 Meriva had the hazard lights flashing. Pressing the red triangle button had no effect, and the button itself does not flash at as the same time as the indicator lights. The car functions perfectly - no warning lights on the dashboard - had no option but to drive home with hazard lighs flashing! The lights would not stop flashing until I removed fuse number 2 (5 A - immobiliser, hazard warning lights, exterior lighting). However, with that fuse removed, car will not start. So can only drive now with hazard lights flashing. Any chance this might be something simple? Any ideas gratefully received :-)

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Mon 27 Nov 2023 20:16
Vauxhall Meriva - Hazard warning lights permanently on! - blindspot

if its like the corsa b then you need a new switch. see if you can get the switch out and have a look at it

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Mon 27 Nov 2023 20:23
Vauxhall Meriva - Hazard warning lights permanently on! - elekie&a/c doctor
Think I’d be checking for any water ingress on the passenger side plenum air intake , by the wiper linkage . The electrics on these are similar to a Corsa C model.
Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Tue 28 Nov 2023 08:31
Vauxhall Meriva - Hazard warning lights permanently on! - rustonboy
Think I’d be checking for any water ingress on the passenger side plenum air intake , by the wiper linkage . The electrics on these are similar to a Corsa C model.

Many thanks for this suggestion - could you expand a little if you get a minute please? I am not sure what unit you mean (plenum air intake) and Haynes does not seem to mention this. I can see below and to the rear of the wiper linkage is a black box (seems to be closed with two small bright allen screws), that looks a bit damp on the outside - might that be the unit you suspect could be the cause? Thanks again for your time ...

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Mon 27 Nov 2023 23:15
Vauxhall Meriva - Hazard warning lights permanently on! - Andrew-T

If its like the corsa b then you need a new switch. see if you can get the switch out and have a look at it

A new hazard switch could sort it. But presumably you cannot make necessary signals ? Do the indicators affect anything ?

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Tue 28 Nov 2023 08:25
Vauxhall Meriva - Hazard warning lights permanently on! - rustonboy

If its like the corsa b then you need a new switch. see if you can get the switch out and have a look at it

A new hazard switch could sort it. But presumably you cannot make necessary signals ? Do the indicators affect anything ?

Many thanks for your suggestion. It seems bad luck that the hazard switch should suddenly malfunction, but I suppose all these things can fail sooner or later. However, it sounds within my capabilities to have a look. The indicator control stalk does not affect anything The six bulbs around the car (and the two green arrows on the dashboard - but NOT the red triangle button) continue to flash whatever controls are pressed/used, and whether the engine is running or not.

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Tue 28 Nov 2023 08:47
Vauxhall Meriva - Hazard warning lights permanently on! - elekie&a/c doctor
I've not seen a hazard switch fail on a meriva A model . You could try disconnecting it . It’s possibly part of a whole panel rather than a separate switch . The black box situated by the wiper mechanism is the cover for the central electronics systems . If it’s not sealed properly, water can enter there . I would also check under the passenger seat . Some models have electronic modules located here .
Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Tue 28 Nov 2023 12:02
Vauxhall Meriva - Hazard warning lights permanently on! - rustonboy

Okay - panic over - when I used my wife's key (the one with the battery and remote locking buttons) to lock and unlock the car again, the hazard lights stopped flashing. I had been using my key previously - the one you have to physically insert and turn in the door lock. So there must be a slight difference in the way the keys are understood by the car's computer. Thank heavens we still have both keys! I am very grateful for the helpful suggestions given, and so sorry for wasting everyone's time :-(

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Tue 28 Nov 2023 12:32
Vauxhall Meriva - Hazard warning lights permanently on! - elekie&a/c doctor
Sounds like it’s got factory alarm system, in which case the only way to switch it on and off , is by using the remote fob . If you use the key in the door lock , that doesn’t deactivate the alarm system .
Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Tue 28 Nov 2023 12:56
Vauxhall Meriva - Hazard warning lights permanently on! - Andrew-T

Problem solved, and lesson learnt, possibly by more than one person :-)

Presumably the hazards were indicating an 'alarm' situation, but without sound ?

Edited by Andrew-T on 28/11/2023 at 12:57

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Tue 28 Nov 2023 13:37
Vauxhall Meriva - Hazard warning lights permanently on! - elekie&a/c doctor
Alarm sounder has probably been put into section 13 , as are most Vauxhall sounders of this age .
Reply | Report as offensive | Link