2006 Touring Edition - Lower lights never turn off

[EmeraldICE]

I just bought a used 2006 PT Cruiser Touring Edition yesterday from my Toyota retailer.
It's only got about 14,000 miles on it so it's not that old.

I've attached a picture so you get a better idea of what I'm talking about.
Note: The car in the picture is not my personal car, but I'm using it to give you a better idea of the lights I'm talking about.

Anyways, I noticed that the circled lights are only off when the car is off.
When the car is on, the lights are always on.
I was under the impression that those were fog lights and that they weren't supposed to be lit unless I turned them on... but maybe I'm mistaken?

I've tried fooling around with the fog light switch on the left multifuction switch (pulling it out/pushing it in) but it has no effect.
Even when the upper lights are turned on, the lower lights are always on. Like I said, they are ALWAYS lit, unless the car is turned off.

To make things even more confusing for myself:
I've got a separate on/off switch that can be used to turn those lights on while the car is off. Now, THAT switch works. I can choose to have those lights on or off while the car is off, it's just that as soon as I turn the car on, those lights never turn off no matter what I do.

Is that normal behavior for this model or is something wrong?

Thanks a bunch guys.

EDIT:
I forgot to mention:
The dashboard light for the 'fog lights' is never on through any of this.

[Hooligan]

EmeraldICE, Welcome to the Forum!!

You don't mention where you are from, but could this be a PT built for Canada? Don't they have to have lights on when the ignition is on?

[EmeraldICE]

I'm from Georgia. I have no idea if this car is built for Canada. I have seen that in the manual though and that crossed my mind because as you said, they do have to always have lights on. But wouldn't the fog light switch be taken out in their model?

[quicksilverdon]

Welcome.
1) Fog are optional, so for Canada the driving lights wouldn't be the fogs.
2) sounds like the classic symptoms of the multi-function switch death.

Do a search on multi-function switch - many have replaced it themselves.

You might get dealer to do it if you haven't had the car for long...

[EmeraldICE]

That's what I was worried about.
So, those are in fact the fog lights? That's what I thought.

I'll check with my dealer. If they won't fix it for free, I may just live with it for now... just wanted some clarification as to whether or not this behavior was indeed a flaw.

[EmeraldICE]

Hmm...
Now that I think of it...
The manual says that the fog lights are optional... so it may be possible that I don't even have them.

Would that explain the behavior?

I noticed that when I first start up the car (when all of your dashboard lights come on momentarily) that the fog light icon is not there at all.

I don't know.
Just a thought.

[quicksilverdon]

Since you car is used, prior owner may have installed the lights themselves and done some creative wiring...

[EmeraldICE]

Very true.
They must have been a pretty creative person.