Why Your Audi A4’s Flasher Relay May Fail and How to Diagnose It

Riding an Audi A4 is fun until its flasher relay starts acting up, giving you a headache and ruining the overall driving experience. Since the flasher relay is responsible handle the turn signals and hazard lights, when it malfunctions, it makes the turn signal lamp and the hazard lights blink either too fast or too slow. Moreover, if it fails completely, it can also prevent them from turning on. This ultimately can degrade the quality of the ride, risking your life by increasing the chances of road crashes. Come on! You are in good hands.

Stick to the end of this comprehensive guide to know the reasons behind your Audi A4 flasher relay failure and the step-by-step process to troubleshoot the problem so that you can easily detect the fault and do the remedy to get everything back on track.

Why does your Audi A4 flasher relay stop working?

Before moving further to know the factor that hampers the flasher relay, let’s understand what it actually does. Well, its primary task is to manage the blinking of the turn signal lamps and emergency lights by acting as the brain of your vehicle’s blinking system. Thus, it ensures the hazard and indicator lights flash steadily when turned on. However, with a poor flasher relay, these signals behave abnormally, making it difficult for you to drive, especially in heavy traffic areas.

Among the numerous reasons, let's discuss some of the most obvious and primary causes that lead to such an inconvenience.

• Electrical problems: With damaged wiring or poor connections, the flasher relay may be affected.
• Water exposure: When water or moisture enters into the internal walls of the flasher relay, it can cause corrosion, ultimately destroying the relay.
• Old age: Just like any other vehicle component, the flasher relay may wear out eventually due to aging and frequent usage.
• Malfunctioning bulbs: Another reason that can put additional pressure on the flasher relay and damage it is the defective bulbs.
• Power surges: If your car’s electrical system encounters a sudden surge in voltage, it can impact electrical parts, including the flasher relay’s sensitive electronic parts.

Methods to identify your Audi A4’s faulty flasher relay

1. Inspect the turn signal bulbs: Test all the bulbs to know whether they are burnt out. A dead bulb might make the turn signals blink too fast or restrict them from blinking. Replace the burnt-out or faulty bulb with a new one and check if the flasher relay works perfectly.
2. Listen for any sounds: When the flasher relay starts functioning just after turning on any signal, it usually makes a clicking noise. If you don’t hear any sounds at all, the flasher relay might be the culprit.
3. Verify the hazard lights: First of all, try to switch on the emergency lights. If none of them work, it might be due to a failing flashing relay because hazard lights and turn signals internally share the same unit.
4. Test the fuse: Refer to the manufacturer’s manual to find the fuse box. Next, search the fuse connected to the turn signal and check whether it is blown or broken. Replace the damaged fuse with a new one to resolve the issue. But make sure to use a fuse of the same amperage while replacement.

5. Evaluate the relay: Rather than all the above troubleshooting processes, one ultimate thing that should be noticed is the flashing relay itself. You can easily find it in the fuse box or under the dashboard. You must check the relay thoroughly for any signs of wear, burnt marks, or corrosion. If you have a spare relay in your car, use it temporarily to confirm if the turn signals function.

Winding up

Here is the end of this comprehensive guide explaining the usual causes behind your Audi A4’s malfunctioning flasher relay and the diagnostic method to detect them. As we have learned, by following the above process, you can easily fix the faulty relay on your own, but only if you have basic repair skills. Otherwise, don’t hesitate to visit the nearest Audi workshop and seek professional assistance to replace the damaged fuse or the relay to achieve a flawless driving experience in your beloved Audi A4.

Auto Scandia is one of the most sought-after high-end European car maintenance and repair facility located in Herndon, VA that is having over 40 years of experience in looking after luxury cars like BMW, Mercedes, Porsche, Volkswagen, and Volvo.