Factory installed blinking CHMSL?

[JohnnyB]

I was in traffic the other night and noticed a blinking CHMSL on a Hyundai SUV. It looked like a fairly new model and the occupants were an older couple. This reminded me of the same thing I saw on a Toyota SUV last year.

Do some Asian auto manufacturers equip their cars with this feature? It seems like you would see them everywhere if that was the case, but I have only ever seen those 2.

 

[Alaric Darconville]

They should not blink or flash; they should act like brake lights and be "steady burning", per FMVSS 108 S5.5.10, clarified in NHTSA-04-17078-1.


The only time I see CHMSLs flash or blink is when someone installs them incorrectly (aftermarket) or if they add other lights and somehow goof it up.

 

[hokiefyd]

I think local dealers do this. For a while around here, every new Ford would flash the CHMSL five times after it was initially energized, then stay on constant. It drove me up the wall. I think it's a simple electronic module that the dealer installed as a "safety device".

 

[-Virgil-]

Yep, the 2nd and 3rd posters in this thread are correct: this is never a factory-installed "feature", because it is illegal (and dangerous, for that matter). It's always installed by some profiteering/do-gooder dealer or vendor claiming, without any basis in fact, that flashing the CHMSL makes a "safety improvement".

 

[Alaric Darconville]

I think it's a simple electronic module that the dealer installed as a "safety device".

...and for only $375.00 😛

 

[bshanahan14rulz]

It also helps with saving power! ;-)

 

[irsa76]

Some law enforcement vehicle installers wire up the rear light flasher to the CHMSL, this is contrary to the information supplied by the manufacters of the flashers and the vehicles, which clearly states the CHMSL must NOT flash. Personally I hate flashing brakelights, and backup lights, that some emergency vehicles have adopted and see no point other then to confuse other roadusers. Some European cars flash the 4way flashers under emergency braking, my new Citroen does this if you brake really hard. As an aside, I've been told fitting a module to flash the brake lights, or even a poor connection on a trailer, is enough to cause problems with some vehicles electrical systems, my Citroen being one.

 

[Hamilton Felix]

Another thing the law enforcement cars do here, is wire a wig-wag flasher between brake lights and backup lights. This is used when stationary on the road. The red-white-red-white alternating flash is an attention getter. The simplest version of this sold by Gall's, Inc. is their "Traffic Backer." I still have a couple on my shelf, left over from my VFD days (along with a couple of wig-wag units).

If I'd kept the 1958 Cadillac, I'd have done this. It's too old to have four way flashers, and it has nearly identical round tail and backup lights next to each other at the base of the tailfin. Come to think of it, I did wire my brake lights and home made backup lights to alternate on the 1962 International Scout I used to have. It's very simple, using a 537 flasher and a DPDT switch.

These days, though, I wonder about the legality of the red-white alternating flash. I'm only talking about when stopped to change a tire or something. I know a white light on the back of a forward moving car is a big no-no.

I've seen the "cyber-lite" and other gadgets sold for motorcycles, but I have to agree there's a potential for confusion when you start flashing brake lights.