How to Turn Off Jeep Wrangler Headlights: Switch, AUTO, DRLs and Delay

To turn off Jeep Wrangler headlights, set the headlight switch to off. On a JL (2018 and later) that is the rotary knob on the left side of the dashboard. On a JK (2007 to 2018) there is no dashboard knob: you twist the end of the multifunction lever on the left of the steering column.

If the lights come on again by themselves, or stay on after you walk away, nothing is broken in most cases. One of four features is doing it: AUTO headlights, daytime running lights, Headlight Off Delay or Illuminated Approach. This page covers the exterior lights only. For the dome and courtesy lights, see how to turn off Wrangler interior lights.

Where the headlight switch is on a JK and a JL

The positions come from the 2017 JK owner’s manual, the 2023 JL owner’s manual and the 2025 Wrangler owner’s handbook. On the JL the same knob also carries the instrument panel dimmer and, if equipped, the fog light button, so a bumped dimmer can change the interior lighting at the same time.

Why the headlights come on by themselves

AUTO headlights

In AUTO, a light sensor switches the headlights on and off with the ambient light. The engine has to be running before they come on, and Jeep’s manuals say the time delay feature is active whenever AUTO is selected: the lights stay on for up to 90 seconds after you switch the ignition off. Move the switch out of AUTO and that behavior stops.

Headlights With Wipers

With this option on and the switch in AUTO, the headlights come on when the wipers run (the JK manual says about 10 seconds after) and go off again with the wipers. On a JK it only exists on vehicles with automatic headlights. Both generations let you switch it off in the settings menu.

Daytime running lights

DRLs come on with the engine. On the JL, the manual says they are active when the low beams are not on and the engine is running, and that they may switch off when the parking brake is applied. On the JK, the 2017 manual says the headlights come on at reduced intensity once you shift out of PARK or the vehicle starts to move. The 2008 JK manual describes the same thing after the vehicle has moved about 3 ft, and says they go off when you switch the headlights on or turn the vehicle off.

How to turn off the daytime running lights

JL: open Uconnect Settings, choose Lights, and switch Daytime Running Lights off. Jeep’s manual notes the option is only offered where the law of the country of purchase allows it, which is why Canadian vehicles do not have it. On 2024 and later JLs with the 12.3-inch Uconnect 5 screen, press the Vehicle button and then Settings to reach the same menus; names can differ slightly by software version, so check the Settings menu if you do not see Lights straight away.

JK: the Personal Settings list in the JK owner’s manual has no daytime running light option, so there is no owner method. A dealer can tell you whether your vehicle’s configuration can be changed. If you modify lighting yourself, check your state’s equipment rules and your insurer first.

Headlights that stay on after you lock it

Two settings keep the headlights on deliberately. Both exist on the JK (Personal Settings in the cluster display, on models that have it) and the JL (Uconnect Settings, under Lights).

Set either delay to 0 and the headlights go off when you do. On a JK, press MENU until Personal Settings appears, step through with the down arrow and change the value with the right arrow; the vehicle has to be in PARK, or stopped with a manual transmission. It is the same menu used to reset the oil life on a Wrangler. JKs without the cluster display, which includes early years and some base models, do not have these menus.

If you leave the headlights or parking lights on yourself, both generations sound a lights-on reminder when the driver’s door opens. That is one of several reminders explained in how to turn off the Wrangler door chime.

Lights that flash when you lock or unlock

If the complaint is the exterior lights blinking every time you use the fob, that is a separate setting. The JK calls it Flash Lamp With Lock and the JL calls it Flash Lights With Lock; both can be switched off in the same menus as the delays. It only affects the confirmation flash. On the JK the setting covers both locking and unlocking with the fob. The alarm still flashes the lights if it is triggered. Turning off the flash is a reasonable choice at a campsite or in a quiet driveway, and it does not change how the lights behave when you drive.

When the headlights really will not turn off

Rule out the features first: switch fully off (not AUTO), ignition off, then wait two minutes for any 90-second delay to run out. If the headlights are still on after that, you have a fault rather than a setting.

• JK: the multifunction lever is one combined switch for the headlights, dimmer, fog lights and turn signals. A worn one can keep a lighting circuit closed, or make lights flicker as the column moves. It is replaced as a unit.
• JL: a fault can be in the knob, its wiring or the body control module. A scan tool narrows it down before you buy parts.
• Either: aftermarket LED headlights, halos and light bars are a frequent cause when the problem starts right after an install. Check that wiring before paying for factory parts.

Do not leave it overnight hoping it clears. Headlights flatten a battery in hours, and repeated deep discharges shorten its life. If you cannot get it fixed the same day, follow the battery disconnection steps in your owner’s manual or have a shop isolate the circuit. If the battery has already gone flat, why a Wrangler won’t start walks through getting it going again, and the Wrangler dashboard lights guide covers the high beam, fog and lighting fault indicators on the cluster.

The short version for most owners: switch out of AUTO, set Headlight Off Delay and Illuminated Approach to 0, and on a JL turn off the DRLs in Uconnect if you want the lights fully under your control.