Faulty horn: most common problems and how to solve them

car horns

When our car goes "mute", the failures are usually related to an electrical problem, damage to the horn or horn itself or some breakage in its drive. Therefore, we have developed a series of tips for those who do not find the cause of fault, and looking for a quick and concrete solution.

Before you get down to work, it's best to review the how a car horn works. If you know how it works, it will be much easier for you to follow the repair instructions in this or any article you read on the subject.

How does a car horn work?

When you squeeze the horn button, contact is made so that the electricity goes from the car battery to the horn. There is a electromagnet that when receiving the current attracts a metal piece attached to a membrane, similar to that found in the speakers of a sound system.

A car horn and its components

This current also reaches a breaker which is another key piece to emit the beep. Without going into details, he is responsible for the corrients that reaches the electromagnet is intermittent. Since this intermittency is very fast, get a vibe that allows the membrane to emit a sharp and powerful sound.

Most frequent failures in the horn

First of all, we must know that there is horns with relays and others without them. They differ in that the former have an electrical terminal, while those that do not have two electrical terminals.

Blown fuse: which one is for the horn?

The first thing is to see if the fuses are the problem of the horn

The best thing to do in car mechanics is to always start with the easiest check. For this reason, the first verification that must be carried out is in the fuse box. That is, the basics in all electrical circuits. For this reason, when the power goes out at home, the first thing you look at are the fuses, or failing that, the electrical panel.

The fuses in a car are usually spread over two places: The First of all it is under the steering wheel, covered by a cover, or on the left side of the dashboard, that to get to it you have to open the driver's door. The second It is in the engine compartment itself, inside a box closed by tabs or screws. Some also have them behind the glove box or trunk.

Once you've located them, you can look in the car manual which corresponds to the horn. Although you can also take a look at all to see if there are any cast. Changing them is as simple as removing and changing for another one. In addition they are very cheap. kits Rovtop o fepitus they have fuses of all types and cost less than 10 euros.

Fuses should be checked when horn fails

Once you've pulled the fuse out you can usually check to see if it's blown by looking at the internal connection of the two tabs has been interrupted (the plastic is transparent). If you don't see it clearly and get hold of a good multimeter you can follow these indications:

  • Put the multimeter on the Continuity mode (indicated by an arrow with a vertical line at the top and/or a loudspeaker).
  • Put the test leads, each on a tab of the fuse.
  • If the multimeter beeps, it means the fuse is good. If it doesn't, it means it's melted.

Some good examples of cheap multimeters for testing at home or in the car are those of , AoKoZo y kaiweets.

Si the fuse soon blows again that you have put, the most normal thing is that there is a fault in the electrical circuit of the horn.

How to use a multimeter
Related article:
How to use a multimeter

The horn sounds sometimes: somewhat loose wires

Car speakers and cables

Over the years or perhaps due to a blow, the cables that carry electricity to the speaker become loose or loose. That is why it is convenient to locate the horn of your car. It's usually on the front under some trim plastic, in a place that can be accessed from the engine compartment or behind the inner plastic of the wheel arch. You can look it up in the manual, although it's usually easy if someone presses the horn and you follow the sound (if the problem is that there is little noise).

Once it's discovered, check that the cable or cables are well placed on your site. If not, tighten them down so they snap back into place and use a screwdriver or matching tool to secure them if they are screwed in.

Loose membrane screw

Since you have the speakers exposed, check that the screw that fixes the membrane it has not loosened. This situation is very common because again the vibrations or some bad blow may have released it. In this case you will simply have to screw it manually so that it is very firm.

Horn button not working

car horn button

Another check to make is to see if the horn button is not working. a common fault if the car is very old or if it has been hit hard with hand. Each model is different, but the most common is that it can be disassembled by pulling with your hands or inserting a flat screwdriver to pry through a hole.

It's best to refer to a specific tutorial for your model if you're not familiar with it and disconnect the car battery whenever you touch a steering wheel with an airbag. In any case, here is a video as an example:

Depending on the car you have, you may the dirt has been getting little by little inside of the button so it is good that, once you have removed the lid, you clean it well and see if it moves without any impediment. If something is stuck apply 3 in One or WD-40 for it to slip

If it's not a button and it's just a metal tab that you have to make contact, clean it well so there is nothing to get in the way. It's also a good time to see if the button wires are in place, because they may have come loose with the steering wheel vibrations, if there have been, or due to too vehement use.

The current does not arrive: the horn is not heard

If there is no power to the horn, the problem may be with the steering wheel or other points in the circuit.

If the above issues are not the reason, another step you can take is electrical circuit check. For this you will need a multimeter like the ones you will find in the previous link, there are many brands with good products to do this operation for little money.

You can use the multimeter to check if there is electricity to the horn, if it comes out well from the button or to check the relay. The checks are somewhat technical to describe them one by one. So we recommend the following video so you can do it easily:

Check car battery
Related article:
How to check car battery and alternator

The horn sounds but quieter than usual

If the horn is with relays and its sound does not have the appropriate volume, we must see that the mentioned terminal is properly connected, also complementing it with the use of a multimeter to check that the voltage is the recommended by the manufacturer. To do so, you just have to follow these steps:

  • Choose the measurement mode dc voltage. That is, set the multimeter's rotary knob to the V position followed by a long line with a dash below it (Also DC or DC).
  • The correct measurement value will be the lowest value above the voltage used by the speaker. Normally these use 12 V, so in our multimeter we have to choose 20V, but there will be others 30V or 40V, because they do not have less.
  • Disconnect the speaker from the wires that give it current and place the test leads of the multimeter respecting the polarity: the black cable in the negative and the red cable in the positive.
  • If when you press the horn button, the multimeter shows about 12V, It means that you get the right voltage.
  • When no voltage is reaching it, there is a problem with the circuit.
  • If little voltage arrives, the normal thing is that the horn sounds little and badly.

You should also take into account if your model is one of those that have a switch that allows change city and highway mode. It is not going to be that the mode has been changed and that is the reason that you hear it lower than normal.

Car speakers can fail at various points. including the steering wheel

Another way to check if the speaker sounds lower than normal due to an internal problem or lack of voltage, is to connect it to a battery. The steps are the following:

  • Disconnect the speaker and remove it from its site. A screwdriver and/or wrench will suffice.
  • Using a wire or pliers, connect the negative terminal of the speaker to the negative terminal of the battery
  • Attach a wire or pliers to the positive terminal of the speaker and lightly touch the other end to the positive terminal of the battery.
  • If it sounds correct, the problem comes from the car's internal circuitry, not the horn.
Remember that you are working with electricity, so apply the usual precautions when handling a car battery.

price of a new car horn

If you have verified that your speaker is broken and want to buy one, you will like to know that they are not very expensive. Its price It is usually between 10 or 20 euros. In addition, it is easy to find an appropriate one for your model because there are many online or face-to-face stores with a large stock.


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      Juan said

    very good blog

      Christian Llanos1609 said

    I have problems with the horn, it went silent... ford fiesta clx español model 97 any help would be very useful thanks

      The_ricky_0_07 said

    hello i have a problem i have a fiat fiorino 2011 and i put an audio system made up of a stereo with usb mp3 link input and rca input 2 speakers of 5 plus 2 speakers 6×9 paionner, a boos power of 1000 wtts plus a boofer of 12 paionner the problem is that when I put the loud music on the power pays and consequently also the 6 × 9 and the booffer that can be an electrical problem of short circuit help for godsssssssssss

      Jose Luis said

    I have a Peugeot 206, I changed the horn, I put a wega that are two, while the original is only one.
    I extended the cables, they worked two or three times and they don't work anymore, don't touch anything out of the ordinary, which could be

         mortisburzum1@gmail.com said

      Can you advise me since I have had the horn for 3 months and suddenly it turned off and it no longer sounded, it could be the display or something else

      wanda said

    Hi, I have a 2300 Mazda B2002 and the horn is silent. Can someone tell me where the fuse is located?

      JOSE PERALTA said

    Hello, is there a way to lower the volume of the horn?

         Sergio said

      Good afternoon, I have a problem with the horn of my 2019 Nissan Kiccs, it is that at times it sounds and others it does not. The failure is very rare, but it is like that, usually it is incredible but real, in the morning it does not work and then it starts to work. But with the alarm it works fine. Thanks.

      omar zuñida said

    fiat siena 2011 horn stopped working

      sergio said

    Greetings, I offer you a speaker repair service, FOR THIS IT IS NECESSARY THAT YOU HAVE THE SPEAKER OF YOUR CAR DISASSEMBLED, SINCE I DO NOT DISASSEMBLE THE SPEAKERS OF THE CAR, GREETINGS, MY CELL PHONE IS 5513986377

      sergio cuahtlapantzi eagle said

    Greetings, I offer you a speaker repair service, for this it is necessary that you give me the speaker already disassembled from the car, since I do not do the disassembly work, I only repair the speakers, I leave you my telephone number 5513986377

      patrick araya said

    Hello, I have problems with the horn of my Hyundai Elantra 1.6 year 2010 and I can't find it where it is located.