FAQ: Horn Problems

If you have to ask...



the horn switch is in the airbag. Hopefully it's the horn ring that's causing your problem, or a poorly installed wire. Has the airbag every been removed/replaced? I recall the horn wire being very poorly routed on other similar year GMs I've had to pull the airbag from.

Hi guys Im still new around here but have read tons of useful information. I have a problem with my 95 riv. The other day the horn was stuck on and it went off as I walked out the door. Didnt think nothing else about it. The next day my battery was low but it started anyways. When i came in the other night it was going off again and I hit the horn pad on the steering wheel to shut it off. Ive read on here about other guys replacing the switches and or unplugging the switch. My question is if I pull the fuse under the hood will there still be power to the switch if its stuck? If so can it still run my battery down or without the fuse there will be now power to the horns? I had to charge my battery back up because after the other night it was all the way down. Thanks for your time and help.

The fuse powers some other things too. See if the horn stops if you turn the steering wheel 90 degrees from straight. I had problems with my horn ring, my horn wouldn't work when I was going straight, only when I was turning.

What I'm saying is, make a note of the steering wheel position, and see if you can make it stop by turning the steering wheel to a different position. If so, you've got a bad horn ring, if not it could be a bad switch in the airbag, or the wire under the airbag is pinched.

I wouldn't leave the fuse unplugged, it does more than just the horn I think.

Ok but in my manual all it shows on that fuse is the horn and if its just the horn then Im not that really worried about it just unplug the fuse. But if it does power other things then I need to check further into it. Its just I live in a subdivision and last night I came home around 11:00 pm and I left at 4 so its hard telling how long it was going off to run down my fully charged battery. LoL If the horn is the only thing powered by that fuse and I take it out will it kill all power to the switch? Thanks for the quick reply

Need a wiring diagram for the 95 to know for sure.
Can anyone with a 95 FSM help out.

Just try pulling the fuse and see what happens for now.

u came t da rite place fo help- these guys r geniuses. u'll find help. somewhere around here there is a link for a library in ohio or some shit that has service manuals for all this sh1t. do a search here. keep askin- .. ... and welcome! good luck(wish i could help)

Sorry, the book is probably right on this one, and it makes sense that the horn circuit would be isolated to horn only. Go ahead, pull the fuse and see what happens. I'd be surprised if it's able to kill your battery while the horn isn't making noise...

Lately my horn has been going off from time to time, some times it when i cut the wheel at low speeds (ultra annoying at gas stations, stores, ect, as people probably think im being a dick, laying on the battlecry) and once when it was just sitting in the driveway, it started to go on and off - which is strange as I didn't even know it had the ability to do that. No alarm button, and have never set it off previously.

My horn keeps randomly going off. Sometimes it'll go off when its simply sitting in the driveway and sometimes when I'm driving down the road.

At first it started when I'd hit the lock button on my keyless entry, but now it happens even when my car is sitting in the driveway unlocked. Its been worst today as its happened 4 times. Once when I hit the keyless remote to lock it. Once again when I locked it from the inside and it went off as soon as I closed the door, then twice while sitting inside. Once locked and once while unlocked.

We just pulled the fuse for the horn to get rid of the noise but I'm wondering if it isn't tied into the security system in some way or not.

Any ideas are appreciated guys.

My 98 has a horn problem, when I bought it the horn fuse was out, should have realized something wrong. Have the car over a year and for the last few months the car will be sitting in the driveway or driving on the road & the horn will suddenly go off. If I bang on the steering wheel where the horn switch is it will shut off. I noticed if I don't use the car it happens more often. Any ideas. The horn switch works by touching the wheel but it goes off by itself.

the problem is definitely in the steering wheel, i would say that the switch is bad or something is a little too close or touching the switch, maybe a chafed or loose wire, unfortunately you will have to take out the air bag and inspect the horn switch.

Wait, you mean you can actually hear the horn? I'm so used to my old 1990 Buick Park Ave that I'm almost embarrassed to blow the horn on my Riviera. I can barely hear it. I feel like I'm driving a toyota tercel. Has anyone had any experience putting in an older louder horn? I miss my "train" horn.

GMFreak8 wrote:

Wait, you mean you can actually hear the horn? I'm so used to my old 1990 Buick Park Ave that I'm almost embarrassed to blow the horn on my Riviera. I can barely hear it. I feel like I'm driving a toyota tercel. Has anyone had any experience putting in an older louder horn? I miss my "train" horn.

sounds like only one of your two horns is working. Mine sounds like the standard GM horns of the 80s and 90s. Not quite as good as the horns of the 70's though.

deekster_caddy wrote:

GMFreak8 wrote:

Wait, you mean you can actually hear the horn? I'm so used to my old 1990 Buick Park Ave that I'm almost embarrassed to blow the horn on my Riviera. I can barely hear it. I feel like I'm driving a toyota tercel. Has anyone had any experience putting in an older louder horn? I miss my "train" horn.

sounds like only one of your two horns is working. Mine sounds like the standard GM horns of the 80s and 90s. Not quite as good as the horns of the 70's though.

See I thought that too, but I get sound out of both sides of the vehicle. It sounds like the newer GM vehicles. My father has a 2004 Suburban and the horn sounds exactly like that one. It just seems very friendly and whimpy, not like a train whistle. Which is irritating when you wanna honk at the guy in front of you going 20 in a 55.

My horn goes off by itself while driving & not driving. Parked in the driveway it has gone on & stayed on while I was at work annoying the neighbors. Seems the florida heat does something to put pressure on the switch. How would I put a cutoff switch inside to turn the horn off while not using the car & back on when using it. Seems easier then removing & replacing the fuse.

steve1173 wrote:

My horn goes off by itself while driving & not driving. Parked in the driveway it has gone on & stayed on while I was at work annoying the neighbors. Seems the florida heat does something to put pressure on the switch. How would I put a cutoff switch inside to turn the horn off while not using the car & back on when using it. Seems easier then removing & replacing the fuse.

I often have the same problem in extreme heat. I usually just keep pressing the horn button at various places until the noise stops. Maybe you've tried this solution as well but it's a fairly effective one.

steve1173 wrote:

My horn goes off by itself while driving & not driving. Parked in the driveway it has gone on & stayed on while I was at work annoying the neighbors. Seems the florida heat does something to put pressure on the switch. How would I put a cutoff switch inside to turn the horn off while not using the car & back on when using it. Seems easier then removing & replacing the fuse.

I had the same problem on my 95 with the horn going off at random back in 2002.

I purchased a new airbag module 16753670 (Mushroom)and have been trouble free.

lionfish wrote:

steve1173 wrote:

My horn goes off by itself while driving & not driving. Parked in the driveway it has gone on & stayed on while I was at work annoying the neighbors. Seems the florida heat does something to put pressure on the switch. How would I put a cutoff switch inside to turn the horn off while not using the car & back on when using it. Seems easier then removing & replacing the fuse.

I had the same problem on my 95 with the horn going off at random back in 2002.

I purchased a new airbag module 16753670 (Mushroom)and have been trouble free.

I've heard it has something to do with the airbag, should the malfunctioning horn signal a problematic airbag?

On my 95 the horn contacts are integrated in the driver airbag module.
I had to replace the entire module to fix the horn.

The airbag should be OK.

When mine goes off pressing the horn area on the bag shuts it off, the problem arises when I am work with no one to do this it stays on.

I just found out that my horn button is bad, the horn will not sound at all. My mechanic has wired a remote horn button for now but is not able to get a OE replacement for the steering wheel. I've never dealt with a horn button that is in the airbag before and when I asked how much a new one would be he just said, "it's not worth the cost". Well this is my baby so to me it is! I was wondering if any one could give me a good idea of what I'm looking at cost wise for a replacement since I have no idea how bad this is. Can U get a used one? Or are there any other companies other than GM that sell something like this?

I had the horn button stick on my 95 Roadmaster. It looks like GM used the same steering wheels and airbags in our Rivs as they did in those cars, so this should apply. The problem was the contacts within the air bag would stick and in my case never let go. The only way to fix it was to take apart the air bag (A job I would never do) and replace the contacts (if you could get them). The only way to fix it was to take a junk yard trip and see if you can score a working airbag. Or wire in an auxilery switch and bypass the horn switch in the bag altogether.

Supernatural Aspirations wrote:

I just found out that my horn button is bad, the horn will not sound at all. My mechanic has wired a remote horn button for now but is not able to get a OE replacement for the steering wheel. I've never dealt with a horn button that is in the airbag before and when I asked how much a new one would be he just said, "it's not worth the cost". Well this is my baby so to me it is! I was wondering if any one could give me a good idea of what I'm looking at cost wise for a replacement since I have no idea how bad this is. Can U get a used one? Or are there any other companies other than GM that sell something like this?

Contact Ed Morad (MoradPartsCompany.Com) and get a used one the right color.

He has a LeSabre steering column "on sale" now. It comes with the horn/airbag module. I'd be willing to go in on the buying if you wanted to buy it, take the airbag and send me the steering wheel (I plan to have a company in Texas repaint and either re-do the leather or put real wood inlay on it - they do both and I have not decided. What that means though is that I don't care what color the wheel is and I don't care how much of the paint has rubbed off, although I'd prefer it be the '97-'98 "toreador red" color). PM me if you are interested and we will try to work out details with Ed.

Albertj

I had this problem once on my 95. I was inside my house when suddenly my horn went off on its own. I did exactly what matt did and pressed the horn button a couple times until it shut off. Problem is it hasn't worked since. I've lived with it until now but I have to get the car inspected by the end of the month so now it HAS to work. Any suggestions before I call my mechanic? Any help would be much appreciated.

Derek wrote:

I had this problem once on my 95. I was inside my house when suddenly my horn went off on its own. I did exactly what matt did and pressed the horn button a couple times until it shut off. Problem is it hasn't worked since. I've lived with it until now but I have to get the car inspected by the end of the month so now it HAS to work. Any suggestions before I call my mechanic? Any help would be much appreciated.

Ed Morad ships quickly.

Albertj