Q: Car lost functionality of dome light, retractible antenna, hazard lights, and clock; power steering also seems to be nonexistent.

asked by on December 02, 2016

When I purchased my car the car's odometer and tripmeter were broken so I sent the unit in to a specialist who repairs such things and received it back in perfect working order today. While I was waiting, I parked the car in the driveway where it sat for about a couple weeks. Having installed the car's odometer unit I started the car. I then observed how the car's retractible antenna wouldn't rise when I turned the radio on (as it usually does). I tried turning the dome light on but had no luck with that either as it simply wouldn't produce light when switched on. Neither would the hazard lights. I set the clock and waited for the minute hand to move with no such success. As I was in a hurry, I proceeded to back out when I felt that the power steering didn't seem to be assisting me with the newly felt heft of the steering wheel while turning. To put it metaphorically, it's as though I started the car in 'safe mode' or like the car was drugged. What could have possibly happened?

My car has 161120 miles.
My car has an automatic transmission.

Electrical components are not working Inspection $94.99 - $114.99 Get a Quote

Hello. From what you describe it would appear that your vehicle may be experiencing some sort of electrical fault, as well as a power steering issue. If several of the vehicle’s accessories are not working then the first thing I would do is look at the vehicle’s fuses. It may be possible that one or more of the vehicle’s accessory fuses have burned out and need to be replaced. The fuses for such accessories are usually located in the vehicle’s interior fuse box. I would refer to the owner’s manual, if handy, for the location of the fuse box, as well as a diagram of the positions. In regards to the power steering issues, I would start by checking the power steering fluid to make sure that it is not low or excessively dirty. If the fluid looks good, then it may be possible that there is an issue with the power steering pump, or possibly the drive belt. As it appears that there may be more than one issue present with the vehicle, I would recommend having a professional technician, such as one from YourMechanic, come to your location to diagnose what may be causing your vehicle malfunctions](https://www.yourmechanic.com/services/electrical-components-are-not-working-inspection).

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