The Under the Hood Show
Dear Motor Medics, There’s smoke coming from near my steering wheel at times right out of the column. It’s not a lot of smoke but I can see it and smell it and it scares me.
All my vehicle systems seem to be working fine now but a few months ago my turn signals were acting up.
The car is a 2001 Buick Regal. Is this something I should be concerned about or can I let it go?
Robert in Sheldon, Iowa
Dear Robert, Your car is smoking...there is no way we would let that go without a thorough check out for safety.
Without seeing the car hands-on, it’s hard to say but we have seen smoke generated in this way due to failing turn signal switches. The switch can fail simply because it is old or it can be stressed by things like shorted wiring, failed bulbs or adding an extra load to the system such as a trailer which has an added load of extra lighting that has to be carried by the cars wiring.
The first step will be verifying where the smoke is coming from. That will require someone experienced with the system to open it up and inspect the parts. If any parts are found to be burnt they will need to be repaired then the rest of the effected system will need to be diagnosed to make sure that what caused the first failure does not happen again. Take care, The Motor Medics
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