Why My Car Horn Sounds Weak? Find The Truth!

The car horn is an essential detail in the vehicle’s signal system, it helps the driver to signal to other cars when you want to pass. However, after a period of use, the car horn may be damaged and the sound is weak. It can not be a big deal but the weak sound horn can be the source of accidents and unsafe traffic. The topic today will find the answer to 2 questions: Why my car horn sounds weak and how to fix this problem? Let’s follow us in the next part!

Why My Car Horn Sounds Weak?

How do car horns work?

A car horn is an essential feature in every vehicle – one of the parts belongs to the signal system. Drivers often honk the horn to notify other vehicles or pedestrians of the presence of vehicles or the direction of vehicle movement to ensure safety. This is one of the highly applicable signal systems and is important when traveling on the road and avoiding unfortunate accident situations.

Like other parts in your car, there will be a certain time when talking about the lifespan of the car horn. Depending on usage conditions, car horns can last from 6 to 10 years before needing replacement. Some signs that you can easily notice when the car horn is damaged such as a horn not working, a low tone, or a car horn sound sometimes not…However, a car horn sounds weak which is a popular problem many drivers experiences.

If you detect that the sound of the horn is not as loud as normal. It’s time to fix and find the reason behind this phenomenon. Normally, each car will be equipped with 2-3 electric horns. They have a low-tone horn and a high-tone horn so If one of them goes bad, the horn really sounds weaker. In addition, there are more causes that you can’t ignore: 

>> Read more: How to Install Air Horn to Your Truck – The Ultimate Guide

5 reasons why my horn sounds weak?

Blowing fuses

The first thing you’re going to want to check If the horn sound is weak is your fuse. Sometimes the fuse is located on the panel on the inside of the car or under the hood. You can check the owner’s manual to find the location of your fuse box. Car horns function with electric power; therefore, if there is a blown fuse the electricity cannot get through, and ultimately the horn will stop working or make a weak sound. Possible reasons for a faulty fuse include damaged wiring or a short circuit. You can check the fuse box in your car for further confirmation.

A horn relay is bad

A relay is a switch that opens or closes circuits when activated with an electrical signal. The horn relay transfers the high current to the horn according to the signal from the low current horn button on the steering wheel. In most modern cars, relays are designed in the fuse box under the hood. When the relay is not working or short, it can make your vehicle without the horn operating or sound weak. Because the relay plays an important function to transfer the power to the circuits of the car horn. 

A broken clock spring

Clock springs consist of flat wires wrapped in a small round box and placed inside a steering wheel. Whenever you press a button on the steering wheel the wires send a signal to the vehicle’s control modules. When you control the steering wheel, the coil inside the clock springs coils and unwinds. This will help to maintain the electrical connection between the steering wheel controls and the airbag.

What will happen when the clock spring goes bad? If there comes a time you honk your horn but you realize there’s no sound or small sound. This could be the result of a bad clock spring. When turning the steering wheel and you still hold the horn button. If you can hear a pause then replacing the clock spring is the best way you can do it. 

Faulty horn button

The horn button is the electrical part used to activate the horn. In most road vehicles, the horn switch is integrated into the steering wheel of the vehicle for quick and easy access by the driver. So drivers simply press this switch to turn on or turn off the horn. Over time, the horn switch could eventually appear wear and tear signs and the consequence is your horn doesn’t function. 

Wiring problems

Lastly, the reason for a horn sounding weak can come from the wiring system. After checking all of the above parts and finding that they are in good working order. It’s time to check the wiring system. If the wiring is old or loose, it may not be able to guarantee the transmission and power supply to the horn. 

How To Fix When Your Car Horn Sounds Weak?

Repairing different horn sounds that happen in your car is not too complicated if you are an experienced repair person. However, first, you need to find out exactly the cause of the weak sound, then take measures to handle it! We will list some simple ways you can follow it to keep your car horn in a good condition:

Identify the problem of damage to the car horn: Detecting the cause of the car horn making a weak sound will help you give the most accurate repair direction.

Check the fuse box

Step 1: First, you need to locate the fuse box, you can read the manual to know the exact position of your fuse box. Look at the diagram of the back of the fuse box and find the fuse number that corresponds to the horn.

Step 2: Disassemble the fuse: The fact that the car horn does not make a loud sound is most likely because the fuse has been broken or damaged. Remove it with sharp beak pliers or flat beak pliers.’

Step 3: Fuse Test – To check if the fuse has any problem, you need to check the fuse for blown. If the internal wire is broken, the fuse has blown and needs to be replaced.

Step 4: Install a new fuse – If you find a fuse damaged, install a new fuse of the same amperage. To do this, simply push the fuse back into its correct slot. You remove the old fuse, install the new one, and then try to honk the horn again. After replacing the fuse, check if the airbag indicator light appears. If you are unsure of your ability to repair, it is best to take your vehicle to a service facility.

Inspect a horn relay

If the fuse checks well, the next thing you’ll want to do is check the horn relay. The relay location will be listed in the owner’s manual. Generally, it will be found in the basic fuse box.

The easiest way to check that the relay is working properly is to swap the horn relay with another identical one on the vehicle. Often, the same relay design will be used on several different circuits, allowing for the swapping of relays in cars. If the buzzer operates with a replacement relay installed, this indicates a problem with the horn relay and needs to be replaced.

Don’t forget to check the horn switch

If there is no power at the horn switch, it will not respond when the button is pressed. The horn switch is a part of the steering wheel. In modern vehicles, this means it is part of the airbag system. Improper impact on the airbag system may result in accidental deployment of the airbag and/or damage to the airbag system. So, if you suspect the horn switch is faulty, you should have it repaired by a professional.

Check Wiring – If everything has checked up to this point, but the horn still doesn’t work, you’ll need to have the wiring checked. Inspect the circuit and source grounding for current and voltage.

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How To Tune The Car Horn Sound?

If when using a car horn, the user feels that the loudness of the sound when emitted is still not appropriate, it can be easily adjusted at home. The sound of the horn depends mainly on the frequency and amplitude of the horn diaphragm. These two factors usually change if the clearance distance between the two contacts is changed. In addition, the tension of the leaf spring and the gap between the steel core and the steel frame is also a cause affecting the ability to open and close the contacts. Therefore, when users want to change the car horn sound. They need to adjust the adjustment screw to be able to affect the two factors mentioned above.

Closing thoughts: Why My Car Horn Sounds Weak.

If the horn makes a weak sound, it will cause the driver to encounter many problems as well as cause unsafety when participating in traffic. Therefore, as soon as you notice that the car horn is no longer working properly or is in danger of being damaged. You should learn how to identify the reasons and repair them immediately. You can avoid this problem by cleaning or scraping the oxidized part of the horn mount for better cooling or connecting a piece of cool wire to the car horn system.