Chrysler Repair: Headlight not going off, Pacifica

Question
I have a 2004 Chrysler pacifica that all of a sudden the auto headlights stopped working. Every other light works but when I turn off the headlights sometimes they do not go off and I just turn them back a notch and then to off and they go off. I do not know if it could be the switch or what. Every other light works manually. No problems except for the auto not working and them not going off when I first turn the headlights off. I have to turn it back on and then off. Thank you.

Answer
Hi Trudy,
I assume that you have turned off the ignition switch before you turn off the auto headlamp choice, otherwise the headlamps will remain on if the exterior ambient light level is low. If the ignition is off and the headlamps don't shut off, then I suspect that there is some dirt inside the headlamp control switch that has caused an increase in the measured resistance of the contacts when the switch is in the off position. The switches 'choices' are not "hard" wired, but rather are communicated to the body control module via a series of different internal resistances that are detected by the module, so if some dirt gets on the "off" contact the body module may misread your choice. You could buy a spray can of
"electronic contact cleaner" at an electronics supply store and spray it gently into the interior of the headlamp switch mechanism in order to clean up all the interior switch contact points to see if that might correct the problem. Look for any cracks/seams related to the headlamp control knob as the places to try a gentle spraying.
Please read the PS below and respond to it.
Thanks,
Roland