Vibe/Matrix DRL-Auto Light On Off Switch Installation

Well I got my new Pontiac Vibe on Feb 18 2004. One of the first super annoying things I noticed was that I could not turn off the headlights at all. So I went online and read up on how to do it. There are bits and pieces of info out there, but it seems nobody put together any webpage on how to do it. Well here you go. This information applies to 2003/2004 Toyota Matrix and Pontiac Vibe.

1) Unhook the negative terminal of the battery.

2) Crawl under the dash and unscrew the one screw holding the DRL module in place. The DRL module is located just above the brake pedal.

3) Turn the module around so you can get a good look at the wires.

4) Locate the Red/White wire located at Pin 12. (Caution there are two Red/White wires as I could see)

5) Strip about one inch of housing from the Red/White wire.

6) Cut the Red/White wire in the center of where you stripped it.

7) Once this wire is cut, re attach the battery and verify that the DRL and Auto Headlights are disabled. If not re attach the wire, and find the right wire.

8) Unhook the battery again.

9) Run 3 wires from one of the blank buttons on the dash, down to the DRL module. You can remove the storage tray to give better access. The blank plate just pops out. (I put my wires in a flexible plastic tube for protection. Also mark the three wires so you don’t get them mixed up.

10) Attach the wires as shown in the picture below. (The ground wire will be attached to the screw that is holding the DRL module in place, so you don’t need to connect it yet.

11) Mount the switch to the blank plate. This may require the use of a drill or Dremmel tool. Or buy Toyota Switch Part #00550-42966 as shown below.

12) Refer to the instructions for the switch you bought. There should be three prongs, one for Ground, Battery and Load. For my switch they were attached as below.

13) Once you get this hooked up, then hook the battery back up and see if it works. If it doesn’t figure out what you hooked up wrong.

14) Screw the DRL module back in place (attach the ground wire to the screw also) and push the plate into the socket and you should be done. Mine looked like this when I was done.

I’m just waiting on the Toyota Part to come in for an even more professional look.