Problem with dashboard on a 2004 picasso

[FurryCurrySauce]

Hello everyone,
I'm having a problem with my 2004 Picasso, basically the dashboard comes on even when the car is not running and the key isn't even in the ignition, look at the picture that I took yesterday morning just as I got in the car. Anyone know how to fix it or at least tell me what's wrong. At first my mechanic said it was the air bag sensor, so we changed it to a new 1, but it didn't change anything. Thanks in advance.

[wheeler]

Any recent changes made to the electrical system or any work done?
Does the car have an aftermarket radio fitted?
Does it go out after a few minutes then illuminate again when the car is unlocked?
Have you tried a BSI reset by disconnecting & reconnecting the battery?

[Hell Razor5543]

It might be worth looking for the SHUNT fuse in the cabin fuse box (it is not actually a fuse), put it into the opposite position for a couple of minutes, and then return it to the normal position (I do not recall what the official terms are). When I had a Xsara Picasso as a company car I had one occasion where the dashboard lit up like a Christmas tree, and I could not do anything about it. As the company had cover I called out the RAC, and when he arrived he did what I suggested, and it cleared the problem (never to return when in my care).

[FurryCurrySauce]

Any recent changes made to the electrical system or any work done?
Does the car have an aftermarket radio fitted?
Does it go out after a few minutes then illuminate again when the car is unlocked?
Have you tried a BSI reset by disconnecting & reconnecting the battery?

The only thing I've done to my car was change the battery about a month to 6 weeks before the problem started. I will try to reset the BSI as soon as.

[FurryCurrySauce]

It might be worth looking for the SHUNT fuse in the cabin fuse box (it is not actually a fuse), put it into the opposite position for a couple of minutes, and then return it to the normal position (I do not recall what the official terms are). When I had a Xsara Picasso as a company car I had one occasion where the dashboard lit up like a Christmas tree, and I could not do anything about it. As the company had cover I called out the RAC, and when he arrived he did what I suggested, and it cleared the problem (never to return when in my care).

I will give this a try as soon as

[FurryCurrySauce]

Hello, well I have tryed both of the above and nothing has changed, unplugging the battery did work for a week but just today it started acting up again. Would it be better just to buy a new dashboard and if I do how can I reset the milage on it??.
Thanks for the help so far

[wheeler]

There may be something else causing the dash to come on. Can you try disconnecting the battery then un plugging the radio & reconnect the battery. See how that goes, a faulty radio can also cause issues with the dash display.
If you get a used dash display with a lower mileage than yours then the higher mileage from your car will be saved to it, if you get one with a higher milage then yours then your car will (permanently) inherit the higher mileage unless you get a specialist to reset it.

[FurryCurrySauce]

I'll give this a go, but I normally never use the radio, the problems seems very intermittent as well, it doesn't happen all the time.

[Paul-R]

You didn't answer about whether the radio is the original one.

[wheeler]

Makes no difference whether you use the radio or not, its always communicating with the display. Assuming its an original radio of course.
And yes you have not confirmed if its an original or aftermarket radio?

[FurryCurrySauce]

Sorry, its an original radio

[wheeler]

I’ll give you 2 examples i have had with the xsara picassos that i have seen believe it or not on numerous occasions.
Children posting coins into the CD player slot, i have seen this on quite a few occasions, nearly every time there there was no actual issues with the radio, just random issues with the instrument panel like the speedo showing dashes instead of a speed. Amazingly usually the radio is working normally but when you remove it & shake it sounds like a piggy bank.
The other one is those little liquid filled air fresheners that you clip onto the air vents, ive had these leaking into the radios causing instrument panel issues even though radio working correctly.
The instrument panel & radio have a master/slave connection so a fault with one can affect the other, disconnecting it should rule this out.

[FurryCurrySauce]

I’ll give you 2 examples i have had with the xsara picassos that i have seen believe it or not on numerous occasions.
Children posting coins into the CD player slot, i have seen this on quite a few occasions, nearly every time there there was no actual issues with the radio, just random issues with the instrument panel like the speedo showing dashes instead of a speed. Amazingly usually the radio is working normally but when you remove it & shake it sounds like a piggy bank.
The other one is those little liquid filled air fresheners that you clip onto the air vents, ive had these leaking into the radios causing instrument panel issues even though radio working correctly.
The instrument panel & radio have a master/slave connection so a fault with one can affect the other, disconnecting it should rule this out.

Hello, unfortunately this didn't work, it's exactly the same problem, I have disconnected the battery and the radio then reconnected the battery and I've even disconnected and reconnected the dash board while the battery was disconnected.

[Paul-R]

The only thing I've done to my car was change the battery about a month to 6 weeks before the problem started.

What battery exactly did you fit?

[FurryCurrySauce]

The only thing I've done to my car was change the battery about a month to 6 weeks before the problem started.

What battery exactly did you fit?

This is the battery I replaced the older battery with, which I think is exactly the same make and model as the old one