Fan Still Running When Car Is Off (Why And What To Do?)

You might be parking your vehicle, and then you turn off the engine and start to walk away, but you notice that your engine cooling fan is still running even if your vehicle has been turned off. There might be some other vehicles who do this usually. It is okay for the engine cooling fan to keep on running for just a few minutes before it will turn off.

Your vehicle fan might run for a few minutes after you have turned off the engine. This might be normal for some vehicles but not all vehicles. A vehicle is composed of many components.

Each component has different functions and has different operations in a vehicle. That being said, it is essential to take care of each of the components to not malfunction. There are a lot of moments where you’ll take care of all the components, but there are just times where they will malfunction, so now, we will focus on the vehicle’s fan.

There are times when the vehicle fan will not stop running even if you have turned off your vehicle. With that, people are curious about why their fan is still running even if their vehicle is turned off. So we will be talking about that. Let us get started.

Table of Contents

Why Is The Fan Still Running When The Car Is Off?

The coolant is circulating and flowing into the radiator if the engine is running. This is where the heat is dissipated. If the engine is cooled down or turned off, the coolant will not circulate.

As a result, the heat will stay trapped and prolong the engine from cooling. A running cooling fan will help cool down in the engine even after you turn off your vehicle. And if your cooling fan runs over ten minutes after you have turned off your engine, you might have a problem that needs to be repaired.

So there are some of the reasons why your car fan will stay on even after turning off the engine. It can be because of a low coolant level, a faulty coolant temperature sensor, a defective PCM or ECU, a leak on coolant from the water pump, a cracked radiator, a worn upper hoses, and lower radiator hoses, a leaky heater core, a leaky thermostat housing, a rusted coolant bypass pipe, a bad radiator fan relay, or a short in the electrical wires and many more.

Is It A Problem When The Fan Is Still Running When The Car Is Off?

You can be concerned if this happens because the amount of time that it takes to turn can drain your car’s battery, and you might have to jumpstart your vehicle. It might be typical to some vehicles because they have their car fan running for a few minutes just after the engine is shut off.

But if your fan is running for an extended period, the fan itself can become damaged because of the overuse; the fans are made to only cycle on and off if needed. So running the fan continuously can shorten the lifespan.

What To Do When The Fan Stays On After The Car Is Off?

Most of the electric fans in modern cars have modules, and these modules will tell them when to run on and off. However, you might have a module or relay failing in your vehicle. You can have a mechanic inspect the electrical portion of your cooling system so that you can make sure that it will run smoothly.

Frequently Asked Questions

The frequently asked questions about car fans still running even if the vehicle is already turned off.

Fan Still Running When A Car Is Off In Ford Focus

Many vehicles will run the cooling fans after it has shut down if the engine coolant temperature is just above a preset limit. This is a normal thing to prevent the damage caused by hot spots. Your vehicle might have two fans or a 2 stage fan.

Fan Still Running When A Car Is Off In Chevy Malibu

It turns on if the powertrain control module will receive a signal that the engine’s temperature or the air conditioning will warrant an extra flow of air. If the cooling fan relay is damaged or faulty, the cooling fan will continue to run unnecessarily even if the ignition is off and even if the engine is cold.

Fan Still Running When A Car Is Off In VW Golf

Most of the electric fans in modern cars have modules for your VW Golf, and these modules will tell them when to run on and off. However, you might have a module or relay failing in your vehicle.

You can have a mechanic inspect the electrical portion of your cooling system so that you can make sure that it will run smoothly. Visit a technician also to be safe.

Fan Still Running When A Car Is Off In Mini Cooper

Many vehicles will run the cooling fans after it has shut down if the engine coolant temperature is just above a preset limit. This is a normal thing to prevent the damage caused by hot spots.

Your vehicle might have two fans or a 2 stage fan. Consult an expert to know the problem.

Fan Still Running When A Car Is Off In Chevy Cruze

Fan Still Running When A Is Off In Audi

Fan Still Running When A Is Off In Mercedes

If the fan of your Mercedes is still running, it turns on if the powertrain control module will receive a signal that the temperature of the engine or the air conditioning will warrant an extra flow of air. However, if the cooling fan relay is damaged or faulty, the cooling fan will continue to run unnecessarily even if the ignition is off.

Summary

In summary, many people have experienced that their fan is still running even after they have turned off their vehicle. This is normal for some vehicles but can be a problem for some cars.

To know and specify the actual problem, you can consult a mechanic. There are plenty of reasons why this happens.

Also Read:

Resources

Image credits – Canva