Driving an old car usually comes with some quirks. A common issue I’ve run into when piloting some of my more vintage wheels in the past is turn signal failure, when one or more of the bulbs for the indicators and hazard lights burn out.
It’s easy to tell when this happens. If a turn signal was malfunctioning on one of my old BMWs, for example, a phenomenon called “hyperblink” would occur. Whenever I’d flip the turn signal switch one way or the other, the turn signal indicator on the dash would flash about twice as quickly as normally, notifying the driver of an issue.
Hyperblink is a built-in feature that’s mandated by U.S. safety standards. It could also happen if you swap your standard bulbs for LEDs, because the difference in power draw might confuse the system. Either way, if hyperblink occurs when you flip a turn signal, something’s wrong.
Chevy has issued a recall that reportedly includes a stop-sale for nearly 33,000 2025 and 2026 Corvettes because of a software error that prevents the car from detecting a turn signal fault. This means the cars no longer conform to U.S. safety standards, since they’d create a dangerous situation if a turn signal light failed without the owner knowing.
Thems The Rules
Before getting into the recall, here is the exact language on turn signal failure notification from Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No. 108, the section that refers to stuff like lamps, lights, and reflective trim:
S9.3.6 Turn signal lamp failure: Failure of one or more turn signal lamps such that the minimum photometric performance specified in Tables VI or VII is not being met must be indicated by the turn signal pilot indicator by a “steady on”, “steady off”, or by a significant change in the flashing rate.
Basically, if a turn signal light stops working to the government’s minimum standards, the car has to relay that failure to the driver in one of three different ways: With the blinker light staying on, the blinker light staying off, or the blinker light working at a different speed than normal (hyperblinking, for example).
No Blinker For You
Thanks to a software bug, there are currently 32,988 Corvettes in the world that don’t have this function right now. The recall encompasses Corvettes from the 2025 and 2026 model years, and includes the base Stingray trim, the E-Ray hybrid, and the ZR1X (neither the Z06 nor the normal ZR1 is included, per the recall doc).
GM found the problem while testing for the 2027 model-year Corvette, per the recall announcement. The problem surfaced thanks to a change made by a supplier, not by Chevy:
In October 2024, the rear-lamp assembly supplier made a software change to assist technicians performing a tire pressure monitor system (TPMS) learn process. The change inadvertently prevented the exterior lighting control module from detecting a failed rear turn signal in certain circumstances.
This is, of course, pretty dangerous. If a turn signal stops working, and the driver doesn’t know it, it could make for a sketchy situation when the car is turning. I don’t know how many times someone has abruptly turned in front of me without using their signal, only to be nearly struck.
This issue is serious enough that Chevy issued a stop-sale for affected cars, according to Corvette Blogger.
An Easy Fix
Thankfully, this issue won’t result in a bunch of expensive, time-consuming repairs for Chevrolet. According to GM’s official recall website, the fix will be purely software-based. Corvette owners who have opted in to wireless over-the-air (OTA) software updates can have their recall completed without having to bring their car into the dealership. Those who prefer to do things the old-fashioned way will have to make an appointment at their local Chevy service center.
The recall is already available for current Corvette owners, and updates to the production line happened in early February, which means if you haven’t taken delivery yet, you won’t be affected, as your car will already have the new software.
In the meantime, I suggest that everyone who happens to get behind a Corvette in traffic be extra careful about their next moves, since there’s a small chance they won’t be able to communicate them to you.
Top graphic image: Chevrolet
Jason says that if there’s no amber in the lights they deserve to die anyway.
Thought this might be like the recall on the GR86/BRZ where, if the sun hits the tail lights at just the right, low angle, the blinker can hyperflash. Fix is to replace the entire units. I still have to get that done, but they won’t just hand me the new units for me to do it and I’d rather not spend half a day at the dealership for a 10 minute job and have the one guy who says he can drive a manual do something stupid with it. So much about new cars seem like they come from a ’90s parody set in a dystopian tech future. Back then, we would have thought it too ridiculous to be that funny. If only they could have seen what would happen with governments!—they’ve gone well beyond even more recent parody.
I haven’t been behind almost any, simce they are probably bubble wrapped in a garage
You’d think that a simple message saying “hey stupid, your turn signal bulb is out” on the inevitable giant display would be acceptable too. My BMWs can do that and they don’t even have giant display screens.
BMWs need the function to say “hey stupid, use your signal”
You know this really hasn’t been a thing for decades, right?
I never really noticed this meme applying to BMW drivers more than the average brand. If anything, that seems to be a thing with Teslas and Audis.
Exactly. I would say the worst offenders had been Infinitis until the rise of Tesla-Bro. They DEFINITELY get the prize, probably not helped by some of them having stupid controls for the turn signals.
But for sure in the ’80s, all the Yuppies driving 3-series were definitely allergic to using them.
still on brand in PA
This all could have been prevented by changing out the blinker fluid from winter to summer
So you’re telling me that there are Corvette drivers that actually use the turn signals???
Did I read that right? A change in software relating to the tyre pressure monitoring system broke the turn signal malfunction warning signal system? I preferred the old days with manual dipsticks for the blinker fluid.
This was a built in unintended consquence/feature of the old (now obsolete) flasher relays. If your turn signal started stuttering, look for the bad bulb. This was a pure electro/mechanical response by the thermal! relay to the load loss caused by a burned out bulb.
Those bimetallic strips made a wonderful sound.
Sploing!
Sploing!
Sploing!
Bingo, the click was the relay firing!! I just kept a spare one in the glovebox. Is a computer handling this really better???
BMWs haven’t complied with U.S. safety standards for decades.
I see Torch must’ve lent Brian his all-connected ’57 Borgward Isabella taillight signal beacon that hyper-flashes every time there’s an automotive exterior lighting recall.
Going for the low hanging fruit, but this must be a BMW drivers dream. Not knowing your signal is working doesn’t matter when you don’t use it anyways!
In 2026, why do we still not have a clear and difficult to ignore alarm that goes off when you’ve got a taillight or headlamp out to notify and discourage drivers from continuing on like they can just use their highbeams instead?
If you can’t tell your headlamp is out without an alarm, you just should not be driving.
True. But still doesn’t cover rear lighting. And yeah, how utterly absurd all this regulation around turn signals and brake lights get a pass.
Completely agree on the taillights/brake lights. I’d argue brake lights are more important than turn signals. BMW drivers agree with me.
It’s the difficult to ignore part that needs to be included.
My 2009 Mercedes has a notification which pops up on the message display telling me exactly which lamp is out.
I used to burn thru driver’s side headlamps and taillamps regularly (Of course I would swap both)
…then I moved out of CA – and realized I had been burning them out prematurely due to my propensity to ride the rumble-strips and Botts dots.
Cadillac used to offer fiber-optic lamp montors! What bothers me more are drivers unaware enough to drive at night and not know their lamps are off. Blame dashes lit like Christmas trees at all hours of the day. Blame always on DRL’s. In the old times, most of use were aware enough to pull the lamp switch when we could no longer see the instruments.
C’mon, those that are using their high beams know what they are doing. Sad thing is that no one can tell any difference since we’re all driving blind at night from the ‘low’ beams installed in new cars.
Jeebus…. how else are you supposed to indicate to other drivers that your expensive C8 is about to enter into an uncontrolled spin at speed?
This is veering into Torch territory but the taillights & turn signals that always bugged me are on Minis. They look like the Union Jack… but the right side looks like a left arrow; the left side looks like a right arrow.
He wrote about it at the old site Congratulations, Mini, You Made The Stupidest Turn Signals Ever
It’s almost like nobody learned from Edsel Wagons….
Obviously this doesn’t apply to BMW!
Brian is trying hard. This sounds like a Torch article seeing that he is the resident expert on all things taillight.
Did this affect Leno’s Corvette?
“I don’t know how many times someone has abruptly turned in front of me without using their signal, only to be nearly struck.”
Did their brake lights not work? Were you really following so closely that it was difficult to avoid hitting them? If so, I doubt that a turn signal would have made a difference. If they were turning across traffic in front of you, shame on them. They should have waited for an appropriate opening.
Yes, turn signals are important and I use mine even in parking lots, but lack of a turn signal doesn’t cause a crash if people are paying attention and giving appropriate space.
Ask Tiger Woods!!!
It does if they are randomly doing something that I say to my wife in the car as a warning – “engage fancy driving” – without a similar warning to the cars around them.
Driving tractors on the road, I can tell you that hardly anyone understands hand signals, and knows the difference between left turn and you’re clear to pass.
(Clue, there is no clear to pass signal)
Yeah, I know hand signals from bicycling as a kid. I also live in a rural area and when I get behind a tractor, I just back off enough to see around and either wait for a clear passing zone, or wait for it to turn off or pull off. If they don’t, it just takes a little longer to get where I’m going, and that’s OK too.
How long has this been a regulation? I remember hyperblinking from back when I first started driving in the 80’s.
It seems like it must’ve started as a natural consequence when it was all incandescent bulbs. With the burned out bulb no longer drawing power the mechanical flasher unit would cycle faster.
IIRC, if you bought the wrong kind of bulb you could also trigger the same; your signals would work, but just at hyper speed.
Yeah I always assumed it was a “happy accident” rather than an intentional design. Problem was/is I don’t think most drivers understood it and just thought their car was messed up. I’m sure service departments loved it.
We had it on Mom’s 72 Mercury Monterey – so it’s been a thing for a long, long time.
Dunno when it became a regulation per se but the hyperflashing or rapid blinking has been around pretty much ever since flashing turn signal lights first came out due to the nature of the relays used in the thermal flasher units. I first started driving in 1980 with cars from the 60s and 70s which all had that feature; my driver’s ed manual was old, from the early 70s, and it actually specifically cites the regulation. The older ones I’ve come across from the 50s and 60s mention the feature though I do not recall whether they specified it as a requirement.
Sort of redefining a bug as a feature.
Thankfully , they didn’t decide to have a regulation that warned other drivers that you’d pressed the accelerator too quickly, and were losing power by having a big explosion from the front of the car.
I apparently never had a blinker fail. This is the first I’ve heard of it and I’m 71.
Well, obviously you’ve done a good job of maintaining your blinker fluid levels.
Once a month!