I keep my lights on Automatic all the time, never had a problem.
Today I got home from work and it was getting dark so my headlights were on the whole drive, fine. I got home parked my car in the garage. I went to the garage about an hour later and I notice my taillights are on, I go around front and my AEs are on, but not the headlights. So I check the switch, thinking I had hit the switch with my knee or something (odd, but hey, I'm tall so it isn't unheard of). Nope, switch is still in "auto" mode. I turn the lights off manually on the switch and check, they are still on. I turn the car on and switch the lights to auto again, then I turn the car off and the lights are off.
I have no idea why they stayed on, it's not the battery - it's new I got it less than a year ago. Anyone else ever have this problem?

 

I think there was a member with this problem recently. Personally have never encountered it. Are you sure you didn't hit the turn signal stalk that does light up the appropriate side's parking light?

 

No Simon, both parking lights and taillights were on. I don't recall if I hit the turn signal.

 

I've only seen it once and it was my driver's side tail. I just switched it to off and it went away. This was before I replaced the original battery.

 

There is a relay/timer switch that might be faulty. I don't remember the exact location I need to look in my bently! I will look for it tomorrow!

 

I've had this problem before. I'm not quite sure why it happened but it was corrected when I turned the car on and off.

 

both sides (ie driver and passenger) were on? because if you hit the indicator stalk on your way out of the car, you would have turned on either the L or the R, but not both. they do stay on until you turn the lights back on/off or hit the indicator stalk again.

 

Yup, both AE's and both taillights were on. Once I restarted the car and turned it off again, they went off and stayed off. It is weird. Hasn't happened since, and never happened before, even when the battery WAS bad.

 

Somethin' similar happened to my friend, try this ... maybe it's similar to what happened to us...

With the light in auto start the engine get out close the driver door and go around then shut the engine off and take the key out from the passenger side.
In our case the dash, front AE & tail lights stayed on until I re-open the driver door.

Not sure if its a future or what and we didn't want to find out how long it stayed just worry it'll eat the battery

 

the auto lights do that until you open the driver door, but there is a timeout on it, i think it's 60 seconds.