3rd Row Dome / Cargo Light Stays On

[Bill #5 Explorer]

I can't get mine to turn off.

Needed some extra light in the rear storage area this morning. Dome light NOT on. I press button, and the light turns on. Good. Then, when done, I close the tailgate, and the light stays on. Not good. I press the button again (and a few more times) and the light stays on, won't turn off.

What am I doing wrong?

Thanks.

 

[new to ford]

when my kids leave on the light on the third row, the only way I have found to turn it off it to climb inside, close all doors and then turn it off...

 

[Bill #5 Explorer]

when my kids leave on the light on the third row, the only way I have found to turn it off it to climb inside, close all doors and then turn it off...

Thanks! I'll try that. But I'll have to send one of my kids back there. I'm too BIG.

 

[-andrew-]

when my kids leave on the light on the third row, the only way I have found to turn it off it to climb inside, close all doors and then turn it off...

Just had that happen to me - bloody thing doesn't shut off if the doors are open/interior lights are on, so I had to close myself in just to turn it off. My kids had a really bad habit of leaving the lights on in the back of our last car, so I see this as becoming a problem over time.

 

[RandyH2]

Same thing with the second row light. One of my kids left it on so I reached in and pushed the button, closed the door and waited... and it was still on. Hmmm- must be the other button. Nope. The first one again? Nope. What the heck have I done? Climb in, close the door and wait. Push, push, lights off.

Those switches REALLY need some sort of feedback, tactile or position, to indicate the status of the switch.

 

[Bill #5 Explorer]

the only way I have found to turn it off it to climb inside, close all doors and then turn it off...

That worked. Thanks!

 

[-andrew-]

Same thing with the second row light. One of my kids left it on so I reached in and pushed the button, closed the door and waited... and it was still on. Hmmm- must be the other button. Nope. The first one again? Nope. What the heck have I done? Climb in, close the door and wait. Push, push, lights off.

Those switches REALLY need some sort of feedback, tactile or position, to indicate the status of the switch.

It's not so much the switch, but the circuitry behind the interior lighting in general. I haven't tried yet, but if you leave the lights on inside the car will they remain lit until someone hits the switch or will they "time out" and go off after a period of time (assuming the car is not running)?

 

[RandyH2]

I'm not sure how long it takes for them to time out, but the rest of the interior lights had gone out and the second row (third row too, I imgaine) lights were still on. Would they go off on their own? Beats me.

 

[-andrew-]

I'm going to give it a try today. In a few of my previous cars the map/reading lights would go out automatically on a timer if they were accidentally left on when the car was not running. Our previous family car, a 2008 Odyssey, did not have a timer and on a few occasions the kids left the lights on resulting in a flat battery.

The one thing the Odyssey did have that I miss (and there is really only one or two things that I miss about that thing) was a master interior light switch on the dash. If you turned it off, not only wouldn't the dome lights not come on when you opened the door, but it also killed all the map/reading lights regardless of their individual switches.

BTW, before I crack the owner's manual, is there a way to prevent the dome lights from coming on when you open the doors in the Explorer? There's nothing worse than coming home in the evening with sleeping kids only to have them wake up because of the lights when you open the car door.

 

[Spengracin]

Lets us know, I've seen a similar thread around last of Jul 11

 

[F4iMerlin]

Anyone have an updated fix for this? This just started happening in my Ex as well. If I turn on the interior lights with the dashboard-mounted power button, the lamp will not turn off with either the dash switch or the switch on the lamp itself. I actually removed the assembly this morning before work so there would be no battery drain (albeit small).

 

[JohnnyDop]

Anyone have an updated fix for this? This just started happening in my Ex as well. If I turn on the interior lights with the dashboard-mounted power button, the lamp will not turn off with either the dash switch or the switch on the lamp itself. I actually removed the assembly this morning before work so there would be no battery drain (albeit small).

Just so i understand correctly.

If you're driving at night and someone in the back asks you to turn on the dome lights you wont be able to turn them off using the same switch/button you used to turn them on?

 

[F4iMerlin]

This light comes on when the doors open, then will not turn off no matter what I do. I have to physically unplug it. All other overhead lighting works fine and auto dims and turns off when the car is locked or doors or closed.

When I plug it back in, I can turn it on and off again using the button on the light itself, but it no longer responds to the doors being open/closed unless I lock all the doors and then unlock. At that point it will only come back on once, and stay on again with no way to turn it off.

Since the light is LED on an integrated circuit I was wondering if I had to hold the button down when plugging it back in or something of the sort. It is pretty frustrating to have to keep climbing back there to remove the assembly just to turn the light off.

Thanks for any suggestions.

 

[Bohunk]

3 row light assembly

How did you remove the assembly?

 

[JohnnyDop]

This light comes on when the doors open, then will not turn off no matter what I do. I have to physically unplug it. All other overhead lighting works fine and auto dims and turns off when the car is locked or doors or closed.

When I plug it back in, I can turn it on and off again using the button on the light itself, but it no longer responds to the doors being open/closed unless I lock all the doors and then unlock. At that point it will only come back on once, and stay on again with no way to turn it off.

Since the light is LED on an integrated circuit I was wondering if I had to hold the button down when plugging it back in or something of the sort. It is pretty frustrating to have to keep climbing back there to remove the assembly just to turn the light off.

Thanks for any suggestions.

Some sort of reset is probably needed. Makes no sense that you wouldnt be able to turn it off from the dashboard switch and even worse, from the switch on the light itself.

Its these simple issues that scare me more then the MFT issues.

 

[F4iMerlin]

How did you remove the assembly?

It snaps into place with a spring retainer at the forward-most edge. If you pry (just pull down) from the front edge of the map light, it will pop right out.

Bump for anyone who might have any ideas. I haven't had a chance to get to the dealer yet, but I tried this morning to plug the light back in and noticed the following:

-When I plug the light in, it turns on/off with door open/close and with the power buttons like it is supposed to. After about a mile or so of driving however, with all doors closed, the light just came on by itself. No other lights came on, and I was again unable to turn this one off with any method. I had to unplug it again.

Still pretty frustrating.

 

[reginijr]

Holy crap same problem!!!!!!

 

[Spengracin]

Well removed most of the new LEDs I installed, this past fall, the third row light kept staying on, too much of a pain. Hope someone comes up with a fix soon. Back to stock bulbs.

 

[Sgt1411]

Looks like the Explorer will be all LED interior lighting now.

http://www.dailytech.com/Fords+New+...andescent+Bulbs+Goes+All+LED/article24080.htm

 

[VinceL]

Looks like the Explorer will be all LED interior lighting now.

http://www.dailytech.com/Fords+New+...andescent+Bulbs+Goes+All+LED/article24080.htm

When you say "now" any idea as to when that will be?

The Ex introduced the color, but I am curious to know when it will have the capability of color shifting all of the lighting, not just ambient. That would be cool.