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2002 Ford Explorer door ajar and alarm problem.

Tlh0121

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Year, Model & Trim Level
2002 Ford Explorer
I have a 2002 Ford Explorer, the Eddie Bauer edition, and for about the last year or so I've been having issues with the door ajar light and alarm. I first noticed the problem when suddenly at night the alarm would start going off by itself. At first it was happening not so often, and then it was a garuantee my alarm would go off that night multiple times. I read about this issue and some said if they left their doors unlocked, their alarm wouldn't go off, that solved that problem, though I hate leaving my doors unlocked. Then my door ajar light starting going on and off from time to time while I was driving, my interior lights would flicker on and off, and my door would lock or unlock by themselves. This problem at first was here and there but now my door ajar light won't go out, I turned my interior lights off, but at times the locks start going crazy and the door beeps out of control for long periods of time. I noticed the doors locking on there own will I'm driving and the beeping happens more oftenly when I run in the store for two minutes and lock my doors so I don't have to take my purse or phone in. If I go days without locking it at all, the beeping and locking doesn't happen as much. The radio which is supposed to stay until a door is opened would stay on when I opened the drivers door, it wouldn't shut off until a passenger opened their door. Is this a sign that the problem must be the drivers door. I also realized today my truck can no longer be locked from the keyless entry keypad, I am guessing this is due to it thinking a door is open? I just want the problem fixed, it's quite annoying when you doors start locking and beeping out of control for long periods of time.
 



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Try spraying a lubricant such as wd 40 into the door where the striker on the post goes into. There are swtches in there which get stuck, or gummed up. Do this on all four doors. Should fix the problem.
 






There is also a sticky on this problem. You might have a broken wire in your door. It is fairly easy to fix. Don't bring it to a dealer you can do it. If you don't have a wire repair kit pick one up at your car pa store or harbor freight there less than 20 bucks. The dealer charges over 100 dollars just to diagnosed the problem. Quick tip read the stickies at the top of the forum which specifies the year of your vehicle. Some people are not to found on posters asking the same question that's been answered dozens of times. Good luck.
 






WD-40 actually isn't really a lubricant. Usually it washes most of the oil out of something. So use a real lubricant like the liquid wrench stuff or 3in1 oil or something.
 






Had the same problem.

I had the same problem on my '03. The door latch mechanism presses on a button on the lock actuator/lock monitor. What happens is that button gets gummed up and stays stuck in. You can spray all you want into the latch area but you will probably not hit what you need to. Take the latch/lock assembly out of the door and see if you can free the button on the lock monitor unit, if not you will have to replace that unit. I have replaced mine on both front doors and there is a new revision of the part from the original, never had a problem since replacing.
 






I had similar electrical issues with my 02 xlt. The dome lights would stay on until the battery saver feature turned them off, the accessory delay wasn't working, the driver side puddle light didn't work, the keypad on the door would set off the alarm when I pressed it, the door ajar light would flash and beep at highway speeds, the radio would shut off as soon as I turned the key off, the delayed accessories didn't work, etc. Most recently all 4 windows stopped working.

A lot of electrical issues can be traced back to broken/damaged wire(s) in the boot between the body and the driver's door. I found 2 broken wires and repaired them. The thin black ground wire was broken and after repairing it all was back to normal. When the windows stopped working, I repaired the thick black ground wire and the windows now work like a champ.

Here is the thread for removing the door panel: http://www.explorerforum.com/forums//showthread.php?t=303524

Here is a great thread for checking for broken/damaged wires, thanks to synyster for this awesome write-up: http://www.explorerforum.com/forums//showthread.php?t=270081

Be sure to take your time when looking for broken/damaged wire(s). Check all the wires for breaks/damage. When you think you're done looking, look again, and again, and again. A bright flashlight can be very helpful.

Could also be related to the door ajar switch.

Here is a great thread for checking/replacing the door ajar switch, thanks to borland for the awesome write-up: http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=249253

That is a great write up.

On a side note, before going through a complete replacement of the switch, you can spray WD40 into the door latch opening on each door, as these become stuck sometimes....and this can alleviate the issue.

This worked for me, after going for more than a year of the "door ajar" light coming on occasionally...mainly after a car wash, high humidity, or rain....making me unable to lock/arm the vehicle from the door keypad and keeping the dome lights on. Worth a try....it worked for me :thumbsup:

Hope this helps out! :D:thumbsup:
 






I have had the exact same problem with mine, usually just the random alarm. it got so bad i had to disconnect the battery since I didnt want to leave it unlocked. I am pretty sure it is the bad door ajar sensor, because it comes and goes a broken wire isnt gonna do that. It also only happened when it was very cold out or had just snowed, i am assuming that the combination of cold and water got into the door everytime and froze the senor up causing it to stay in the open position or what ever. At some point this summer ill figure out which door it is and buy the new sensor, just not looking forward to removing the door panel.
 






I have had the exact same problem with mine, usually just the random alarm. it got so bad i had to disconnect the battery since I didnt want to leave it unlocked. I am pretty sure it is the bad door ajar sensor, because it comes and goes a broken wire isnt gonna do that. It also only happened when it was very cold out or had just snowed, i am assuming that the combination of cold and water got into the door everytime and froze the senor up causing it to stay in the open position or what ever. At some point this summer ill figure out which door it is and buy the new sensor, just not looking forward to removing the door panel.

Removing the door panel is easy. Check out the link in my signature. I recommend checking for broken/damaged wires while you are in there. Check my previous posts in this thread for info on this.

Good luck, and be sure to keep us posted. :biggthump
 






I have a smilar problem on my 03 Limited. Door ajar light stays on, puddle light and dome light don't go out like they're suposed to and the radio doesn't stay on until you open the door. However since I'm currently in afghanistan my wife has been the one checking things. She tried the WD-40 trick to no avail. I have to pull the door panels for new mirrors anyways, so I figure I'll probably just replace the front driver door ajar switch while I'm in there. Unfortunately I won't be able to do this until I come home on R&R in May. I'll update progress when done.
 






Does anyone know where the door sensor are located so I my check each one to see if they are the problem of why my door ajar light keeps coming on.
 






Does anyone know where the door sensor are located so I my check each one to see if they are the problem of why my door ajar light keeps coming on.

Welcome aboard!! :salute:

I had similar electrical issues with my '02 XLT. The dome lights would stay on until the battery saver feature turned them off, the accessory delay wasn't working, the driver side puddle light didn't work, the keypad on the door would set off the alarm when I pressed it, the door ajar light would flash and beep at highway speeds, the radio would shut off as soon as I turned the key off, the alarm would beep twice when I armed it. Recently all 4 windows stopped working. Most recently the driver door lock actuator stopped working.

A lot of electrical issues can be traced back to broken/damaged wire(s) in the boot between the body and the driver's door. I found 3 broken wires and repaired them. The thin black ground wire was broken and after repairing it all was back to normal. When the windows stopped working, I repaired the thick black ground wire and the windows now work like a champ. I had to repair the pink/black wire to fix the driver door lock actuator.

Here is the thread for removing the door panel: http://www.explorerforum.com/forums//showthread.php?t=303524

Here is a great thread for checking for broken/damaged wires, thanks to synyster for this awesome write-up: http://www.explorerforum.com/forums//showthread.php?t=270081

Be sure to take your time when looking for broken/damaged wire(s). Check all the wires for breaks/damage. When you think you're done looking, look again, and again, and again. A bright flashlight can be very helpful.

Could also be related to the door ajar switch.

Here is a great thread for checking/replacing the door ajar switch, thanks to borland for the awesome write-up: http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=249253

That is a great write up.

On a side note, before going through a complete replacement of the switch, you can spray WD40 into the door latch opening on each door, as these become stuck sometimes....and this can alleviate the issue.

This worked for me, after going for more than a year of the "door ajar" light coming on occasionally...mainly after a car wash, high humidity, or rain....making me unable to lock/arm the vehicle from the door keypad and keeping the dome lights on. Worth a try....it worked for me :thumbsup:

Good Luck with the fix!! :biggthump

Please keep us posted as feedback helps others reading this post looking for a fix to the same or similar issue!
 






If its just your alarm going off its highly likely its the door ajar switches and not wire issues. I have replaced both door ajar switches and have been good since.

The threads Rondo posted have good pics to show where the switches are, bottom of the latch assembly is the best description.
 






Alarm/door ajar issues

I had similar electrical issues with my 02 xlt. The dome lights would stay on until the battery saver feature turned them off, the accessory delay wasn't working, the driver side puddle light didn't work, the keypad on the door would set off the alarm when I pressed it, the door ajar light would flash and beep at highway speeds, the radio would shut off as soon as I turned the key off, the delayed accessories didn't work, etc. Most recently all 4 windows stopped working.

A lot of electrical issues can be traced back to broken/damaged wire(s) in the boot between the body and the driver's door. I found 2 broken wires and repaired them. The thin black ground wire was broken and after repairing it all was back to normal. When the windows stopped working, I repaired the thick black ground wire and the windows now work like a champ.

Here is the thread for removing the door panel: http://www.explorerforum.com/forums//showthread.php?t=303524

Here is a great thread for checking for broken/damaged wires, thanks to synyster for this awesome write-up: http://www.explorerforum.com/forums//showthread.php?t=270081

Be sure to take your time when looking for broken/damaged wire(s). Check all the wires for breaks/damage. When you think you're done looking, look again, and again, and again. A bright flashlight can be very helpful.

Could also be related to the door ajar switch.

Here is a great thread for checking/replacing the door ajar switch, thanks to borland for the awesome write-up: http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=249253



Hope this helps out! :D:thumbsup:
 






Door Ajar Alarm, Radio Stays on, and Locks

The lubricant is generally not going to work. The problem was the drivers door switch. That's why the radio does not turn off on exit. Mine was fixed by removing door panel and disconnecting the door ajar switch, and then bypassing door ajar switch. Careful to get the door ajar switch and not the lock actuator. Also, need small hands to reach it. I had to remove door latch to reach plug. I got everything back together and the insanity stopped. Thanks to all who posted!
 






I have the same door ajar problem and read a post trying to explain how to trouble shoot which door is the culprit. Can someone please provide a more detail explanation on how to identify which door actuator, or broken wire is causing my grief? Thanks
 






Generally it will be the drivers door, that is the door used most. If your alarm is not continually beeping, you can test by opening each door individually. You should get the normal door ajar beep and then return to normal when you shut door. Remove driver door panel and use a wire to bypass door ajar switch. If it is not that switch, work your way through other doors. Don't create a permanant fix until you find the switch that is the problem. If you bypass the drivers door switch, you will lose some functions. Auto radio shut off, Head light alarm. Just be aware of these issues.
 






I also had problems with the door ajar light on, no windows would work, the running lights quit and had to turn them on manually, the radio would not shut off. I found that the skinny little black wire was the only wire that was broke inside the door harness. I also had sticking door switches that made things cmplicated. The WD45 was sprayed into all the locks on all the doors and tailgate. Everything worked fine for a while and then the same problems resurfaced. No more broken wires were found. Soooooooooo, my kid suggestted to disconnect the ground wire off the battery, wait awhile a reconnect back to the negative terminal. Knowing full well that the clock would have to be reset. (big deal). Presto. Everything was back to normal. This happened three times before all those problems ceased. It had me scratching my head as to why all these features now work, other than it had reset the computer, if this was the case.
 






If its just your alarm going off its highly likely its the door ajar switches and not wire issues. I have replaced both door ajar switches and have been good since.

The threads Rondo posted have good pics to show where the switches are, bottom of the latch assembly is the best description.

Mine (daughters truck) is doing this now. When I had it, the alarm would go off randomly, mostly on cold nights. (not very common in Florida) I used the WD40 trick and that worked for about a year and a half. Yesterday her alarm went off 5 times while she was at school, and 4 time at home. Chased all the wires in all the doors down, and they were fine. Was able to narrow it down to the drivers front door ajar switch. But it was too late by that point to be able to buy one since all the parts stores were closed.

I ended up disconnecting the battery last night. Then she had to connect it this morning to drive to school, and disconnect it when she gets there. I'll swap out the part when she gets home from school today.
 






I had the same problem on my '03. The door latch mechanism presses on a button on the lock actuator/lock monitor. What happens is that button gets gummed up and stays stuck in. You can spray all you want into the latch area but you will probably not hit what you need to. Take the latch/lock assembly out of the door and see if you can free the button on the lock monitor unit, if not you will have to replace that unit. I have replaced mine on both front doors and there is a new revision of the part from the original, never had a problem since replacing.

It will hit the switch. I sprayed my latch down last night, but the alarm kept going off, so ended up replacing the switch today. The old switch was pretty well coated with the WD40 I sprayed in there.
 



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