"Door Ajar" light on constantly

[projectPONY]

Greeting to all.

What could be causing the "Door Ajar" light to remain on while driving? as all of you with the factory keyless entry system know, that when you lock your doors it takes 2 depressions of the lock button to make the horn blow once. but, if there is a door ajar it will warn you by blowing twice. mine is blowing twice every single time. I've made sure countless of times that nothing is open and it still blows twice. I also noticed this afternoon that the doors are not locking automatically once the vehicle is in motion. what gives?

can anyone enlighten me please.

 

[prerunner02]

The door ajar switches are integrated inside the door latches. One of yours are sticking. You could try to spray alot of lube inside the latches while engaging them with a screwdriver and pulling the handle to disengage. Most of the time this will cure the problem, if not you will have either to replace the defective switch /latch assy., or you have a broken wire in one of the harnesses that run through the door jamb.

 

[projectPONY]

hmm, could that me the reason why the horn blows twice when I lock the doors?

 

[prerunner02]

Yeap, the system thinks a door is still open.

 

[ExploreTHEWorld]

I don't know if this will help but my explorer tends to whine at me for an open door, it seems to be happening cause the locking mechanism dosen't shut the door all the way. I just keep closing it till it shuts off. A can of WD40 seemed to help to.

 

[limit]

you can check and see which door it is by making sure all the doors are closed and one by one open each door and see which door does not allow the inside lights to turn on, I actually just replaced my door ajar sensor today and now it works fine, you can try the wd40 trick but it never worked for me, if your a hands on type of person here is a write up on how to change the sensor, the sensor costed 25 dollar canadian from the dealer. Hope this helps

http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=198230&highlight=door+ajar+sensor

 

[projectPONY]

you can check and see which door it is by making sure all the doors are closed and one by one open each door and see which door does not allow the inside lights to turn on, I actually just replaced my door ajar sensor today and now it works fine, you can try the wd40 trick but it never worked for me, if your a hands on type of person here is a write up on how to change the sensor, the sensor costed 25 dollar canadian from the dealer. Hope this helps

http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=198230&highlight=door+ajar+sensor

thanks for the link. I'll give it a shot. the funny thing is that it can go a few days without giving me a problem. I guess the sensor might be on its way out.

 

[shadowless127]

thanks for the link. I'll give it a shot. the funny thing is that it can go a few days without giving me a problem. I guess the sensor might be on its way out.

I had the similar thing happen a week after I got my 03. Sprayed down the driver door latch with WD 40 and I haven't had to touch it since.

 

[alexk]

Is there a way to find out which sensor is bad without replacing them all. Whenever I switch the dimmer switch on the lights inside automaticall come on unless the engine is on. The second I turn it off they all come on, even if I put the windows down and turn it on standing outside.

 

[degrand2k]

Had door ajar problem forever. Lights would stay on till i started driving, and when i shut off car, they would stay on for 15mins till it timed out. If key is in your ignition, when car is not running, and keeps chiming, the problem is in driver door. I tried wd 40, and did not work. Next, i tried replacing door ajar switch ($30) in door latch assem. Did not work. Next, i tried replacing latch assem in door ($65) and did not work. Than tried shorting out switch, still getting that god dam message. Now, i started following door ajar switch wires, and found broken wire between where door wires go into car body, between door, under rubber protector....I was able to push rubber protecter into car, so i was able to see wires, and found.....repaired wire, and finally works. I have been living with this problem for over a year. I am not a mechnic, and was able to figure out how to get everything apart and put everything back... Let me know if you have any ? and i will try to help.

 

[BigRondo]

Had door ajar problem forever. Lights would stay on till i started driving, and when i shut off car, they would stay on for 15mins till it timed out. If key is in your ignition, when car is not running, and keeps chiming, the problem is in driver door. I tried wd 40, and did not work. Next, i tried replacing door ajar switch ($30) in door latch assem. Did not work. Next, i tried replacing latch assem in door ($65) and did not work. Than tried shorting out switch, still getting that god dam message. Now, i started following door ajar switch wires, and found broken wire between where door wires go into car body, between door, under rubber protector....I was able to push rubber protecter into car, so i was able to see wires, and found.....repaired wire, and finally works. I have been living with this problem for over a year. I am not a mechnic, and was able to figure out how to get everything apart and put everything back... Let me know if you have any ? and i will try to help.

Nice detective work!!

 

[BigRondo]

Is there a way to find out which sensor is bad without replacing them all. Whenever I switch the dimmer switch on the lights inside automaticall come on unless the engine is on. The second I turn it off they all come on, even if I put the windows down and turn it on standing outside.

I had similar electrical issues with my 02 xlt. The dome lights would stay on until the battery saver feature turned them off, 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, etc.

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 a broken wire and repaired it and all is back to normal!

Could also be related to the door ajar switch.

Here is a great thread for removing the door panel and 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

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

Hope this helps out!! :biggthump

 

[Infinity08]

Check the wires in the door boot as everyone else has said. I had the same issue when I bought my '02. I fixed that, installed a head unit, and installed wind guards on all 4 doors in under an hour. The write-up Rondo listed is a perfect step-by-step. The hardest part will likely be getting your hands to the broken wire once you find it. It's pretty tight in that door jamb.

 

[farmboy73]

Thanks everyone for the info. The WD-40 trick worked like a champ, and now the better half and I have a bet on how long it will last. She says couple days, I say longer. She primarily drives our Explorer and I drive the lifted F-150, so I hope it lasts a while. Thanks again for the information.

 

[BigRondo]

Thanks everyone for the info. The WD-40 trick worked like a champ, and now the better half and I have a bet on how long it will last. She says couple days, I say longer. She primarily drives our Explorer and I drive the lifted F-150, so I hope it lasts a while. Thanks again for the information.

Thanks for the update! Keep your fingers crossed.