door ajar warning light

[alphabets13]

why is this showing on the gage. and i'm not an idiot, none of the doors or liftgate are ajar. also, the drivers side rear door won't open from the inside and i checked the childproof lock. any suggestions?

 

['96explorereddiebauer]

Is the liftgate window open? If so, that's probably why. As for your driver's rear door, it's the handle. There's quite a few members on here successfully changed the handle. Try to do a search.

 

[jimbo74]

the door sensor may need replacing or the wiring has partially separated from the switch... this happened to mine... i took out switch and placed a washer under it... problem solved... I think when i totalled my truck that it tweaked the body so much that the small travel of the switch always thought the door was open... here is a pic

 

[alphabets13]

no the window isn't open. thanks for the replies. what i'll do is push in all the door sensors until i see the door ajar light go off. if that doesn't work it must be the wiring although i have a hard time believing it's the wires.

 

[jimbo74]

make sure your headlight switch/dimmer isnt turned to the on position... also, if you pinpoint it, try my washer idea

 

[alphabets13]

you mean the dimmer switch for the instrument panel right?

 

[jimbo74]

yeah the dimmer... if you turn it all the way to make the dash lights glow brighter it will eventually click and turn on the dome lights

 

[alphabets13]

HELP FAST-door ajar light 2

this has to do with my first post, the lights on the inside won't go out as if a door was ajar. none of them are including the liftgate and window. the lights on the front door panels are on too. i HAVE A 96 XLT for those who know what lights i mean. what the hell should i do. my battery will be dead if i can't get these off.

 

[jimbo74]

again, try the dimmer switch.....

 

[jimbo74]

if all else fails, take out all the bulbs to the dome lights... no bulbs equals no complet circuit equals no light and hence no power draw

 

[X24]

I had that problem too. It turned out that it was my lift gate. I thought for sure it was closed but it wasn't. It needed adjusting to make it close right. Slam it hard with one of the other doors open to let the air flow out then see what happens.

 

[alphabets13]

i tried everything except taking the bulbs out and nothin. i did find in the manual that they sut off if you go over 5mph so i tried it and they do. also it says there is a thing called a battery saver. after 40 minutes the lights go off even if a door is left open, so i'm waiting to see if it works. any thoughts on what it could be. it's never been in an accident or anything and all the doors shut fine. it just started a couple of hours ago.

 

[alphabets13]

ok well sort of good news ,the battery saver feature worked and the lights went out exactly after 40 minutes. the thing is i don't see a door sensor that pushes in like older model explorers. any suggestions on what it could be? i'm gonna call my local ford dealer tomorrow and see what they say. is there like an internal sensor on the 96 doors?

 

[Doug]

the door isnt a jar, the door is a door.

 

[alphabets13]

thanks, that solves everything..j/k

 

[Doug]

 

[Stephen S]

There are internal sensors on the doors of the 95+ Explorers. My rear hatch door sometimes is the one that turns the "door ajar" light on. I'll close it and it looks closed, but I've got to slam it sometimes to make the light go off. Try slamming the hatch.

 

[alphabets13]

thats what i wanted to know. if the sensors were internal and it turns out they are. i slammed the lift once i'll do it again and see what happens. same thing though, to me it seems shut perfectly.

 

[TPLYNCH]

Did you do the rear glass?? not the whole door, but just the glass itself? That sensor has been the culprit for several people in the past.

 

[alphabets13]

well i called the ford dealership and they said to spray all the locks with WD40 and i did and still nothin. i checked fuses, the whole nine yards. slammed doors, everything. its gotta be somethin with the wiring in one of the doors or liftgate. i'm callin them back today and see what they say now. yes, i tried the window too and nothin. what i'm doin now is taking the fuse for the dome lights out at night or when i get out of the X so i don't drain the battery at all, even though it has the battery saver feature.