Mountaineer (2003) electrical problem

[Blazer]

2003 Mercury Mountaineer Luxury Edition with 99000 miles. I'm having
electrical problems as follows: Close the door, message center says
"door ajar" but no door is ajar. If I turn down the panel dimmer
switch, to the off position, then back on, the "door ajar" message is
gone. Now... if I turn up the panel dimmer switch to the top position
(this turns on the dome light) the dome lights turn on and the "door
ajar" message is back and the driver side power door lock switch is
dead. Again, if I turn the panel dimmer switch all the way down, the
"door ajar" message is gone and the driver side power door switch then
works normally. Also, in the message center I have the light delay set
to "0" and the interior lights still do not turn off when I turn off
the car. So I have to keep the panel dimmer switch in the off
position. I put the SUV in the shop and they were hoping it was the
dimmer switch or the driver side door open/close sensor. After
diagnostics, they say the instrument panel module is bad and must be
replaced for about $300, plus about that much in labor, which includes
installation and reprogramming of the new cluster. They said that
older models had a small computer module in the cluster that could be
replaced but the entire instrument cluster must be replaced in 2003
models. Once a few weeks ago the entire panel cluster went dead after
a battery disconnect/reconnect, then came back to life after another
battery disconnect/reconnect. I've also had problems with the radio
not powering up for a minute or so after starting the car. Does this
repair sound right?

 

[Blazer]

fixed

They did replace the instrument cluster and the problem is resolved.

 

[argeleri]

They did replace the instrument cluster and the problem is resolved.

Sounds like the same problems i'm having. Thats a shame that the repair costs nearly $600. Did you go to the dealer or a local mechanic?

 

[Blazer]

I had the repair done by a local shop. I'm sure a dealer would have been more. I have since sold the vehicle to my brother and it is still working fine.

You are right. It's crazy to replace the entire control panel when the problem is one small chip.

Good luck...

 

[argeleri]

I had the repair done by a local shop. I'm sure a dealer would have been more. I have since sold the vehicle to my brother and it is still working fine.

You are right. It's crazy to replace the entire control panel when the problem is one small chip.

Good luck...

Thanks for the update!

 

[rrgone]

Blazer

There has been some discussion about whether or not a new Instrument Cluster would have to be reprogrammed with the mileage data from the old IC. I always figured that the mileage data was probably stored on the PCM and not the IC and it was just a ploy by Ford to keep people from changing ICs (or any modules) on their own. Do you know if your shop had to do any 'reprogramming'?

Thanks.