Power Door Lock/Remote/Door Ajar Light Issue

[krb0212]

No luck yet...

Well, before you spend the money, it is a really weird problem. I thought mine was fixed and now it is all not working again. I'll briefly explain the symptoms and what the dealer and mechanics did to try to fix it.

Originally, the door ajar stays on and when vehicle is off, it thinks the driver door is open and the key in ignition alarm dings. The lock switches seemed to work if the door was closed and the key was not in the ignition. If the dome light was off, it all seemed to work okay. The rear defrost was not working and I was told that went through the security module.

Now, here is what was done. The dealer supposedly lubed all the latches. I have no idea if it was actually done and will try this again myself. My regular mechanic replaced the door sensor in the driver door, replaced the security module which is located in the side panel behind the rear passenger side seat and had it programmed, and also looked for busted wires, ground wire in particular. He may have found some.

When I got the vehicle back everything worked except for 2 things: The driver door lock can only be locked manually and the security code on the exterior key pad does not work right. For instance, when entering the code to unlock all doors, it no longer unlocks all doors. Instead, it opens the rear hatch. This was all about a month ago.

Last week, the door ajar started in again not working and the power locks no longer work unless the dome light switch is off. Also, I am not sure if all this was occurring originally, but I also recently noticed that the door ajar stays on when the passenger side door opens and closes too.(Note: this all happens if the dome light switch is in the middle position, not turned completely on and not turned off). The power lock switch does not work. The driver door lock only works manually no matter what. If I turn the dome light switch off, the power door lock switch works (except for the driver door lock), and the door ajar does not come on. Also note that when the dome light switch is on, it takes longer for the mirror lamps and dome light to time out after leaving the vehicle.

I'm going to try lubricating the latches myself to see what happens because it was reported here that it worked for several folks.

 

[jtgt350]

Keep us posted. I'm totally stumped at this point. Today I speant the time to check the wires once again, and even checked all 6 door switches (all were fine and working properly). Since in my case it's only affecting the power door locks/remote/alarm, I can live with it for now. I don't have any issues with lights staying on, o alarm constantly going off like others described.

 

[crcc22]

OK, I haven't found anyone listing this same issue, just close to it, so I'm in need of help.

2002 Explorer XLT - Power door locks stopped working, remotes do nothing, keypad on door does nothing. My "Door Ajar" light is on, but the puddle lights/interior dome lights don't light up when doors (any door) is opened. The radio and power works for about 9 minutes (then times out and turns off) once the engine is turned off even though the key is removed (so it is thinking the doors are all still closed even though the door ajar light is on when the truck is running). The door lock switches do not work at all on either door from inside at all.

I checked all wiring harnesses, fuses and found no broken wires or loose grounds, checked all door switches (including the rear hatch and rear glass switches) and found nothing wrong with any of them. I tried the WD-40 soaking of all switches with no help.

At this point it is just annoying to not be able to use the remote to unlock any door and we have to manually lock and unlock each door. Luckily the lights (interior and puddle lights on mirrors) are not staying on like other posts have stated - mine won't turn on at all. Everything else works fine (mirrors, defroster, windows, etc.)


JTGT350

dont know if u are still having the problem jtgt but mine had the same exact problem no broken wires door ajar crap bought a central control module from the salvage yard $20 now everything works fine reprogrammed my truck keyless entry and its good to go

 

[supertech1979]

Lock Issue

Hey Guys,

Sounds like I have a similar issue. I have a 2002 Explorer XLS. The door ajar door light started coming on and not going off but all doors seemed to be shut. I took a screwdriver and pushed the lock catch back forth hoping it was just sticking. it stuck shut so now the door will not shut or latch. The driver side buttons all work. When I push the driver side lock button then you hear them all roll over like they are supposed to besides the driver door. All other driver side buttons work. I can lock and unlock all lock from the passenger door like it's supposed to. I was thinking it was either the lock mechanism, that hooks the latch or the selinoid inside the door that drives that mechanism. Any ideas?

 

[crcc22]

Hey Guys,

Sounds like I have a similar issue. I have a 2002 Explorer XLS. The door ajar door light started coming on and not going off but all doors seemed to be shut. I took a screwdriver and pushed the lock catch back forth hoping it was just sticking. it stuck shut so now the door will not shut or latch. The driver side buttons all work. When I push the driver side lock button then you hear them all roll over like they are supposed to besides the driver door. All other driver side buttons work. I can lock and unlock all lock from the passenger door like it's supposed to. I was thinking it was either the lock mechanism, that hooks the latch or the selinoid inside the door that drives that mechanism. Any ideas?

i have had a door look actuator go bad in the drivers door in my 97 explorer the gears were stripped in it and it would make a slight grinding noise. the door would unlock only once in awhile, i would check to see if u have power with a test light at the actuator before u change it. probably need to WD 40 the door latch and get it unstuck good luck. look at a salvage yard for a actuator they are expensive new

 

[BigRondo]

Hey Guys,

Sounds like I have a similar issue. I have a 2002 Explorer XLS. The door ajar door light started coming on and not going off but all doors seemed to be shut. I took a screwdriver and pushed the lock catch back forth hoping it was just sticking. it stuck shut so now the door will not shut or latch. The driver side buttons all work. When I push the driver side lock button then you hear them all roll over like they are supposed to besides the driver door. All other driver side buttons work. I can lock and unlock all lock from the passenger door like it's supposed to. I was thinking it was either the lock mechanism, that hooks the latch or the selinoid inside the door that drives that mechanism. Any ideas?

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.

Could also be related to the door ajar switch.

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/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

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.

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

Hope this helps out!

 

[4x4GoExplore]

interesting thread here folks!! this is why i love these forums!!

i am having a similar prob in my 2005 XLT 4.0 V8.

get in the vehicle and close the door and start it up.

power locks on drivers door do not work (only sporadically), the door ajar warning is displayed, and the front dome light will not shut off.

i adjust the dome/gauge light switch all the way up to where it is supposed to turn on the dome lamp and it shuts the dome lamp off. gauge lamps are still on. reverse the switch (to dome lamp "off" position) and the gauge lamps are still on dome light is off and the power door locks now work. then, it starts all over.

any further troubleshooting ideas ?

thanks to all who have posted with help and info in this thread!!

B

 

[jtgt350]

FINALLY have the diagnosis to my problem. It is a defective Central Security Module. Now the question is whether or not I REALLY need to bring it to the Dealer to have it reprogrammed. I have read on here that some people have swapped it out and just had to reprogram the key fobs themselves. The dealer quoted me as 2 hours @ $125.00 per hour just to reprogram the module. Being that a replacement module costs $120, I am wondering what would happen if I swapped it out myself and tried to reprogram the key fobs? is there something else the Dealer does that I don't know about that NEEDS to be done?

Anyone done this? Anyone?