Problems with Door Locks / Ajar

[BigHedLSU]

Thanks

Just bought an '02 that was having the door ajar message/ light problem. Thanks to everybody that posted about the WD-40 fix. Worked like a charm.

 

[jturner08]

I am experiencing the same problem on an 03 XLS. Same troubleshooting steps etc. Let me know if you have any luck with this

--Joe

me too. i got an 03 XLT

 

[02XLS]

Unreal how common this happens.....Of all the wires in drivers door its always the black wire that breaks. Is this a conspiracy from Ford to increase service repairs????? Makes you wonder...there has to be over 30 different wires behind the door and its always the thick black one that breaks. Wires bend they don't break, right? Hmmmmmmm????? My .02!!

02XLS

 

[yooper]

The WD40 trick worked for me also, when I first sprayed it the light still stayed on and then I noticed ice build up under the door handle. I got the ice out and the light went out. Thought that was the problem but I think it was coincidence because the light hasnt come on since. It takes a while for the WD40 to soak in so it might not work instantly. Give it some time.

 

[andyrad]

My wife's 04 EB explorer has been having the same troubles. Turn on the rear defrost and the door ajar comes on with the interior lights. If the truck is running, the electric door locks on the drivers arm rest do not work until I turn off the interior lights manually. It's a weird combination of the reset button, the dimmer control for the interior lights, the rear defrost, the door lock switch, the drivers side puddle lamp on half bright. I followed this thread and others to point towards a broken wire and sure enough there it was. A black one but not a thick one. I'm going to double check all of the wires because of the rash of trouble.

I can't see how the WD40 works because the door ajar switch cannot be reached without taking off the door panel and un-screwing the door latch. If I can post a photo of the wire I will.

 

[RussL15]

Door Ajar/Locks/Electrical

I've been having this problem on my 02 Eddie Bauer for a couple of years now. Did the WD40 at first and it seemed to work. Then after several months, the problem popped up again, only this time the WD40 did not work. Checked the ground wire and it looks intact as far as I can tell. One night, my alarm went off for no reason - then again a few days later. Now, as soon as I start up, the door ajar light comes on, and the locks are operating on their own like some kind of horror movie; and to top it all off, all of these symptoms occur lately when I hit the brakes or horn!! Does anyone know of how to isolate this problem? I called a local dealer and they want $260 just to diagnose this problem. Thanks.

 

[andyrad]

Russell, DO NOT GO TO THE DEALER UNLESS ABSOLUTELY NECCESSARY. take the time to remove the drivers door panel, un-tape the bundle of wires going into the wire loom through to the body and pull back the loom as far as you can. Look closely at all the wires. Don't just look for a broken ground, it could be anything. I am suspect that the problem is in the wires. I would have to say it is impossible to see anything from the drivers foot well for wires going door-ward so that is why I would attack this from the door side. If there is nothing then check the other most used doors. I can't see the WD40 thing ever working because the door ajar switch is inaccessible from the outside. Period.

 

[VinnieZ]

I had this exact same problem on my 2002 XLT....the door ajar light would stay on as well as the interior lights...

the problem ended up being a broken ground in the bundle of wires that went from the door to the engine...of course i didnt take the door off and did it the hard way...splicing the broken wire while everything was still together...

it is a hassle but im sure the dealer would charge an arm and a leg for this...so give it a shot

 

[RussL15]

Thanks for the advice. I have taken the door apart twice now and inspected the wire bundle, but was only looking for a broken ground. I will check for other broken wires.

 

[cjp_xsport]

2002 Sport with similar problem

This thread helped me find the problem with my interior light/door alarm on my 2002 Expolorer Sport. My symptoms were a bit different: my interior lights would not come on when the driver's door was opened and neither would the door chime sound when the key was in the ignition when the door was opened. Opening the passenger door lit the interior lights, so I immediately suspected the driver's door actuator switch.

I located the switch in the door lock mechanism, removed it, cleaned it, ran continuity checks on it and still no solution. I replaced the switch today with a new one from Ford; still no solution (as I expected since the old switch appeared to electrically check out).

After reading about broken "black wires" in this thread, I decided to try looking for faulty/broken wiring in the loom passing through the door jam. The wire I suspected that was bad was actually YELLOW/BLK. It didn't take long and BINGO...I found the YELLOW/BLK wire was broken completely. I touched the two sections of wire together and the source of the problems were located. I spliced in a 3" section of wire and now the driver's door switch performs as new.

Thanks to all in the this thread for sharing their experiences and knowledge.

 

[ljoe]

door locks problem

Don't spend any money, try the wd40, that worked just perfect on my '02 explorer and usually it's the drivers side, just make sure you lift the handles in and out and spray them real good, that should work.
Good luck !!

 

[cjp_xsport]

Ljoe...your WD40 "solution" wouldn't work with my situation. I'm guessing you didn't quite understand or read what I needed to do to solve my issue, or you were responding to another poster. If you weren't responding to my post, my bad...carry on.

Thanks for the inputs, though.

 

[offroadcycling]

This problem seems to be progressive. At first the door ajar light would stay on a little longer than it should and then go out. After a while it stays on longer. Then the interior light stays on for a while. Then the door ajar light stays on for a long time and the interior lights stay on more frequently. Eventually the door ajar light will just stay on. The interior lights stay on too long frequently. Occassionally the driver air bag light comes on.

I guess it's time to remove the door panel.

There goes another Saturday

 

[Tbars4]

...Read post #20....Thats how I fixed mine with the same exact problem..

 

[mzdybel]

Damn you guys are great. My power mirrors and driver side door lock suddenly stopped working on my 2002 XLS.This has been a frustration for a few months. I removed the boot and had two wires broken in plain view. I added a two inch wire and had a twenty minute fix. The big black wire was broken and a thinner black/purple stripe wire was broken. Hope this helps someone else too.

 

[gsmaclean]

had htat happen with my 2002.
it is the DOOR ADJAR SWITCH/SENSOR
a cheap fix is. and i know you said you sprayed wd 40 on the door pins..
but try spraying the handles lift the handle and spray inside the door with the straw attached. and also inside the key.
My brother in law has replaced a few at his school and tellss me they just get dirty with grime and dust.
mine went out as soon as i did that.

Never ever EVER spray WD-40 in your key lock. WD-40 coats things and leaves an oily film behind (which is supposed to retard corrosion). It does this very well, and keeps things from rusting. However, inside your key lock, this oily film attracts every little piece of dust and grit and keeps it inside your lock, until the lock pins start to stick, and hey presto, your lock doesn't work anymore.

Use only lock cleaner (or brake cleaner, works as well) to clean out your lock cylinders.

 

[cbrock]

My rear wiper stopped working along with the door ajar issue. WD-40 did nothing after I soaked all 4 doors + the liftgate & glass. Could the driver door boot still be the culprit even though my mirrors/locks still work? This has been mind boggling and I'm debating going to the dealer and raising some hell.

 

[cpsalvato]

2002 Ford Explorer XLT
SYMPTOMS:
Door ajar light on
Driver puddle light out. Pass. puddle light doesnt turn off when vehicle off.
Driver door locks and power window controls dont work.
Cigarette lighter doesnt work

SOLUTION:
There is a broken ground wire in the drivers door. Take the door panel off. Remove the speaker. Pull the rubber boot between the door hinges through the door into the void left by the speaker. You will now see the wires exposed between the door and car. There is a broken black wire. (Cut right in half). Splice a small piece of wire and the problem is fixed. Very simple solution to a big problem.

 

[alanh5]

2003 Explorer Liftgate alarm

My liftgate open light comes on and if I leave the car locked the alarm will start sounding in the middle of the night. I can reset the message center when driving, but the liftgate open indicator (with the accompanying beep) still comes on again every few minutes. I have used WD40 and tried to adjust the door, but there really is no adjustment possible. It seems to be worse when it gets cold (below 37 degrees). I have to leave the car unlocked with the interior lights turned off. This is becoming a serious pain. I have not found anything in the forum that works for this problem. Thanks to anyone who can tell me what to do. BTW, the dealership could not fix it, either.

 

[RickM]

My liftgate open light comes on and if I leave the car locked the alarm will start sounding in the middle of the night. I can reset the message center when driving, but the liftgate open indicator (with the accompanying beep) still comes on again every few minutes. I have used WD40 and tried to adjust the door, but there really is no adjustment possible. It seems to be worse when it gets cold (below 37 degrees). I have to leave the car unlocked with the interior lights turned off. This is becoming a serious pain. I have not found anything in the forum that works for this problem. Thanks to anyone who can tell me what to do. BTW, the dealership could not fix it, either.

There is a "door ajar" switch for the tailgate as well.
When I removed the driver side door switch I noticed actuator pin was sticking. This leads me to believe that some type of residue gunks up the contacts or prevents the contact from mating.

Also, IMO, the WD40 solution is a poor one. Although it seemed to work for me (for 2 days) I simply can't see how the WD40 can make it way into the switch through the door lock mechanism.