Hello

I just purchased a 99 PSD crew cab and was told that it would cost rougly $500.00 to fix the 'door ajar' issue that continuely shows on my instrument cluster. The previous owner didn't know what the techician found, but I was wondering if you could give me some insight.

CJ

 

$500, $5 would be a rip. Put some, plenty, wd-40 on the door locking mechanism.

 

that should take care of it.if it reoccurs,go into the parts guy and get a new switch.they are about 12.00bucks,and one screw,and wire.problemo history.

 

I have a 99 250 SD SC and the dealer wanted $160 per door to change the switches.

The root cause of the problem is road dirt and grime collecting in the door lock and switch over time. The WD-40 is not effective long term and only makes the issue worse.

I researched online and found detailed instructions on removing the door panels. Do not try unless you get the instructions. The catches are easily broken. Removed the panels and found it was just too much work to replace the switches.

The final fix in place for over one year now was to get some electrical contact cleaner from Radio Shack ($10) and q-tips. No need to take the door apart.

Open the door and spray the cleaner into the door latch, working the latch with the door open, clearing the draining residue with the q-tips until the mechanism is clean. You will see a ball-type button inside. Believe that is part of the door ajar switch.

Recommend to wear gloves and eye protection. The cleaner is nasty stuff.

This fix can be redone any time and a lot easier than removing the fuse.

 

Save the $10 and buy some cold ones. Have a good dealership here, saw him using wd-40 over 6 years ago and thier working great w/ no problems since. Also, I would think the final fix is to change the switches.

 

i had the same problem with my 2000 diesel. i sprayed the latches with wd-40 but it diddnt do anything. i was tired of my dome lights not working right so i decided to just unplug the switch that wasnt working (no money) you have to take the door panels off but that is a piece of cake, but its not easy fitting your hand in the door to unplug the switch its the one farthest into the door the other one is for the door locks
hope this helps and hopefully the wd-40 works

 

Thanks for the info I will take a spray and clean whatever I possibly can! Wish me luck...

 

amen to Wd ,Had same problem WD did the trick that was 3 years ago , havent had to do it again , good luck

 

I see this is a common problem (and the reason I searched out this web site). I just installed an 8'2" BOSS V-Plow and now thw dome light is staying on. I am not certain that the problem is related to the plow installation. I took the truck to the dealership and had them put it on the scanner. It says all doors are closed, but the dome light stays on, as does the door open indicator on the dash. One interesting thing with the scanner is that it said that the "lift gate" was open. Where in the H3LL is the liftgate on a 2003 F250 Superduty crew cab..... grrrrrrrrrrrrrr. Now they want me to schedule an appointment next week to do more "research". I tried wd40, but I think I will try cleaning it out first. Anybody else have any ideas?

 

When i did the Wd, i sprayed all the hindges, jams, locking parts in the door jams,had to keep closing and opening the doors for about 10 mins before the lights in cab finally went out. Seems to me it mostly the drivers door that cause the problem, at least in my truck it was.First time it happened to me dealer put in new sensor then 3 months later it happened again, so a friend told me about the WD and it really works but you need to keep working the door.gl

 

oh ya must be the tailgate , WD the hell out of that too and work it for awhile!

 

I'll clean it and work the hell out of it before resorting to another trip to the dealer. AS to the tailgate vs liftgate.... there are no sensors on the tailgate as far as i know. The dealer was really scratching his head over that one. He said that maybe something needs to be reset. It is a message he has seen on some of the vans, but not on a truck. I'm also a little concerned that the switches might not be the problem because the scanner was properly indicating when doors were opened and closed.

 

I think the dealers techs need to go to school ( this forum), from what i seen here , alot of the members here know more then the dealers do.When i had my 99 f250 sd i had a a/c problem that came and went , when it was real hot out the a/c would only get the truck down to 80 degrees inside (outside was 90). Dearler says when it happens call for appointment. , well thats great by the time i get the appointment it stops or was a cool day, 10 trips for dealer for that(never got fixed, 4 sets of rotors and breaks in less then two years. First year i had it ,it was it the shop a total of 2 months, ended up doing the lemon law. Customer wins 1 to zip , Brand new 2001 F350 loaded 7.3 crewcab 8 ft bed out of the deal. All lawyer fees paid by ford. Keep trying maybe you'll have the same luck.

 

Timmac:

Have them check the VSM. They may know it as the Alarm Module or maybe the Receiver Module but it controls the door ajar light on the dash. If it's going south, you can drive your truck into a tank of WD-40 and it will not help. Hold onto your wallet when they tell you how much they want to replace and reprogram it.

 

Just opened all seven doors, WD'd the locking mechanisms, went around with an air hose with a blowgun attachment (WEAR EYE PROTECTION!!!!), blew all the grime out, then sprayed the contact cleaner in the same manner, wiped off the excess, and closed all the doors. The courtesy lights turned off right away as did the annoying DOOR AJAR light. Whew! Now I can sleep at night.