While replacing this type of component usually isnt that difficult, throwing parts at a problem is seldom the best or most effective solution. If the setting has been bumped, its possible that the interior lights have been turned on when you dont want them to be. the way up or all the way down Btw-thx to all of you for the tips on the wacky interior lighting. If you can test both 12V supplies whilst you do this it may help. I had recently cleaned my Theres also the chance that an internal switch in the light is damaged. Someone pointed out this has been a feature since the 70's; I wonder how Display as a link instead, Heres the fix for three common car interior light problems. Now I can sleep. accidentally turn it all the way. The wiring of the interior lights of your car runs from the switch at the door across the frame into the dashboard of the vehicle. Adjust Dome Light Switch Your first step is to look at the dome light switch. UK/Ireland Location: ---------Ireland-----------. Your car lights dimming function is performed by a setting located at the left side of the wheel on the dashboard. Therefore, if you find out that your cars inside lights are ON and wont go OFF after checking for the other control points, change the dimmer switch setting. Ensure all wires are intact and none have been severed or cut. I have been working as a mechanic for over fifteen years. When driving at night, you will notice most cars have white or blue headlights, unlike some years back when yellow headlights were common. The dome light should go off after about 5 minutes of performing this action. in the wiring" he discovered. Checked interior light switch and still wont go off. If you're still having issues with your lights . Just been doing some more work on this. I made a bit of a pig's ear of changing the bulb in my car's interior lamp, and it wouldn't go off. Start by turning the light off to see if that works. But if the lights wont turn off, it presents security issues to the car and drains your battery. The cars interior lights are divided into different categories, such as dome lights, dashboard lights, map lights, and more. If all your doors are closed and you still have a few lights on, they were probably turned on manually. I hope you find this video useful as I attempt to show you how to turn on. laumk7 Jessica Kormos is a writer and editor with 15 years' experience writing articles, copy, and UX content for Tecca.com, Rosenfeld Media, and many others. double lock wait 10 mins lights are still on, You do have them they just didn't come with bulbs if you look under there to the far left drivers side and far right passenger side you will see the connectors for w5w wedge bulbs if u have a spare plug it in and see if that stays on too then it may be door switch related. The dimmer switch can become damaged over time and cause your interior lights to stay on. Then, adjust it back to the manual setting so you can tell where the problem lies. Check the door ajar switch first, then check or replace the dimmer switch if it is lousy. The factory service manual must be wrong. We replaced the fuses to the lights that seemed to apply. Again, this is a simple fix. Therefore, if the light fails to turn off, it suggests that the lights are turned on via one or more of the switches. If you cant find a solution, consider getting an expert opinion from a mechanic specializing in Ford vehicles. VerticalScope Inc., 111 Peter Street, Suite 600, Toronto, Ontario, M5V 2H1, Canada. Open each door to locate the switch mounted on them. Started Wednesday at 06:15 PM, By The possible causes of the interior lights not turning off are the headlight switch being at the furthest counter-clockwise position, activating the dashboard light control knob accidentally, and broken door switches. If you drive a ford focus and are experiencing the same challenge, you may be asking why your ford focus interior car lights wont turn off. even decided to just pull the fuse when I got home. If this is not the case, then it is likely that one or more of the switches have been damaged, especially leaving the functionality at the ON position. If you replace a blown interior light fuse and it blows again, that means youre dealing with a short circuit. Theft light blinks door ajar an when I lock doors alarm goes off can't lock my doors with out alarm going off only have car key, Contains hate speech or attacks an individual, Nudity, pornography, or sexually explicit content. many others had the same issue before all this with us and how many more there will Just because one doesnt work doesnt mean neither will! overhead cabin light since the 70's. a dimmer switch per se, but 2 buttons beside the headlamp knob. Jim. Since there are so many different types of car interior lights, a failure can be either an annoyance or a real safety issue. any of the door latch switches. See this post about Ford door switches. In any event, figuring out what to do when your car's interior lights stop working is usually a pretty straightforward diagnostic process that can be accomplished with some very basic car diagnostic tools like screwdrivers and a test light. It may be a permanent fault, or it may be temporary, but the only way to know for sure is to replace the fuse and see what happens. If all of the doors and the trunk are shut, you can take this a step further. Had the same issue with my 2007 Ford Windstar - Jimmy saved my day (and possibly a humiliating visit to a mechanic). Jimmy you are my hero! All interior lights , door ajar, and lights on. Powered by Invision Community, DISCLAIMER: fordownersclub.com is an independent, unbiased Ford car forum / club for owners of Ford vehicles. The two map lights each have a push button that will turn the assoc, bulb on when the main switch is off. If the reading doesnt change, then the switch is bad. I must have taken the lamp unit apart about 8 times and put it back together before it would behave. Ty Jim, you saved me $50 today. If your cars inside lights dont turn off, it could be due to a faulty door latch. Each one should end at the wiring harness found behind the dashboard. When everything is closed, the lights should be off. Check the bulbs: If all of the bulbs in your car are burned . I have to press the + button about 10 times to notice any I worked for a long time at Global Rebound Automotive companies (Toyota, TATA, BMW, Nissan, TVs, and Others ) as a Mechanic and Mechanics Supervisor. interior ceiling light will not turn off (along with the the lights on the outside door keyholes). Thanks !! Repair any broken or damaged wires as necessary before proceeding with further troubleshooting steps. Adjust the light switch Firstly, it is easy to turn ON the lights using the switch close to the light on the roof of your car or the dashboard and forget to turn it OFF. This article has addressed the solution you are looking for. my front center dome light on my 2008 ford Try to fix the defective switch yourself or see a technician. However, note that if you do find out that it does need replacementwhich can cost upwards of $1,000it may still be worthwhile for you to get another opinion before making any decisions about whether or not you want to invest in getting it fixed at all! Jeremy Laukkonen is automotive and tech writer for numerous major trade publications. Posted on Mar 24, 2009. northern_nubie Yes, leaving the cars interior lights for a long time will make the battery get drained. time we turn around! dont think i have footwell lights if i do they dont come on :) but dont think i have them, its a 2010 focus zetec s Mk2.5 stop start. If you adjust the switch to the highest setting, the dome light will remain on. if i have the lights in central position. It may have gotten bumped accidentally by a passenger, valet or car wash employee. For instance, a dome light may have a manual switch at the light, even though it can also be switched on and off, or dimmed, by a switch on the dash. Your cars battery wont hold a charge when it is dead and left for so long. 2023 CarGurus, Inc., All Rights Reserved. Content submitted by Users is not endorsed by CarGurus, does not express the opinions of CarGurus, and should not be considered reviewed, screened, or approved by CarGurus. I was This will be a constant 12V and goes to all three bulbs. There are a few issues that can cause your interior lights to flicker. This process relies on a switch in the door jamb that opens when you open the door and closes when you close the door. Thanks to all and Merry Christmas too! anyone know were the relay for the courtesy light is? It may still be something you can handle yourself, but some shorts will require the attention of a professional technician. If you have a multimeter, you can test the switch by connecting to both terminals and checking for continuity. Mike Hagerty is an automotive journalist whose work has been featured on radio, TV, in print and online since 1997. The Control Module is located under the dash on the drivers side and is a small black box with a green light. The Fora platform includes forum software by XenForo. If the voltage climbs beyond that as the revs increase, then the voltage regulator needs to be replaced. As far as I know I dont have Check the fuse: The fuse for the interior lights is located in the main fuse box, under the hood. How is it a screwup from Ford??? cluster of 3 lights. We are an automotive mechanic blog that helps mechanics and car users to find the most recent and accurate technical and repair information for their cars. something to add. If your automatic lights do not turn off, try our suggested solutions above. Welcome to rxmechanic.com. But you can easily bring the battery back to life with a simple jumpstart. The dome lights should turn off after you close all the doors. escape wont turn off, 1,060 Great Deals out of 27,465 listings starting at $2,399, 1,978 Great Deals out of 50,788 listings starting at $1,321, 1,566 Great Deals out of 25,234 listings starting at $2,500, 1,561 Great Deals out of 23,312 listings starting at $2,800, 1,868 Great Deals out of 43,178 listings starting at $1,495, 1,180 Great Deals out of 39,314 listings starting at $1,400, 1,013 Great Deals out of 14,162 listings starting at $1,995, 5,101 Great Deals out of 126,716 listings starting at $2,200, 587 Great Deals out of 18,673 listings starting at $2,333, 71 Great Deals out of 905 listings starting at $2,999, 2,166 Great Deals out of 38,848 listings starting at $850, 100 Great Deals out of 18,169 listings starting at $20,500, 131 Great Deals out of 1,492 listings starting at $17,544, 363 Great Deals out of 4,821 listings starting at $13,899, 259 Great Deals out of 3,714 listings starting at $10,995, 251 Great Deals out of 3,044 listings starting at $7,982. If adjusting the knob doesnt change the lighting display at all, there lies your problem. Follow the same steps as if the switch was located directly on the dome light. Your email address will not be published. Alternatively, you can disconnect the battery and remove the dome box fuse. Open and close each door of your car or carry out proper checks on the switch next to the light in the roof and the doors. serious damage to the mechanism. I disconnected the summer all Automotive expertise from NAPA AUTO PARTS. Causes of Interior Car Lights Wont Turn Off, Repair or Replace Your Old Car? Alternatively, you can open the doors and check their switches. I just went out and turned Good send! can look ar?? Hi everybody !! Big help! worked for me when I had that problem. Replace any components that do not have continuity as described above. If you want to fix this problem yourself, then all you have to do is find out which part of your wiring system needs fixing and repair it accordingly with some minor electrical work skills that anyone could learn given enough time and patience. really starting to hit the panic bottom after You can try to start the car and leave it running for 7 minutes. Car interior lights can be further broken down by their specific purposes. Turn the light off to ensure it can work. The club is not part of Ford Motor Company (UK or Worldwide) nor affiliated with or endorsed by Ford Motor Company (UK or Worldwide) in any way. Try spraying some WD40 into the door latches In either case, the known-good bulb should light up when you replace the non-working bulb. A short to ground anywhere along this path would keep the light on. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information, Interior lights wont shut off when door closed, Contains hate speech or attacks an individual, Nudity, pornography, or sexually explicit content. Another point on control of your vehicles interior lights is the doors and, in some cases, the trunk inclusive. Open each one of your doors again and check which two wires connect to each other so that they both glow when you open a door (such as if you were connecting them instead). This turned on the lamp and it any door ajar indications so I think the switches must be operable. so im thinking maybe the relay to the light has gone or more likley has some damp in it as sometimes it does work. 2010 ford focus About a week ago my radio / clock quit. If you dont have a test light, it may still be possible for you to test whether the bulb is burned out. I'm glad I posted the The lights will not go out. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. Come join the discussion about SVT performance, modifications, classifieds, troubleshooting, maintenance, and more! If the light deactivates, the door might not be making contact properly. I have a 2007 Fusion which had the same problem till I read here about the Dimmer switch turned to max+: same situation, same outcome. There are a few issues that could cause this, and a lot of them involve complex, interconnected systems. However, you dont want to overlook the possibility that the switch is in the wrong spot because of a user error. Your previous content has been restored. The lights turn ON when you open the doors or the trunk, and they turn OFF when you close them. However, theres also a manual setting. We understand that working within a budget is just as important as working on your vehicle. All cars have this switch, and for most, its on the dashboard. However, if your cars interior lights stay on while driving, it could be that you manually turned it ON with the switch next to it. looks like my door sensors are okay but the main thing i found is theres a control for courtesy light which is off yet the lights are on. Ensure that both ends have continuitythat means no resistancebefore reattaching them together for both ends of this circuit loop, between two separate points on opposite sides of where current enters/exits its path within such paths as those located inside vehicles electrical systems. FYI, this is a Just for the heck of it try putting the switch in one They're mounted at the bottom of the door latch and catch all the dirt and lint. Magnus is the owner and main author of Mechanicbase. Open the rear hatch and close again making sure Just to be sure we're not overlooking things, are you sure your switch in the light is correctly switching? Check and replace interior light fuses if blown out or shorted out by an electrical short somewhere else in your vehicles electrical system (such as an under-the-hood fuse box). Escape the light is a push light. Car is locked. I can't believe that turning the dashlights all the way up turns your Hello, I'm Drago, the cofounder, and writer here at carphrases.com. Start by turning the light off to see if that works. The headlights should go off after 30 seconds. Way to go Jimmy! check both switches and they both test okay. I have a 2012 ford focus. Your cars dashboard brightness display switch can turn off the dome light when it is at its highest setting. iv also tried swopping them around with the same effect.and also having only 1 plugged in with the same effect. Open the hatch, the part on the lift gate that hooks RyanP2023 dashboard and would never have thought that the my door ajar light goes out. With the dimmer in different positions or the dash-mounted interior light button in different positions, you can try operating your dome light, map light, or other interior lights with their individual switches. One interior light may also be controlled by multiple switches, so there are a number of different potential ways for them to fail. Started February 5, 2013, By But if the switches do not click at all or simply nothing is happening, then they are faulty. The voltage should stop somewhere around 14 volts. Ford Edge2013 "Rear camera not available" warning, Touch up repairs - clues/recommendations/tips, Front end creaking/ knocking when breaking, Windows not working mk7 1.0 2016 red edition, My pcv valve is leaking oil onto the radiator fan, Ford Focus Titanium 2015 - Battery Issues. With a few simple details we can estimate the cost of your repairs now.