Driver Door Sensor (Door Ajar)

[purdy08 Stroker]

Hey guys,

My driver door sensor thinks the door is open all the time, so the lights stay on until the timer shuts them down in 15 min or so. Where is the sensor? I have heard it is part of the latch and to spray wd-40 on it. But that has not worked for me. I also unhooked the batteries to see if it would reset its self, but no luck there either. Any help would be appreicated.

[sredmyer]

Originally Posted by purdy08 Stroker

Hey guys,

My driver door sensor thinks the door is open all the time, so the lights stay on until the timer shuts them down in 15 min or so. Where is the sensor? I have heard it is part of the latch and to spray wd-40 on it. But that has not worked for me. I also unhooked the batteries to see if it would reset its self, but no luck there either. Any help would be appreicated.

I have a similar problem but mine is a bit different. In my truck all of the interior lights stay on as long as the truck is running. Once I shut the truck off the lights go out after the battery saver timeout. The part that is different is that I do not have any indication in the dash information display that a door is open.

So far the only thing I have been able to do to stop the lights from being on any time the truck is running has been to remove the fuse (fuse #25 I believe).

This fuse is for the "Demand lighting" and the telescoping mirrors. Obviously with this fuse removed I can't telescope my mirrors and the interior lights don't work when they are turned on by pressing the plastic lens cover (for the front ones) or using the switch for the rears or rotating the dimmer control to max. However they do work when the door is opened or when the truck is switched off and the key removed.

I have looked at the wiring diagram a little and I realize that there are two different circuits for powering the lights (explaining why they work in some circumstances but not others). Now I just need to spend some time studying the diagrams to figure out what is actually going on.

If I am able to figure out what is going on, I will post what I find.

Steve

[RDUB]

Originally Posted by purdy08 Stroker

Hey guys,

My driver door sensor thinks the door is open all the time, so the lights stay on until the timer shuts them down in 15 min or so. Where is the sensor? I have heard it is part of the latch and to spray wd-40 on it. But that has not worked for me. I also unhooked the batteries to see if it would reset its self, but no luck there either. Any help would be appreicated.

I have the same issue with my 2008. Since we both have the same issue, I am thinking there must be others. Sure hope someone has resolved this.

[RDUB]

OK, did a search and see this is a common problem that most fix by shooting WD 40 into the latch and if it doesn't work they replace the sensor. I will give the WD 40 a shot.

[RDUB]

Well, I put a ton of WD 40 in the latch with no help. Finally decided to take it to a dealer. I just bought this used from another dealer 2hrs away. I told the local dealer to fix it and they said it needed a new switch and would cost $110. I commented that it seems like Ford would have fixed this by now as it is all over the internet that they have had this problem for a long time. When they called me back to say it was done, they told me since it only had 37,000 miles on it, they applied to Ford for an after warranty claim and Ford approved. I got a new switch assembly installed and it cost 0. I really like this dealer.

[Firetrout]

Well I tried the wd40 routine a couple of times with limited success. I ended up getting a new door ajar sensor from dealer and went to work. The part is $13 the lessons I learned are priceless. What I have learned the hard way is I'm not as flexible as I once was. The easiest way to tackle this project for me was to remove door panel, outside door handle and then the latch assembly. Once all that is remove simple unplug old an plug in new. Problem solved. I tried to accomplish this from the inside without removing anything but the door panel and was unsuccessful in my adventure. Wish I would have taken pics but alas hind sight is always 20/20.

[purdy08 Stroker]

Thanks, I did the same thing. I sprayed wd40 on that damn thing several times to the point it was running out the front side of the door, and the bottom. That did not work for me at all. I ended up going to my local ford dealership and ordered the new sensor for under $15 and had it installed in 20 min or so.

Thanks for the info.

[Longhaultransport]

Any chance either of you saved the part number?

[purdy08 Stroker]

Originally Posted by Longhaultransport

Any chance either of you saved the part number?

Ford Part # 14018A. You can locate this on fordparts.com or go to any Ford dealer and order this. It is the only thing that would fix mine. It is showing a list price of 14.66 online. This is the part number for the left side "driver front and rear doors on Crew cab only". Not sure if you have a crew cab or not, but if not, the dealer should be able to get you the part number you need fairly quick. Hope this helps and good luck.