Interior Lights Come On While Driving
 

Simple porblem, no solution yet. When I'm driving the interior lights will come on all by themselves. This also happens when I park, day or night. Actually had to get a jump when I left the truck for 5 days at the airport.

Quick fix...mild tap to either the dimmer/light switch panel or just to the right of the pannel. Goes out for a while and then back.

Extended Fixes:
- Cleaned contacts on old dimmer and light switch...no good
- Replacced dimmer/light switch panel...no good
- Cleaned and sprayed WD-40 on all latches...nope
- Looking for "loose" wiring...nope

This is a 2005 Lariat w/autolamps etc. Problem existed before I met a deer at 60 MPH and had a nice new set of fenders and front grill installed. I'm somewhat mechanically inclined, but cannot resolve the problem. The door ajar light stays off, so this leads me to believe it is not a door switch.

HELP!!! and thanks in advance.

P.S. The fix I've been using is to turn the dimmer switch all the way off. THAT works. Which is what led me to believe it was a dimmer/light switch panel problem.

Here is another thought. Do these lights work off a relay? They are supposed to turn off by themselvs after, I think 30 minutes. Where is that timing circuit?

Reply back
 

If they do work off of a 30 minute relay, it isn't working. The delay from closing and locking the door is less than 5 minutes...normally. I watched as they turn on, with the truck locked, and stay on for over an hour. The confusing part is when I lightly rap on either the switch panel, or the panel directly to the lft, the lights go out (i;m in the truck and doors are shut). Nothing seems to be loose, nor associated with the light switch/dimmer panel. I have no idea where the timing circuit is and ask how that would explain the liughts coming on while I'm driving?

I said that wrong. Your right about the 5 minuite delay, what I remembered was that if a door is left open the lights will (make that should) turn off after 30 minutes. It's the tapping on the panels that is curious. Can you reach up under there and just move wires around intead of tapping? I wonder if there's a short in what I assume is a plug for the light / dimmer switch.

Wondering if you ever came to a conclusion to your interior light problem. I have an 05 King Ranch and it does EXACTLY the same thing you are stating. Do you have a Ford remote start? I have looked in my dash and aside from the switches all that is up there is the remote start module and there is a relay mounted to the bottom of the metal bar above your left foot. I also ran outside one night when the gremlins were at it and pulled out the light switch and dimmer and disconnected the harnesses from the switches, with no change. This leads me to believe the relay may be the problem since the switch sends the current to the relay to activate the lights. If it was the switch the lights would go off as soon as the harness was unplugged since the power connection to the relay would be terminated. I am gonna call up my ford parts guy and beat his ear a little tommorow about the relays. Also, discovered this little treat which is apparently a problem also, if you have a center console shifter and the light appears to have gone out for the shift position indicator make sure you take off the top panel and take a peek. I found out that my socket deformed and dropped out of the housing allowing it to rest against the inside wall of the console. That little bulb puts off some heat and actually melted a few marks into the plastic. If left alone it would eventually work its way thru the plastic and or could start a fire........so check it out if it applies.....

I hate to resurrect an old thread, but did either of you guys find a solution to this problem? My truck has been doing the exact same thing the past couple of months, and I also can't figure out the problem.

Check the relay that contols the lights.

Interior light problem
 

I joined this because my 2005 F150 Lariat started having the problem of interior lights coming on while. I tore the dash apart checking for a bad conncection. The problem I have found, and do not yet know how to fix it, is the connector on the top of the instrument cluster, left side, seems to have a bad connection. I do not know if it is the conector, the wire leading to the connector, or the socket on the circuit board or a crack in the circuit board in the instrument cluster.
While driving down the road with the dash section over the instrument cluster removed, the lights come on and I simply reach up and touch the connector and the lights go off. Anybody know how to fix I?.

Richard - I can verify that this is the exact same problem I'm having. I also ripped my dash apart and confirmed that it is a connector to the cluster or the cluster itself that is causing the issue. I haven't had a chance to dig further...

Very old thread, but for reference I had this problem and it was a broken wire in my drivers door hinge area. Very common problem on these trucks.

Also you can try the old WD-40 in the door latch on the doors. That is where the door light switch is. its built in.

I had the same problem and while researching online I found a thread that said the instrument cluster needed replacement. I wiggled the connectors and the light would go on or off. I took the cluster out and used a soldering iron to remelt all of the joints for the connector on the back of the cluster. No more dome light problems. Adding a little contact grease to the connector is also a good idea. My tach started working again also.

Did this fix end up working out? If I have the instrument cluster replaced will this issue go away once and for all? My truck is having the same issues and nobody has a straight answer of what's wrong with it. I have a 2006 F150 with a 5.4


Dome light will come on and off randomly... the vehicle can be running or parked outside at night. I can tap the dimmer/light switch panel and it will instantly kill the dome light off.

The local Ford dealership is claiming they have never heard of this issue before.... the first thing they want to do is talk about door switches... they will not listen.


Before I go spend money to have this fixed I want to make I know what's wrong before they start ringing up a bill. Please HELP

Sorry for bumping this thread, but I have the same problem aswell.
2008 Ford F150 XL 5.4L V8 Flex Fuel (Regular Cab, long bed)

This thread seems to relate to my problem, except it doesn't seem like I'm getting same results to the symptom of the issue.


Basically, in the morning when I start the truck, I leave my driveway, once I'm down the street, the dome/back light comes on randomly then wont shut off till maybe a mile down the road. But each time I encounter this, I try to "Diagnose" where it may be caused by. I try banging on the head liner in case water/moisture is leaking down somewhere to cause this such thing. But never get results. I try opening/closing my door, nothing changes. (I did lubricate my latch(s)), and tap on the console area incase it may be the cause. I tried messing with the dome switch, nothing happens. It just comes on by it self (Even when parked) and goes off by itself.

I just want a better direction to where to look, if anyone can give me some tips on where to check. I suspect is maybe (JUST MAYBE) its a relay sticking open or somewhat. Possible a wire is shorting out somewhere, but I don't see anything visually broken/exposed.

I've had my 2004 for over a year now, and I'm getting acquainted with its gremlins. Mine has this, too. I wouldn't call it fixed at all, and I'm a little embarrassed at my efforts to "fix" it, but it happens very infrequently now. Most of everything that I did came off this site. I recently also had my red brake light on the dash doing the same thing. Both random on and off of these lights were associated with bad connections around the connector where the left wiring harness plugs into the left side of the instrument panel on the top.

I pulled the panel below the steering column off, allowing access to the screws to pull the panel and shroud off of the instrument panel, pulled this off, and just drove it. When one of the lights would come on, I could touch the cluster of wires to turn off the dome light and the connector on the instrument panel where these wirings and connectors clip in to turn off the brake light.

I took a small zip tie, put it around the cluster of wires, slid it under the connector, and tightened it so that with the zip tie under part of the connector, there is slight force downward on the wires. This greatly reduced the dome light coming on - it hardly ever happens for the time being, and this has been done now for maybe 3 or 4 months. If it does come on now, I hit the shroud (dash) above where that connector is and it goes off. Not a fix, but the best I've found so far.

Just in case you have the red brake dash light problem, I did as someone on this forum suggested and fixed a small block of plastic, then lightly wedged and glued it between part of the instrument panel assembly and the part where the left wiring connector goes in and locks. This gives that connector area slight pressure like you would be pushing with with your finger to turn it off. Again, not a fix, but it's working. Hope this helps. Good luck.