My 02 xlt yesterday started to double chirp when locking like a door is open but everything is shut all doors the hood and all hatches. I even opened them all up and shut them several times thinking something was just stuck but no luck...all the doors and hatches do lock and I cannot open the doors or windows...the only thing i can think of is now the locking switch on the drivers door stopped and i have to check the fuse panel first but would this cause this problem other than not allowing me to lock/unlock the door from the inside on this door only...but does lock/unlock with the keyfob and the remote...any help is appreciated...thanks

 

I think that you have a broken wire in between the door. Do your puddle lights work on that side? Do the dome light stays on? Is the door ajar message is on, but when you drive it goes off?

Very common problem, really easy fix. Search this forum for "Door Ajar" Fix. You will see a ton of posts to spray wd40 in the latch assembly. If that works then good...if not, remove the boot that protects the wires in the door and feel with your finger in there, it's usually a thick black wire that has snapped.

Good Luck!

 

Im not sure about the puddle light but the dome light stays on...however the door ajar stays lit while driving...ill try the other fixes noted and keep u updated...thanks

 

xxxxxxxxxx

 

thanks for the pics and videos...im going to take things apart today and test to see where the problem is at...thanks again..ill update u all later...

 

Ok this is what I have so far. So far no luck. I have tested all the wires with test light and no shorts have been found all wires to locks/switches appear to be intact. The lock acccuator still works no problems with that. The door lock switch will work when the door is open but not when closed with the engine on. If the engine is off the door lock switch will work. Weird! The door ajar light stays lit no mater if the door is open or closed. However now when I lock the doors with the remote it no longer beeps 2 times such as when a door is left open. But the interior lights will still stay on so I have just turned the light switch to off so they wont come on at all. I have replaced the door ajar switch with no luck either. Do you guys have any ideas where to go from here. Also with the door open i can get the door ajar light to go off by taking a screw driver and cycling the lock all the way as if catching its post. I have also tried moving the door catch on the door but no luck either. I am going to post another section with how to remove the door as I found a few tricks in doing this several times. Thanks

 

Ok this is specific for 2002 explorers.
Door Panel Removal
1. remove the door panel start by removing the two screws at bottom of door.
2. Remove plastic bezel from around door handle, right side pops out but left has two plastic tabs be careful not to break them off.
3. Plastic bezel with lock/window switches should now come out sliding to right and out. There is a plastic tab on left that will break if you just try to pry up. remove all plugs and put bezel to side.
4. 1 screw above door lock needs to be removed too.
5. also remove plastic side view mirror switch...just pulls straight out carefully...can pry up with fingers...then remove plug and set aside.
6. Panel now will just slide up and off. I made the mistake of just trying to pull the panel off like the older models and broke some of the molded plastic tabs.

Lock assembly removal

1. pull water shield back
2. unliclip wire harness where needed you will see.
3. unbolt window tract two star bolts on door frame. set aside
4. unbolt door lock assembly 3 star bolts.
5. inside door disconnect wire harness at bottom and remove plastic clip from door by prying with screw driver.
6. remove door lock rods 1st one by sliding plastic clip down then pulling rod outwards. Next remove vertical rod by unclipping plastic clip...there is a tab on the back side i use a small screwdriver to pry this open. then rod just comes out.
7. remove last hooked vertical rod by rotating assembly so it will come out easily.
8. there is a flexible cord thats attaches to the door handle with two plastic clips...slide cord up and out of these two clips. this will give you room to rotate the door lock assembly.
9. remove the two wire harness plugs from the assembly
10. now you should be able to remove the whole assembly by rotating out of door.
11. the door ajar switch is the little metal and pink plug at the bottom of the assembly.
12. to remove this you need pliers and need to rotate it clockwise and it should then pop out...the tech at ford mentioned a tab that needs to be pushed in but I did never find it.

Install is this in reverse

Hope this helps

 

Before you rip open the door panels, hose all of the latches with WD40. The switch that turns on the dome light is mounted to the latch and when the grease gets hard the switch sticks.

Spray the latch liberally and open and shut each door about 5 times. Do this twice around the car and if it is just a sticky switch that should solve the problem.

I also wait several days for the WD40 to evaporate off and re-spray with Tri-Flow teflon spray.

 

So I have already sprayed wd40 into the lock on the door and catch where the switch is located...i also replaced the switch and still the damn light stays on...I think there must be a short in the wire harness bc the door locks will not work with the door closed but with the door open at certain points...so im going to the best of my abilities try to trace the source of the problem from inside the cab to the door harness and see if I can find the cause...my other thought was to replace the door lock/unlock switch...although I dont think this is going to make much of a difference bc if the switch was bad it should not matter what position the door is in, it just wouldnt work...anyone else have any other ideas...

 

I would give the WD40 another go, and don't forget the back doors and the tailgate. You can omit the keyholes as the switches are located at the latch itself and it does require a liberal amount of the WD to be able to flush it's way in.

If that still does not work, then you might be able to test each door without taking off the panel.

To do this find the wires coming from the door and into the body. There might be a plug on the inside kick panel, if there is, unplug the wire to each door until the dome light goes off.

If you have no luck with that plan and do have to pull your panels there are several different schemes that Ford uses to attach their door panels. One type just has one or two screws and then the panel has hooks molded in and once you find the one or two screws the whole panel just slides up about 3/4" and is free.

The other style has some screws along the bottom and usually two or three larger screws in and around the arm rest/door pull handle and perhaps one or two smaller ones hidden behind something that snaps in front of it. once you have removed the screws then get a tool like THIS and work the fork around the nasty nylon clips and pry gently. What you want to avoid is just pulling on the panel. I say this because the panel is usually weaker than the nylon and often gets buggered up and there is no easy fix. If the nylon clip breaks you can replace those easy enough. This is especially true after the car is a few years old and the plastic gets brittle.

Once you have the panel off, find the plug for the wire that goes to the latch. Set your meter to check continuity (ohms) and with the door open the switch should be closed, (Zero or really close to zero ohms when you measure between the two wires inside the plug coming *from* the latch, with the plug disconnected. ) Now retest after taking a screwdriver and clicking the door latch two clicks in. This should open the switch and every thing is OK if the test now shows infinite ohms.

It can be a real task to remove the latch from the door so don't do it if you can avoid it. The little plastic linkage clips often break and the screws holding in the latch are tighter than all get-outs. On some cars the window channel is in the way and must be removed. You can also try spraying it again from the inside if you do find a switch problem. These switches seldom go bad they just get stuck when the grease oozes from the latch and hardens.

One more word of advice, don't forget to pull the door handle and release the latch before you shut the door. Slamming the door on a latched but open door can bugger the latch or the strike. And let me tell you Ford is pretty darn proud of the latch mechanisms, most are over $100.

I have yet to find a car with your symptoms that could not be fixed by spraying WD40. It could be something else but not likely.

Oh, while you have the panel off,it is a real good time to lube the window regulator and the hinges. Just be careful and don't get any lube on the rubber/felt track the window travels in.

If all the switches test OK, then you are looking for a place where a the wires have rubbed together and shorted to each other, This is why it is really likely that the problem lies in the switches in the doors.

 

so after alot of tinkering and searching...it was two broken wires inside the main wire harness going between the door and the cab in the insulated rubber boot...I had decided to live with the locking problem until the windows in the entire truck stopped working...once the wires were spliced back together the windows and the locks now worked properly...so the issue was a broken ground started it all...thanks to everyone for all of your help...

 

Thank you for the follow-up post, and congrats on the fix! You've now been inducted in to the "Broken Wire Club."

-Rod