Good afternoon,

This is the first time I have been to this site, was referred by a friend who has used it before. Hopefully someone can help me with a problem I'm having or direct me to someone that can. I have a 1996 Ford Explorer, 258,000+ miles and
it has been a great vehicle. The problem is my door ajar warning light and dome
light stay on, eexcept when the truck is off. I've checked the fuses, the doors,
reset the computer, and nothing seems to help. Anyone out there with any suggestions, it would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you

 

you need to post this in the explorer forum for the best response.

i fixed a tempo with this problem once, the door lock had a bad electrical connector that was causing what you said.

 

It's A Door Ajar Switch Located In The Door. Have Your Dealer Tell You What Door Though.

 

First of all - Welcome to FTE.

This is the infamous door ajar switch problem as stated in the previous post. The problem is almost always with the driver's side door. My theory is that it is caused by driving with the window down when it is wet outside or rolling the window down when the widnow is wet. The contacts on the dome light/door ajar switch get wet and corrode. You have three options.

1) Pay the dealer to replace the switch - Cost = $100.00 - $200.00

2) Replace the switch yourself - Cost = $15.00 +/- and a set of bloody knuckles and scratched hands. It can be difficult because it is mounted to the outside door handle way up inside the door. It's not that bad if you decide to go this route but it may take a while if this is the first one you have replaced becasue you will have to feel your way around.

3) Spray your door locks and door open/close mechanism with WD-40. Spray liberally thorugh every hole in the door anywhere near the outside door handle. Operate the door handle as you do this. It may take a while or it may work right away but it will work eventually. As I mentioned above, the contacts on the switch get corroded from the widnow being open when it is wet outside (my theory).

My daughter is a smoker and has this problem with her Ranger becasue she drives with the widow open quite a bit. My wife, a non-smoker, drove our 96 Explorer for nearly 5 years with the window up and never had the problem. This is the basis for my theory on the casue of this problem. That said, I could be wrong. Good luck with it.