Questions and Answers

Two Ford Rangers, One Problem Q. I have two Ford Rangers EXT 4-doors. One a 1998 and one a 1999. Both have problems with the door ajar lights staying on when it is hot outside or the heater has ran for extended periods of time. I have had no luck in cleaning or adjusting the door switches. Also the doors have been adjusted numerous times.

I heard a pop the other day that sounded like it came from the dash on the 1998 Ford Ranger. After hearing this popping noise the doors functioned fine without leaving the ajar light or dome light on. Is there a relay or possibly a printed circuit board in the dash that controls the door ajar system? I know countless Ranger owners have had the same problems. There has to be an answer some where.

Thanks in advance,
Tom

A. Power for the door ajar light comes from fuse 11 and goes through the door ajar light to the Generic Electronic Module (GEM) then to the door switches where it gets ground. It is possible that the GEM is the culprit here. It's easy enough to check with a hair dryer. Aim the hair dryer at the GEM and when it heats up and the problem returns, you have a bad GEM. Or you can try tapping on it to see if whatever is stuck, unsticks.

My article Incident Simulation Testing will give you suggestions on how to simulate conditions to duplicate a problem