Door ajar/alarm question

Hey all..I've got an '03 4.6l Expo that I absolutely love but it's been driving me crazy lately...the door ajar warning will go off for no apparent reason, the interior lights will flash and sometimes the alarm will sound while I'm driving. Took it to Ford who says that they couldn't find a problem when they tested and that they couldn't recreate the problem. Hubby thinks it might be a sensor but isn't too sure where they are located. It's getting annoying to be driving down the highway with that warning going off all the time:banghead: Any thoughts or ideas would be really appreciated!

I'll ask the obvious question - have you checked the door switches for the courtesy lights? They're the switches which are usually fitted into the door pillar, close to the hinges, and when the door is opened they cause the interior light to switch on. I'm not familiar with your vehicle (I'm in the UK) but presumably those same switches would also be used as triggers for the 'door ajar' warning circuit so a fault in one of those could account for both of those symptoms. When the 'door ajar' warning sounds and when the interior lights flash - do they happen at the same instant?

I imagine those switches also feed into the alarm circuit, i.e. if the car is parked with the alarm armed, and a door opens, then the alarm will sound. I know the alarm will not be armed whilst you're driving so they shouldn't cause the alarm to sound under normal driving conditions, but if those switches do also serve as alarm triggers then they're a common factor to all three symptoms and they would be the first thing I'd check.

The switches maybe part of the door latches. It is a common problem for them to stick. Many people have success with just cleaning them.

Kim is right. The door switch is located inside the door panel on the latch itself. You can try spraying a penetrtion oil inside each door latch and open and close the door a few times to see which door it is. Switch is relatively inexpensive and not that hard to replace if you are a little mechanically inclined. Good luck.

We've done the penetrating oil routine and it only works for a little while. Hubby wonders if there is a wire loose in the system somewhere that could be causing the problem. So far this is the only problem I've had with my Expo and of course it's the most annoying and distracting. Thanks for the help!

I do not think it is a wiring problem. The switches are very prone to dust and the plunger will hang up causing the lght to come on. The switch is around 10$ more or less and it is easy to replace if you have isolated the door it is on.

Spraying them is only a temporary fix. The oil will mix with the grime already in the switch, and therefore they will stick again.

i had the same problem about 2 years ago, have only had to spray the latch's down 2 times in 2 years, i did use WD-40, just about the best stuff around, works on just about everything
try it!
Rick, Ore

I had the same problem on my 03. It was on the drivers door. What I finally did stood outside of the vehicle and with the door open I lifted up on the bottom of the door to lift up the hinges. I think the hinges get pulled down slightly over time of opening the door. This is the only thing that worked on my 03. Let me know if this works.

Update...it turned out to be the latch sensor in the front passenger door. Cost about $30 bucks and since my hubby is mechanically inclined, it took him about half an hour to fix. He had to take panel off, remove the latch and simply pop the old sensor out and pop the new one in. The old sensor was sticking which was causing the problem..since it's been replaced the lights haven't come on and the alarm isn't going off for no reason. Thanks for all the help!

Thank you for taking the time to post the fix for your problem. This is the pay we look for. You would be surprised at the amount of repairs that we do not know if it was fixed or not. Again, thanks for taking the time to post the fix for us.

I figure that someone else who is having this problem might benefit on how easy it was to fix and save themselves a ton of money. The dealer told us it would be almost $600 to fix the sensor and that was just for one..not all 6 of them. (5 doors and the rear glass also has a sensor) Glad I could help....

LadyTex,

I am having the same problem with my '03 Expo that you have mentioned. My question for you is, how did you isolate which sensor, switch was bad. Also, where did you find the switches/sensors.

Thanks, BillBr

Bill...it was trial and error. While I had my Expo running and the warning alarm was going off, my hubby opened and closed each door. The front right passenger door was the only door that the alarm stayed on for so we changed that sensor; my Expo hasn't made a sound since then. I believe the sensor is right next to the latch, which my hubby found it was easier to remove the latch to replace the sensor. Hope this helps! (now to get my a/c fixed..hot weather is no fun with no a/c and leather seats;))