'99 Windstar AutoLocking

[dandi]

I searched a bit but didn't find anything that exactly matched the issue....

My autolocking works intermittantly - I have the issue of the 'door ajar' light staying on and used to be able to resolve it for a while by cleaning the contacts on the sliding doors. Lately, however, this no longer works and the light stays on almost constantly, meaning that the autolocking doesn't work. When I lock the doors using the 'Lock' button, all the doors lock initially, then the driver's door unlocks. I can lock it by pushing down the lock stub manually. When I use the passenger's side 'Lock' button, all the doors lock and stay locked. In both cases, the 'door ajar' light is still illuminated.

A further complication is that frequently the interior lights don't illuminate when you open the door or remove the key from the ignition after shutting the car off. The lights DO work occasionally.

I don't think this is a fuse issue as the systems to work occasionally. And it's more of an irritant than a real issue, since I can lock the doors. But I'm tired of seeing the 'door ajar' light.

Any suggestions on where I should start??

Thanks!

Dan D

[adbradley]

I had the same problem on my 99 Windstar. I thought it was the door switches in the rear hatch but they were OK. It ended up being the switch inside the driver door. I took the door panel off and removed the switch from near the latch mechanism. I cleaned it up, reinstalled it and no more problems...

[dandi]

Ok, adbradley, makes sense.... Since it's pouring rain right now, let me ask you - how do you remove the door panel?

Thx, Dan

[adbradley]

There are screws around the bottom of the door and 2 in the armrest. Remove these first. Then take a large flat screwdriver and place it between the door and the panel. There are some plastic clips that hold the door in. Pry around the panel, popping the clips out of the door. Then lift up the panel. You'll have to disconnect the power window / lock wiring at the harness and fish the door handle out the back of the panel.