Door Ajar

Does your vehicle suffer from "Door Ajar" syndrome? You know, when all your doors are shut (you know this because you triple checked) but your brilliant new-age car thinks one is still open. Like it would know! The doors are shut, darn it!

But as it were, the interior (and any exterior) lights stay on because AI thinks there is a DOOR AJAR.  Sometimes they shut off, sometimes they don't. Flip a coin.

It's irritating, but mostly you learn to ignore it. Until you're car doesn't start at all. Because your battery is dead. Because it's been drained keeping lights on to indicate an Ajar Door. However,  it's not ajar. It's SHUT.

The next morning, and all day long,  our 2001 Ford Expedition starts up just fine. You forget about the time it didn't. Until 10:00pm when you're leaving your in-laws, and The Battery is again, dead. Like I said, Flip a Coin.

Today, DH and I decided enough is enough. We were going to figure out what the problem was. I went around the car repeatedly opening and closing each door in hopes it was "THE ONE". No Luck.

Of course, I get the brilliant idea to google the problem. (Mind you, we were not about to "take it in" and spend hard-earned $$ until absolutely all resources were exhausted, and then some.) So I do. I came across ford-forums.com and found a tidbit regarding the notorious "Door Ajar".

Here's what fordago had to share, "I had a problem that caused this behavior. I found a remarkably simple fix on a forum (forget which one). Spray WD 40 into the driver door latch. That's it. Apparently, there is a switch activated by the door latch which was sticking. It fixed the problem in 60 seconds for less than $0.01."

No Kidding. It worked! But it wasn't the driver door. It was the front seat passenger door. Yep, "mine". Go figure. 

Anyway, we bought a small can of WD-40 for, like, $5  - and OILA! No more "Door Ajar" warning. 

Hallelujah!!

Thank you Google. You saved us lots of moola, time, and energy. I think I love you.

I retain the claim that you can learn anything on the internet!