Does Your Car Have A Defective Doorjamb Switch?
01-11-19, 10:52 AM
#16
Pole Position
I know my drivers side switch is wonky. When I open the door on most occasions, my vanity floor light is out as is the interior. Thanks to this thread I knew to check the switch. If I punch it in and out the lights come on. So, I undid it and thought about swapping it out with the back door. However, there isn't enough wire to pull it out of the socket. If I were to disconnect the switch, I'm concerned it would fall into the door panel. So, I just screwed it back in. Is there a trick to this?
01-14-19, 07:00 AM
#17
Pole Position
02-12-19, 04:06 PM
#18
Racer
Some of the LS460s and LS600s have defective doorjamb switches. Bad doorjamb switches cause lots of problems. Several of the car’s features, including some important safety features are compromised when one or more of the doorjamb switches are defective. The most common doorjamb switch failure mode seems to be the inability to sense when a door is open and may cause the headlights auto-off feature to not work, resulting in a discharged battery. Another feature that may not work when the switch is bad is the auto-relock inhibit and that may result in locking your keys, and child or pet, in the car – women are especially susceptible to this because they carry their keys in their purses and not on their person. Another feature, and an important safety feature, that is defeated by bad switches is the HOLD-cancelation if one of the doors is opened. And another very important safety feature that is disabled by bad switches is the warning that the car is being left with the ignition on or the engine running – this may result in the occupants of homes where cars are garaged being killed by fire or carbon monoxide poisoning.
There are lots of ways to test the switches. Here is a way to test your doorjamb switches to see if they are sensing open doors that should take about 10 minutes.
1. You should make sure that none of your spare electronic keys are in the car and that you have only one key on your person.
2. Lower all 4 windows in the doors.
3. Start with the driver’s door: with your electronic key in your hand, push the LOCK button two times quickly to lock all the doors. Then push the UNLOCK button quickly two times to unlock all the doors. Then use the door handle to open the door and lay the electronic key on the seat and close the door. You must complete this sequence in less than 30 seconds.
4. Using a stopwatch, wait 2 minutes and then retrieve the key from the seat by using the door handle to open the door.
If you are able to retrieve your key by opening the door then your doorjamb switch is likely good. If you have to retrieve your key through the window then the switch is likely bad.
You need to repeat this test at each door.
These switches are inexpensive and easy to replace and a DIY project for some.
There are lots of ways to test the switches. Here is a way to test your doorjamb switches to see if they are sensing open doors that should take about 10 minutes.
1. You should make sure that none of your spare electronic keys are in the car and that you have only one key on your person.
2. Lower all 4 windows in the doors.
3. Start with the driver’s door: with your electronic key in your hand, push the LOCK button two times quickly to lock all the doors. Then push the UNLOCK button quickly two times to unlock all the doors. Then use the door handle to open the door and lay the electronic key on the seat and close the door. You must complete this sequence in less than 30 seconds.
4. Using a stopwatch, wait 2 minutes and then retrieve the key from the seat by using the door handle to open the door.
If you are able to retrieve your key by opening the door then your doorjamb switch is likely good. If you have to retrieve your key through the window then the switch is likely bad.
You need to repeat this test at each door.
These switches are inexpensive and easy to replace and a DIY project for some.
11-30-19, 01:24 AM
#19
Pole Position
mine gave out recently, I totally forgot about this then i changed the bulb it was flickering and being weird but for some reaso i neglected to check the switch, i went down and sure enough if you jiggle the switch up and down it turns on and off, if you try it on a good one, unless you press it back in the light wont turn off...or flicker.. THAT is the easiest way to tell if you have a bad switch that has not yet died totally.
Anyone know the type of screw and size? i dont have alot of tools so I need to know what to get. Thanks
Anyone know the type of screw and size? i dont have alot of tools so I need to know what to get. Thanks
08-22-20, 05:55 AM
#20
I think my multiplex network door computer went bad also. Where is it located? My bulb is good and my door switch is good but there is only 9v going to the door connector when the door is open and then it actually raises a bit when I push in the door switch. So, there is a constant drain in my battery. What else could cause this? I don’t think it’s a bad ground because I also noticed that the oem bulb assembly plastic has weird discolored residue in it and therefore something must have happened to blow it out or short it in some way?
09-01-20, 01:20 PM
#21
Well well, my lovely car locked itself today (naturally with car & home keys inside). I suspect opening the door after unlocking did not register, and as I was cleaning some dried leaves off the windscreen, 30s or so passed, and the car automatically re-locked itself as it is supposed to. The left rear door had acted up before, first symptom was probably the puddle lamp flickering. One time the soft close didn't work, but after I fiddled with the switch, it started working. Later today, after retrieving a spare key, I tried locking the car but it just beeped at me. Fiddling with the left rear door jamb switch helped. I'll order a few switches and check the rest; they're surprisingly cheap (5.94 € on Amayama).
05-14-21, 09:42 AM
#22
I tried this process and all doorjamb switches seem to be working normally. If I was to switch the 'auto' headlights to the 'off' position the lights will start blinking again, which of course would drain the battery if I was to leave like this. I of course leave it in the auto on position as this is the lesser of two levels, so to speak. However, I'm not too confident that my third battery in one month will last.
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