I have a perplexing problem in my 95 SE....it started about 3 months ago when my door ajar light started flashing on and off which of course causes the interior courtesy lights to flash on and off in sync. Kind of a nuisance when driving at night and a real pain in the backside when you park, turn off the ignition and the interior lights have stayed on! I finally just switched the interior roof light off so only the under dash lights light up.
I went to my friendly auto wreckers, found a 95 Pathfinder and removed all the door jamb switches. I started replacing mine one by one and finally with all 4 replacement switches in place the problem still exists. Drive down the street, hit a bumb and voila the door ajar light comes on with all the courtesy lights!
I am beginning to think possibly a poor ground wire but if this is the case would anyone know where to look? Any other suggestions would be appreciated....I am getting tired of removing the 10 amp fuse to kill the lights.
Thx
Door ajar light flashes on and off when hitting bumps.
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bushpilotmexico
- Posts: 3
- Joined: Sat Jan 26, 2013 11:25 am
- Car: 1995 Pathfinder SE
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Towncivilian
- Posts: 4995
- Joined: Sun May 23, 2010 10:21 am
- Car: 2001.5 Pathfinder SE 3.5L 2WD A/T
2007 Altima 2.5L CVT
2012 Sentra 2.0L CVT Special
2012 G37 Sedan 7A/T - Location: Florida, USA
- Contact:
Re: Door ajar light flashes on and off when hitting bumps.
Your rear hatch switch is causing this issue. You can try to add a few washers to space up the striker to make it contact the switch better.
Welcome to NICO.
Welcome to NICO.
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bushpilotmexico
- Posts: 3
- Joined: Sat Jan 26, 2013 11:25 am
- Car: 1995 Pathfinder SE
Re: Door ajar light flashes on and off when hitting bumps.
I appreciate your response but as I was unable to locate the rear hatch switch (no problem finding the rear tire ajar switch) this is what I found on Google and after a quick lunch I am going to give it a try and let you know my results:
Solution -- Disable Rear Hatch Sensor
Answered my own question -- If you ever encounter a "Door Ajar" sensor and it's not one of the four doors, it's probably the hatch back sensor. There is an unseen sensor behind the hatch panel which grounds to the mounting plate of the hatch lock assembly.
Test the theory by applying pressure to the outside of the hatch back lock. If there's a short circuit, often the extra pressure will close the open circuit. Also try adjusting the hatch lock striker hook backward and forward to adjust closure tightness (12mm socket and three bolts to loosen/tighten).
To fix the problem permanently (without major hassles), try the following:
1. Remove rear hatch panel -- Two plastic screw fasteners, the rest are simple panel pop rivots. You may need to remove the two screws securing the window release lock plastic cover, too.
2. With the interior hatch panel removed, close the hatch.
3. Open the rear window.
4. Standing at the rear driver's side of the hatch, fish your left hand through to the back of the hatch lock mounting plate.
5. Locate the pigtail connection attached to the mounting plate: One ground (wire) connected to the mounting plate, the other (red w/stripe) connected to a wire connector just fore of the locking mechanism.
6. Disconnect the pigtail.
7. Tape off the open pigtail and secure to prevent rattling.
8. Reassemble hatch panel.
This should not affect the rear hatch power lock, rear window release, rear wiper, rear defogger or Tire Carrier Ajar sensor. It's simply a way to disable the 5th and only unseen "Door Ajar" sensor which could short and cause such a problem.
Food for thought.
Notes:
1. This was the solution for the floor lighting frequently staying illuminated when all doors were clearly closed on a 1995 Nissan Pathfinder.
2. The pigtail mentioned in the solution is about 6" to 8" from the latch mechanism. Mine was covered in gray foam to minimize rattle noise and was somewhat hard to see inside the dark rear hatch door area. It was also against the "inside" side of the sheet metal. I'm telling you this because I was about to Cut the Red/White wire and make a new ground by attaching it the metal on the door with a self tapping screw and new wire terminal end. I'm never in favor of cutting any factory wiring when you can disconnect a harness. There are lot of reasons why cutting is not the best option if you have another option to choose from.
3. The existence of this problem was discovered because the alarm system was going off during all hours of the day and night. It turns out that the alarm sounding problem happens to 1987 to 1995 Nissan Pathfinders when the battery is discharged
Solution -- Disable Rear Hatch Sensor
Answered my own question -- If you ever encounter a "Door Ajar" sensor and it's not one of the four doors, it's probably the hatch back sensor. There is an unseen sensor behind the hatch panel which grounds to the mounting plate of the hatch lock assembly.
Test the theory by applying pressure to the outside of the hatch back lock. If there's a short circuit, often the extra pressure will close the open circuit. Also try adjusting the hatch lock striker hook backward and forward to adjust closure tightness (12mm socket and three bolts to loosen/tighten).
To fix the problem permanently (without major hassles), try the following:
1. Remove rear hatch panel -- Two plastic screw fasteners, the rest are simple panel pop rivots. You may need to remove the two screws securing the window release lock plastic cover, too.
2. With the interior hatch panel removed, close the hatch.
3. Open the rear window.
4. Standing at the rear driver's side of the hatch, fish your left hand through to the back of the hatch lock mounting plate.
5. Locate the pigtail connection attached to the mounting plate: One ground (wire) connected to the mounting plate, the other (red w/stripe) connected to a wire connector just fore of the locking mechanism.
6. Disconnect the pigtail.
7. Tape off the open pigtail and secure to prevent rattling.
8. Reassemble hatch panel.
This should not affect the rear hatch power lock, rear window release, rear wiper, rear defogger or Tire Carrier Ajar sensor. It's simply a way to disable the 5th and only unseen "Door Ajar" sensor which could short and cause such a problem.
Food for thought.
Notes:
1. This was the solution for the floor lighting frequently staying illuminated when all doors were clearly closed on a 1995 Nissan Pathfinder.
2. The pigtail mentioned in the solution is about 6" to 8" from the latch mechanism. Mine was covered in gray foam to minimize rattle noise and was somewhat hard to see inside the dark rear hatch door area. It was also against the "inside" side of the sheet metal. I'm telling you this because I was about to Cut the Red/White wire and make a new ground by attaching it the metal on the door with a self tapping screw and new wire terminal end. I'm never in favor of cutting any factory wiring when you can disconnect a harness. There are lot of reasons why cutting is not the best option if you have another option to choose from.
3. The existence of this problem was discovered because the alarm system was going off during all hours of the day and night. It turns out that the alarm sounding problem happens to 1987 to 1995 Nissan Pathfinders when the battery is discharged
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bushpilotmexico
- Posts: 3
- Joined: Sat Jan 26, 2013 11:25 am
- Car: 1995 Pathfinder SE
Re: Door ajar light flashes on and off when hitting bumps.
Needless to say I just about ripped the rear hatch apart and if you can find the wires that he is talking about then anyone is a better mechanic than I am. Short of cutting wires I unplugged one at a time any connection I could find and the dorr ajar light still stayed on.
I found this link did the fix and it appears to have worked.
http://www.nissanpathfinders.net/forum/ ... ch-sensor/
Just for curiosity sake if anyone knows where that rear hatch sensor is located please tell me.
I found this link did the fix and it appears to have worked.
http://www.nissanpathfinders.net/forum/ ... ch-sensor/
Just for curiosity sake if anyone knows where that rear hatch sensor is located please tell me.
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Buzzman
- Posts: 2070
- Joined: Fri Feb 02, 2007 2:35 pm
- Car: 2017 Mazda 6 GT
2023 Kia Stinger Elite V6 AWD.
Re: Door ajar light flashes on and off when hitting bumps.
Every once in awhile, mostly in cold weather, my door ajar light will be on when I get in the truck. For some reason, the glass hatch has popped loose, and I have to slam it shut, and hope it stays shut. The rear door is OK. It's just the glass that gives me the problem once in awhile. Might be worth checking that out on yours as well.
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Cmsmith1973
- Posts: 1
- Joined: Wed Sep 18, 2013 8:10 pm
- Car: 2000 nissan quest
Re: Door ajar light flashes on and off when hitting bumps.
I had the exact same problem with my 2000 Nissan Quest. My door ajar light would flash and the interior lights would flash off and on. It was driving me crazy. Finally figured out what it was. It was actually something very simple. It was the door ajar relay. The rubber that goes over it was torn and it let it slip to the side of the relay. Pulled it back over the relay and the lights don't blink anymore. Thank goodness I figured it out before going to a shop and paying 100-200 for them to just check it out.
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Paramedic835
- Posts: 5
- Joined: Wed Nov 30, 2016 3:08 pm
- Car: 2013 Nissan Sentra SL
Re: Door ajar light flashes on and off when hitting bumps.
Thank you very much. This helped me solve the dang issue with the door ajar light on the dash and to dome light flashing constantly.bushpilotmexico wrote: ↑Sat Jan 26, 2013 12:07 pmI appreciate your response but as I was unable to locate the rear hatch switch (no problem finding the rear tire ajar switch) this is what I found on Google and after a quick lunch I am going to give it a try and let you know my results:
Solution -- Disable Rear Hatch Sensor
Answered my own question -- If you ever encounter a "Door Ajar" sensor and it's not one of the four doors, it's probably the hatch back sensor. There is an unseen sensor behind the hatch panel which grounds to the mounting plate of the hatch lock assembly.
Test the theory by applying pressure to the outside of the hatch back lock. If there's a short circuit, often the extra pressure will close the open circuit. Also try adjusting the hatch lock striker hook backward and forward to adjust closure tightness (12mm socket and three bolts to loosen/tighten).
To fix the problem permanently (without major hassles), try the following:
1. Remove rear hatch panel -- Two plastic screw fasteners, the rest are simple panel pop rivots. You may need to remove the two screws securing the window release lock plastic cover, too.
2. With the interior hatch panel removed, close the hatch.
3. Open the rear window.
4. Standing at the rear driver's side of the hatch, fish your left hand through to the back of the hatch lock mounting plate.
5. Locate the pigtail connection attached to the mounting plate: One ground (wire) connected to the mounting plate, the other (red w/stripe) connected to a wire connector just fore of the locking mechanism.
6. Disconnect the pigtail.
7. Tape off the open pigtail and secure to prevent rattling.
8. Reassemble hatch panel.
This should not affect the rear hatch power lock, rear window release, rear wiper, rear defogger or Tire Carrier Ajar sensor. It's simply a way to disable the 5th and only unseen "Door Ajar" sensor which could short and cause such a problem.
Food for thought.
Notes:
1. This was the solution for the floor lighting frequently staying illuminated when all doors were clearly closed on a 1995 Nissan Pathfinder.
2. The pigtail mentioned in the solution is about 6" to 8" from the latch mechanism. Mine was covered in gray foam to minimize rattle noise and was somewhat hard to see inside the dark rear hatch door area. It was also against the "inside" side of the sheet metal. I'm telling you this because I was about to Cut the Red/White wire and make a new ground by attaching it the metal on the door with a self tapping screw and new wire terminal end. I'm never in favor of cutting any factory wiring when you can disconnect a harness. There are lot of reasons why cutting is not the best option if you have another option to choose from.
3. The existence of this problem was discovered because the alarm system was going off during all hours of the day and night. It turns out that the alarm sounding problem happens to 1987 to 1995 Nissan Pathfinders when the battery is discharged
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