1997 Ford Ranger Dome Light Stays On

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UNFBLAH
  • MEMBER
  • 1 POST
My dome light in my 1997 Ford ranger xlt reg cab has just recently started acting up. It sometimes wont turn off right away (like a delay while i'm driving, sometimes lasting 10+ minutes) and sometimes when its off and parked it wont go off at all.

It only has 68,000 miles on it so i'm not sure why this is happening now. But thought this might be a common issue with rangers after looking around. I tried searching the forums for a fix allready but after reading hundreds of posts haven't found what i need.

Any ideas how to fix this problem? I don't want my battery to start dieing because of it. Plus its a horrible distraction at night when driving the the dome light is on.

Thanks for the help.
Mar 17, 2006 at 1:06 PM
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LOVESCARS
  • ✓Experienced Mechanic
  • 359 POSTS
The door latch as well as a ECM controls the suration of time the light stays on. You likely need to oull the door latch to clean it...this will also cause the chime to not go off---as if the door is opening while driving down the road.
Mar 18, 2006 at 10:55 AM

Suggested Repair

Pull and clean the door latch. The door latch and ECM control how long the dome light stays on; a dirty latch can keep the light and door chime on as if a door is open.

Conversation Summary

The owner of a 1997 Ford Ranger XLT says the dome light sometimes stays on for more than 10 minutes while driving and sometimes will not turn off when parked, raising battery-drain concerns. The expert explains that the door latch and ECM control light duration and recommends pulling and cleaning the door latch. A faulty latch can also keep the chime on as if a door is opening while driving.

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