The term “Door Ajar” in a Ford or any vehicle means that the door is partially open or hasn’t securely closed. If you notice this indication on your dashboard, it means your door is not properly locked.
As a Ford user, you might be curious about why this is important, common signs indicating a door ajar, and working methods to disable the alert. Also, ideas on reasons for why it happens in the first place, and how to prevent it.
After spending hours on this whole guide, I’m quite happy to answer all those queries and insights you may need on door ajar, particularly in Ford vehicles.
Let’s navigate through the details together!
Table of Contents
What Does Door Ajar Mean?
Based on the Cambridge Dictionary, the door ajar means the door stays open slightly. This word comes from char which means (on the) turn which is a Scottish (1718). The word door ajar was first used in a poem called Tamerlane (1829) by Edgar Allan Poe.
In the words of a Ford car, the door ajar means either the passenger or driver side door is ajar or open and not latched properly.
It’s a situation that indicates the car door not closing, or latching or the car’s computer thinks getting the right signal. As a result, the dashboard or the instrument cluster might display an error message.
Symptoms of Ford Door Ajar Issue!
There are possibly three ways how you can detect whether the door is ajar in your Ford car or not. Here are the details you are not aware of:
- Warning Light Pop On: When the door is ajar, the Ford car will show a door ajar warning light on the dashboard or instrumental cluster. Be sure to check this guide to know the ins and outs of the door ajar light.
- Interior Dome Light Turning On: Your car’s interior dome light above will stay on to indicate the door is ajar or open.
- Chime Sound: In some Ford cars, you’ll hear a beeping type sound when the door is ajar.
When you see both of these signs at once or partially, it means your car door is ajar and not latched or has some interior issues.
If the door ajar light stays on your Ford F150, be sure to read this guide and try the given solutions after knowing the reasons.
Disabling the Door Ajar on Ford!
A lot of folks find the ajar door warning light irritating on their car’s dashboard and look for ways how they can disable it. If you are one of those, here’s how you can disable the door ajar most easily:
Disable Door Ajar Light
Method #1: Cutting Door Switch’s Wires
If your car door keeps saying it’s open when it’s not and showing door ajar light, you can disable it easily by cutting the wire of the door switch. Here’s how to do it yourself:
- To do that, open the door completely and find a black tube thing between the door and the main part of the car.
- Next, open the tube to see wires connected to a switch that tells if the door is open or closed.
- Afterward, use a flat screwdriver to disconnect the plug connected to the wires. Be sure to inspect the wires.
- Then, cut a specific wire depending on if it’s the passenger or driver’s side door. By doing this, it’ll stop the door-ajar system.
- Finally, cover the cut wire with tape or a wire cap to keep it safe. And then, put back all the parts you removed.
Method #2: Removing Power Door Locks (BMS) Fuse
To turn off the door-ajar system, you’ll need to remove the specific fuse that controls this system. Follow the given direction:
- Firstly, find the passenger compartment fuse box.
- Then, take out the Power Door Locks (BMS) fuse.
- Lastly, reinstall the cover to the passenger compartment fuse box.
Method #3: Other Ways
Apart from the above methods, you can disable the warning light on the Ford car by using the grease on the door latch hole, changing the door ajar switch or sensor, or installing a new door.
To know each of the techniques in detail, be sure to read this guide that explains how you can turn off door ajar light.
Disable Door Ajar Chime Sound
If you don’t like the annoying chime sound of door ajar, you can stop it in your Ford car. Do the following easy steps to disable it:
- To start with, you need to confirm that the key is not in the ignition, seat belts are not fastened, and all doors are closed.
- Next, put the key in the ignition without starting the truck, just enough to turn on the electricity.
- After that, wait for about a minute until the seatbelt warning light on the dashboard goes off.
- Then, buckle and unbuckle your seat belt 3 times quickly. Be sure to finish with the seat belt unbuckled within 30 seconds of the warning light turning off.
- After doing this, the light will come back on.
- Now, buckle and unbuckle the seat belt 3 more times, and this time, the light will flash. That’s it! The door chime will be turned off.
In case you need to turn off or disable door ajar on your Ford F150 car, learn about the methods by reading this guide.
5 Reasons Why the Door Is Ajar on Your Ford Car!
There are probably quite a few reasons why your Ford car can show the door ajar warning light on the dashboard. Let me share them below:
Reason #1: Bad Door Ajar Switch
Most of the time, a bad door-ajar switch is the culprit of this. When this part stops working, it can’t detect whether the latch is in the locked position or not. And so, the ECU doesn’t get the signal and shows the error message.
In that case, you’ll need to bypass or change this part and fix the issue. If you want to know everything about the door-ajar switch, read this informative guide.
Reason #2: The Door Isn’t Locked Properly
Quite a few times, the door not being slammed properly or locked can cause the door ajar issue. In that case, you only need to close and lock the door in the right way.
Reason #3: Faulty Door Ajar Sensor
The most common reason for door ajar issues on Ford cars is a bad door-ajar sensor. When this component becomes useless, it can’t send signals to the ECU system as the spring-loaded button stops moving.
To repair this, you only need to change this part. In case you don’t know anything about the door ajar sensor, be sure to read this guide.
Reason #4: Door Latch Issue
A lot of times the faulty door latch assembly can cause the door ajar issue. When this part goes bad, the door won’t lock properly. And so, the dashboard will show the door ajar warning light. To fix it, you’ll need to change the door latch.
Reason #5: Burnt Door Ajar Fuses
The fuses that control the door-ajar system can sometimes blow out. When this happens, the car may not get the signals of the door being closed or latched properly and give the warning light. To get rid of this, you’ll need to change the fuses that control the door-ajar system.
How to Fix the Door Ajar Issues on Your Ford Car?
Now that you know the causes for door ajar in Ford cars, it’s time to troubleshoot the issue. Here’s how you can do it yourself:
Solution #1: Fix the Door Ajar Switch Issue
To repair the issue of door ajar switch, you’ll first need to check the user manual or guide of your car model to know its location. If you have a Ford F250 door-ajar switch, know its location by reading this guide.
Then, you’ll need to change this part or bypass it by following the steps and methods mentioned in this guide.
Solution #2: Lock the Door Properly
- To do that, you only need to unlock and open the door fully.
- Then, close the door using slight force. Be sure to be careful to not harm it.
- Lastly, lock the door in the right way.
Solution #3: Replace Door Ajar Sensor
To change the door ajar sensor, you’ll first need to locate it. This part is always on the door frame which is quite visible and noticeable. Once you find the part, simply fix the door ajar sensor issue by following the given directions in this guide.
Solution #4: Clean or Change the Door Latch
- To begin with, you’ll need to remove the door panel and hang the door cover or barrier aside using tape.
- Then, take out the door latch and manual door lock lever in the right way.
- Once it’s done, you’ll need to detach the electrical connectors and nearby parts.
- Afterward, use the T-27 Torx driver to take out the 3 bolts that hide the door latch inside the door panel.
- Next, remove the door latch from the door’s opening and disconnect the door switch underneath.
- Next, clean the door latch using a lubricant or grease and a toothbrush. Based on the Dubizzle, you can use white lithium or silicon grease to clean the latch.
- After that, you can either put the old latch into place or install a new one.
- Finally, reinstall all the parts.
Solution #5: Replace Door Ajar Fuses
- To change the door ajar fuses, you’ll need to find all the fuses that control the system of door ajar before doing anything. You can know the location of door-ajar fuses by reading this detailed guide.
- Then, inspect the condition of the fuses and mark the blown-out ones.
- Lastly, change the fuses based on the amp and reattach the cover of the fuse box.
Ending Notes
That’s all you need to know about the Ford door ajar! Just be sure to take it seriously when you see the warning light or hear a chime sound. Ensure to fix the culprits that cause the door ajar bug after detecting it. Hope you find this guide helpful and informative. See Ya!
