Scion tC 2007 door light wont go off
 

Hi all,

I have a 2007 Scion tC. the lights that tell me my doors are opened won't go off. I've tried shutting my doors several times..no luck.

Is there anyone that could tell me what i should do? will this drain my battery? is it safe for me to go on a roadtrip with this being the case?

Door Jamb Switch
 

Hi most likely your door jamb switch is faulty. IF the interior overhead dome lights both front and rear are not set to DOOR. Then it shouldn't drain your battery when the car is off and just sitting. However it would most likely not allow you to arm your alarm system if equipped with it. As the alarm system computer will detect a door open and not allow arming. You would have to manually lock your doors with the interior lock on the door by the opener lever or lock from the outside on the drivers side door with the key. Your car will be locked but your alarm system won't be armed/active.

Definitely get this fixed as soon as possible. I have attached two pics. One where you see the driver car seat has the actual door jamb switch location circled in red. There will be another door jamb switch like it on the opposite side for the passenger door. The second pic shows the drivers door with the rubber stopper/plunger circled in red. There will also be another stopper/plunger on the passenger side door. This stopper/plunger pushes in the door jamb switch when the doors are closed. Either the door jamb switches are faulty and need to be replaced or maybe even missing. Or the rubber stopper/plungers are damaged or missing on the doors. The rubber stopper/plungers on the doors are easy to check to see if they are there and/or damaged. For the door jamb switches try pushing them in and out a few times with your finger and see if the door open light goes off when you do. Sometimes the door jamb switches get "stuck" internally and need to be pressed in and out a few times to get them working again. If however that doesn't work it needs to be replaced.

You would need to contact a Toyota dealer to get the part/parts. What I would do if the door jamb switch or stopper/plunger needs to get replaced. Is contact a Toyota dealer or google search for your year/make/model and specify then "door jamb switch" and/or "door stopper/plunger" and get the part numbers. Then google search for those Toyota part numbers to find a store online to get it cheaper. If you buy direct from a Toyota dealer near you, it usually will cost more than buying the same part online. And either way the Toyota dealer may not have the part in stock right away and need to order it for you anyway. So might as well save some money and order the part yourself online. :)

I've had this issue on 2 other cars. On one it was the bumper on the door, and taping a chair leg pad onto it solved that one. On another it was the switch on the pillar - very simple repair. I definitely wouldn't let the dome light stay on even overnight or you are likely to drain the battery. At the very least pull the bulb in the dome out to keep your battery safe until you can fix it completely.