- posted
16 years ago
2003 Mercury Mountaineer Luxury Edition with 99000 miles. I'm having electrical problems as follows: Close the door, message center says "door ajar" but no door is ajar. If I turn down the panel dimmer switch, to the off position, then back on, the "door ajar" message is gone. Now... if I turn up the panel dimmer switch to the top position (this turns on the dome light) the dome lights turn on and the "door ajar" message is back and the driver side power door lock switch is dead. Again, if I turn the panel dimmer switch all the way down, the "door ajar" message is gone and the driver side power door switch then works normally. Also, in the message center I have the light delay set to "0" and the interior lights still do not turn off when I turn off the car. So I have to keep the panel dimmer switch in the off position. I put the SUV in the shop and they were hoping it was the dimmer switch or the driver side door open/close sensor. After diagnostics, they say the instrument panel module is bad and must be replaced for about $300, plus about that much in labor, which includes installation and reprogramming of the new cluster. They said that older models had a small computer module in the cluster that could be replaced but the entire instrument cluster must be replaced in 2003 models. Once a few weeks ago the entire panel cluster went dead after a battery disconnect/reconnect, then came back to life after another battery disconnect/reconnect. I've also had problems with the radio not powering up for a minute or so after starting the car. Does this repair sound right?