Electrics: "drivers door open" even though closed!

[Kevlea]

Hi
Please can you help?

I'm getting ready to go away for New Year and as per usual, my XC90 has decided to throw up a fault!

Just unlocked it, got in, started engine and then "Drivers Door Open" message and the red triangle flash up on dash.

Door is definitely closed and I even put window down to see the exterior handle was closed properly.

Main problem being that all the interior lights stay on as it thinks the door is still open.

Any quick fixes please?

Can I trust that the all the lights will eventually go out as they do when you clean it for example?

Heeelllppp!

[C320]

Originally Posted by Kevlea

Hi
Please can you help?

I'm getting ready to go away for New Year and as per usual, my XC90 has decided to throw up a fault!

Just unlocked it, got in, started engine and then "Drivers Door Open" message and the red triangle flash up on dash.

Door is definitely closed and I even put window down to see the exterior handle was closed properly.

Main problem being that all the interior lights stay on as it thinks the door is still open.

Any quick fixes please?

Can I trust that the all the lights will eventually go out as they do when you clean it for example?

Heeelllppp!

Have you checked the courtesy light switch - this is on each door frame and is what tells the car whether a door is open or closed as well as operating the courtesy lights, it sounds like yours has stuck in the open position.

[Kevlea]

Thanks. I'll have a look for switch. In the meantime, I've disabled the interior lights and taken the the bulbs out of the floor lamps.

[volvo for ever]

the switch is in the lock looks like lock /latch faulty have fitted good few for this very easy job once door panel off takes about 1 hour start to finish

regards

[C320]

Originally Posted by volvo for ever

the switch is in the lock looks like lock /latch faulty have fitted good few for this very easy job once door panel off takes about 1 hour start to finish

regards

Never checked our XC90 but I remember reading about that setup for the V70s so I guess they use the same setup. It's a little different than the traditional plunger type switch!

[Kevlea]

Originally Posted by volvo for ever

the switch is in the lock looks like lock /latch faulty have fitted good few for this very easy job once door panel off takes about 1 hour start to finish

regards

Thanks. Is it a seperate micro switch or do I need to source a whole replacement lock assembly?

[Kevlea]

Well....it's been months since this fault appeared and I've just been living with it but as per usual, I'm thinking of selling it and the new owner will benefit from the repairs that I should've fixed earlier.

I did replace the drivers door lock with a 2nd hand unit from an S60 which wasn't an easy job but it was a start on the elimination process. That didn't cure it.

My next line of thought was possible water ingress in the CEM, apparently a known fault on certain models. Months ago I started to strip back the wiper scuttle panel but just could not get the wiper arms off without causing damage to trim. Also needed the weather to be good so I didn't let water in to the cabin while I was sorting the suspected CEM. Was also putting this off due to the possible enormous cost of replacing or repairing it.

Last week I bit the bullet, stripped out to investigate, and thankfully found that all was fine. I did however, apply sealant to all the edges as I refitted the access panel to CEM to prevent any problems in the future.

Back to the drawing board. I removed drivers door panel to gain access to the control module mounted on the rear of the panel. No signs of external damage so was going to order a replacement used part, just in case I damaged the original part while stripping it down.

I started thinking back to the day that the fault first appeared and remembered that I was doing leaflet drops to my customers which meant that I was in and out of the drivers door countless times that day. I peeled back the convoluted rubber sleeve which covers the wiring loom from the door to the main bodywork. FOUND IT!!! A broken wire!! A very small, pink wire had broken about 5mm from where it comes out of plug. A friend soldered a new wire on to the end, I drilled a small hole through a blank connector in the plug and corresponding socket to pass the wire through to the inside of the door skin where it was again soldered on to the pink wire. SORTED!!!

After 9 months of a red triangle on my dash, a warning message and no interior lights, it's finally fixed. Surprising how a simple little fix like that can boost your day.

Sorry I didn't take any pictures at the time but hopefully my experience can help somebody else save some time and money.

Thanks again to the initial suggestions from other contributors to the thread.