Hi everyone, I was hoping I could get the bottom of my issues with the door triggers. It appears something is wrong with one of the trigger or something because my dash light will randomly turn on and off. I open my doors with the dome light set to door and it doesn't come on. Could someone point me in the right direction to start investigating? I'm a little clueless when it comes to where to start at the moment.

Start with the door trigger? When you push the button with your finger do you notice a difference, does the light go off/on? Is the button stuck? Is your door not setting it off?

If that doesnt make a difference I would then look to wiring. Is this an issue only with the drives side door or with all doors? My driver side door doesnt always turn the dome light on when set to door. Doesnt bother me enough to fix.

Pretty easy fix, you can buy some used good working door switches or brand new ones. They do wear out after time, typically the drivers side ones will go bad.

Remove the side panel where the seatbelt is, pull back the black rubber cover on the switch and unbolt it (its the black push button in the door jamb) and then disconnect the connector once you have the inside panel off. Put it back together and it should work just fine (I had to replace front and rear drivers side on my 97).

I was thinking it was the drivers door until I tried all of the doors and none of them trigger the door. Is it possible that one faulty trigger would cause the other triggers to not work?

Hmm, mine would still trigger the dash light and dome light on the doors with working door switches. Maybe not as easy of a fix.

none of them trigger the dome light or any indicator? Dash?

My drivers side door trigger has been on the way out for a few years now. I have to replace it soon. I can push it with my finger for the dome light but it's becoming a real pain in the arse with engaging & disengaging the alarm/keyless entry.

No. It can only fail one of two ways. If closed when should be open, dome light will come on. Or if open when should be closed, then other doors would still be able to work.

Here is the 2002 EWD (It is the same from '99 on. Please give your year):

http://tacoma.site40.net/4Runner_96-...emci/023il.pdf

The bad news is the 'brain' for this function is built into the gauge cluster circuitry (aka 'Combination Switch') and can't be replaced on its own. First, I'd check and see if the green wire with black stripe to the gauge cluster is getting ground when you open a door (pretty sure it's that color for all years.)

I can maybe give you some more ideas, but I need to know your year. If it is the cluster, the best fix might be to wire up a separate relay to control the dome light. Question: Does the Door Ajar light work when you open the tailgate? How about the other doors?

Thanks for all the replies. It looks like this project is going to be put on hold. As I was driving last night, my muffler fell off!

Alright, back at it. I narrowed it down to the hatch. When I push on the hatch, the light on the instrument cluster goes out. It was dark when i did my testing and I couldn't find a trigger. Is it in the latch mechanism?

Just saw this and wanted to come and say this. Mine was doing the same thing, 'door open' light was on/off on the highway. I noticed the cargo light in the back would come on and off with it. Definitely narrowed it down to the hatch. I sprayed some 'dry' grease onto the mechanism and worked it back and forth a few times.

That worked for me. Now I haven't had a problem since. I'll be doing a hatch release from the inside as well and will probably lube it a bit more from this inside as well while I'm in there.

I swapped drivers side with passenger side switch since I usually don't have any passengers.

I'm torn between a "" or "" reaction...

Ok, i pulled the latch mechanism and sprayed a bunch of lube on it and now it won't turn off at all, i think i'm just going to replace the whole thing.

Have you already looked at the wiring that runs under the rubber boot between the body and hatch? Quick and easy to check for broken wires and shorts.

My latch mechanism had a bug in it, as in some sort of beetle. Lube would not have fixed that! After repairing the wiring under the boot and still having issues I looked for wiring issues in the hatch. Finding none I took the latch apart to see if I could repair the switch. Couple of rivets need their heads ground off. If you don't take too much off the thing will snap back together and the bolts holding the latch to the hatch ensures it stays together.

Yer switch: This is what deactivates the switch- turns it off- when the door is closed


The pin slides the red-circled block down, inside it is a copper bar that breaks contact as it moves downward. The blue circle is the spring that holds the block and therefore the copper bar upwards against the contacts when the door is open and the pin not engaged...


More info and some pics here if you want to know more...but check the easy stuff first...I'm not saying this is your situation by any means.
habanero's 1996 4Runner Build-Up Thread - Page 22 - YotaTech Forums

I've also taken apart the door switch that operates the dome light and key dinger and got that working again. It's a very simple little doo-dad.

Not that I'd be taking advice from somebody who describes something as a doo-dad.