# Door lock warning light 2000 Toyota Camry - 35,000 miles

**URL:** <https://community.cartalk.com/t/door-lock-warning-light-2000-toyota-camry-35-000-miles/32191>\
**Category:** Maintenance/Repairs\
**Tags:** toyota, camry\
**Created:** [June 21, 2009, 6:24pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/door-lock-warning-light-2000-toyota-camry-35-000-miles/32191 "2009-06-21T18:24:46Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 9\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Mary\_Pfeifer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecccb3/32.png) [@Mary\_Pfeifer](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Mary_Pfeifer)\
**Post date:** [June 21, 2009, 6:24pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/door-lock-warning-light-2000-toyota-camry-35-000-miles/32191/1 "2009-06-21T18:24:46Z")

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Hello, Some time ago, the “doors open” indicator on the dashboard was staying lit on my 2000 Toyota Camry. I discovered that if I shut the passenger door very securely, the lock light would go out. A few weeks ago, this method no longer worked. So I asked my mechanic if he could disconnect the sensor in the right door. He said he could.  
  
  
  
 Is this all right? Will disconnecting just that sensor cause some other problem?  
  
 Geeeze anyway, what happened to simple mechanical things.

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**Author:** ![tardis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f0a364/32.png) [@tardis](https://community.cartalk.com/u/tardis)\
**Post date:** [June 21, 2009, 6:34pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/door-lock-warning-light-2000-toyota-camry-35-000-miles/32191/2 "2009-06-21T18:34:07Z")

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You have one switch failing in one of your doors on a ten year old car and you are complaining that it is too complicated?

It’s a door ajar light, not a door lock light.

If you disable it, your interior lights won’t come one when that door is opened. Not too bad of an issue. Also if you have autolocks, they may not relock that door when it is opened and then closed back.

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**Author:** ![Mary\_Pfeifer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecccb3/32.png) [@Mary\_Pfeifer](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Mary_Pfeifer)\
**Post date:** [June 21, 2009, 6:46pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/door-lock-warning-light-2000-toyota-camry-35-000-miles/32191/3 "2009-06-21T18:46:49Z")

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Ok Thanks ! I can live without the light not coming on when the door is opened. I have the dome light shut off now anyway. Complaining about technology seems to come easily to us seniors. I try to watch it. The Dear car has only 37,000 miles on it so I hope to keep it a while.

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**Author:** ![mshugna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ce73a5/32.png) [@mshugna](https://community.cartalk.com/u/mshugna)\
**Post date:** [June 21, 2009, 7:56pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/door-lock-warning-light-2000-toyota-camry-35-000-miles/32191/4 "2009-06-21T19:56:07Z")

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a cheaper solution — cover the indicator light with tape.

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**Author:** ![Mary\_Pfeifer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecccb3/32.png) [@Mary\_Pfeifer](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Mary_Pfeifer)\
**Post date:** [June 21, 2009, 8:37pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/door-lock-warning-light-2000-toyota-camry-35-000-miles/32191/5 "2009-06-21T20:37:55Z")

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Good one, except my mechanic says the indicator light and the light around the key insert (on the same circuit apparently) contributed to a dead battery when I left town for 18 days.

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**Author:** ![vtcodger2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/e68b1a/32.png) [@vtcodger2](https://community.cartalk.com/u/vtcodger2)\
**Post date:** [June 21, 2009, 10:31pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/door-lock-warning-light-2000-toyota-camry-35-000-miles/32191/6 "2009-06-21T22:31:53Z")

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Your local salvage yard will probably sell you a used door switch for a 2000 Camry for less than your mechanic will charge to install it.

Even your Toyota dealer probably won’t charge all that much for a new one. If you are at all mechanical and have a 10mm socket or end wrench, you can remove the old switch yourself – on my 1999 Camry, it’s black and is mounted on the doorpost – and look at the possibility of reconditioning it.

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**Author:** ![Mary\_Pfeifer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecccb3/32.png) [@Mary\_Pfeifer](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Mary_Pfeifer)\
**Post date:** [July 3, 2009, 10:55pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/door-lock-warning-light-2000-toyota-camry-35-000-miles/32191/7 "2009-07-03T22:55:29Z")

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thanks to you, I fixed it ! Temporarily , of course.  
I found the black button on the door post and pushed it in and viola!  
So I used two pieces of styrafoam pellets and a piece of duct tape and put it on the door at the place which connects with the button. And it works!

I also talked to my mechanic and he says it is relatively easy and cheap to get a new button. He says they see this a lot with older Toyotas. Rust is the culprit.  
So that will be on my calendar next month. Again, thank you.

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**Author:** ![Mary\_Pfeifer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecccb3/32.png) [@Mary\_Pfeifer](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Mary_Pfeifer)\
**Post date:** [July 3, 2009, 10:59pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/door-lock-warning-light-2000-toyota-camry-35-000-miles/32191/8 "2009-07-03T22:59:51Z")

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HI,

one of the other respondents told me that the button which operates the light is on the door post. I found it and used two styrafoam pellets and duct tape on the door where it hits the button and viola !! It works. The passenger door was hit slightly in a parking lot and it does not close flush with the body - just by a bit.

I talked to my mechanic and showed him what I did and he says they see this problem a lot with Toyotas - rust causes a problem. He says replacing it is neither costly nor problematic. Maybe September’s social security check will have a bit left over to do it. Thank for the chat.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Mary\_Pfeifer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecccb3/32.png) [@Mary\_Pfeifer](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Mary_Pfeifer)\
**Post date:** [July 3, 2009, 11:01pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/door-lock-warning-light-2000-toyota-camry-35-000-miles/32191/9 "2009-07-03T23:01:10Z")

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Hi,

one of the other respondents told me that the button which operates the light is on the door post. I found it and used two styrafoam pellets and duct tape on the door where it hits the button and viola !! It works. The passenger door was hit slightly in a parking lot and it does not close flush with the body - just by a bit.

I talked to my mechanic and showed him what I did and he says they see this problem a lot with Toyotas - rust causes a problem. He says replacing it is neither costly nor problematic. Maybe September’s social security check will have a bit left over to do it. Thank for the chat.
