Instrument panel lights

I have a 2003 Ford f150 super crew. Last week the instrument panel lights were out and the headlights come on with the running lights and stay on after I have turned them off. I have checked the fuses that are supposed to go to the instrument panel and they are OK. Any ideas?

You want to make sure the instrument panel lights are really “out” not just dimmed. You also want to make sure a signal is comming from the headlight switch to the dimmer control, problem could be switch or dimmer control. Now you throw in headlight operation when only running light position is selected and headlights that don’t go off when the switch is turned off.

If I am going to link the problems (without even a glance at schematic) I would say switch but the headlights staying on makes me think either there is a time delay on turning the headlights off or a module problem.

The cluster problem could not even be related and be a bulb issue but I think this possibility is low.

A look at the schematic and some measurements are required.

The instrument panel lights are out. The dimmer doesn’t work at all. It still does turn on the interior dome light. The headlights do go out after after using the electric lock to lock the doors and shutting the doors. (the headlights flash and then turn off normally to indicate that doors are locked.)
Measurements of what are required?

Restate exactly and clearly without any bias what problems you are having. Use a

  1. Problem
  2. Problem
  3. Problem
    Format, do not link any symptons yourself.
    You say dimmer doesn’t work “at all” next sentence you say "it still turns on dome light"
    Measurments are whats comming out of headlight switch,whats going into dimmer switch,whats comming out of dimmer switch,whats going into cluster lighting and if there is a module involved.

Sorry, I just meant that there is no difference when it is all the way down or all the way up before it clicks up to turn on the dome lights. You mentioned a time delay on turning the headlights off, so I put in the info about the lights shutting off after the the doors are shut and locked. I thought that might be helpful. I am not trying to link symptoms, just trying to say what is happening now versus what usually happens.