The door ajar icon sometimes goes on when garaged at night, sitting at a light or even when driving. All doors an d trunk are latched shut. My mechanic thinks the passenger door switch/latch assembly needs to be changed. In checking with Mazda on costs, it would cost me over $300 to replace the door/latch assembly which I think is ridiculous essentially for a switch. I have turned off the dome light and removed the bulbs from the front door at bottom courtesy light so there won’t be any battery drain. Being that the icon does go on during the night do you think that might be a problem; battery or other?
Yes, I do. That little switch is telling your car’s computers that the door is open so get ready to start and go. That means they are drawing a lot more power than if they were “asleep” and will drain the battery unless you drive the car every single day. It will also shorten the life of the battery.
BTW, you are not paying $300 for a “switch”… You are paying $300 for a switch integrated into a latch assembly. As car repairs go, that is pretty cheap.
I doubt that very much. The door switches turn little lights on. Putting the key in (or whatever takes its place in some cars) and turning it to Run and Start is what activates the starter motor, ignition system, etc.- the big electrical draws.
Well it’s not the icon but the faulty switch is signaling the door is open. Just get it fixed or disconnect the switch so it won’t work at all. This was a problem with my Riviera and would drain the battery overnight or in a parking lot. Cars aren’t cheap.
Take a look at Eric the Car Guy’s video… specifically about 3:10 And comments about my explanation below at about 16:45
The door switches do more than turn a little light on. They may not even actually be connected to the light. They may be connected only to the computer and the lights are controlled by the computer and not the switch. That switch tells the body control computer to wake up and turn on the dome light and more.
Every modern car draws current when the key is off, out and in your house in a bowl. Even if all the door are shut and lights off. Usually less than 50 mA. But, initially it may draw much more, 150mA or more for several minutes. It takes time for all the computers to “go to sleep.” Open a hood, a door or a trunk, even with all the lights off, and they all wake back up. That 150 mA plus will drain a battery about 10% in just 48 hours.
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An experienced shop tech should be able to confirm the problem is the door switch w/out too much difficulty. If that is in fact the problem – which I expect it is – then there’s not much else you can do except replace that ass’y. the only other option might be to see if you can get the existing ass’y repaired, or repair it yourself. As posted above, on newer cars like yours $300 is near the bottom of costs on the list of repair procedures. Suggest to ask your shop to confirm the switch is the problem and if it is, replace the ass’y. Recoup your $300 by cooking at home rather than dining out for a while, watching dvd movies at home rather than taking the family to the movies, etc. You’ll still be eating and watching movies, so no harm done, and soon you’ll be back to even steven.