06 Mega & dome light

[JEly]

For the last couple of weeks I can open the door and the dome light stays on maybe 15 seconds and goes out even when the door is still open. It always used to stay on until door was closed. Is this normal?



JIM

 

[tdinut]

Me Too !!

I have a 3500 QC and I thought I was loosing my mind. I could have sworn it stayed on for a couple of minutes but no more. I can't figure out how to stop it from going out so quickly. I would love some ideas. Could it be a warranty thing?



Joe

 

[JDubien]

I have the same issue. I also thought I was loosing my mind but we are not. I took mine in and the dealer has recognized the problem. Sometimes thats half the battle. I was told this is an internal timer issue within the instrument panel that cannot be adjusted. To fix it, they would need my truck for at least 3 days if not longer, they would have to remove my instrument panel and send back to factory. The factory would take a new instrument panel and input my current mileage and return to the dealer to install. The service manager told me that this would be covered under the warranty and they would get me rental coverage for this repair as well. I have not had the work performed yet.

This is the third warranty issue with barely 11k miles. The first was my clutch master/ slave assembly. The second was a bad steering box and now this. My 04 was totalled with 60k miles and never had any warranty issues. I hope these little issues don't continue. I am lucky to have such a good dealership- Avondale Dodge. They have been top notch so far. Besides, I really like the truck.

 

[tdinut]

Thanks JDubien,

Do you or your dealer think there might be any other issues as a result of the timer issue not being fixed? I don't relish the idea of my dash being ripped apart, things don't always get put back together properly. I haven't approached my dealer about it yet. I still don't ultimately trust them fully. Please let us know what you decide.



Joe

 

[JDubien]

Joe



The dealer told me it was set like that from the factory. I bought this truck in feb and find it hard to believe it took me 6 months to notice it but I supose its possible. They told me it was a program issue and that the guy or computer that programmed it set it for 20 seconds instead of 20 minutes. They told me it wouldn't hurt anything if I could live with it that way. I'm torn, I'm not sure whats worse, the dome light shutting off early or like you say, my dash getting dismantled and some other issue afterwords due to trying to fix this. I hate rattles and squeaks. Currently nothing rattles or squeakes but afterwords, if something does then they'll say its soft trim and your SOL or who knows how it can end up. So, thats why I'm reluctant to get it fixed right now. I really think it was something that changed since I bought the truck. I could swear it used to stay on untill the door was shut but. I'm having a hard time believing the whole programming error myself. It seems like a week relay or something like that. My 04' used to have a a bunch of relays with fuses under the hood. It's a different setup on this truck, no relays in the fuse box. I'm going to wait a little while and see if anyone comes up with a different solution.

 

[tdinut]

It took me 1 or 2 weeks to realize the lights were gong off so quickly. I never kept the doors open that long and did not really linger in the cab. I am going to first see if I can get my dealer to admit there is an issue, then I probably will wait before I do anything. My truck has no other issues except an occasional groan/thump on startup. Other people seem to have the same thing happening so otherwise I am thrilled. As a side note, I happened to pass another 5 star dealer and stopped in for replacement gaskets for the front and rear diffs, just to have on hand in case I messed up the original ones. The parts guy said "There's no gasket, it's just rtv on there. " After I gave him the VIN and he checked, he realized I knew what I was talking about. Good Luck !!!



Joe

 

[JEly]

Well something else I noticed last night is on mine once the lights time out they will not come on until the key is inserted in the ignition or you close the door.

I had my door open lights went out and I tried to turn on the courtesy lights using the button and they didnt work---once I put the key in dome lights came on and they worked.



JIM

 

[BClevenger]

Mine didn't start the short cycle of the dome light until after I had the PCM reflash for bad mileage. I think it is also bundled with a battery maint. program and that's what I attributed the short cycle to.

My overhead still tells me it's -40 outside when it's well above 80 occasionally...

 

[tdinut]

Has anyone gotten the fix for the lights? ...

I am curious as to what is involved. Thanks.



Joe

 

[JDubien]

Mystery short...???

Mine fixed itself... not sure how or why, but it did and now my dome light stays on for ten full minutes for about a month now . I'm sure there is some problem that will eventually surface but for now, I'm happy Oo. . It goes to show that the line of BS I was given by the dealer means they have no clue what the problem is either.

 

[tdinut]

Update ! I fixed them !

Hi,



Yesterday when I changed my fuel filter, I disconnected the negative battery terminals for probably 30 minutes. I was told to disconnect them for at least 8 minutes or more, then reconnect. It worked like a charm. Now they do what they are supposed to do. I am relieved the dashboard did not have to be ripped up. I don't know how long they will stay like that and hope that was just a freak occurrence. So if anyone is still having problems, give it a try. Good Luck.



Joe

 

[JDubien]

Good Job! Thats awesome! Thanks for the update.

 

[PLink]

i am on my way out to try it now!!!!!!

 

[Prairie Dog]

BTW, removing the instrument cluster isn't all that bad and only requires some of the trim be removed, not the dash itself. I've personally had mine out to install the remote lock module and it only took about 10 minutes. I would not worry about rattles, etc if the dealer did it.



Scotty

 

[PLink]

i disconnected my power leads for 10 minutes... . put them back... ... ALL better!!!!!



lights are back to normal.



cheap fix!

 

[E2360]

I posted the same/similar problem last week. Fellow TDRs suggested dicsonnecting the Negative cables for a while. Took mine off for about 45 minutes, reattached them and have been problem free since.