Why Won’t My Interior Car Lights Turn OFF?

Why won’t my interior car lights turn OFF?

The interior lights on a car may not turn OFF even after closing the doors, due to problems in the circuit such as a malfunctioning switch or incorrect wiring.

These lights are often located under the roof, dashboards and sometimes on the doors. They turn ON when the car doors are open. There are four ways to turn OFF the interior lights.

Table of Contents

1. Adjust the switch

In cars like Chrysler, the interior lights may glow because of a light switch left ON near the dashboard or on the light itself. Putting this light switch OFF will turn OFF the interior lights as well.

2. Check the switches on the car doors

Check to see if the switches on the car door click when you press them. This click will turn OFF the lights. If there is no click, the lights won’t stop illuminating because the switches on the car doors are faulty.

You can replace the switches with the help of a professional mechanic. You can also try removing the switches, cleaning, lubricating, and putting them back to see if they work or not.

3. Check the wiring connections

A mismatch or intersection of the wiring of the interior lights may be the reason why the lights are not turning OFF.

To fix the wiring issue of the interior lights, the car must be taken immediately to a workshop. A mechanic will be able to fix the wiring and the interior lights will turn OFF.

4. Check the headlight switch

In cars like Jeep, there are knobs that regulate the brightness of the dashboard lights. This knob is usually located on the left side of the car steering wheel. When the brightness of these lights is set to maximum, the interior lights don’t turn OFF.

Lower the brightness level of the dashboard lights using the knob. This will turn OFF the interior lights.

How to turn off interior car lights with the door open?

The interior car lights can be turned OFF with the car doors open using a 14mm socket and step drills.

The steps below guide you on how to turn the interior car lights OFF with the door open.

Remove the old switches on your car doors using 14mm sockets.
Enlarge the existing holes using a step drill so that you can install Volvo switches. These switches can be pushed and turned clockwise to keep the interior lights turned OFF.
Remove the original wiring and fix wire push connectors to connect the slide wires to the new switch.
Remove some metal parts of the switch to prevent shorting.
Insert the new switch in the original position on the car doors.
Use a step drill to drill a hole for the screw of the switch.
Fix the switch and check if it works.

How to turn off interior car lights with the door closed?

You can fix the problem of car interior lights remaining ON when the doors are closed by adjusting the position of the switch. The car interior light switches possess different functions at three different positions.

The car lights will remain OFF always if you push the switch to the extreme position on one side.
The lights will remain ON always if the switch is pushed to the extreme opposite position
The light will be illuminated only when the door is open if the switch lies in the middle,

You can position this three-functional light switches according to your requirements.

How to turn off inside car lights with the trunk open?

You can turn OFF the inside car lights with the trunk open by leaving it partly closed, pulling out the associated fuse or blocking the latching mechanism of the trunk. You will need a screwdriver or a knife for the blocking action.

In cars like Ford Edge, you will find a fuse box under the dashboard on the driver’s side of the car. Pull out the fuse associated with turning ON the lights when the trunk is open.
Insert a screwdriver in the latching mechanism. Pull the hatch of your car as if you are closing it.
Close the hatch by about 80% to 90%. This will turn OFF the interior lights and you can push open the hatch again.

Jeep Grand Cherokee interior car lights won’t turn off

The interior lights in a Jeep Grand Cherokee won’t turn OFF due to incorrect positioning of the headlight knob, improperly closed car doors or faulty switches.

The headlight knob turned to the extreme left position
Car doors not closed properly
Faulty switches.

How to turn off the lights:

To turn off the car interior lights that don’t have a switch, you can follow the steps given below.

Find the headlight knob of your car. This knob in Jeep Grand Cherokee controls the brightness of dashboard lights and the interior lights. If it’s positioned to the extreme left, push it to the extreme right position. This will turn OFF the interior lights without having any effect on the dash lights.
Look out for doors not closed properly and close them once again. This will put OFF the interior lights.
Check for one or more faulty switches and do a replacement if needed.

Dodge Journey interior lights won’t turn off

The interior lights in a Dodge Journey won’t turn OFF because of incorrect positioning of the dimmer control switch, incompletely shut doors or an open trunk. The dimmer control switch controls the lighting of the car.

Incorrect positioning of the dimmer control switch
Incompletely shut doors
Open trunk.

How to turn off the lights:

To turn off the interior lights in Dodge Journey, follow the steps given below.

Locate the dimmer control switch located on the right of the headlight switch and pull it to the downward position.
Check if the doors are closed properly and shut them once again.
Check if you have left your car trunk open accidentally and close it well to turn OFF the interior lights.

Honda Odyssey interior lights won’t turn OFF

The interior lights in Honda Odyssey won’t turn off because of faulty map lamps and improperly shut/open car doors. The map lamps cause the illumination of the car’s interior lights.

Faulty map lamps.
Open car doors.

How to turn off the lights:

You can follow the steps given below to turn OFF the interior lights in your Honda Odyssey.

Turn the light fixtures ON by pressing the left and right-hand side edge of the fixture. Turn ON all the interior lights by using the lever situated beside the right-hand map light. To activate the lever, slide it down. When the lever is in the middle position, the door lights and reading lights will turn ON only when the doors are opened. Push this switch up to keep the interior lights OFF all the time.
Check the car doors and shut them properly.

Hyundai Sonata interior lights won’t turn OFF

The interior lights of your Hyundai Sonata 2011 won’t turn OFF because of unshut doors or contact between the metal plate on the underside of the switch and the circuit. You can fix the car interior lights with the help of a Philips and a small flathead screwdriver.

Unshut doors
The portion of the metal plate on the underside of the switch is making a contact with the circuit in the OFF position.

Here’s the fix for the problem:

Open the car doors and shut them properly.
Open the sunglass compartment and remove the two Philips head screws.
Remove the dome console from the rest of the clips and remove the power cable.
Bend the metal plate so that it stays away from the circuit using a screwdriver.
Remove the screwdriver to check if the plate is still making contact with the light circuit. If it doesn’t, reinstall the console and the lights will be turned OFF.

Hyundai Elantra interior lights won’t turn OFF

The interior lights of your Hyundai Elantra won’t turn OFF because of faulty switches on car doors and improperly shut doors. There are individual switches on the doors of the car.

Faulty switches on car doors.
Improperly shut car doors, trunk, or hood of the car.

How to fix the problem:

Check the second dome switch to see if it is turned to the ON position. Turn the switch to the OFF position and the car interior lights will remain off.
Check the individual switches on the door to see if any of them is faulty. A faulty switch will think that the door is open and it will signal the car lights about an unshut door.

Toyota Corolla interior lights won’t turn OFF

The interior lights of your Toyota Corolla won’t turn OFF because of the slider switch located at the ON position, unshut doors and open hood or trunk. The interior lights are controlled through a three-way slider switch. The three positions of the switch correspond to different lighting conditions of the car interiors.

The slider switch pushed to the ON position
Unshut doors
Open trunk

How to fix the problem:

Push the slider switch to the OFF position to keep the lights OFF all the time.
Open and close all doors of the car.
Check the trunk of your car to see if it is properly latched.

Toyota Rav4 interior lights won’t turn off

The car interior lights of your Toyota Rav4 won’t turn OFF if the light switch is pushed to the ON position. The light switch is a three-functional switch. There are three different positions where the lights come ON and OFF.

The light switch is in the ON position

How to fix the interior lights

At the OFF position, the lights will remain always OFF.
At the DOOR position, the lights will come on only when the doors are open.
At the ON position, the interior lights of your Toyota Rav4 will always remain ON.

Ford F150 interior lights won’t turn off

The interior lights of your FORD F150 won’t turn OFF because of the toggle switch pushed to ON position, improperly shut doors and open trunk. The toggle switch in the Ford F150 controls the interior lights of your car.

The toggle switch pushed towards the ON position.
Unshut car doors and open trunk.

How to fix the interior lights

To turn off the interior lights in your Ford F150, here are some steps you can follow.

Turn the switch present besides the light from the ON to OFF position. The switch is located near the dome lights. The lights will glow only when you open the car doors. If you want the interior lights of your Ford F150 to be permanently OFF, contact your car dealer. Ford offers a “Dark Mode” for the cars that disable the interior lights and parking lights.
Check the doors and trunk of your car to close them properly.

Ford Mustang interior lights won’t turn off

The interior lights of your Ford Mustang won’t turn OFF because the spin dial is turned to the maximum brightness. The spin dial controls the brightness of the car’s interior lights.

The spin dial turned to the brightest position.
Open doors.

How to turn off the lights

To turn off the lights in a Ford Mustang, follow the simple steps given below.

Turn the dial to the brightest point. There is a switch near the dial that will be turned ON.
Turn this switch OFF and notice if it clicks. The lights will turn OFF and come ON only when the doors are open.
Open the door again and close them properly.