I am reviving this REALLY old thread. I apologize to those you of you who hate this. But I just got my new '09 Taco, and I was performing some of the mods that I used to have on my '07. So this time around I made sure I took pics of this mod so that if anyone is interested in doing it, they'll have more help, even though it's a relatively easy mod. Here are the following steps to prevent the door chime, or "dinger", from going off whenever there is a key in the ignition and the driver's door is open.
NOTE: The images are all clickable so you can view the images in full resolution if you would like.
Step 1: Turn the steering wheel either left or right until you see the Phillips head screw on either side. Use a Phillips head screwdriver to remove both of these screws.
Step 2: You will see that the steering wheel column cover is made of two large pieces: a top and a bottom piece. Refer to the pics below for good locations to apply inward (into the steering column) pressure on the bottom piece while pulling up on top piece. I recommend you first try this in the location closest to the dashboard at it is the easiest clip to pop off first. Then you can move to the one closest to the steering wheel and use the already separated parts to get a better grip. The same procedure applies to both sides of the steering column cover, although it is easiest to do the side with the turn signal first.
Step 3: Once you have both pieces of the steering column cover off, look next to the ignition cylinder for the wire clip illustrated in the first pic. It has a white wire with a black stripe, and also a green wire with a black stripe. Simply un-plug this clip and the door chime will be disabled. What I did, as you will see in the second pic of this step, is just tuck it behind the harness where the clip used to plug into.
Step 4: Re-assemble the steering column cover. One thing to watch out for is the small pieces of plastic that act as guides to keep the edges of the covers flush with each other. When I took my cover apart, I noticed that 2 of the pieces were bent over from not being aligned correctly from the factory. So I gently bent them back into a straight up position and took great care to make sure the pieces aligned while I was snapping the covers back together. Once the cover is back together, replace the screws from Step 1, and you are all done!
DISCLAIMER: As usual, you assume all responsibility for damage you incur to your vehicle and/or person by performing this mod. I am almost 100% certain this mod does not disrupt any other systems on the vehicle, but don't take my word for it. Good luck folks!
