door lock problem on Land Cruiser

[johnbadman]

Hope somebody can help,

Have a 97 Lancdcruiser with a strange problem. Once door locks are engaged every right turn the locks unlock, the dome light goes on and the door open icon on dash lights up. This is only for right hand turns. All othe r driving is fine. Dealer and mechanic have no clue and think diagnostic will cost a fortune.

Anybody with a cruiser have this problem or know what could be causing it ?

Thanks for your help,

john

[kasmus]

I have a 97 LC and it does the same thing but on bumpy roads. I suspect the driver's door switch is faulty but don't have time to pursue it. Any idea?

[toyomoho]

My guess is one of the door switches or wiring to a door switch has a problem. If one of these switches opens, or a wire disconnects. The door locks may open; the dome light goes on along with the door open light. Do all the door locks unlock when any door is opened, or only just the driver’s side? If just the drivers side, start there.

A right turn would seem to cause the drivers side doors to move outward a little. I would check these doors first. Try putting some type of spacer between the door and switch to force the button on the switch more inward. Then take a test ride.

[kasmus]

I bought my '97 LC used and the previous owner had the rubber boot/switch on the driver's door taped down hard, and there was no problem. So of course I took off the tape so that the dome light would come on at night when I opened the door. Then, turning right or on bumpy roads, (lots of those here in Ethiopia), the dome light came on and the doors all unlocked.
I suspected that it was the door switch, and looked up the problem on Google, found this query.The door itself just doesn't press the detent switch in far enough, and the door wiggle when driving is enough to make the switch disengage. I pressed against the door with my elbow from the inside and as expected the doors unlocked and dome light came on.
The fix: I cut about a 1/4 inch off a wine bottle cork and taped it to the door where it presses against the boot, and it worked fine after that.

--K