Open door warning light stays on

[Previllac]

Hi, I just bought a 1995 Toyota Previa. When I got the van, the dome light, clock, radio did not work so I found the fuse box and the fuse for these things was missing. I put in the fuse and everything started working. Now the "open door" warning light stays on even though the doors are tightly closed. Maybe that is why the previous owner removed this fuse since it also controls the "open door" warning light. How can i fix this?

Excuse my ignorance, but I have limited knowledge of Previas. How do you know if the Previa is a supercharger? My Previa has SC on the tailgate..does this mean anything?

Thank you for your help.

[timsrv]

You have a sensor on each door. The front doors (especially the driver's side) see the most use so these are usually the 1st to go. The sensor is just a momentary switch but after a few thousand cycles they can fail. Usually they fail by not telling you when the doors are open, but they can fail the other way too. You should be able to tell which one is acting up by opening each door (one at a time) and pushing on this switch. If you find one that wont move, then you've found the bad one. If you find one that makes the dash light go out when you push with your finger, but not when the door is closed, then the switch is either damaged or the door is not pushing on it hard enough. Here's a picture of one on the driver's door

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a23/timsrv/TVT%20pics/Previa%20Body/IMG_2733_zps17588838.jpg

The SC on your tail gate typically means you have a super charger. It could also mean some previous owner replaced the rear hatch with one from a super charged Previa. Could also mean somebody just put the emblem there. I'm guessing you have the super charger :brnout: :thmbup:. Tim

[Previllac]

I pushed both driver and passenger door sensors and the dash light stayed on. Does the sliding door and tailgate have sensors? If they do, where are they?

[timsrv]

There's one on the sliding door here:

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a23/timsrv/TVT%20pics/Previa%20Body/IMG_2736_zpsf018d9e4.jpg

I'm not sure about 95 Previas, but in 91 they did not have a sensor for the rear hatch. If pushing the sliding door switch turns the light off, then make sure the slider is adjusted and latching correctly when it's closed. You can do this by eyeballing the seem where the body meets the door. Rear of slider door should not protrude further than the body when closed. Tim

PS: What dome light stays on? Is it the the one on the rear-view mirror or the ones in back?

[Previllac]

It's not the sliding door switch either...i pushed that switch and the dash light still stays on...when i push all the door switches or close the doors (one at a time) the dome light on the rear view mirror turns off...the dome light and the other interior lights work fine - they turn on when the door opens and they turn off when the door is closed. what else can it be? Will it drain the battery if the dash light stays on for days?

Tim, thank you for your quick response!:)

[timsrv]

Oh, I was under the impression the dome light(s) were staying on too (at least when set to "door"). I would need to consult the wiring diagrams in the service manual to comment further. Unfortunately all my manuals are still packed in boxes after moving last year :dizzy:. Perhaps somebody else will be able to help. Tim

[pdgizwiz]

One failure mode of these switches is if it fails to tell the headlight "auto-off" relay to flip. I've had my battery go dead a couple of times when I've left the headlights on "auto" and relied on the system to shut them off for me, which normally happens when you open the driver's door. If the switch doesn't send the signal, the headlights stay on after I walk away.

[dan doughty]

so what was the final verdict on this? im having the same issue.

[TheMAN]

the easiest way to tell between a N/A Previa and a S/C previa is where the battery is located... the N/A has the battery next to the air box, on the driver side... the S/C has the battery next to the fluid reservoirs on the passenger side

[isachan]

So I have very similar problem on my 95 LE S/C AWD US version.
The door open warning light flashes often, combined with random security alarm / horn.
That horn defeat switch doesn't help turning off the alarm / horn, nor removing the horn relay.

So I think it is the bad driver side door jamb switch, and already pulled (several) switches from a slavage yard.

During the process of pulling the switches, I damaged many of the trim cover on the driver side, just behind the driver seat.
The lower side trim covers just don't want to come loose.
The upper portion of the trim panel loosen up quite easy, but the lower side trim cover is very stubborn.

Is there a easy way to remove this panel ?
Does anyone had a success on removing this interior trim panel without substantial damage ?
Maybe all I have to have is a trim remove tool ?

I'm sure when I have to replace the driver side seat belt, I have to face the same issue again.

Thanks in advance,

Isao

[Carbonized]

Not familiar with the Previa, but if it is the same as the van, the tail gate switch is build-in the latch. As it gets old the grease become sticky and the switch stay in the "on" (pushed in) position. Try pulling the latch out of the tail gate and give it a deep cleaning with PB blaster or some de-greaser in a can with a straw, activate the latch on and off over and over as you blast the de-greaser toward where the electric wire come into the latch it should free up that switch.
This worked on my two van and helped another member with is open door light too. I don't see the Previa latch set up being too different from the Van. If you don't mind pulling the inside panel, find the connector and test the switch with a ohmmeter.
Hope that helps. Let us know.