Issue with drivers door courtesy light

S

so2315

Veteran Member
Joined
Aug 25, 2008
Location
Chicago, Ill.
TDI
2009 Jetta Sedan
I have a 2009 I purchased new. Recently, the drivers side door when opened from the inside of the vehicle, will not illuminate the interior lights. The door open on the MFD also does not show up. In other words, the car doesn't know the door is open.

Now here is what is throwing me for a loop. If I open the door from the outside, the MFD shows the door open and the interior lights turn on. So that menas the switch in the latch seems to be working, but only when the outside handle is used. If I use the interior handle then nothing will show.

What is going on with this? I would think the switch is either work/no work. Is there a different connection going to the interior handle?
 
sptsailing

sptsailing

Veteran Member
Joined
Jul 9, 2010
Location
Safety Harbor, FL
TDI
2006 Jetta Manual, stock with Panzer Plate & Franko6 modified EGR cooler & CAM
The following post assumes the locks on a 2009 might be similar to those of a 2006.

I have changed 3 out of the 4 door locks on my 2006 TDI Jetta, and taken apart and tried to repair one of them, so this is what I can offer.

First, the mechanism to release the door latch from the inside is on the opposite side of the latch from the outside, so they are not quite functioning the same way. One of the locks I replaced is taken apart, so I just went and observed that there is a cam, which is part of the rotating latch itself, which can wear, that rotates and activates the door open switch. On the lock I have, the inside lock release mechanism does not rotate the cam quite as far as the outside release mechanism does.

You can test this on your car by opening the door from the inside, then reach into the door lock latch itself and push the black latch farther up. This should trigger the door open light. To correct the situation, the relationship between the door latch and the metal it connects to on the body could be adjusted such that pushing the door open from the inside would force the released latch into a more rotated position which would activate the switch.
 
S

so2315

Veteran Member
Joined
Aug 25, 2008
Location
Chicago, Ill.
TDI
2009 Jetta Sedan
sptsailing said:
The following post assumes the locks on a 2009 might be similar to those of a 2006.

I have changed 3 out of the 4 door locks on my 2006 TDI Jetta, and taken apart and tried to repair one of them, so this is what I can offer.

First, the mechanism to release the door latch from the inside is on the opposite side of the latch from the outside, so they are not quite functioning the same way. One of the locks I replaced is taken apart, so I just went and observed that there is a cam, which is part of the rotating latch itself, which can wear, that rotates and activates the door open switch. On the lock I have, the inside lock release mechanism does not rotate the cam quite as far as the outside release mechanism does.

You can test this on your car by opening the door from the inside, then reach into the door lock latch itself and push the black latch farther up. This should trigger the door open light. To correct the situation, the relationship between the door latch and the metal it connects to on the body could be adjusted such that pushing the door open from the inside would force the released latch into a more rotated position which would activate the switch.
Click to expand...
SPOT ON!
Tested everything as you said and the light does come on if I push up on the lock mechanism in the door. Now to try and figure out how to adjust to get it to roll the lock into a more open position. I'm a little leary on moving the strike catch on the B pillar to do this, so I may just have to live with it.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top