Disable door open dash light

Wonderful son drove my Tundra through an intersection and got T-boned. Passenger front and rear doors smashed. Thankfully no one hurt, other than the truck. Doors almost closeable, but dash warning light (showing open doors) now stays on, and can't use the alarm system since it thinks the doors are open.

May decide to fix later ($3500 is cheapest), but just trying to get through summer before deciding. Problem is, battery now dies if not driven within a week. I'm guessing it is just the dash warning light draining the battery? Is there a way to disable this - not sure if there was something I could disable in the two damaged doors.

Could it be some other unseen sensor slowly draining the battery?

 

No advice, but look up that part/sensor/circuit in the 2005 full service manual, happily online and downloadable. Maybe something will jump out at you, could be as simple as removing a fuse.

 

The door switch in the door jamb is likely not making contact due to the deformed door post crash. Maybe unplug the wire harness going to the door switch?

 

I'm assuming that the truck is going to be fixed eventually?

 

Sure. It's just a matter of removing the instrument cluster, and taking out the bulb.

Slightly harder, is just removing the sensors. I haven't looked where they are on my truck, but usually they aren't in the door, but in the frame.

 

As knabores suggested, unplug the door courtesy switch on the door/s affected. Alarm system will not see the gnd signal from an open door but alarm state will act as normal.

 

Jury is still out. Truck has been almost perfect for 260K miles. only problem has been a rear axle needing work every 3 years. Finally just replaced the whole rear-end for son taking truck to college for $2500. Prices are just absolutely crazy and couldn't source one anywhere near. That was still worth it. Then he gets T-boned and will need to spend at least $3500 (some quotes are for $6000) to fix that. All this expense for a 2005. I STILL think it's worth it, but getting to be difficult to swallow. It still runs fine, just can't open rear passenger door, and front passenger door moves but doesn't close completely (almost). I'll decide at end of summer when boy goes to school.

 

Stupid question, but what is the door courtesy switch? From memory, on the passenger side (front) there is a wiring plug for the windows, door lock, and a door light (which doesn't seem to turn on, need to check if burned out). Is it one of these?

Another thing I just saw for the first time - there is a bulb under the driver side dash which seems to stay on all the time (never noticed as truck really only driven by me in daytime). Don't remember any sort of normal white bulb lighting up well under the dash (doesn't seem instrument panel related). Is there a courtesy bulb that lights up the drivers feet when doors are opened? this could be the real cause of the problem if these thing stays on all the time and I just noticed it now.

Thanks guys...

 

It's the switch on the door jamb that when the door is open causes all the courtesy lights to come on and the dash warning light to come on.

Door Courtesy Switch....

That is one of the courtesy lights that come on when door is open. Toyota refers to it as a "step light". Along with the door courtesy light(at bottom of door) and the step light, the other courtesy lights that come on when door is open or when unlocking doors with a remote, are the rear dome light, cargo light and ignition key light.

 

I bought these off the jungle website. They're described as for an 00-04 Tundra but worked fine on my 06.

Door Jamb Switch Compatible with 2000-2004 Toyota Tundra Set of 2

$27 Door Jamb Switch Compatible with 2000-2004 Toyota Tundra Set of 2

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08FBNKMCG