sgtskid

I pulled the #16 fuse in the kick panel and it did nothing. I pulled the fuse under the hood and it went off. I did not check the switch in the trunk because I do not know where it is at and second because I thought if the doors were closed and the trunk was open I could click the light and they should all go off or come on....at least that is what is use to do. Something else interesting is before it use to be just the dome lights, now the floor board lights are on as well.

vfernjones

My interior lights(1997 Grand Cherokee) just started staying on this evening..interesting it was right after it was at the mechanic...but anyway..I have pulled the fuse so it does not drain the battery. How would I go about testing the sensors...bear in mind..that I am female..know NOTHING about cars..but cant afford to take it to mechanic.. HELP???

sgtskid

mine ended up being a loose wire in the fuse panel...but I have a regular cherokee and not a grand. With the grand cherokee there could be many things including the keyless remote system. To check the door sensors open each door one at a time and then press the little round buttons located in the door jam. check and make sure they are not stuck. if that doesn't work you will need to remove them one at a time and see if the lights turn off.

salaziz

i have a 98 cherokee too with the same issues.. the interior lights keep staying on. i think i will have to pull te fuse to shut it down. every time i hit a bump it comes on/off at will. if i strike the headliner lighting mount it shuts off. .. for like 10 seconds. lol. i'm not a girl of patience, but i have done all i know how to do. electronics is not my forte. i changed my waterpump without a issue. it's just this darn lighting issue is driving me mad. any advice or help is appreciated.

sgtskid

Ignore what I wrote in the previous reply. Mine was not a loose wire behind the fuse panel. What it actually was was a cut in the wiring harness located behind the right rear panel in the cargo area. After getting a mechanic friend to help me trace wiring diagrams we found it in a matter of minutes. When talking with other xj owners after the fact...they said this seems to be a common thing.

sgtskid

here is the link to some one else's page who is having the same issues.. good luck

https://www.cherokeeforum.com/f2/int...-heeelp-35362/

rrustenholtz

Ive been reading these posts and I am having a SIMILAR problem, but not the same.

1998 Jeep Cherokee Laredo 4.0 4x4.
When Jeep is running, and doors are closed, the lights are off. When I shut the Jeep off, get out and close the door, the lights never time out and shut off. I have tried everything. Checked all the doors, glass, and hatch while running. All lights off when running, all doors glass and hatch turn light on when opened and then shut off when closed. Its when I shut off the truck, get out, close the door, the lights stay on. I worked on this for about 3 hours last night and ended up pulling the fuse. I live in Michigan and winter is on its way, meaning its going to be dark soon all the time. Please let me know if anyone has any suggestions. This started yesterday, caused my battery to go dead.

chad88

Try checking the rear dome light, check the internal switch in there as it may be burnt or stuck on. This switch is the one that turns all the other interior lights on or off when the rear hatch is opened. Mine was a bit cooked but i got it working again, and it was all good after that. Give that a crack!

HappyTrails

Cargo dome light switch is in series with the liftgate latch switch, which is grounds the interior lighting circuit. Liftgate switch was not functioning at all and leaving the light circuit open and the lights off.

Your problem may be opposite. Liftgate switch keeps circuit closed, and all interior lights ON.

Its inside the liftgate latch. Easy to see once you remove the liftgate interior panel. Also, its easy to see how that piece of junk can fail.

Since the interior panel on the liftgate needs to be removed, be prepared to use screws to reinstall, since removal seems to destroy the plastic nail holders.

Ryan DuBois

I have a similar issue. I was loading a new lawn mower into the cargo area and when it wasn't fitting, the clerk that was helping to load it, just slammed my hatch shut on the box. Since then, the interior lights will not shut off when the tailgate is closed. If I open the tailgate my lights go off. I'm sure we'll trace this pretty easily due to the nature of the problem, but pulling fuse 16 did not cut off my lights. I've had to pull the bulbs till I can get it fixed.