Dodge chargers reused many of their interior lights from previous cars.
Even though there are very few new cars without push button start, Chrysler is still cutting costs even for their muscle car products.
In practically any car, there is a ton of light in both the interior and exterior.
For the interior lights, you have the dome lights, map lights, door lights, dashboard— and this is just a partial list.
Newer cars or more expensive cars should have more features, not necessarily more lights.
The exterior lights are more obvious since they are literally talked about and required by regulators to be functional and operational.
In this article, we will discuss why your Dodge Charger interior lights won’t turn off:
- Body control module is malfunctioning
- Instrumental Panel Dimmer Switch setting turned up too high
- Turn your map light off!
- Short your wiring!
- One of your doors is barely open
Body control module is malfunctioning
The body control module is located behind the glove compartment in your Dodge Charger.
If your interior lights will not turn off after closing each door separately, it is likely to be a body control module issue.
If it is just one particular door, it points to a wiring issue.
But if it is a body control module issue, it falls under an electrical issue that is variable with each specific car.
These issues are rare especially if there were no traumatic events that occurred to your Dodge Charger.
Instrumental Panel Dimmer Switch setting turned up too high
While the first option is possible, it is more likely that you hit the rotary dimmer switch by accident:
- Cleaning
- Reaching over to the passenger seat
- Getting out of the car
It just takes a small bump and your dimmer setting will not be correct, causing your interior lights to not turn off when they should.
The good thing is it a rather easy fix since you may have been wanting to turn on your headlights and accidentally keep on hitting the dimmer switch.
Turn your map light off!
There is a button right next to the light that you can press.
It is the map light button.
There will be no need to take apart your dome interior lights if it is not needed.
Short your wiring!
If you did take apart your car, you will see that everything is placed and structured orderly.
In the rare cases where there are wiring issues, you may need to short some of your wires to disable the interior lights.
In the Volvo V70, you can short the top two wires, the brown and pink, in order to turn off the interior lights.
One of your doors is barely open
If the doors are open, you still have a complete circuit, powering your lights.
One of the only ways to break the circuit is to close all of the doors completely.
What causes interior lights to stay on?
- If your doors are open
- If your dome switch is on
With those two conditions, your interior dome lights create a complete circuit for electricity to power your interior lights.
How do you turn off interior lights with door open?
Turn your dome light settings to off to break the circuit, regardless if the door is open or closed.
For 2010 Dodge Chargers, you can also remove fuse #17 in your trunk to disable your dome interior lights and cargo lights.
You definitely need to double-check your fuse map in your manual.
I have not seen too many owners perform either method.
How do I turn the lights off in my car?
To turn off your daytime running lights (DRL), you have two options after you start the car:
- Put your headlights in the off position and step on the emergency breaks to turn off your DRL
- Go to your settings and turn off your DRL
Do car interior lights turn off automatically?
With the doors open and ignition off, your Dodge Charger interior lights will turn off automatically after 10 minutes.
The reason for this is that your Dodge Charger is not in sleep mode yet despite the ignition being off.
When your car systems are shutting down, it can take 10-15 minutes.
It is a convenience and safety feature, especially during the night.
This is kind of why Mustangs are a good first car…
You want the lights on for a little while before you make your way to your destination.
How long can interior lights be on before the battery dies?
With good batteries, your interior lights can be on for several days without having a dead battery.
X2 Power vs Odessey battery… what is your pick?
- X2 Power – 76Ah (20 hours)
- Odessey – 65Ah (20 hours)
Both are great and they should last you years, if not decades if you are proactive about your driving.
Since most normie car batteries have around 50Ah, it would usually take 25-40+ hours to really drain a normal battery with just the interior lights on.
With the high-powered batteries mentioned adobe, expect longevity and excellence.
Another thing to keep in mind is that batteries should not be draining within 8-10 hours after a fresh installation.
There are some owners that just keep having battery issues and I am here to say that that is atypical.
You should definitely get your Dodge Charger looked at if you have frequent battery issues.
Wrapping It Up
There are not too many things that can go wrong with Dodge Charger interior lights.
Not turning on when your ignition is on or your doors open could be a sign of a loose fuse or wiring issue.
Not turning off could also include the same issues in addition to:
- Instrumental dimmer turned up too bright
- Doors not closing properly
- Map light button on
But even with these minor issues, Dodge Chargers are cheap to afford.
At least it is much better having a Dodge Charger hood latch issue.
But enough about having issues with your cars.
Let us focus on better and brighter aspects of history— like the best Thunderbird cars.
