Courtesy Lights Will Not Shut Off!

[96ciera]

Hello Everyone,

I have a 96 Ciera that recently started having an issue with the courtesy/interior lighting. The lights would stay on constantly, whether the car was running or not. I checked all doors to make sure the switches where properly compressed/tripped, I made sure the lights were not switched on at the dashboard, and I made sure the fuse was not blown. We had to pull the fuse so that the lights would not drain the battery while the car was parked overnight, but now the lights do not illuminate any of the interior at night and the keyless entry no longer works.

I was hoping that someone would have some suggestions on how to fix the problem so that we can put the fuse back and see at night, not to mention use the keyless entry.

Thanks in advance for all your help.

[bszopi]

It may or may not be the problem, but I think I remember having something similar several years ago. I don't have keyless entry, so I can't verify that part. But, I had to replace the turn signal relay box under the dash. Somehow, the courtesy light was tied into that, and something got screwed up inside it, and it made the courtesy light stay on (as well as the key reminder to continuously go off when the car was off).

Just an idea...

[tractorman]

I had the same thing happen on my '96 Achieva. I had paid $150 for the car, fixed a few things, and was looking to sell it and get rid of it, so I just removed the bulbs from the courtesy lamps. Not exactly a fix.

Years ago my '94 corsica had a problem where the interior lights didn't work at all. Turns out they're controlled by this little module under the dash- it was a pink plastic box about the size of an old 8-track tape... somewhere close to the steering column. That module could be your problem.

[bszopi]

Yep, that little pink box is what I'm talking about.

[96ciera]

I had the same thing happen on my '96 Achieva. I had paid $150 for the car, fixed a few things, and was looking to sell it and get rid of it, so I just removed the bulbs from the courtesy lamps. Not exactly a fix.

Years ago my '94 corsica had a problem where the interior lights didn't work at all. Turns out they're controlled by this little module under the dash- it was a pink plastic box about the size of an old 8-track tape... somewhere close to the steering column. That module could be your problem.

Do you know how to access and/or replace the “little pink box”/module. Do either of you know what the part is called and roughly how much they cost? Does the module have an effect on the turn signals, because we have had several issues with the turn signals (and the third brake light) for years? The interior/courtesy lights is actually a new issue that came about after a repair that was done to supposedly fix the turn signals. We were told there was a bad ground in the line but the fix only lasted a couple of weeks before the problem resurfaced and the interior lights started having issues.

Thanks again for all the assistance.

[bszopi]

I'd say it has just about everything to do with the turn signals since the little pink box is the turn signal relay module. It is under the dash by the steering column. Probably has 1 or 2 connectors to it.