Jeep Grand Cherokee vehicles have a built-in function that conserves battery by automatically turning off all interior lights as soon as you close the door.
But many owners have reported that sometimes their vehicles’ interior lights (dome light, to be specific) won’t turn off – even when the key is out of the ignition.
In most cases, it’s due to faulty door sensors, malfunctioning door switches, faulty fuse, dimmer switch settings, etc. So, to turn off the interior lights, you’ll need to fix these issues.
And this is what we’ll talk about in this post.
These tips can also be applied to other Jeep vehicles, such as Jeep Cherokee, Jeep Patriot, Jeep Compass, etc.
5 Reasons Why Jeep Grand Cherokee Interior Lights Won’t Turn Off
Below are some common reasons why your Jeep’s interior lights will always be turned on.
1. Dimmer Switch Issue
The Grand Cherokees come with a dimmer switch to adjust the brightness of interior lights and the instrument cluster. This switch comes in the form of a scroll wheel and is usually located on the left side of the steering column (alongside the headlight switch).
Many people scroll this wheel to the max level to increase the instrument panel’s brightness – not realizing that doing so makes the dome lights always turned on.
So check this dimmer switch to see if it’s at max level.
2. Doors Not Closing Properly
The interior lights are designed to remain turned off as long as you’re driving. It means that if there’s any issue causing the doors/trunk not to close properly, the vehicle will not detect them, and the interior lights will stay on.
In most cases, it happens in older vehicles. If the door is older, the hinges will not work correctly, and the dome light switch will remain on. This, in turn, will cause the dome lights to stay on.
3. Broken Door Switch
On the other hand, if your doors are closing correctly, but the light is still on, it’s possibly because of a broken/damaged dome light switch.
4. Body Control Module Issue
This is the computer module responsible for controlling different systems in your vehicle, including the interior lights. Therefore, if there’s any malfunction in this module, the interior lights will not turn off.
5. Door Sensors Issue
Some Jeep WK models rely on sensors to tell the BCM whether the doors are open or closed. If these sensors are damaged or malfunctioning, the BCM can’t detect the door closing, and the interior lights will remain on.
It can also happen if the connection between BCM and sensors is weak.
What are the Interior Lights in the Jeep Grand Cherokee?
These are the lights inside your vehicle, as opposed to exterior lights such as headlights, taillights, turn signal lights, etc.
Depending on the model, there are different types of interior lights in Jeep Grand Cherokees. If we specifically talk about a recent model, such as WK2 2021, you get:
Cargo Lights
These lights are located in the trunk area of your vehicle, which is why they’re also called trunk lights.
You get two lights on the underside of the tailgate (to cast light from the top) and one in the cargo area.
Dome Lights
These are the leading interior lights in the Jeep WK. Their primary purpose is to provide illumination whenever the door is opened so that you can easily see where you need to put the key when entering the vehicle – or retrieve your personal belongings while exiting.
Additional Lights:
Other interior lights include:
- Glove box lights.
- Pin-point lights over the second and third rows.
- A vanity mirror light.
- Ambient lighting on the floorboard area, door handles/ pockets, around the gauge cluster, center console, etc.
How to Fix Jeep Interior Lights Not Turning Off?
1. Manually Turn off Dome Lights
Many Grand Cherokee owners don’t realize this, but the dome lights can be turned on or off manually. Some are pressable, while others have traditional buttons next to them for on/off. Once you’ve turned them on, they will stay turned on until you turn them off.
The same goes for cargo lights.
So before moving further, try to turn these lights off manually (while your vehicle is running) to confirm whether it’s just an on-off issue or there’s some genuine problem.
2. Unplug the Interior Lights’ Fuse
If you need a quick fix to this issue, unplug the fuse for interior lighting.
Open each fuse box in your vehicle and look out for that fuse. In many cases, there’s a diagram showing the functionality of each of those fuses.
If there’s no diagram, then go through the owner manual. Specifically, you should look for terms like “Cargo lights/switch” or “courtesy lamp.”
The fuse we’re looking for will have these terms in the ‘circuit information’ field.
Once you’ve identified the correct fuse, unplug it with pliers.
Although a temporary fix, it’ll allow you to turn the interior lights off so you can focus on the actual cause.
After identifying the actual issue, plug that fuse back.
3. Adjust the Dimmer Switch
The dimmer switch has three detents.
At the top detent, the dome lights will always remain turned on. These lights will be at ‘Auto’ at the middle detent and turn on only when the doors are opened.
At the bottom detent, these lights will always be turned off unless you turn them on manually. But the main downside is that it will also dim the instrument cluster‘s brightness.
4. Check the Turn Signal Switch
In some WK models, the interior lights’ adjustment dial is on the left turn signal switch.
If that’s the case in your vehicle, you’ll have to apply the above steps (for the dimmer switch) on the turn signal switch.
5. Physically Inspect the Doors
In this step, we’ll physically examine each door (and the hatch). Specifically, look for any damage on the doors’ latches and strikers (the metal piece on which the latch latches).
If there is some damage, the door is probably not closing correctly. You need a professional mechanic to fix this issue, as it’s too complex for DIY.
And while you’re at it, you should inspect the light switches on doors and hatch to see if they’re working correctly.
6. Reset the Jeep’s ECU
In some rare cases, the interior lights can malfunction due to some glitch in the Jeep’ ECU.
To fix this, disconnect the negative battery terminal for 10 minutes before connecting it back.
It will reset the Jeep’s ECU, and the interior lights will turn off.
How to Turn Off the Interior Lights in Jeep Grand Cherokee?
There are different types of interior lights, so you get multiple switches and buttons to turn off these lights.
Under normal circumstances, we have ambient light dimmer control and instrument panel dimmer controls to adjust the brightness level of ambient light and the instrument panel.
Then, there are courtesy lights. They can be turned off by a button called the ‘Dome defeat button‘ located on the center-left of the overhead console.
Lastly, we have the reading lights. These lights can be turned off by pressing the on/off buttons next to them (on the overhead console).
Conclusion
Yes, interior lights can be annoying when they stay on constantly. But you can fix them quickly, provided you have identified the actual cause.
Adjusting the dimmer switch or manually turning off the lights will do the job in many cases. In others, there’s an issue with the fuse, dome light switch, or door itself.
In short, every situation is unique, and you should check for all the possibilities before drawing any conclusion.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why are the Interior Lights Staying On in my Jeep Cherokee?
Dome light override switch, door latch issues, and faulty door sensors are some common reasons for the Jeep Cherokee interior lights staying on.
Does the 2022 Jeep Grand Cherokee Have Ambient Lighting?
The 2022 Grand Cherokee has ambient lighting in the floorboard area, door handles, door pockets, and center console. These lights are not very bright and are only present for cosmetic reasons.
How Can You Adjust the Dome Light in the Car?
You can do this by scrolling the dimmer light switch up or down.
Do the Interior Lights Have the Capacity to Turn Off Automatically?
If you’ve set the dimmer switch to auto, the interior lights will turn off automatically sometime after you exit.
Do Interior Lights Drain the Battery?
Yes, if left turned on overnight, the interior lights will drain the battery.
When Is It Time to Replace the Interior Light?
If the internal bulb is dimming/dead, it’s time to replace the light. But usually, it will only happen after 4-5 years of regular usage.
