Delica Canada | Mitsubishi Van Club

I came out to my car one day and when I opened the sliding door the lights would not come on. And before anyone says "did the swith on the light get turned off" no the switch is not in the off position and the lights turn on when I open the rear hatch. And they turn on when I put the switchin the on position. I think the sliding door swith is the fault but they are all connected well. I am out of ideas.

Given they way the lights are wired, if they come on with the tailgate but not with the sliding door, I'd say it has to be the switch. The lights receive power from the battery, then the wires go to the door switch. The door switch closes the ground when the door opens. Sounds like the switch is damaged, or it is sticking in the "door closed" position, so it isn't noticing the door is open.

And FYI, the switch is in the pillar behind the sliding door, probably about 6" below the window level.

To expand on what Erebus said, if the wire comes off the switch it will also stop working, you can find the switch on the pillar at the rear of the door, near the bottom, and the panel on the interior of the vehicle in the same location allows easy access to the back of the switch.

If everything "looks" good, try taking the wire off the back of the switch and touching it to metal in there somwhere, if the light comes on, you know it's the switch, if the light doesn't, then it's further back in the wiring somewhere...

Thanks everyone, I will take a look at it when I get home.

Green1 wrote:the panel on the interior of the vehicle in the same location allows easy access to the back of the switch.

Not quite as easy if you have shoulder belts there, but still not too bad.