Honda Prelude Forum banner

The door/seatbelt light... why is it on?

6.8K views 17 replies 11 participants last post by  oldmanlude  
#1 ·
Can anyone tell me what triggers the red door/seatbelt light? It's just below the "BRAKE" indicator light and to the left of the right turn signal indicator. This thing has been on since I got the car and I'm wondering if someone can tell me why. Obviously, the seatbelt is latched and the doors are shut, but it's still on.
 
#3 ·
The driver's side is defintely working because the big seatbelt light will turn on if I don't have it buckled. I tried buckling the passenger's side seatbelt, but it doesn't change anything. Does it even care about the passenger's side seatbelt? I'm guessing no since it wouldn't know if someone's sitting there or not, but I don't know and am still baffled about what exactly this light means, since it seems to be redundant.
 
#4 ·
Are you talking about the light in your dashboard where your gauages are? If so, that one is for the door if I remember correctly. I would check to see if you can see any sensors in there (you'll probably have to remove the interior door panel to check). That, and check all the connections as well.
 
#5 ·
the door pin is on the b pillar, by the door latch. turn on your dome light to the middle postion, with the doors closed. is it still on? then the switch that sees if yor door is closed or not is broken, and shorting to ground. (it is a ground pulse circuit, so when the switch goes to ground, it shows the door open)
 
#6 ·
My light comes on also. The reason my light comes on is because the sensor in the door is bad. That sensor is located in the door so you will have to take off the door panel to get to it. I noticed even though the door may be closed and the interior light turns off that little light stays on. The interior light works off the striker switch on the chassis of the car.
 
#7 ·
Hrm, sounds like this is going to be a PITA... Could it perhaps have something to do with all of the electrical and mechanical stuff on the seat belt reels (behind the door panel)? Since the light is labelled door/seatbelt, it's making me wonder... Maybe I'll have to recruit a crash test dummy (ie friend) to sit there and see if the seat belt locks up when I hit the brakes a little hard. I know the drivers side works fine, but who knows about the other side.
 
#8 ·
i had a similar problem so i just disconnected the sensors where the door closes into, its like a sliding thing... The springs in them were all busted up and broken... I just replaced the springs with ones from pens i had, works like a charm....
 
#9 ·
The sensor for my driver's side was broken because of the spring, so it just thought the door was closed all of the time. I replaced it with spring from a pen (perfect diameter), and it works, but it didn't get rid of the light. I'm thinking my problem is all on the passenger's side, since the previous owner got side swiped and I had to replace the door (I hooked up all of the wiring though) and pop out some dents in the quarter panel.

The sensor on the passenger's side works, but the door wont quite hit it because of some crash damage that I've yet to fix. So, I've just been opening the door and pressing on it by hand. Maybe it wants both that sensor and the sensor inside the door (if there is one) to think that the door is closed...
 
#11 ·
OMG sometimes my door indicator will go off than once in a great while it will turn on outta the blue and GOD its annoying especially since the things speakers blown or something it sounds like someone slautering a chicken! LOL i have to turn off and restart the car for it to go off..
 
#12 ·
thats what mine sounds like...I hate it
I just unhooked the little things under the seat so as long as both doors are closed when I turn the key, there is no beep noise...but If I open the door while the car is running, then it beeps at me\
....GRRR its so annoying
 
#13 ·
What little things under the seat???

I've found that my problem is definitely more than just the little L shaped door pins, so now I'm baffled. The only thing I can think of is that it's related to the goofy electrical stuff on the seat belt reels behind the door panel, but I have no idea what it means.
 
#15 ·
here is my question. Im having the same problem. The door light is on and so is the seatbelt light (the seatbelt light on the dash and on the headliner by the mirror) both of the seatbelt lights flash and the door light stays steady. the door light on the diagram of the car on the dash goes on and off like its supposed to when the door is opened and closed. I can bang on the drivers side door and the light will flicker and sometimes go out, but comes back on when i hit a bump then goes back out when i hit the next bump. Is this the same problem you guys are having? Also why does a car need two door lights and two seatbelt lights?
 
#16 ·
also, another thing you can do... is if the little beep noise gets on your nerves, unscrew the grey plastic cover on your headliner, it's connected to the rearview mirror. unscrew it completely and remove it, and you'll see the little tiny speaker... just unplug it. it'll also disable the seat belt indicator lights on the headliner as well... but who needs those? :)

i did it to mine... no more beeps when i turn the ignition on, and no more beeps when someone unbuckles.
 
#17 ·
Ok guys i found the problem, well atleast for my situation. i went outside to get something from my car and i realized that one of the bolts on my door latch was missing, and the other ones were loose. i got in, started the car, and closed the door and buckled up. the seat belt light was flashinhg and the door light was still on. i turned the car off, and tightened the remaing bolts on the door latch, got back inside and did the same thing again, the lights are gone. check your door latch for loosness (SP?) that was my problem. now i just have to find the other bolt. I think mine rattled loose due to the stereo system i have.
 
#18 ·
I have the same problem. on cold frosty mornings the light and alarm are off until the car warms up. I have disconnected the seat belt relays and the light for the door handle. the open door warning doesn't come on any more but the seat belt light does. so far I have traced the circuit to the wiring within the driver side door panel but have not followed it all the way to the component causing the problem. I will get to it after I reinstall the engine and get it running again.