Chrysler Repair: LHS interior lights blink, door locks cycle, alarms at will, chrysler lhs, striker plate

Question
Roland,

My husband drives a 1999 Chrysler LHS.  He is having a problem with the interior lights blinking on and off, the car alarm going off when the car is turned off and the car is locked and other various electrical problems.  This is the second time these problems have come up.  We had it repaired the first time to the tune of a lot of money.  However, soon after the problems started happening again.  Any suggestions?

Thanks,
Beth  

Answer
Hi Beth,
This is a common question with a simple answer:
One (or more) of the doors is not securely latched to the door frame so that when the car is moving (and the body is flexing) the 'door secure' sensor switch is falsely reporting that the door is ajar. That causes the lights to blink and the door locks to cycle. And when at rest, if the switch is just on the edge of saying "I'm ajar" then gravity or temperature or wind can set off the alarm unpredictably.
So all you have to do is get in the car and try pushing outward on each door's panel and see which one causes the interior light to come on. Then open the door and find the striker plate in the door frame that meshes with the latch mechanism in the door. That plate has a couple of screws which when loosened allow you to move the plate in-board toward the interior of the car. Move it enough to take up the slack and resecure the screws. Check that the door will latch reliably. Then test to see if you have corrected the interior light flashing when pushing from inside.
That should solve your husband's problem.
Roland
P.S. If that adjustment doesn't solve it, then glueing a spacer on the interior surface of the door, positioned so  that it pushes in on the switch button, would be an alternative.