[84162]

The dome lights on my 2011 Ridgeline will not come on when the door is opened. It is not the on/off rocker switch on the dash. The lights on the door edge do come on as well as the light in the back seat at the base of the console. Any thoughts where to look? It did this once before, then worked for a while. Now, no lights. If it is a ground problem, where do I look? Fuse is OK.

 

[Dnick]

The dome lights on my 2011 Ridgeline will not come on when the door is opened. It is not the on/off rocker switch on the dash. The lights on the door edge do come on as well as the light in the back seat at the base of the console. Any thoughts where to look? It did this once before, then worked for a while. Now, no lights. If it is a ground problem, where do I look? Fuse is OK.

Probably 'corroded' contacts where the bulb is mounted. There are threads on here addressing this.
Pull off your plastic cover & pull the bulb, check/sand (VERY fine paper) the contact tabs where the bulb makes contact. Try it again.
That's a start anyway......

You might also swap bulbs left to right side in that overhead. If I'm not mistaken there are actually 2 circuits in each bulb, so one can be burnt out while the other still works in the same bulb (loose recollection). So you'll better confirm it's not the bulb by swapping with another one.

(If you're handy, you can check the tabs for voltage with a voltmeter or other 12 volt "check" light)

 

[beatle]

And if you can't repair the switch by fiddling with the contacts (I couldn't), replacements are pretty cheap:

http://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/ALPS/SPED210200/?qs=/ha2pyFadugHc0NEDexegXIM6KxtNrRSuvqCXH7eSArhMVdN1uirIw==

 

[Dnick]

....but those are two completely different failures. If your contacts aren't bad, you obviously won't be able to fix the problem by cleaning the contacts. And if the switch is not bad, you won't fix it by replacing the switch. You'll need to know which failure you have.
In my case, it was easy to see when the switch had failed, because the return spring did not push back on the plastic lens when pushed up (loosey-goosey).
Likewise, I believe if your contacts are bad, you may be able to tell due to the fact that one mode works, and one does not (pressing switch vs. opening door). You can also diagnose the bad contacts if you probe with a meter & see that there is power, but it's just not transferring to your bulb (due to corrosion at contact points).
Good Luck with this minor but complex troubleshooting job.

 

[beatle]

I found that my light only worked when turned on manually, not with the door. I assume this is the OP's issue as well. I swapped bulbs and the problem did not follow, so I attempted to clean and bend the tabs back for better contact to no avail. Finally I replaced the switch and all was well. The spring in the switch still worked fine, so they can fail in more than one way.

 

[Dnick]

I found that my light only worked when turned on manually, not with the door. I assume this is the OP's issue as well. I swapped bulbs and the problem did not follow, so I attempted to clean and bend the tabs back for better contact to no avail. Finally I replaced the switch and all was well. The spring in the switch still worked fine, so they can fail in more than one way.

... which can make it a tough nut to crack.

 

[Slider]

I did the switches many moons ago after trying the contact bend once. Bending the contacts worked for two months. The switches fixed everything for years. I'm thinking messing with the contacts does something but replacing the switches makes it right.

 

[northernlights]

Wow you guys go way out on the bad stuff. All I'll say is there are three setting on the switch try that first.