Interior lights turn on when heavy braking

Hey guys,

When i am coming to a stop, my interior lights come on as I am slowing down. This includes my center dome light, my rear overhead light (the one in the cargo area), and the floor light at the front passenger's seat.

This does not happen when I just press the brakes, only when I am doing heavy braking, and once I am stopped, they turn back off. They also sometimes come on when I hit a bump just right, or if I am backing up an incline fast enough. Sometimes they come on as I am coasting down a hill.

This has been driving me crazy. Today I replaced the door jamb sensors, which did not fix the issue (so there is a waste of 30 bucks). I am not sure where to go next. Any help would be great.

Thanks!

2000 XJ
4.0 I6
Auto
231J T-Case

sounds like it could be a short and the heavy braking/bumping is causing the wires to move. kind of a stretch but kind of what it sounds like.

Or it could also *maybe* be waterlogged fusebox/ecu

Drivers door and tailgate wire harness issues are very common. Visually inspect and test with a volts/ohms multi-meter both harnesses for chafed wire insulation, broken/damaged wires in the door hinge area, and failed wire splices. Also inspect the remote keyless module in the dome lamp for overhead console for signs of water.

Tim_MN said:

Drivers door and tailgate wire harness issues are very common. Visually inspect and test with a volts/ohms multi-meter both harnesses for chafed wire insulation, broken/damaged wires in the door hinge area, and failed wire splices. Also inspect the remote keyless module in the dome lamp for overhead console for signs of water.

Click to expand...

This is a much better explanation of what I was trying to say. Listen to this guy.

Update:

I was messing around with the door sensors yesterday, and noticed that sometimes the lights would stay on (but dimmer) with the doors closed and the engine off, but when the Jeep was parked facing downhill. Normally it is parked slightly uphill in the driveway.

For now, I have removed both upper dome lights in front and rear. I left the floor light in, and now it does not turn on when I brake. I will try to investigate the circuit involving the rear cargo light. When I pulled the lightgate panel off yesterday, I did not notice anything that stood out.

Thank you for your responses so far. I should go pick up a multimeter. I am still pretty green at this kind of troubleshooting. Thanks!

Ugh, it really gets fun when they only do that shit on a full moon LOL. Good luck. I have an odd one like that on my 85 I am tracing down.