My 2001 Sharan TDI has no dash illumination.

Tiny
ANONYMOUS
  • MEMBER
  • 2001 VOLKSWAGEN SHARAN
  • 120,000 MILES
Hi, my 2001 sharan tdi has no dash illumination and my dash says the boot is open when it is closed leaving the rear interior light on driver side on while driving or unlocked. It goes off after a time when locked or stationary without engine running. The other day when I hit the brakes it set hazard lights off like the central locking was being used and did so till a time when I closed the boot and it stopped, I am now wary of even opening the boot in case it starts again. Are these problems all linked? And how could I remedy this? The car is fitted with a tow bar which I think was done on the cheap but I cant be sure. Thanks.
Friday, December 21st, 2012 AT 1:49 PM

3 Replies

Tiny
EXOVCDS
  • MECHANIC
  • 1,883 POSTS
The dash illumination is probably not related to the issues in the back. Check for blown fuses to see if that solves the illumination issue. We
don't have the Sharan here in North America, so it would take me some time to find wiring / fuse info.

The boot lid has a micro switch on the latch (based on other VW models). When the switch goes bad, the central locking either thinks that
the boot is always open or closed (depending on which way it fails).

Tail light illumination that changes when the brakes are applied (one side goes dimmer or sets off other lights), usually indicates a ground (earth)
problem with that circuit.

In both cases, you are probably better off having a shop look at it rather than try and solve yourself.

What engine size is in your vehicle? Gas or diesel?

I'll look for info, but might not follow-up for a day or so.

Thomas
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Friday, December 21st, 2012 AT 3:23 PM
Tiny
COLIN4255
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OK, the dash lights and issues with tailgate lights are not connected. I have a sharan 2001 TDI model here in the UK. The single most common cause of anything failing in the tailgate are broken wires in the tailgate loom - which happens a lot. Open the tailgate and at the top on either side are rubber shrouds with wires running from the body into the tailgate itself. Carefully peel them back and look at the wires (right hand side as you look from the rear is the most common set that break). I will bet you find one or more broken wires in there. Best to let an auto shop repair if you find any.

Dash light failure is more likely to be either a fuse, or there is a kind of wheel to the right of the steering wheel (on RHD models) where you can adjust the brightness of the dash lights. You can turn them off by scrolling this little wheel! Check that first, then fuses - sorry I have no idea which fuse as they can vary
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Friday, December 28th, 2012 AT 5:01 PM
Tiny
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Thank you for the added information!

We do not have the Sharan in North America, so I was not aware of the wiring issue. Although, I have repaired similar wire breaks
on the Golf and Jetta models:

Thomas
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Friday, December 28th, 2012 AT 6:06 PM

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