2006 Ford Taurus Computer went very dimm after programming

We have a problem on our 2006 Ford Taurus. A few weeks ago, our spare key was lost. Our mechanic took our car to a friend of his to try to get the key cut. His friend could not do it. So he took the car to a local Ford house. The ford dealer cut and programmed the key. The key works fine, but when the mechanic brought our car back, we noticed something odd. The computer that tells you how much gas you have, how much to empty an all that was extremely dimm. In fact, when the car is in gear, you cannot even see it at all. But when the car is in park, its back to its normal level of brightness.
The Ford dealer says that he did not do it. The mechanic says that he did not do it. If someone can give me some help with this Id appreciate it. What caused this and is there and easy and inexpensive way to fix it?