Rear Interior Lamps, '95 E320 Wagon
 

When you open the driver's door, no front interior light. (I know this is the seatbelt relay.) But now, the rear lamps (there are 4 on the pillars) are having problems. If you leave the switch on the dash set to the position where the lights turn on when the doors open, the lights stay on all the time, even when the doors are closed! If the switch on the dash is set to off all the time, the lights do just that. And if it is set to "on" all the time, that works as well. I am thinking the problem is some kind of contact switch in the tailgate, maybe? The close assist works fine.

Thanks in advance

Just a thought, but because of the brittle wiring insulation problem with these models, I've had wire break problems where the wiring is repetitively flexed, as in the trunk. The insulation doesn't flake off as the underhood wiring, but it does get stiff over time. Maybe you're having the same problems.

The dashboard switch has 3 postions.

But, the wiring does fail.

On my '88 the interior lights come on for the first 2 ft of door lift, then revert to very dim with the 3rd brake light on, etc. Will replace the harness but it could probably be repaired. According to parts illustration, it appears harness routes to roof on left side.