Ramsteen23
Senior Member
So as usual I was in a rush heading out yesterday and when I jumped into my truck my knee hit the knob for the headlights and I heard a pop...F@%#!...I knew right away I broke something so was afraid to look. As luck would have it, my knee hit the knob dead on and jammed it into the switch panel. Console lights went dim and the switches no longer worked...wasn't sure if it just got disconnected or if I needed to replace something. I have a 23 1500 Limited by the way.
Once again this forum came in handy...I found a thread where another member pretty much did the same thing and did a great job of explaining how to fix it. So I pulled the bezel that the switch controller sits in out of the dash (Pic 1) which was pretty easy to do with a small pry tool. When I pulled it out I could see right away that the wire connector was no longer attached (Pic 2) to the back of the switch. Turns out when I jammed the knob into the console the back of the switch where the connector plugs into it cracked and snapped (Pic 3) off...SOB.
So, I found a part# (see Pic 4) on the back part of the switch where the connector plugs in. Figured I would have to order it and hoped it wouldn't take long as my console lights were very dim and tough to see during the day. On the plus side, it appears the headlights default to staying on for safety purposes so you can drive at night until the switch is replaced. Before trying to order it online, I figured I would call my local Ram dealer to see if they had it in stock (longshot) if not, figured they could just order it for me. Turns out to my complete surprise that they had the part (Pic 5) in stock so I was able to pick it up and install it. It was a very simple plug and play install (Pic 6&7)...all lights inside and out are back to working normally...it's usually never this easy.
Sorry for the long post, just figured I would share my experience along with the pics below in case someone runs into the same issue and finds it helpful like I did when I found a previous post. Also, just killing time before the big game which IMO starts way too late for it being on a Sun...never understood why they don't play it on a Sat....oh well, enjoy the game.
Once again this forum came in handy...I found a thread where another member pretty much did the same thing and did a great job of explaining how to fix it. So I pulled the bezel that the switch controller sits in out of the dash (Pic 1) which was pretty easy to do with a small pry tool. When I pulled it out I could see right away that the wire connector was no longer attached (Pic 2) to the back of the switch. Turns out when I jammed the knob into the console the back of the switch where the connector plugs into it cracked and snapped (Pic 3) off...SOB.
So, I found a part# (see Pic 4) on the back part of the switch where the connector plugs in. Figured I would have to order it and hoped it wouldn't take long as my console lights were very dim and tough to see during the day. On the plus side, it appears the headlights default to staying on for safety purposes so you can drive at night until the switch is replaced. Before trying to order it online, I figured I would call my local Ram dealer to see if they had it in stock (longshot) if not, figured they could just order it for me. Turns out to my complete surprise that they had the part (Pic 5) in stock so I was able to pick it up and install it. It was a very simple plug and play install (Pic 6&7)...all lights inside and out are back to working normally...it's usually never this easy.
Sorry for the long post, just figured I would share my experience along with the pics below in case someone runs into the same issue and finds it helpful like I did when I found a previous post. Also, just killing time before the big game which IMO starts way too late for it being on a Sun...never understood why they don't play it on a Sat....oh well, enjoy the game.
