[dcm3372]

Tonight something really bizarre happened with my Sportage. When I pulled up I discovered it would not lock with the remote key fob.

I then found that whilst I could lock the car manually, the central locking had stopped working via the remote fob or even with the key.

So I got back in the car and noticed that the clock was dead, even with the ignition switched on.

The car started and ran normally, but when I switched it off the odometer reading faded away slowly and the fuel gauge, temperature gauge and rev-counter stayed where they were and didn't return to zero.

On turning back on the ignition, the dials clicked and then returned to zero. Also, the air-con was losing it's setting and defaulting back to 23.5 degrees on turning the ignition off and on.

On top of all of this, the power windows that usually work when the ignition is switched off for a minute or so stopped working this way and only worked when the ignition was on.

Given the nature of all these sudden and unexpected failures I decided a first line of attack was to make sure there were no blown fuses.

Low and behold, I found 1 blown fuse. A 10amp fuse located behind the panel on the right of the steering wheel - visible when the driver door is opened. I replaced the fuse and viola! Everything returned to working normally!

I was convinced I was looking at weeks of frustrations with the dealer unable to find the cause of these bizarre problems so I was naturally delighted to find it myself the same day.

Just thought I'd share it with the forum in case anyone else hits this totally bewildering set of symptoms caused by one duff fuse.

Cheers

 

[Dano]

Great informative post

I'm glad you found the problem sounded an usual problem and glad it's all cured

 

[dcm3372]

Well that'll teach me for being chuffed too soon...

Found out that this fuse repeatedly blows - whenever I open the passenger front door. Which is strange and a brand new problem.

This doesn't make sense to me yet, the interior light comes on with the driver door as normal but open the passenger door and the fuse blows and the light goes out.

I noticed that while driving after the fuse was blown last night in the dark, the "tail-gate open" light was dimly lit not bright like it would be if the tail-gate was really open.

I don't know where these clues are leading me yet but I'll post as I find. This is very annoying on a car which otherwise has been very reliable.

 

[dcm3372]

Not to tempt fate, but I believe I've now fixed this problem!

Having discovered the fuse only blew when the passenger front door was opened - and not any other door or the tailgate I worked on that basis...

The front doors on the XS have built-in courtesy foot-lights. These only light up when the actual door they are on is opened.

I took the door panel off and discovered the wires running to the foot-light had been snagged by the electric window mechanism and were partially severed and the positive and negative were touching. So I cut the wires and re-joined them by soldering and heat-shrink insulation. I've now cable-tied the wires well clear of the electric window mechanism.

Put it all back together and it seemsOKnow!

Lesson learned - if a fuse mysteriously blows suspect more than just a duff fuse!

Hope this info proves useful to someone else with a similar problem

 

[dcm3372]

Just wanted to add, the fuse in question is a 10amp, shown on the fuse-box lid diagram as "ROOM LP".

The owner's handbook says it is for "Cluster, ETACS, A/C, Clock, Room Lamp".

 

[Blow-in]

A good one to get to the bottom of...reminds me a bit of my check engine light which came on - and went off - occasionally while accelerating.....turned out to be a short caused by a mouse under the engine cover.