Call me weird, I just don't like red lights blinking on my dashboard while I'm driving. Last evening the REAR DOOR light started blinking. If I pull the lock up it remains lit. If I push the lock down it goes out but now bumps/vibrations make it come on. I guess it's picking up a ground somehow. Without digging into the tailgate, is this a common problem on our 4runners?

I've left it unlocked/lit today on my commute to work. I hope the bulb burns out.

 

Mine did this and the window wouldn't operate correctly.

on the latches there is a switch, just a plastic piece, little metal roller, and a spring.

i took mine apart and cleaned it and it worked perfectly. Be careful though, that bugger is hard to put back together.

could alsobe a broken wire rubbing and touching ground

 

IT would drive me crazy, too. LOL!
Yep, inspect for loose/dirty parts, etc. If switch looks good inspect wiring.
1988 schematic. Should be same as yours, altho wire colors have been known to change between years.

 

But . . . wouldn't that be a short drive?

To the OP, a strictly short term dodge until it's fixed - a piece of electrical tape over the light.

 

I had a similar problem, the passenger side of my T4R tailgate didn't lock correctly, I found out the latch cable was stuck. After several aplications of silicone in spray, problem solved.

 

I hate the roll-up window- adding 20 pounds of hardware to the tailgate (according to Cory) and relying on electricity with all that circuitry just for a window on an otherwise spartan vehicle!; worse than I hate hidden fasteners. Hence, This Delete Roll-Up Tailgate Window brainstorming.

 

Short term? Ha! I ran my Corolla with tape over the CEL for more than a year!

 

Use Rad's diagram and consider this, if the switch is on a door latch it may not be adjusted right (or not fully latched), if it's on the regulator assembly (the lock/latch rods and pivots are there) it may just need fine adjusting. I forget where the exact location is for these switches.

 

I wonder if we could get a moderator to change the title to "BACK DOOR" because that is what the light reads and would be better for future searches.

 

Back door unlocked indicates status of lock, not latch.
As soon as the door lock is pushed down, even when the glass is still all the way down, the light turns off.