Check the gauge cluster dimmer wheel switch just to the right of your headlight switch on your dash. If it is rotated all the way up, your courtesy lights will stay on . Is there also a door ajar light lit up in your guage cluster ? If so, one of your doors, liftgate, or liftgate glass is not shut properly or you have a sticking door ajar switch and your battery rundown protection system is shutting your courtesy lights off after the 40 minutes.
If the Explorer is running engaging the parking brake is supposed to turn the daytime running lights off , otherwise the daytime running lights are supposed to shut off when the engine is shut off . I have a 2004, Eddie Bauer Explorer. On the light switch itself, there is a selection to turn on or off the day lights, as well as the extended, courtesy lights after ignition is turned off.
There should be a switch that has three positions, one position to have the courtesy lights come on only when doors are opened, another position to turn courtesy lights off completely and another position to have courtesy lights stay on continually.
Just to the right of your headlight switch on your dash is a gauge lighting dimmer wheel switch . If this is rotated all the way down , the courtesy lights will not come on with the door open ( also , it it is rotated all the way up - the courtesy lights will come on with the door closed )
On a 2002 Ford Explorer : On the headlight switch , select automatic , park lights, or low beam headlights and pull the headlight switch out towards you to turn the fog lights on ( push the switch in again to turn the fog lights off )
On a 1997 Ford Explorer : The push button switch to turn on and off the fog lights is in ( the center stack of the dash , to the right of the radio )
its the same thing that controls the brightness of lights on your dash, roll it up or down to turn off
there should be a switch on the dash that overrides the courtesy lights, check the drivers manual.
Often the switch on the dash that controls the brightness of the dashboard lights will also turn on the courtesy lights if you turn the brightness all the way up. Otherwise, refer to the owners manual. If you don't have an owners manual with your vehicle you can get one online or at your local dealer.
Try pushing your turn signal lever forward , that's what I do to turn on my high beam headlights on my 1995 Ford Explorer
Check in the center stack of the dash , just to the right of the radio I believe there is a push button to turn the fog lights on and off
Turn your headlight selector switch on your dash to the low beam position and pull the knob towards you to turn on your fog lights
Dome lights not turning off On my 1995 Ford Explorer, just to the right of the headlight switch on the dash is a vertical switch that has the word dim below it. If this switch has been turned all the way up to the top, all the courtesy lights will stay on. Just move the switch down a little bit towards the word dim and if your doors etc. are all closed your dome lights will turn off.