So, I will preface this by saying that since I switched jobs, I drive my wife's Corolla every day for commuting purposes, and she drives the Dakota since she doesn't have much of a commute.

So today she ran some errands, and on the way home, the "Light-on" indicator light came on. First of all, what does this light even mean? She parked the truck, and then when out a little later to head to a meeting and the truck wouldn't start. So I get home, and it does the clicky, clicky, click...dash lights going crazy and blinking, but as soon as I hooked up some cables, it started right up. I took it for a nice little cruise to charge the thing, get home, starts up a few times just fine, and then the dang light goes on. The lights were off, I was just idling in a parking space etc.

So I guess we'll see in the morning. Any thoughts on here of why the light came on...and if so, would there be something that would have caused the battery issue? Or completely independent issues.

 

Usually that light indicates a short in the turn signal/brake lights. With out knowing the code its hard to say.

Do you have a tow package, stock or aftermarket?
Do you have snow on the ground?
Did you back up into a snow bank?

None of these will explain why the truck did not start, but its a start.

 

I idled with the door open once and it made my dash lights go on, one stayed on which was check engine but code was some strange message. it went away and never came back. Some weird stuff happens after jumpstarts on these trucks, did you actually have to jump it or did it start on its own? Might be obvious and you may have already checked, but is there any corrosion on your cables?

 

still trying to figure out what this "lights on" light is......

 

X2 I have never heard of it before.

 

I think he is reffering to the dash light that comes on when you turn on your headlights

 

Hmm I thought he meant the indication light that looks like a bright yellow light bulb with 3 lines coming out the top.

 

Only lights i have on my cluster is the high beam indicator and the fog light indicator. I dont have an indicator light telling me my lights are on aside from my cluster lighting up.

 

X2 here. My dash lights up when the lights come on (this is what I think he is reffering to)

A green lightbulb light up with foglights

and yeah the blue high beam indicator

 

Pics dude pics.