Here's way more information then you probably want.
Have you tried a battery pull for 10+ minutes? My boards always need to be re-enabled after a battery pull.
- Pull battery for 10+ minutes (even overnight if you like); then reconnect battery.**
- Open driver door after reconnecting battery. They will not deploy, this is normal.
- Start truck and throw them back in "auto" mode via the vehicle options.
- Drive slowly about 25 feet, they will deploy and retract automatically (while you continue to drive). I think this is so they can relearn their travel path, but I could be totally wrong.
** Best practice is to do this with a cold start. After battery reconnect, start engine and follow the steps for the truck to
relearn it's idle trim and strategy. It's not required, but you may have an inconsistent idle until the truck eventually figures it out.
** Battery pull also resets your transmission shift strategy, it's best to keep your foot out of it for your first couple drives to give the ECM the time to relearn shift patterns. Once done, you can revert back to "spirited" driving
** Personally, I also cycle through the different moonroof positions and cycle the power mirrors a couple times. I've never heard of this being required on FoMoCo, but I've heard GMs ask for this after a battery pull on their trucks. (I'm a proud obsessive perfectionist with my trucks LOL)
In terms of cleaning/lubrication, you're dead on...a periodic spray of the hinges with a pressure washer is always good, especially if you drive in winter or sandy conditions. I live in LA and despite the truck only ever seeing rain maybe 20 days a year, I'll still give them a spray and lubrication every few months.
Same goes for lubrication, I've had good luck with motorcycle chain spray.
Does this happen with both passenger doors?
If it's only one door, I'd definitely be checking out the door sensor path. I have no idea where the sensor is (I've wondered myself). From what I've seen, there's nothing obvious (like a button switch on the A/B/C pillar)...maybe it's in the door latch itself? I'd be interested to know this as well.
If it happens with both doors, next question would be do you see the same behavior with the door ajar light on both doors? If so, that's either two bad sensors or now it could be an issue with the BCM module.
