Early 2005 Sport Trac, parts catalog is wrong - door ajar sw.
 

Hi all. I have a 2005 Sport Trac with a build date of April 2004. My driver's door actuator froze up, and that was when I discovered that some parts for 2005 model year do not match what I have in my 2005.

For instance, the door lock actuator. All the catalogs, including the dealer's, show a compact plastic rectangular unit that mounts horizontally high up on the door latch area. However, mine turned out to be a much earlier actuator, one that has a metal hook that comes out of a rubber boot and the cylindrical unit mounts vertically below the door latch. We finally got that replaced, but the wire that goes to the door ajar sensor ended up on the wrong side of the window track and when I rolled the window down it pulled the wire and broke the plastic connector on the door ajar switch.

Now my problem is that I can't find any diagram or photo that matches what I have. Some come close, showing the door ajar sensor as a silver metal cylinder that comes out of the door latch assembly horizontally near the top, with a black plastic extension which is the connector that is broken on mine. Most photos have the door ajar sensor at the bottom of the latch assembly, vertically oriented. The ones that are close show that there are flat sides to the metal cylindrical part that you can put a wrench on .... but mine has no such flats.

I'm wondering how to remove mine so that I can take it to the parts store and get the right replacement, but I just can't figure out how to do it. There is a ground connection at the switch's 11:00 position that his held in place with a Phillips screw, and a rivet at the switch's 5:00 position.

Some references I've found indicate that you can just grab onto the switch body and turn it 1/4 turn counter-clockwise and pull it out - others indicate that you have to completely remove the door latch assembly, and one also says you have to remove the outside door handle to remove the latch assembly.

Any ideas? I ran out of time working on it tonight and it's too cold to continue so I put the door panel back together and gave up for the night.
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.for...24f522a964.jpg
View of the sensor body through a hole in the inside door panel. Ground tab at 10:00 position.
https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.for...7571f9a955.jpg
End-on view of switch.
https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.for...45a6b0bdb2.jpg
View of switch with broken connector.

Build dates and VIN can be critical when it comes to getting the correct parts especially if a mid year change was involved.
Most of the time the Ford dealership Parts dept will come up with the correct part and number, however, if you can't get what you need , consider checking with another dealer Parts Dept. Sometimes one will find the part when the other can't.
A place called "Vintage Parts Inc" located in Beaver Dam, Wisc may have what you are looking for. Sometimes they will sell only to dealerships, but will usually tell you if they have it.

Thanks @hanky

In case others ever have this question about their 2005, the correct part for my "door jamb switch" at AutoZone was a Duralast SW1375.

Once I had the new switch in hand I was able to quickly see that the screw that holds the ground connector in place also holds the switch in place.

To remove the old switch, I removed the ground connector and screw, then, using a pair of pliers, turned the body of the switch approx. 1/8 of a turn so that the retaining lugs on the switch aligned properly and pulled the switch right out.

Replacement of the switch was the opposite of removal. I made sure that the wires did not interfere with window movement. The hardest part of the whole thing was putting the door trim panel back in place.