mball

I replaced the interior lights in my 06 with LEDs. About a week ago the passenger side map light started flickering when the door is open. Does anyone know what causes this?

CLtotheTL32

iTrader: (3)

Take the LED out and flip it around. If it's not that, make sure the metal parts on the LED are clean and not bent or scratched.

Acucurean

FYI, LEDs can't light if they are reverse-biased (i.e. take the LED out and flip it around). If an LED is flickering it is for 1 of 3 reasons:
1.) There is a slightly loose wire in the circuit that supplies power, or the ground to the LED.
2.) The LED does not have adequate voltage across it to keep it fully lit. LEDs typically require somewhere on the order of 2.7 to 4.9 (nominally 3.0 to 3.2V) of forward bias to maintain the "on-state". This is dependent on the manufacturer, color and technology of the LED.
3.) The signal that is supplying the LED it's voltage is an AC signal instead of DC (or there are some AC components overlaid on a DC source).

You mentioned that the LED flickers when you open the door, but this doesn't give enough info to properly diagnose the problem. First, was the original light source an LED or an incandescent bulb? If it was the latter, then it is possible that the source of power for the map light was an AC signal. In which case, you will need some form of AC to DC conversion (this is case 3 above). If the source is DC, then I would suggest that you first check for case 1 above, then case 2.

If you do not find loose connections, and the issue is not AC supply voltage, then you will need a voltmeter to determine whether or not you have enough voltage to power your map light LEDs.

Can you give a little more background on your LED installation?

Acucurean

So I just thought of a forth case. If the original voltage source was slightly higher than what the LED is capable of and you don't have a current limiting resistor in the source path, you could potentially be over-driving the LED, in which case it may be expressing signs of imminent failure. If after a short-while it doesn't light at all anymore, this could be the case.

mball

The bulbs were installed in my car for about 11 months before the map light started flickering. The bulbs were originally not LED. I am going to take the cover off and see if it is loose.

jjdrivesajazz

the bulbs probably need to be changed, high quality LED bulbs have a very long life span, usually the cheap ones last less than a year

Acucurean

Based on the fact that you've had them in for 11 months with no incident, I would suggest that you likely have a loose wire sourcing or grounding the LEDs. After you open it up and take a look, let us all know.

When LEDs fail, they tend to fail in a discreet fashion, i.e. they work, then suddenly they don't. Flickering in LEDs almost always indicates a biasing issue, or more likely in the case of a vibrating car with aftermarket work, a loose connection.