Great advice Shawn - The door ajar light did remain on...and the ignition bell dinged when the key was in the ignition...even with the door shut...and the dome light remained on as well. I'll removed that panel again and give it a shot (literally). How can I search for more as you suggested?

Hi David, just go up to the search bar and type in something like "door ajar light stays on" and see what comes up.