Lights not turning off automatically

I drive a 13' Sport if it matters...

Yesterday as I was walking away from my truck I noticed my tail lights still lit up. I was very confused as the keys were in my hand.
I played around with the light selector stalk. I could turn my headlights, marker lights and DRL's on and off without the key in the ignition. I have never been able to do this before.

Earlier that day I was messing with the resistor for the HVAC blower. I had unplugged it and reinstalled it. I believe this is just coincidence as that's all I touched and dont see how these should be tied together.

What areas should I be looking at?

 

Turning on the lights without the key on is normal.

If you leave the lights on and shut off the engine, the lights stay on til you open the door. When you open the door, the lights go out. Here's the strange part. Opening the door is a 1 shot deal. If the door is already open when you shut off the engine, the lights will stay on til the battery goes dead. No amount of opening and closing the door will make them go out. you have to either turn off the headlight switch, or start the engine, close the door, shut off the engine, and open the door.

 

Check your brake switch under the pedal. I bet those are just the brake lights stuck on. Had an issue not too long ago and one of the symptoms was the brake lights stayed on.

 

So no idea on what the issue was, but it's fixed.
I opened all the doors, started the truck, walked around opening and closing all the doors. When I turned off the truck the lights went out!

Somehow I'm guessing its sorta related to me messing around to the blower resistor. I had the passenger door open laying on the ground working up under the dash. I kept starting and killing the truck like this as I was testing the blower.

No idea, but it's fixed.

 

No, These two systems are not related at all other than they both run from the same power source ( alternator/battery ).

 

Related in the sense that because I had the passenger door open while starting and killing the motor messing with the blower, not in the sense that the systems were linked.

 

That explains why I couldn't figure out how mine worked! I thought that I was losing my mind!
Thanks!

 

The perceived anomalies discussed above occur in other makes/models as well.

 

What had me scratchin' my head was that my 2007 Colorado had an Auto position which made them completely automatic. Not that it was better, just different. Now that I know how these work I can scratch something off my "need to figure out how it works" list.

 

On my 12, if I open the passenger door, the lights stay on as well.

 

If I turn off the engine with the headlights on, remove the key, open and close the door, the headlights will turn off in 45 seconds. Just right for me to get to the house door. I like it.