driver's door wont unlock!

the driver's door will not unlock. not with the handle, door button or the keyless remote. the only way it unlocks is if i use the key on the outside of the door and giggle it at the same time i am moving the handle up and down. so i can get in, sometimes, through the driver's side but i have to hop over the center console and exit through the other door. does anyone know what is going on and what i need to do?

thanks
lawrence

anyone?

I had the same problem and left it for a month and a half till I couldnt stand crawling over the other side of the door. Im not really good mechanically so I had a friend rebuild the entire lock and replace some peices in it for me. If you got the skill take the panel off and check out the lock mechanism but it looks like a chineese puzzle to me so I just had someone else do it. Anyways take my advice and get it fixed now so you dont have to take your girlfriend out on a date and crawl out her door like someone I know

Maybe yours door failed the same way mine did. I just fixed up mine yesterday afternoon. I did a search for "door latch spring" and after a lot of reading I had some good hints. Here is the jist of it...

I could see a small spring hanging loose inside my latch - it was just laying there attached on one end only. I was able to remove the spring using needle nose pliars. The hook on one end of the spring had snapped off. I carefully bent a new hook shape on the remainder of the spring end.
Have a look at a working door latch to get an idea of what the spring was supposed to provide tension between. The spring holds onto a kind of T shaped piece of metal inside the latch that is pulled upward by the spring. It is easy to hook the spring back on that T shaped piece. I couldn't make the other end of the spring hang on to the same place that the one in the working door seemed to attach to but I don't think that is critical. I just hooked it to the upper part of the latch towards the outside of the door and it is doing its job again of putting upward pressure on that T shaped part and now my door will unlock reliably.

This didn't take a lot of manual dexterity to repair. I wish I had done some more reading before I pulled the door panel off and peeled back the inner door seal because it wasn't necessary at all. Everything could have been done on the outside edge of the latch. I can take a picture of it if you think it will help clear things up.

Cheers,
Al

Try2CatchMike: we have been taking her car out on dates

heyok: a pic would be great. i have already pulled the pannel and the inner seal and found that i didnt need too which kinda suks but owell. i see the end of the spring that is not attached but i cant tell where to hook it on to so a pic would be great. thanks

lish_xlt said:

... i see the end of the spring that is not attached but i cant tell where to hook it on to so a pic would be great. thanks

Click to expand...

I took a pic - not the best - but it might help. The top end of the spring is just hooked over the lip of the latch casing.

Cannot Unlock Drivers Door

I am having the same problem as Lawrence but I am unable to open the door to get at the problem. Initially the problem was intermittent (I was able to open the door after multiple attempts) but now I am at a point where I am unable to open the door. I am able to get to through the inside panel and moisture shield but I have had no luck opening the door. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks

my door stopped coming open aswell so i bit the bullet and took it to ford. after about a hour and a half my truck had a new latch and could open again.

Mine's doing the same. Occasionally the door will unlock.
********How much did it cost to get it fixed at the Ford dealership????**********
Thanks!

yah i am curious to know what for charged you

Mine was doing the unlock when it feels like it thing. I took the door panel off and just lubed the mechanism like crazy. You may not have to remove the panel to do this. Everything in mine was attached. Lube did the trick. Unlocks every time now

Driver's door won't unlock - won't open!

So mine won't unlock at all now! Not with the keyfob, keypad, power button or the key. Won't unlock - won't open.

Is there a way to manually unlock the door?

Seems like something Ford should fix for free!!

How the heck do you get the door open to even try to fix it? Anyone know?

This problem is most often caused by the handles themselves, where the rod attatches,( on outside door handle) wears or breaks and doesn't push mechanism up into home position. This condition will cause the inside handle to break when you use it from inside to unlock the door.
Sometimes pushing in on outer handle while hitting unlock on fob repeatedly will unlock the door

You need both the outer door handle, and inner handle, (2) 1/4 inch rivets are used to fasten outer handle , drill those out. I used bolts with rubber washers for reinstall.
The yellow clip thingy that holds the rod to the outer handle lever mechanism is kind of screwy. This is where you need to be careful and not loose it breaks easy.
It has a release tab, but it is hard to figure out until you get it out!!!

explorer99xlt said:

yah i am curious to know what for charged you

Click to expand...

I paid $250 to have mine done.

What parts did you lube ? What kind of lube ?

Dave

My 1995 Eddie Bauer is doing some of the same things...The passenger door will unlock with the key(it only took a 1/2 can of WD-40) and inside power button but will not lock with the key..the drivers door will only unlock/lock with the power button, the key will turn but nothing happends..the rear latch will not work with the key either, just the power lock. I have no clue to as if I have keyless entry or not( clueless as how to check) as I was never given a key fob by the dealer when I bought it last month. I learned one thing from this...when looking at a used vehicle to purchase...check the locks and make sure they work!!

I have the same problem with my 98 sport. One day I went to open the door and I heard something pop, and before i knew it, i was pulling springs out of my door. Ever since, my handle doesnt retract, and it unlocks with keyless entry SOMETIMES. I took it to a repair shop and they wanted 70 dollars just to take the door panel off and look at it. The dealer told me it was the door lock actuator without even looking at the problem, which is a load of crap because the lock still tries to pop up when i press the button on the keyless entry pad. I sure would hate to pay 250 dollars for a repair that wouldnt fix the problem. I just wish that i could get somebody to fix it that wasnt a complete retard. Any suggestions?

We all need to write the Ford company & complain...maybe we then can get this problem resolved??...I can just hear their excuse now for not wanting to fix the problem....Sir/Ma'am you have to expect wear & tear on the vehicle with the age that it is. I have a friend who has a 1949 model vehicle that the locks work better than mine..and have never been redone lol. Any way, just a thought.

Had the same problem on my 1998 about a month ago. The door latch mechanism is worn out and will require replacement. Replacement requires removing the door panel, removing the rear window track within the door, unhooking the various rods going to the latch and then replacing. You can easily find one at the junk yard or from Ford. Evidently they wear quickly, possibly from lack of lubrication. I examined my old latch and it was simply worn out. The mechanism was sloppy and would sometimes work and sometimes not. I got my part from the junkyard.

Same thing drivers door locked won't unlock

I'm in Pelham ,Alabama...I went to the Dealership here....they said $680.00 to replace acuater & outside door handle..
I bought them on ebay now just got to figure how to get door open & panel off..can anyone help me w/ that???
Thanks