Lock on Back Doors

[bigmck]

I have a 2004 XLS. I hardly have anyone ride in the back seat so this is not a great problem. If a passenger is in the back seat, they are unable to open the door if it is locked. I have to unlock it for them. I have found a switch in the back door near the latch that appears to lock and unlock this "child safety" thing, but have had no luck making it do anything. Is there some other place to make the back door locks usable to the passengers?
Thank,

 

[EasyRhino]

I have a 2004 XLS. I hardly have anyone ride in the back seat so this is not a great problem. If a passenger is in the back seat, they are unable to open the door if it is locked. I have to unlock it for them. I have found a switch in the back door near the latch that appears to lock and unlock this "child safety" thing, but have had no luck making it do anything. Is there some other place to make the back door locks usable to the passengers?
Thank,

Do you mean to make the back door handles available to the back seat passengers to open the doors from the inside?

 

[D Hook]

I've found the same thing. Passengers have to use the latch below the pull handle to unlock the door before pulling on the handle that opens the door. Don't have a lot of traffic back there so not a big concern but it catches most passengers off guard. They expect, when pulling on the handle to open the door, for the door to unlock automatically. Instead, they have to use the little pull tab to unlock the mechanism before trying to open the door. Is this the same problem you reference?

No, the child safety locks are not in use on mine either. (At least, I don't believe they are. Hmmm....now I better go check to be sure.)

 

[bigmck]

Do you mean to make the back door handles available to the back seat passengers to open the doors from the inside?

Yes, that is correct

I've found the same thing. Passengers have to use the latch below the pull handle to unlock the door before pulling on the handle that opens the door. Don't have a lot of traffic back there so not a big concern but it catches most passengers off guard. They expect, when pulling on the handle to open the door, for the door to unlock automatically. Instead, they have to use the little pull tab to unlock the mechanism before trying to open the door. Is this the same problem you reference?

No, the child safety locks are not in use on mine either. (At least, I don't believe they are. Hmmm....now I better go check to be sure.)

That is the problem I am having also. If you open the back door and look at
the end of the door where the latch is there is a switch with a "stick person" in it. I am guessing this is a child safety lock, but I have moved it in both positions and it doesn't seem to do anything. I thought possibly this was keeping the back seat passengers from opening the door.

 

[jp450]

With the child door lock active the door will not open at all with the inside handle, with the door locked or unlocked. What the OP was refering to is another "safety" feature that prevents someone from opening the door without first unlocking it. The Explorer has become a "Soccer Mom" car and normally kids are in the back seat.

 

[D Hook]

I checked mine today and the child safety lock is definetly NOT engaged. I guess it's just that when the auto locks engage (at 3 mph, IIRC) it locks all the doors as it should and you have to move the lock lever on the back door first before trying to open the door. The older cars would automatically unlock when you pulled the handle. These apparently don't.

+1 on the soccer mom theory.

 

[xlt03]

On the power lock arrangement when you stop vehicle whether engine running or not for the rear passengers to exit vehicle either one of these needs to happen: 1) driver or front passenger must press the unlock rocker switch of the power lock button on either of the front doors or 2) rear passenger must manual pull the triangular lock button first to unlock the lock and secondly pull the handle to open the door. This of course would assume the child safety lock is not active. Think of the early days on a regular 4 door (non power lock) sedan when the rear passenger had to pull up on the knob (ones we used a coat hanger on) that is on the door panel trim before pulling the door handle to open door. This was a feature on most manufacturer so kids don't pull on door handle and the door would pop open and they fall out of car. Only the front doors can you pull handle to pop open doors. This was a "safety feature" from the 70's era that was carried forward.

 

[scottrappley]

I have the same issue. The other day I had a passenger in the back and when I came to a stop and took the key out of the ignition, the backseat passenger tried to get out but could not. I found I had to push the unlock button to unlock all doors before they could get out. This is majorly inconvenient. I have owned primarily GM vehicles my whole life and have never had this problem once with any of there vehicles. Am I in understand correctly that this is "normal"??? That does not sound normal to me. Would appreciate any input.

 

[BigRondo]

I have the same issue. The other day I had a passenger in the back and when I came to a stop and took the key out of the ignition, the backseat passenger tried to get out but could not. I found I had to push the unlock button to unlock all doors before they could get out. This is majorly inconvenient. I have owned primarily GM vehicles my whole life and have never had this problem once with any of there vehicles. Am I in understand correctly that this is "normal"??? That does not sound normal to me. Would appreciate any input.

Like xlt03 said, this is normal. The front doors open when you pull the handle if they are locked or unlocked. The rear doors will not open if locked. They can be manually unlocked at the door, with the front door buttons, with the button in the cargo area, or with the remote. This is, of course, if the child locks are not in the locked position.