Door Latch problems of the 1998 Ford Explorer

The contact owns a 1998 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that when the vehicle was parked, the front passenger side door did not open from the inside or outside. The contact stated that the passenger had to climb over and go out of the front driver's side door. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 220,000. Updated 7/1/cn.

The contact owns a 1998 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that he could not open the driver side door from the inside or outside. The door handle would not respond to any movement and the door would not unlock. The manufacturer has not been notified. The purchase date was unknown. The current mileage was 140,000 and failure mileage was 135,000.

All locking door mechanism's have failed and I have spent money to repair them. The rear hatch lock is no longer operating unless the key is in the lock and then, only sporadically. The driver's side handle, has broken off twice and been replaced twice. I was unable to open the door with the engine was off, thereby effectively "trapping" me in the vehicle. In an emergency, I would not have been able to exit the car and remove myself from any potential danger. In order to exit the car, I had two options, either climb out over the center console or put the key back in the ignition, turn on the vehicle, lower the power window and open the car from the outside, I opted for the second solution until I was able to order a second new door handle and replace it.

1998 Ford Explorer, door locks fail and can't get out, can not be open with key or remote, can't even be slim jimmied. . Dealer tell me that the enter door has to be torn apart and it will cost $500. 00. . . This is a very dangerous safely hazard. What happens when this vehicle is in a accident or starts fir and passengers can't get out. . . Should be recalled.

: the contact stated the locking mechanisms on three doors and the rear hatchback failed to operate properly. The door locks felt loose, while the door is manually unlocked, prior to each failure. The rear left door will not unlock from the inside or outside of the door. The rear right door failed to unlock from the outside, and the rear hatch failed to unlock on an intermittent basis. The service dealer and manufacturer have not been contacted. Updated 01/19/07.

Normal operation; a the drivers door latch failed in the locked position. As a result, the door could not be unlocked or opened by normal means. The door was finally opened after the door panel was removed allowing the latch to be unlocked by reaching a hand inside the door. The failure is a broken spring. The failure resulted in an internal lever interfering with the lock portion of the latch during the unlock attempts. I have not repaired the failure as of this date. I have the failed item (a spring).

: the contact stated the driver side door was permanently stuck closed. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who determined that it was an internal problem that caused the door to stay jammed. No repairs had been made.

The contact stated all four doors were shut and will not open. The two front doors will unlock with the key, but they could not be pulled open. The contact took the vehicle to an auto repair shop for inspection, and the service repairman determined that the linkages on the inside of the doors were worn out and would have to be replaced. The manufacturer was contacted. They offered no free remedy. No repair has been made due to the excessive cost.

Driver door won't unlock. Key won't unlock it can't pull up on pluncher. And inside door handle won't open door. Door is just stuck locked. Have to crawl out window or go out passenger door. What would I do if I had to get out fast. I read on web sites, its a spring that every one is having trouble with. And its the same door. I found out about the door problems from offroadexchange. Com.

Drivers side front door lock does not unlock with either the remote keyless entry, the interior lock/unlock button or the key. In order to unlock the door you must press either the remote or the interior unlock button 10 to 15 times. In addition to being very inconvenient, this could cause a serious problem if the driver is not able to exit the vehicle quickly in an emergency.

The left front door would not lock or unlock. The consumer noticed on more than on occasion that the problem would occur. The consumer has contacted the dealer for appointment. Please fill in additional information.

Automatic door locks sometimes work and sometimes does not.

Driver door won't open on my 1998 eddie baur Explorer. Door lock stuck shut. . . Safety issue!.

Inner door locking mechanism failed due to a small spring breaking. The result is that the door effected (drivers door in this case) will not open from the inside or outside. Thus, trapping a person in the event that an exit must be made quickly. A replacement part has been purchased and I am in the process of replacing the damaged piece. The damaged piece will be available.

Driver's side door lock and latch no longer work and prevent door from opening. This creates a very hazardous situation for driver who now cannot exit vehicle reliably in the event of an accident or fire. Driver's side door is effectively permanently locked and driver must enter/exit via passenger side door. Door lock no longer resounds to remote keyless entry, outside key, nor inside door handle. Only after repeated attempts to pull on tapered door knob while repeatedly pressing internal electric door unlock button will driver's door sometimes become unlocked and then the door can be opened. None of the other doors to the vehicle (4 door plus rear hatch) have similar problem. This problem has been reported previously to through NHTSA by numerous other Ford Explorer owners, yet apparently no recall has yet been issued for this problem. Car was taken to the vista Ford dealer on November 28, 2004 for a safety check and warranty repair of bolt in driver's seat. Dealer initially estimated $230 for repair, but after inspection they demanded $500+ (including parts and labor). Repair not performed. Vehicle remains in hazardous condition.

The locking mechanism automatically locked, and unlocked by itself. The key worked intermittently. Sometimes when the consumer was inside the vehicle she could not get out or she got out, but could not get in. Keys do not work on drivers side door. The consumer broke the door latch trying to get out of the vehicle.

The left driver's side door's lock broke. Once inside the vehicle passenger could not get out of the vehicle. The door had to be opened from the outside.

I can't open my driver's side door of my Ford Explorer from either the outside of inside. The power locks don't open and the door should still open from the inside even if it is locked and it doesn't. This is a huge safety issue. Ford said it will cost me $130. 00 just to look at the door. I am going to my own mechanic to see if he can fix this problem. Until then I can't drive the car because it is unsafe.

Driver's side door will not open. The door will not reliably unlock. Power lock actuator works fine. Broken spring inside of latch mechnism.

Drivers side door does not unlock nor open from inside. Possible safty hazard if must exit vehicle in emergency.

Doors have a safety issue in which they cannot be locked because they can only be unlocked from the inside. The keys nor the remote can unlock the doors from the outside. Dealership indicated that the doors were frozen, and it was not their problem.

When the vehicle was parked or running, the front driver and passenger door would not unlock. This caused the consumer to exit/enter through the rear doors. The dealerships mechanic was notified, but did not resolve the problem.

Driver's side door did not unlock. Consumer was forced to get in/out on the passenger's side of the vehicle.

The power door locks are malfunctioning on my 1998 Ford Explorer. The expolanation is that "water, dirt and stuff get in there". This is the seciond such incident. I'm now being billed $186 plus tax to repair something that shouldn't need rerplacing on a vehicle with 70000 miles!.

Consumer states he cannot get into his truck because the driver side latch is broken. He has not received a recall but think this should be a safety issue. Ts.

The driver side door lock is inoperable and the door cannot be opened. The dealership is aware of the problem. Nlmjlg.

Driver's side door will not lock or unlock from outside or inside. Consumer is forced to climb in and out through passenger's side. Manually, lock can not be pulled up to get out. Dealer was notified. Please provide more information.

Driver's side front door does not lock properly. Problem is intermittent. Please provide any further information.

When consumer turns on heat it is out of control heat gets hotter and hotter. When she turns air conditioning on cold air is cold for a moment, and then heat comes on while air conditioning is running. Dealership is aware of problem. Lock broke on drivers door and was repaired.

Drivers side door doesn't lock. Door panel was removed and power motor for lock was replaced. . . . .