Door Latch problems of the 2000 Ford Explorer

The contact owns a 2000 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that the doors on her vehicle latch and unlatch intermittently. The vehicle has not yet been taken to the dealer. The failure mileage was 105,000 and current mileage was 106,000.

2000 Ford Explorer problems with door locking mechanism. Customer states that it began with the rear doors not unlocking, hatch door will now not unlock. Customer thinks doors will stop opening. The consumer has tried oiling the mechanisms, but that still didn't work. Updated 10/03/07.

: the contact stated the rear driver side door handle had to be lifted up higher than normal to open the door from the inside. The door was inoperable from the outside. An independent repair shop determined the door handle needed to be replaced.

: the contact stated on three separate occasions the door locks failed to open. The first was the passenger's side rear passenger door followed by the rear driver's side and now the front driver door. The vehicle was taken to the dealer each time and the latch assemblies were replaced. Updated 10/25/2006 - the technician told the consumer that this was a know problem with this model/year vehicle and that the problem is caused by a defect in the door latches. One of the pieces is made of a type of plastic which is not strong enough.

Driver's door lock inoperative, rear door lock inoperative.

Rear doors on 2000 Ford Explorer (4-door, 4x4, XLT) fail to open. In January of 2005 the left rear door would not open, either from the inside nor from the outside. This has just happened to the right rear door (December 2005). I have brought it to a Ford dealership ( don jenkins Ford in fuquay varina, nc) for both fixes, and the service writer acknowledged the problem immediately saying that they have seen this/fixed this on numerous Ford Explorers before. This indicates to me that this is a known and repeating problem to Ford. Besides costing me $500 to fix both door latch mechanisms, my greatest concern is that this is a safety defect - my children are not able to get out of the vehicle, and no one can open the door from the outside either in the case of an emergency.

The driver's side front door does not unlock properly with both the remote keyless entry or the unlock latch on the inside of the vehicle. Sometimes when this is attempted the door opens. However, the latch is still locked. The vehicle was taken to don's Ford dealership, and they did not offer an explanation. The consumer still plans to take the vehicle to a Ford dealer for repairs. A new latch and actuator was installed. The problem was fixed but the consumer felt that the problem was still inferior and unsafe.

While driving, the windshield wiper failed. The driver's side door locked on it's on. The consumer was unable to unlock it from the outside. The driver has to go through the passenger's door to get inside the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to a garage for inspection. The mechanic informed the driver that the power train control module needed to be replaced. Please provide further details.

Consumer noticed rear doors will not open from the inside, even if the child proof locks are off. Consumer will contact manufacturer.

Door locks failed. Consumer was concerned that in case of an emergency occupants will be trapped.

When traveling on the highway at 70 mph 4- wheel drive kicked in, causing transmission to downshift, resulting in sudden acceleration. Consumer has contacted dealer. Dealer has attempted to repair problem after each of the 4 incidents by replacing harness, computer, electronic controls, and transfer case. New problem has since developed--electrical malfunction when using auto door lock feature.

The vehicles doors remained locked when the engine was turned off.

Both rear doors will not open from the inside, even if the child proof locks are off.

Excessive force had to be applied to open doors although the automatic door lock was in the unlock position.

Defective latch on rear stowage compartment causing the compartment door to continually open. Cj.