Hiya,

Was just wondering if anyone knows anything about car electrical systems at all. I have a Ford Mondeo Zetec X Reg (pretty sure it’s Mk1?) 2.0 litre 199-2000 reg car.

The other day I went out for a drive to get air for the tyres and petrol. Each time I had to get out of the car was absolutely fine. Pull the handle and hey presto as if like magic I was let out!!

I came home though and tried to get out the car and couldn’t!! I thought I was trapped for a bit but then pulled on the passenger handle and that unlocked the electrical part of the doors and then the drivers handle did the mechanical bit so I could get out.

What I find strange though is that I can lock the central locks using the drivers door but just can’t open them again! I have to use the passenger side for that!

As there is only one fuse for the central locking system (as far as I can tell) then I didn’t think it would be that. I did check it however and it was fine. The fact that it still works from the passenger side told me that though.

I took off the plastic surround on the door handle of the drivers side and saw the metal rod that goes into the door and does I know not what but I guess it is obviously hooked up to some kind of switch in some way or another? Just wondering why I can lock the doors but not open them again and was wondering if anyone here knew anything about them and could give me a hand at all.

Best wishes,

Mark

Off the top of my head the only (totally useless) idea that I come up with is, maybe it was miswired American-style at the factory somehow—since your passenger side is our driver side, the electrical control would therefore be on the left—but I can’t even imagine a way that could happen.

Well, I could, but it’s not very realistic.

Unfortunately not I’m afraid. Thanks for the idea though. It has all been working fine for ages but just the other day I got home and now it won’t open. On a Ford site someone said that it is probably the door lock motor but I think that unless the motor also houses all the electronics then that seems incorrect as the lock does still lock and unlock it’s just that it won’t unlock from the drivers side. Locking works fine from both sides but now all of a sudden unlocking will only work from the passenger side instead of both as it was just literally minutes before it wasn’t!

All very weird. Probably just needs a spray of WD40 somewhere though!

Thanks again.

Best wishes,

Mark

I’m gonna throw a crazy suggestion out there. How about taking it to a garage?

What? Are you mad?

Already done unfortunately. Just thought someone might have an idea before I get fleeced!! I understand electrical systems fine but mechanics and getting to the parts of the electrical system that matter are just beyond me unfortunately!!

Taking to a garage this afternoon though so hopefully won’t get done over!!

Best wishes,

Mark

My parents had a electrical problem with their car on the way home from a weekend away. They called out the AA and do you know what they did? They rebooted the thing! The car was fine after that. They took it to the garage a week later to get it checked out (make sure it didn’t happen again). The garage plugged it into the main frame and did an update.

If its all the same I’ll be sticking to a 10 year old car that doesn’t need plugging in anywhere!

Yep same here. Mine is nearly 9 years old so I don’t know how much of an electrical ‘brain’ it has internally so not sure if that is an option or not. Anyhow fingers crossed I don’t get the “Ah well it’s the flange sprocket burner joint and it’s gonna cost you mate!!” type of answer!! Wish me luck!!

Best wishes,

Mark

Your best bet is to get them to tell you whats wrong then Google it! Then you’ll soon find out if they are lying on cost or on what’s wrong. Can’t go wrong with a bit of research!

Yep will definitely be doing that one

Thanks.

Best wishes,

Mark

As an odd coincidence, the driver’s side back door on my wife’s 1998 Honda Civic won’t open now, whether “locked” or “unlocked” (button or electronic control). Considering that the passenger side back door has never responded to the electrical control for as long as she’s had the car, this is a considerable inconvenience for her—she carries her whole life in the car, most of it on the back seat (because I occasionally ride with her, she can’t delegate much of it to the front passenger seat for very long).

It looks like we’ll have to take it to a garage so they can tear off the door with the Jaws of Life to find out what’s wrong and repair it.

But only because she won’t let me use dynamite.

Well got it fixed in the end. The engineer was very good actually and didn’t charge much at all so I’m happy. They replaced the whole of the door lock and said that one of the relays must have gone in the locking mechanism. Unfortunately it’s a completely sealed unit so you can’t just change the relay (now that’s just dumb if you ask me!).

Still seems a little weird though as the relay would only have been providing the switching mechanism. The fact that I could lock the door from the drivers side said that whichever relay deals with that must have been okay and also the fact that I could open the doors, albeit from the passenger side, says that if there was another relay for opening the doors that this must have worked too as the door would open but just not from using the handle on the drivers side.

Probably a loose connection somewhere but I’ve got a whole new lock mechanism which is fine now so I’m happy

Hope you get yours fixed soon McGehee!

Best wishes,

Mark