Thread: Front door intermittantly "popping" open when being locked...

Originally Posted by infrno

Hi all - I've replaced the front passenger door latch after it was no longer unlocking when required (would still lock though). However, since replacing it, 3 out of 10 times when I go to lock the car or the car locks down when driving off the passenger door pops open - not fully open swinging in the breeze open, just to the first stage. Not a huge issue, but you get some interesting looks while your alarm's going off in a carpark while you push the door closed again trying to unlock then lock it again.

Any thoughts? Is it likely to be just a simple alignment thing or another issue with the replacement latch?

When you say "latch" are you referring to the actuator that sits inside the door itself? It sounds like it.

I've had trouble with the passenger side actuator recently. I replaced it and have found that there are subtle alignment changes that can make a difference to whether the door locks and unlocks properly.

I had some great advice form another aulrovian here - this was in relation to my door locking 100% of the time but sometimes failing to unlock using the outside handle. This is what Marc suggested (but I've not yet pulled the bloomin thing apart (again) in order to follow through on his advice...)

I would compare the free pull of all the door handles and just adjust it again, I doubt if is is slipping as mine was rock solid, just make sure that the door opens midway through the door handle movement.
Cheers
Marc.

Marc is referring to the adjustment that is made on the white clip that closes over the rod that goes up into the door handle (exterior handle).

I may have closed the rod over the clip too far down the rod - meaning that the actuator is not wanting to unlock as the mechanism is being prevented from travelling through a sufficient range of motion in order for it to unlock.

Make sense?

It sounds like yours has possibly gone the opposite way to mine and the mechanism hasn't "locked enough" to hold onto the, er, lock?

If any of that makes sense then great...if not apologies for the confusion.

Cheers Bell - I think I've got it, and I'm sure it'll make more sense when I've got the door skin off looking at the stuff.

I'll let you know how I go! (when I get the time to pull it apart again).

Michael.