On May 26, 2026, my 2019 Ford Expedition suffered a total systemic safety failure that resulted in my toddler being locked inside the vehicle in direct sunlight, requiring an emergency extraction. I used the FordPass app to unlock the vehicle and opened the driver’s door and passenger door on the diver's side. I placed my bag containing the proximity key fob onto the driver’s seat floorboard while the vehicle was completely off. I closed the driver's door and walked to the rear door behind the driver's seat, which was still open, to buckle my child into his car seat. Upon closing his door, the vehicle immediately initialized a "ghost lock" command, sealing all doors with the key fob inside, directly violating the vehicle's "Smart Unlock" and Passive Entry Passive Start (PEPS) safety protocols. The FordPass remote application then completely failed, refusing to process any commands to unlock the vehicle or remote-start the engine to turn on the air conditioning for the child. Even after uninstalling and reinstalling the application via a good samaritan’s cellular hotspot, the app remained completely unresponsive due to a total communication crash with the vehicle. I called 911. Local police arrived on-site first and attempted an emergency manual override using a mechanical lockout tool down the window frame, which failed. Due to the rapidly increasing interior heat in the direct Florida sun, arriving firefighters determined the child was in critical danger and shattered the rear passenger door main window to perform an immediate extraction. This failure represents an unmitigated malfunction of the door latch systems documented under Ford TSB 20-2421, which overrode all safety failsafes without warning. An upcoming diagnostic testing appointment is being scheduled at an authorized Ford dealer to pull the module codes and initiate a manufacturer safety review.
2019 Ford Expedition: doors won't lock, open or latch
7 of the 531 complaints about the 2019 Ford Expedition describe doors won't lock, open or latch.
- owner complaints
- 7
- of this car's complaints
- 1%
- recalls
- 0
Doors won't lock, open or latch by model year
What owners say
The rear door latch failed. It was 8 degrees, and the door latch would not latch shut after opening the rear door.
Passenger front door will not latch closed. Suspected freezing of lock mechanism from cold winter conditions. No physical damage is on vehicle that could cause this, nor does the vehicle have an accident in its history
Approximately One week ago, I was on the freeway when at 70 miles an hour warning light came in with brake system. Failure came up, and I lost all power to the vehicle and shut down and I tried restarting it on neutral. I was in traffic, which made it more difficult to go onto the side of the road went to I was in the center divider. There was no power of any kind to left side of vehicle windows, door locks, etc. the vehicle was towed to the dealership in San Diego where they told me they couldn’t look at the vehicle For over a month, but their service tech and the repair person from the dealership was unable to attach a computer to the vehicle scanner was not showing anything wrong. I then had the vehicle towed again to my home where the dealer had told me it was a battery however I purchased a new battery from the dealer , and it made no difference approximately three days later I started the vehicle to roll up the window that was down and everything seem to work however, I put it in and proceeded forward. The same situation occurred once again with the statement system system failure, but this time parking assist downhill Was also showing on the dashboard warning indicator. I have replaced the motor transmission and turbo on this back in January 2024. Vehicle is still under warranty however this seems to be a problem if the vehicle is cutting out with very minimal warning and shutting down on the freeway, this can cause an accident with myself and anybody near me , because the vehicle and the braking system shut down. I don’t know if this is a recall, but it’s something that should be looked at in a timely matter. Please contact me with further details. God bless.
The contact owns a 2019 Ford Expedition. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the electrical system became inoperable. The contact stated that the center console had no power. The contact stated that the radio and the charging station had no electrical power. The engine on due to low power warning light illuminated and went off. In addition, the rear driver's side door and the passenger's front and rear door latches were inoperable. The latches failed to unlock from the inside. The vehicle was taken to the dealer several times however, the failure could not be duplicated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was filed. The failure mileage was approximately 3,500.
The contact owns a 2019 Ford Expedition. The contact stated that the rear driver's side door failed to latch when closed, causing the door to fly open. The contact stated that he used a rope to tie the door to another door to keep the door securely closed. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and was inspected. The dealer determined that the door handle assembly needed to be replaced and informed the contact that the VIN was not included in a recall. The vehicle was also taken to an independent mechanic, where the same assessment was made. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and a case was opened. The failure mileage was approximately 62,000.
When entering the vehicle and closing all doors, one pushes the start button. Once starting to drive or reverse, an error message appears "Transmission Not in Park". The error message stays until the vehicle is put into motion. Then when coming to a stop, the error message reappears. It is understood the transmission is not in park because one is attempting to drive the vehicle. The vehicle drives fine, but the message appears repeatedly while in reverse and or drive. Many forums have suggested the rotary dial to engage the different drive modes is not speaking with the door latches. No other warnings appear and no doors are ajar.
Service bulletins that may apply
Related recalls
No recalls on record for this model year.
Questions about the 2019 Ford Expedition door locks
Is doors won't lock, open or latch a common problem on the 2019 Ford Expedition?
7 of 531 owner complaints about the 2019 Ford Expedition (1%) mention doors won't lock, open or latch. The model year with the most reports is 2000.
Is there a recall or service bulletin for this on the 2019 Ford Expedition?
There are 0 recalls and 2 service bulletins for the same area of the car. Check them below with your VIN.
Other symptoms on the 2019 Ford Expedition
Seat belt 64Harsh shifting 61Loss of power 44Check engine light 41Transmission failure 41Jerking 38Slipping 28Airbag light 25Hesitation 24Stalling 17Knocking 16Won't shift 16Shudder 13Grinding brakes 11Fire or smoke 11Engine failure 10Overheating 8Headlights 7Adaptive cruise 5
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