The door locks will not unlock with a key or the unlock button when locked(electrical). My vehicle is not the only one. I have spoken with 5 others in my city alone with explorers and they are all having the same troubles. This has got to be a defect for it to be in so many other explorers.
1998 Ford Explorer Sport locks complaints
Page 2 of 2: complaints 11 to 33 of 33, newest first, as owners wrote them.
The driver's side door lock is no longer able to be unlocked with the key or by the power lock switch. If it is locked accidentally, it is impossible to enter the vehicle any way other than by crawling in from the passenger side door or by pulling very hard on the inside handle while working the key in the lock. This could present a serious problem in the case of an accident if an individual needs to flee the vehicle.
The driver's side door lock is no longer able to be unlocked with the key or by the power lock switch. If it is locked accidentally, it is impossible to enter the vehicle any way other than by crawling in from the passenger side door. This could present a serious problem in the case of an accident if an individual needs to flee the vehicle... Especially for those like myself with infants that would need to be removed from the vehicle as well. The problem began four or five years ago when it became difficult to unlock the door with the key at various times. Since then, the situation has worsened significantly. The only thing about the driver's side door that is in working condition now is the "lock" action of the power lock switch. Having said that, the power window on the driver's side door no longer works, though I am unsure if it is in any way related to the lock.
Dt: the driver's side door will not unlock by key, remote or the inside handle. When the consumer contacted the dealer and manufacturer, they told her that it was not on recall and that she had to take care of the issue herself. The consumer felt that this was a safety issue because if there was an emergency one would not be able to exit the vehicle quickly. The consumer was unable to unlock the door when she left for work on 8-29-05. As of now the problem is still has not been solved. *ak the consumer stated son-in-law was able to fix the door. Update 4/25/07
Dt: the drivers side door was completely locked, the remote key pad or keys did not work. Had used the remote to unlock doors the same as always. Contacted manufacturer, who said to contact the dealer. But dealer said never heard of it. Consumer did not want to pay the dealer to fix it. Found a forum online where other people had the same problem. This happened july 29, 2005.
Drivers side door, of my 1998 ford explorer, could not be opened (from inside or outside door handles). Attempted to have door latch assembly replaced, as broken spring was found protruding from door latch assembly area . Dealership incorrectly replaced inside door handle and now drivers side door cannot be locked (but can now be opened or closed). Due to door latch assembly problems with canadian ford vehicles, I fear we now have a serious security & safety issue with our 1998 ford explorer. Dealership refuses to repair unless we basically agree to replace all internal parts of door . The estimated repair cost (parts & labor) is in excess of $500.
Driver's side door will not unlock with key, remote, key pad entry or with door handle inside. Apparently, this is a common problem with 1998 explorer sport.
The door locking mechanism of my driver side door of my 1998 ford explorer sport is broken. A small metal pin broke which makes this locking mechanism not work. So sometimes I have to climb through to the passenger side to get out if my various techniques do not work to unlock the driver side door. I believe what happens is that the metal pin will eventually corrod and break so I have not yet fixed it due to the fact that I have no faith in a product that will most likely break again. I thought I was was just having this problem until I visited this message board (http://www.offroadexchange.com/modforums/index.php?board=9;action=display;threadid=1749;start=25). I really hope you investagate this problem before somebody is in a life or death situation and trapped in their explorer because the metal pin of the locking mechanism broke. Thank you.
Door lock was not working when it was cold. Now, door lock on driver's side is completely out, the key just turns in the lock and does not work. The other locks (passenger and back window) do not work either. You have to turn the key many times before lock works, then you have to either crawl over the seats or press the unlock button several times before lock engages. I was outside in the rain for at least 5 minutes trying to get the lock to work on the passenger side of car because driver's side is broken. On going problem for at least 3 months.
The driver side door lock failed. The consumer had to climb over to the passenger side to get out. The locking mechanism on the door was defective.
Driver side power door lock does not unlock either with the key or lock button. It takes many attempts to get the door unlocked leaving me no choice but to exit out of the passenger side. Pulling the door handle does not help either. I have a friend that has the same problem and I found hundreds of people all over the internet message boards complaining of the same issue. This should be a recall!!!
Driver's side door will not unlock with or without key - will not unlock or open from the inside or the outside. The problem is apparently wide spread in this vehicle and requires a $150 lock assembly to replace a faulty .50 cent spring. Ford needs to recall and fix.
Driver'sw side door lock will not unlock. Tried holding the handle and pressing unlock buttons on the door and keyless remote. Door will not open from the inside or the outside of the vehicle. This is a danger in an emergency. After reading the many complaints about this issue, I noticed that there has not been any recalls to correct this defect. Why not??? Seems that many drivers of this vehicle are having this same problem.
The drivers door will not open with the key lock or the remote, from the outside of the vehicle. *jb
Consumer was unable to exit or enter the vehicle in the front driver's side door. Dealer was notified.
Drivers-side door does not open by using the key, power-lock/unlock button or pulling the inside handle. This is supposed to be a safety feature in case the power locks fail. This problem is very common according to ford dealers, locksmiths, and after-market professionals.
Over the last year my 1998 ford explorer 2 door sport has been loosing some interior electrical features. The first was the display lights on the radio. They would come and go..... Now the display is totally gone. However the radio, cd player and tape deck still work. I just can't see what track, station, or the time. Then the next electrical problem was the driver side power unlock switch. I can lock all the doors but I cannot unlock the doors, next the lights went out on the left side of my dash..... I can't remember if this was the same time the lights went out on the steering wheel controls (cruise control settings) or if that went out separately. Now........ I cannot unlock the driver door with a key. I can move the key around and unlock the other doors but not the driver door. I have to go through the passenger side and yank on the driver handle several times before the door will open. This is very inconvenient. I plan on taking the vehicle to the dealership for repairs..... But I have heard several other explorer owners having the same problems...... Should ford repair this at their cost? It seems to me this is a ford issue and not something I have done to the vehicle, especially if other owners are having the same problem. Sounds like something is defective in the electrical harness.
The driver's door cannot be opened from the outside when the door is locked and you attempt to unlock it using the keyless remote or the keyed lock. It also takes several pulls from the inside handle to open the door when the door is locked. When the door is unlocked it works properly using either handle. When using the keyless remote to unlock the door you can hear the actuator attempt to unlock the door and you can see the lock button move but the door will not unlock. When using the key to unlock the door the key will not turn. If I could no longer open the drivers door from the inside then I would have trouble exiting the vehicle as it is a bit cramped inside.
When the consumer attempted to unlock the driver side door but it failed to open from the inside although the door locks were in the unlocked position. Please provide any further details.
I have a 1998 explorer sport SUV. I am having trouble with the automatic locks not opening and locking me inside the vehicle. I have to push the automatic lock button six or seven times to get it to work. The handle on the door won't even open it.
When trying to open driver's side door from inside handle had to be pulled at least ten times before the door would open. Consumer was concerned that if there was an emergency the door would not open.
The power door locks failed.
I was changing fuses in the engine compartment of our 98 explorer and the hood slammed shut on my hand and fingers. The pistons that held the hood up failed.
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