The driver side interior door handle return spring unseated resulting in interior door handle that does not return to the fully stowed position after actuation. If the interior door handle return spring is unseated, could the door unlatch in the event of a side impact crash, increasing the risk of personal injury?
1997 Ford Explorer: doors won't lock, open or latch
32 of the 1,730 complaints about the 1997 Ford Explorer describe doors won't lock, open or latch.
- owner complaints
- 32
- of this car's complaints
- 2%
- typical mileage
- 131,000
- recalls
- 0
Is there a fix? 1 service bulletin covers this area of the car. See below
Doors won't lock, open or latch by model year
What owners say
I own a ford explorer xlt 1997 and the rear passenger door on the drivers side only opens from the inside while the other rear passenger door will not open from the inside or out (child lock not activated). The drivers door doesn't lock and when it does lock, it doesn't unlock or sticks so bad it has be unlocked with pliers, causing the driver to have to get in and out of the car through the front passenger side door. The interior map light and rear interior door light above the backseats stay on constantly even when switched off and the lightbulbs had to be removed because they wouldn't turn off and were overheating.
Tl*the contact owns a 1997 ford explorer. The driver side door will not open from inside the passenger compartment. The lock sticks and will only open from outside the vehicle. The door lock itself is not working and when the contact pushes the unlock control on the door panel, it fails to unlock the door. She is concerned that she may not be able to open the door in case of an emergency. The purchase date was unknown. The current mileage was 168,299 and failure mileage was 167,299.
Dt: 1997 ford explorer the driver front door and the passenger side rear door will not open. Contact states she called the service dealer, but it costs too much to have it looked at, parts and labor would be more.
I have two 1997 ford explorers (an xlt and an eddie bauer) both vehicles have numerous problems with door latches and power locks. Occupants have been unable to exit the vehicles on several occasions due to inoperable handles and/or locks. I believe someone could become trapped in one of these vehicles in the event of an accident.
Driver and passenger side door locks will not lock or unlock. Rear window would be rolled down so that driver can enter and exit from the vehicle. Consumer drove the vehicle to dealer for inspection, and mechanic informed the consumer that this vehicle was not on recall.
Rear doors won't open from inside and it is not the child deterrent lever on door, heating system overrides A/C heater sometimes dosen't work. Recline lever broke off.
Consumer states rear doors will not lock or unlock due to latches breaking. Door latches had been repaired four times.
The keyless number pad on vehicle quit working, then the remote for anti theft system quit working and finally the automatic door locks quit working
Drivers door lock not working properly, gasket cylinder front cover, torque converter shudder, catalytic converter, rt bank exhaust manifold; these problems have been corrected, but new ones mount every week. Now there is a problem with the steering, being checked tomorrow.
Door handles on front passenger and rear passenger doors will not unlock from inside of vehicle, cause unknown. Please give any further details.
When I purchased this vehicle the back passenger door would not open from the inside and the child safety lock was not locked. The dealership fixed that for me, but now the driver side back door will not open. I think this is a big safety issue when you have children riding in the back seat. This time I have to pay 200.00 to get this fixed and I shouldn't have too. If I were to have an accident and my 7 and 9 year olds are in the back seat the one that is setting behind me cannot get out. This is a big concern to me. I have been in an accident before where my door would not open and that was the scariest feeling of my life. I think someone needs to check into the door assembly and make sure that it is sturdy and durable.
Service bulletins that may apply
Related recalls
No recalls on record for this model year.
Questions about the 1997 Ford Explorer door locks
Is doors won't lock, open or latch a common problem on the 1997 Ford Explorer?
32 of 1,730 owner complaints about the 1997 Ford Explorer (2%) mention doors won't lock, open or latch. The model year with the most reports is 1998.
Is there a recall or service bulletin for this on the 1997 Ford Explorer?
There are 0 recalls and 1 service bulletin for the same area of the car. Check them below with your VIN.
Other symptoms on the 1997 Ford Explorer
Tire blowout 246Adaptive cruise 44Fire or smoke 42Stalling 35Sudden acceleration 28Engine failure 27Grinding brakes 25Seat belt 25Check engine light 24Wipers 23Brake failure 20Ball joint 19No deployment 17Won't start 16ABS 14Headlights 14Loss of power 14Overheating 14Pulling 14Jerking 13Knocking 10Transmission failure 9Power steering loss 8Hesitation 6Harsh shifting 5
VIN decoder
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