Jump to content
Do Not Sell My Personal Information


passenger door not opening extreme cold temp prob?


shaz4473
 Share

Recommended Posts

My mum has a 2007 Fiesta zetec which I borrowed today and when I tried to open the passenger door today it would not move. I remote locked and unlocked and tried again from the inside but still door won't open.

It has been extremely cold here both during day and night and wonder if it is related to that? Is there anything that I can do as have tried again during day and still stuck fast. I only tried once as don't want to force/break anything.

I have phoned the local ford garage and they just said to book car in but I suggested that maybe I should wait until temperature goes up a bit to see if problem resolves itself. I have a horrible feeling however that something more is wrong and the motor has gone. Anybody know if this would be covered under warranty if this is the fault?

I also asked the garage about the mirrors folding in and if they had a problem would it be covered under warranty. I was told probably not if it was caused by the cold weather! I then said that I have been locking the car without the mirrors folding in just in case they did stick.

Any advice would be appreciated or any feedback on whether other fiesta owners are experiencing similar problems.

I would like to know if anyone can advise on warranty issues relating to faults that might be caused by cold weather.

Link to comment
Share on other sites


the cold weather will cause doors to stick, so before doing anything else I would recommend that you go outside with a bucket of warm water and pour it slowly around the door, untill the whole area is warmed. Then try to open the door again. Let us know how you get on - because if doing this solves the problem then you know you dont have as issue

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Most probably as Jonny states.

My doors have been really sticky these past few days also.

Good luck

If what Jonny says works, be sure to dry all the sills etc before shtting the door again to avoid the same happening 5 mins later :lol:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Most probably as Jonny states.

My doors have been really sticky these past few days also.

Good luck

If what Jonny says works, be sure to dry all the sills etc before shtting the door again to avoid the same happening 5 mins later :lol:

^^^ true that!

If the above does work and you get in, maybe go down Halfords and purchase some quality silicone grease and apply a very thin film to the door seals. This should prohibit water getting in and freezing the door up.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

also if u have the function to disable your power folding mirrors i would do that also.did mine the other day as the motor did not sound very happy in the cold weather. its on the main menu.

Link to comment
Share on other sites


also if u have the function to disable your power folding mirrors i would do that also.did mine the other day as the motor did not sound very happy in the cold weather. its on the main menu.

I have also considered doing this, but atm I have left them to fold as i reckon the likelihood of one getting knocked is even greater on these slippery roads we have atm. Also if they are going to fail for any reason I would much rather it happens whilst they are still under warranty. IMO

Link to comment
Share on other sites

the cold weather will cause doors to stick, so before doing anything else I would recommend that you go outside with a bucket of warm water and pour it slowly around the door, untill the whole area is warmed. Then try to open the door again. Let us know how you get on - because if doing this solves the problem then you know you dont have as issue

It's worth mentioning do not be tempted to use boiling water as my neighbor did the other day. His side window shattered as he was trying to release his drivers door with a kettle.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

oops that was costly. on the wing mirror front my car is on a driveway at night and when it has warmed up when at work i just manually fold mirrors in from the inside of car by pushing wing mirror adjuster down then get out lock car as normal job done.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Avoid using warm or hot water.

Warm water freezes more easily than cold water, so even if you do get the door open, unless you dry the seals it's pretty likely to freeze up again.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It's worth mentioning do not be tempted to use boiling water as my neighbor did the other day. His side window shattered as he was trying to release his drivers door with a kettle.

I drove past a lady the other day who was pouring boiling hot water from her kettle over the paintwork to melt the ice on the paintwork. I cringed.

Why is it always punto drivers?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

oops that was costly. on the wing mirror front my car is on a driveway at night and when it has warmed up when at work i just manually fold mirrors in from the inside of car by pushing wing mirror adjuster down then get out lock car as normal job done.

Fair enough :) I have to park on the street so I continue to use the auto fold link to lock, If I had a driveway I would do the same as you most likely

Avoid using warm or hot water.

Warm water freezes more easily than cold water, so even if you do get the door open, unless you dry the seals it's pretty likely to freeze up again.

This is true Hook, but it is also true that warm water will melt ice faster than cold water, and in this case that is more important. The water would have to be dryed anyway, whether its hot, warm or cold.

Only alternative would be to use dry heat, but unless the OP has access to a garage or at least a car port then this could be hazardous in the snow

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The door-locks on my Mk 6.5 '58 reg Fiesta Zetec Climate, can be programmed to open just the driver's door on one press of the remote "unlock" button, or you can set it to unlock all doors on one press. I found it a bit of a pest with only the driver's door being unlocked, so I delved into the owner's handbook and reset it to unlock all the doors, with just one press. ( I think 2 presses unlock all doors, when set to the mode I didn't like.)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Fair enough :) I have to park on the street so I continue to use the auto fold link to lock, If I had a driveway I would do the same as you most likely

This is true Hook, but it is also true that warm water will melt ice faster than cold water, and in this case that is more important. The water would have to be dryed anyway, whether its hot, warm or cold.

Only alternative would be to use dry heat, but unless the OP has access to a garage or at least a car port then this could be hazardous in the snow

Personally the alternative to be would be to climb over the drivers seat into the passenger seat, rather than risk damaging the paintwork and the seals!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

 Share




×
×
  • Create New...

Forums


News


Membership