Rear door blocked, taken of panel Focus Zetec MK2 2007

[Sss]

Hiya, 

The rear door behind driver on Focus Zetec 2007 is not opening in any way.

In the photo you can see that I disassembled the interior cover and I can observ that the wire is moving inside the sleeve when I pul any of the interior handles. Would you tell me please what could be the issue? Is it safe to disassemble the metalic plate and see if something is stuck in the mechanism? 

Cheers 

[EddyOS]

Sounds like the cable isn't moving the catch to release the door

[Sss]

Is the catch under the metallic panel? I have to secure the glass so it doesn't fall before disassembling the metalic panel? There is nothing on YouTube about this 😀

[EddyOS]

No, it's the catch on the side of the door which locks round the part on the body. But if you can't open the door you can't get to it!

Removing the panel may help with access but I can't say for certain

[TomsFocus]

I haven't done it on a Focus, but I guess most modern stuff will be the same.  You have to drop the window part way, then release it's bolts/clips through the two round (well more oval) foam covered holes in the panel.  Then lift the window back up and you can unbolt and remove the metal panel.

Have you had any central locking issues with this door before?  It sounds like it might have got stuck in the deadlocked position?  If that's the case it's a real pain to fix.  

[Sss]

Yeah, initially the door didn't lock at all, no matter if central lock or key lock. Literally, stayed open overnight,but at least the alarm went off when opening from outside. 

Then, I just "played" with the door lock from inside and now it's always locked. Is there a way to unlock it and have it as before? At least to be able to open it even if stay unlocked over night 😊.

I will try on Monday to visit a garage, see what they say. One thing a hate is stupid design engineers. And I know, as I deal with them at work 🔩

[TomsFocus]

There is one way you can try if it's a dry solder joint or loose connection...  Keep (gently!) thumping the door on the outside roughly where the lock is, at the same time as plipping the keyfob and hoping the connection gets made and the door unlocks.  Then be sure to unplug the lock mechanism before closing the door again lol.

Used to be a common issue on VAG cars and I've opened a couple doing that...but some still never open doing that.  

[Sss]

I will try that and feedback. 

What would be a fair price to be repaired by a garage? The fact that I already unscrewed the first panel and all the screws on the second metallic panel should reduce the labour a bit 😊

[Sss]

On 5/17/2018 at 1:15 PM, TomsFocus said:

I haven't done it on a Focus, but I guess most modern stuff will be the same.  You have to drop the window part way, then release it's bolts/clips through the two round (well more oval) foam covered holes in the panel.  Then lift the window back up and you can unbolt and remove the metal panel. 

Cannot find any detailed guide on this. I'm afraid to do it without photos or a more detailed step by step guide 😊. Is there a chance for the glass to drop? 

[JW1982]

The window mechanism is bolted onto the metal plate from the inside. To remove the metal plate the window needs to be removed first. After removing the 2 foam pads on the metal plate the window can be lowered a bit to allign the window clamps with the holes in the metal plate. Next the clamps can be released and the window can be lifted up. You can either remove the windo completely or fixate the window in the top position using some strong adhesive tape.

After the window is removed from the mechanism the metal plate including the window mechanism can be removed.

[TomsFocus]

Wilco beat me to it lol.

Its one of those things that sounds complicated but makes complete sense when you look at it.

I've never had a window drop when taping in the highest position but the safest way would be to remove it completely if you're worried about it falling.

[Sss]

These guys take of the panel on very similar models, but none properly show the safety aspect of the window:

 

[Sss]

Took the metallic panel off. Can't see much inside the lock area. I can feel a springy thing wright in the back. I am pushing it, with no luck 😕

[Sss]

I bought a new complete locking mechanism. If I smash the current one into pieces being mainly plastic, will than the door open so I can install the new lock? 

[Sss]

The replacement is here. There is metal only at the end. Should I smash the old one and than you think the door will open? 

[Sss]

Update : it is not a "deadlock". It's the actuator motor defective.

The deadlock function works on all doors, including the stuck door. I know this because all Focuses have deadlock when you press 2 times quick on lock button on the remote (it's anti-theft so that doors cannot be open from inside if windows smashed. It's in the manual). 

When I activate this, I hear a deadlock click sound (it's different to normal locking, it's louder and more metallic). Again, when I push the unlock button I hear that the deadlock is deactivated on all doors, including the stuck door. So, it's the actuator motor dead, it's not normally unlocking the stuck door.

I am just gathering my courage to smash the whole plastic locking system into pieces hoping that after that I can just flip the latch with a screw driver. And install the new locker.