Ok where do I start....in the cold mornings I have to use hot water on the door and locking mechanism (on the side of the door) to get the doors to close then the dash computer tells me the drivers door is open leaving all interior/footwell lights on! I’m currently sat in work, can’t lock the doors and had to pull the footwell bulbs and the puddle lights are still on! Any help is appreciated, thanks 🙏 

(2008 1.6 focus)

Edited January 24, 20215 yr by Russ
Added car year/model

I too have issues every time there is a frost/ice. I too use warm/hot water on the doors to free up the mechanism. Often when I get the door open, it will not latch closed again so more hot water on 'open' lock. No amount of liberally applied grease to prevent icing makes any difference whatsoever. It's now just a routine when it's icy to get the hot water available. I've never owned a car so susceptible to icing like this. Like you, if anyone has a magic solution, all ears...

The microswitch for the door open/alarm is part of the lock and not accessible without taking the door card off.

As a short term fix you could try to spray lots of penetrating oil into the lock but it looks like the door card will need to be removed and everything greased. There should be videos on youtube that will help. I would also use Silicone spray on the door rubbers.

The lights should time out after a while so as not to drain the battery.

  

1 minute ago, Tizer said:

As a short term fix you could try to spray lots of penetrating oil into the lock ..... I would also use Silicone spray on the door rubbers.

 

Unfortunately, didn't work for me...

Just now, StephenFord said:

Unfortunately, didn't work for me...

It is strange because I had the same car for years and worked in the same area as the OP and never had any problems, but I never had to use water to get the door open so maybe my mechanism never got as corroded as you guys.

I was a bit anal about oiling everything every month or so.

I'd never had this problem in 3.5 years of my 2008 Focus either...seen quite a few threads on it though.  Ok it doesn't get as cold as often down here, but we do still have frost regularly during winter.

I've never once oiled a door mechanism either. 

7 minutes ago, TomsFocus said:

I'd never had this problem in 3.5 years of my 2008 Focus either...seen quite a few threads on it though.  Ok it doesn't get as cold as often down here, but we do still have frost regularly during winter.

I've never once oiled a door mechanism either. 

Tom, you're soft LOL You get amazing weather compared to us higher up in latitude, and I have my own micro climate living in a valley north of Belfast LOL Right now it's minus 3, car is iced up, but luckily I'm going nowhere today so will leave it till tomorrow!

5 minutes ago, StephenFord said:

Tom, you're soft LOL You get amazing weather compared to us higher up in latitude, and I have my own micro climate living in a valley north of Belfast LOL Right now it's minus 3, car is iced up, but luckily I'm going nowhere today so will leave it till tomorrow!

Err, it's also -2 here currently!

7 minutes ago, TomsFocus said:

Err, it's also -2 here currently!

 

Just had another look at your avatar, I suddenly feel all warm and glowing LOL

2 minutes ago, StephenFord said:

Just had another look at your avatar, I suddenly feel all warm and glowing LOL

That's what the local reservoir will look like in a few years time if the Climate Emergency is to be believed!

1 hour ago, Tizer said:

It is strange because I had the same car for years and worked in the same area as the OP and never had any problems, but I never had to use water to get the door open so maybe my mechanism never got as corroded as you guys.

I was a bit anal about oiling everything every month or so.

I live in Livingston, -6 degrees this morning, opening the door isn’t the problem, it’s closing it hence the hot water but once closed the car thinks the door is still open so tells me the drivers door is open. The interior lights, footwell lights and the puddle lights stay on because of this until the car defrosts itself. (I brought it inside the factory this morning and after 30 minutes inside it was ok again!) I live 10 minutes from work but ended up going up the M8 for half an hour before I went to work with the heaters on full blast and the door was still froze up when I got there. 🤬

 

the picture below shows the snow from Thursday....it’s STILL like that today! 🤣

21 minutes ago, Russ said:

I live in Livingston, -6 degrees this morning, opening the door isn’t the problem, it’s closing it hence the hot water but once closed the car thinks the door is still open so tells me the drivers door is open. The interior lights, footwell lights and the puddle lights stay on because of this until the car defrosts itself. (I brought it inside the factory this morning and after 30 minutes inside it was ok again!) I live 10 minutes from work but ended up going up the M8 for half an hour before I went to work with the heaters on full blast and the door was still froze up when I got there. 🤬

 

the picture below shows the snow from Thursday....it’s STILL like that today! 🤣

I know what it is like there, I used to live in Craigshill and worked about 1/2 a mile from that photo in Dedridge.

The microswitches in these doors can cause problems, but it usually gives alarm problems. When the weather gets better I would be tempted to take the door card off and bypass the switch. If you are adventurous you may be able to intercept the wiring before it goes into the door and hot wire it there. There is a wiring diagram for these cars somewhere on this Forum.

The downside of that is that the Alarm will not work on that door, nor the Lights on reminder, and maybe the car will not shut down properly when you get out of it, but I'm not sure about that.

1 minute ago, Tizer said:

I know what it is like there, I used to live in Craigshill and worked about 1/2 a mile from that photo in Dedridge.

The microswitches in these doors can cause problems, but it usually gives alarm problems. When the weather gets better I would be tempted to take the door card off and bypass the switch. If you are adventurous you may be able to intercept the wiring before it goes into the door and hot wire it there. There is a wiring diagram for these cars somewhere on this Forum.

The downside of that is that the Alarm will not work on that door, nor the Lights on reminder, and maybe the car will not shut down properly when you get out of it, but I'm not sure about that.

😉 I’m in the houses across the A71 from Dedridge and its Baltic in the winter. Luckily I work up at Deans Engineering so not far to go, I’ll look into the wiring, thanks 👍🏼

Well, just an update on the frozen locks......I was on holiday from work on Monday so sat Twiddling my thumbs thinking how to deal with the frozen locks once & for all and also as I have to slide myself down into the car groaning as I go figured that it was time for a slightly higher mode of transport so...............I traded the car in and bought a 2018 We’ll known ‘foreign’ model mid sized SUV (collect tomorrow from Stirling)

So although not a Ford this time I’ll still be hanging around the forum as my son drives a fiesta black edition 👍🏼

1 minute ago, Russ said:

.....I traded the car in and bought a 2018 We’ll known ‘foreign’ model mid sized SUV (collect tomorrow from Stirling)

 

mmm... My 'hot water' solution is much cheaper for me LOL Best of luck with the new ride...

1 minute ago, StephenFord said:

mmm... My 'hot water' solution is much cheaper for me LOL Best of luck with the new ride...

Oh the hot water worked but it just refroze so I couldn’t lock the doors and the footwell/puddle lights stayed on. It just worried me if I parked the car at home and couldn’t lock it the battery might go flat Or it could’ve got worse. Been thinking of changing for a while as we fancied an SUV so thought the time was right for another car.

This had never happened to me before, relieved to find several threads about it! After several nights of minus 6 or 8 in God’s Own County I had the latching problem this morning. I wouldn’t use hot water IMHO because I think ice is what is causing the problem to begin with. I warmed the larch with a heat gun for 60 seconds and I saw it move. Then gave it a good blast of WD-40, and shut it. Came back a bit later (still below freezing) and latch still working fine. Have now applied some white lithium grease to latch and striking post as well - and done the other doors too!
 

forecast is for another very cold night, so I’ll soon find out if this solved it or not! 🥶🥶🥶🥶

8 minutes ago, Yorkshire_Ford said:

 I wouldn’t use hot water IMHO because I think ice is what is causing the problem to begin with.

You'll find that hot water melts ice LOL (Put an ice cube in a glass, pour in hot/warm water - observe) 🤣

 

Yes it does, for a bit, then all that water you’ve just poured over the latch freezes up again.

 

(put your glass of warm water in the freezer overnight - observe) 🥶🥶🥶

3 minutes ago, Yorkshire_Ford said:

Yes it does, for a bit, then all that water you’ve just poured over the latch freezes up again.

 

(put your glass of warm water in the freezer overnight - observe) 🥶🥶🥶

Yep, absolutely it would freeze with an overnight freezer visit, but personally, when I 'de-ice' the lock, I tend to then drive off! LOL

22 minutes ago, StephenFord said:

You'll find that hot water melts ice LOL (Put an ice cube in a glass, pour in hot/warm water - observe) 🤣

 

 

3 minutes ago, StephenFord said:

Yep, absolutely it would freeze with an overnight freezer visit, but personally, when I 'de-ice' the lock, I tend to then drive off! LOL

the water doesn’t just vanish when you drive off 😆 it’s still sat there around the latch waiting for night to fall and the temperature to drop..... 🥶🥶

1 minute ago, Yorkshire_Ford said:

it’s still sat there around the latch waiting for night to fall and the temperature to drop..... 🥶🥶

OK buddy, you win, I'm bored now debating that if your latch is iced over to get a watering can of hot water and pour it on your car to get you mobile again LOL

4 minutes ago, StephenFord said:

OK buddy, you win, I'm bored now debating that if your latch is iced over to get a watering can of hot water and pour it on your car to get you mobile again LOL

Of course that works, but I don’t want to be having to faff about at that every time I have a bad frost. I never had to before now. I want to FIX the problem...🙄

I’ll soon know, tonight’s forecast is minus 6. If it won’t latch in the morning, you win

 

17 hours ago, Yorkshire_Ford said:

I’ll soon know, tonight’s forecast is minus 6. If it won’t latch in the morning, you win

Minus 5 this morning, doors all shut and lock normally. I’ll take that as a win for the hairdryer and WD-40.
 

Stephen can stick to his watering can 🤣

Just now, Yorkshire_Ford said:

Minus 5 this morning, doors all shut and lock normally. I’ll take that as a win for the hairdryer and WD-40.
 

Stephen can stick to his watering can 🤣

Aawww, bless you - WD40 LOL You think I didn't try that in the last 2 years?? Also, a very thick coating of grease on the full latch mechanism, that doesn't work either.  Still, like I said, you win, you are obviously far more intelligent than me and I bow utterly to your superiority in all things surrounding hair dryer technology. 🤣