yesterday I had trouble shutting the boot so I gave it a good slam. It shut ok and at my destination I opened it ok. A day later I come to open it and turn the key. Nothing. I try to open it from the button above the dash which sounds like it is opening with the usual clicking sound and again nothing.

Is there a way I can open it from inside the boot by pulling the seat back ? It's a Ford Focus 1.6 1999 5 door model. Also the rubber ring around the boot lock itself has broken off (nothing to do with the lock problem) and it looks unsightly. Can I get another ?

Thanks.

Just been in the boot for half an hour trying to open it and no joy. Just ending up losing my temper. There seemed to be a small bit of hard black plastic stuck in the mechanism. I Pulled some of it out with long nosed pliers but still has no effect.

If you can get to the locking mechanism, hose it down with WD40 or something similar, that might loosen up not only the mechanism, but may saturate any potential foreign bodies in the mecahnism, which may help you to pull it out. you may find the plastics of the boot, have cracked / broken off, and fallen into the mecahnism, or you may have had some loose plastic that was waiting there when you last closed the boot, which has wedged in. Sometimes a bit of brute force is the only way to go, so you may have "lube it up" with WD40, and get someone outside to pull the boot open as hard as possible whilst you try to pull out any plastics in the way...

I managed to get it open. Great I thought but then it wouldn't shut. The lock seems to stay in whatever position it was last in without springing back. You have to manually line it up with pliers to get it to hook back over the bolt to stay shut. Then the process starts again because you can't open it without getting inside from the rear seat and pushing the mechanism with pliers. I have spayed with Teflon lubricant but it hasn't made it any better. The only thing is the black plastic seems to be part of the lock itself which is now a bit of a ragged mess after me pulling at it.

Sounds like you need to replace the latch and any surroundings as well...

Is that easy to do, get a spare ?

Should be able to pick a latch up from a breakers yard for a few quid, and I think its just the torks screws you need to remove, and replace...