How do I open a broken car door with the child lock engaged?
February 17th, 2009 | by door |
itshotinjt04 asked:
My Ford Explorer’s back door handle broke. It cannot be opened from the outside. I had engaged the child lock several days prior and now can’t figure out how to open the door from the inside or out. My husband has the tools and know how to fix the handle, but we just don’t know how to get the door open in order to do so. Is there a way to open it without breaking anything further? I’d rather not go to the dealership and spend $100 to get them to open it for me. Any help or even suggestions will be appreciated.
There is no way to remove the door panel without opening the door!! What I need to know is HOW to get the door open! The rest of the stuff we know about because we have already replaced one door handle that broke! The handle is still attached, it just doesn’t work.
RENATO
My Ford Explorer’s back door handle broke. It cannot be opened from the outside. I had engaged the child lock several days prior and now can’t figure out how to open the door from the inside or out. My husband has the tools and know how to fix the handle, but we just don’t know how to get the door open in order to do so. Is there a way to open it without breaking anything further? I’d rather not go to the dealership and spend $100 to get them to open it for me. Any help or even suggestions will be appreciated.
There is no way to remove the door panel without opening the door!! What I need to know is HOW to get the door open! The rest of the stuff we know about because we have already replaced one door handle that broke! The handle is still attached, it just doesn’t work.
RENATO
5 Responses to “How do I open a broken car door with the child lock engaged?”
By K R on Feb 21, 2009 | Reply
Is there no way to “grab” whats left of the handle and use that to get it open? A pair of vise grips? Needle nose grips?
One of the problems is you will find it difficult to remove the inside panel if you cannot open the door. Most of the trim screws and clips are around the edge of the door and will not be able to be accessed without having the door open.
By asccaracer on Feb 22, 2009 | Reply
You would have to remove the interior door panel and disegage the child lock from inside the door. There are only a few screws holding it on and some snap clips. Once the panel is off you can stick a ***** driver onto the lever for the child lock and slide it to the off position.
By Mark A on Feb 22, 2009 | Reply
If you husband has the know how, I would start by removing the interior door panel. This will give you access to the operating mechanism. You should be able to do this in 15 minutes or less. You may also need to do this in order to change the handle any way, depending on the design. Good Luck!
By Pete on Feb 23, 2009 | Reply
If your husband has the tools try rolling the window down and try unlocking it from within the door or if that doesn’t work try pulling the lock up then theres a little lever to engage or disengage the child lock i would recommend disengaging it.
By wildmanny2 on Feb 26, 2009 | Reply
I do autobody repair as a career.This is a very unusual situation that calls for an unusual cure.If all else fails,I would roll the window up,disconnect the wiring harness at the center post,unbolt the door from the hinges,and swing it out as far as possible,setting it on a floor jack.That should give barely enough room for a determined person to remove the trim panel.Once that is conquered,the linkage for the latch can be manually pulled with vise grips.Good luck,you’re going to need it.