99 Ford Explorer - Drivers Side Door Stuck.

Many...MANY attempts by lock-out guys and garages with lockout tools to open door from the Outside (slim jims....through the window slit...and many others...etc) does not work.

Since the door cannot open....taking the door Panel off is VERY difficult.

HOWEVER...I have managed to get partly off with the door closed.

By sticking my arm through an oval opening in the sheet metal of the interior of the door, I can reach the point at which the linkage bar (and door lock posts) connect to the locking mechanism.

BUT....I don't know what to try to move from this point..

I have viewed a video of a 98 for Explorer...and the guy mentioned some trip point...but he does not explain or show it in any detail....plus, I don't know if the same would apply to a 99 (the interior door panels look a little different).

Anyway....if ANYONE knows what to do at this point to trip this door to OPEN....I would GREATLY appreciate any instructions.

Again...I am BEYOND DESPERATE to get this thing open. It is a vehicle that I must drive on a daily basis.

Thanks.

 

You may find that if you remove the driver's seat you can get the door panel completely off, gaining you much more access to the mechanism and the latch itself.

-Rod

 

Thanks...will do.

While having the seat removed will make things more comfortable....it appears that I will still only have "touch" access to the mechanism rather than line-of-site.

The 98 and earlier models seem to have much larger openings in the interior door sheet metal (behind the panel) which provide much more visual access to the interior door parts....the 99 only has a much smaller access hole / opening a little above and behind about the location of the interior door handle and then 2 or 3 half-dollar sized holes towards the back of the door.

So...I think I'll still be going by touch. That is the point at which I'll need to trip or manipulate the mechanism for it to release the door.

Any instructions at this point will be greatly, GREATLY appreciated.

Thanks

 

Take the latch off (inside door handle).

then remove the bolt that holds the window track stable.

Should allow you to swing the window track out of the way.

Once that is done you should be able to shine a light in there with a mirror facing up and see the mechanics of it.

The pieces that hold various parts of the linkage onto the latch are plastic and you can remove them one by one and get them out of the way.

I would think once that is done you should be able to manually move the locking mechanism up and down...(lock/unlock).

 

xxxxxxxxxx

 

Got the seat out.

Here's a pic of the interior door.

To be honest...I have no idea what needs to moved or tripped.

With the seat out...I can more easy reach this area...but still must go by feel...once my arm is reaching back through the opening in the door.

This is a shot pointing back at the lock...the interior door handle connector rod (covered with the net-fabric) is at the bottom of the frame running to the lock....the rod from the door-lock post is running from the top down (to the left of the lock)...with the net-fabric partially off.

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/p...ictureid=91452

Does this make sense to anyone....and does it show what needs to be pushed, pulled, or tripped to get the door to pop open?

- Thanks

 

lower part of the pic is the control arm for your inside lever to open the door. Remove that so it can fall down and get out of the way.

Right hand side of the pic is the window rail. One bolt holds it on. That bolt is down towards the bottom on the door. Should still be able to get to that bolt with the door closed. Remove it.

Doing those two things and allowing them to move out of the way should allow you more access.

 

Kev, did you get the door open? My 1999 has done the same thing... Can't open from inside or out. Door panel is now off but I can't trigger the latch to open the door... Any ideas?

 

You are going to have to take all the mechanism apart to get the door open

 

By "all the mechanism"... You mean what? All the rods and such seem to be in place... I poked, prodded, pulled, and tugged but still can't get it to disengage.

 

Much easier if you can use a boroscope..... Philip

 

Got it. Used a Dremel to make one of the holes on the latch bigger and rammed a screwdriver in it to release the catch. Taking it the shop tomorrow to have them replace the latch... I Can't get all of the rods loose.

 

sorry did not respond earlier, i see that you have made some progress. with the rods I used the passenger door as my guide when taking apart and putting together. It takes some yoga to get them off and on again but once you have done it then it is easier.

 

Ha guy the panel will come off with the door closed just bdid my door same thing happened to me on my 2000 explorer awd 5.0 just work it carefully and it should come rite out cake walk

 

My 2000 Explorer sport drivers door would not open or unlock. Was told that the actuator needs replacing but a quick fix was to spray WD-40 into keyhole and also into lock mechanism while the door is open. This worked right away and did it about 3 times in the following couple of weeks. Still opens perfectly.