Door latch opened while driving
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Joined: Sep 2014
Posts: 91
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From: NY NY
Door latch opened while driving
Had an odd occurrence one time while driving, and wondered if anyone's experienced it before.
I was driving, taking a right sweeping curve at slow street speeds, when the driver door latch opened on its own. This was at night, so the interior lights come on, not ideal while driving at night.
The secondary latch held the door closed, so it didn't actually fly open on the turn, which was good.
However, because the car is in motion, the door button is locked out, so I couldn't push it to open the door to close it fully. Could use the manual release, but I'd rather have a hand on the door handle when trying the maneuver while in motion, and didn't want to two hand it with both hands off the wheel.
Continued driving until I could come to a stop, to open and close the door again.
Don't think I hit the button with my knee or anything, which was the first thought, and plus hitting the button really shouldn't do anything in motion anyway.
I guess it was an electrical glitch the made it through. Hasn't happened before or since.
Was this the only instance of this happening?
I was driving, taking a right sweeping curve at slow street speeds, when the driver door latch opened on its own. This was at night, so the interior lights come on, not ideal while driving at night.
The secondary latch held the door closed, so it didn't actually fly open on the turn, which was good.
However, because the car is in motion, the door button is locked out, so I couldn't push it to open the door to close it fully. Could use the manual release, but I'd rather have a hand on the door handle when trying the maneuver while in motion, and didn't want to two hand it with both hands off the wheel.
Continued driving until I could come to a stop, to open and close the door again.
Don't think I hit the button with my knee or anything, which was the first thought, and plus hitting the button really shouldn't do anything in motion anyway.
I guess it was an electrical glitch the made it through. Hasn't happened before or since.
Was this the only instance of this happening?
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Joined: Sep 2014
Posts: 91
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From: NY NY
Haven't had it happen again since, so I'll just chalk it up to a singular cosmic glitch. I've practiced reaching down with my left hand to pull the manual release, holding the door handle with my right hand, and steering with my knees, should this ever recur, so I can secure the door, without having to pull over and put it in park first.
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Hopefully just a glitch in the car that won't repeat itself.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Apr 2002
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From: Tellico Plains Tennessee
I had this happen once or twice. I figured I didn't close the door good enough for the primary latch to hold. Secondary latch held like its supposed to. The one time I do remember, it happened in a parking lot just after backing out of the parking space and heading out. I'm pretty sure, in my case, it was a mechanical issue rather than some electric/electronic issue. '15 base coupe build date 12/15/14.
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From: NE South Carolina
However, because the car is in motion, the door button is locked out, so I couldn't push it to open the door to close it fully.
Don't think I hit the button with my knee or anything, which was the first thought, and plus hitting the button really shouldn't do anything in motion anyway.
I guess it was an electrical glitch the made it through. Hasn't happened before or since.
Was this the only instance of this happening?
Don't think I hit the button with my knee or anything, which was the first thought, and plus hitting the button really shouldn't do anything in motion anyway.
I guess it was an electrical glitch the made it through. Hasn't happened before or since.
Was this the only instance of this happening?
In my '34 Street Rod with electric suicide doors (last year Ford offered suicide doors in a 2 door) I installed mechanical pin locks (available in the aftermarket.) They have an alarm that chimes if they are not closed when the engine is started. I actually have disconnected the alarm as it was a PITA! However your experience makes me question that decision!
Safety Car
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 4,364
Likes: 408
From: Greer, SC
Yesterday I had a similar problem with my passenger side door. I would shut it and it would pop right back open. Kept doing it over and over. Once I locked it, it stayed shut.
We went over a buddies house and it started doing it again. Your could hear the actuator going nuts. It then stopped and has been fine since.
The only thing I did was to blow out the door sills with the Master Blaster. My guess is that was the catalyst. We'll see if it happens again.
We went over a buddies house and it started doing it again. Your could hear the actuator going nuts. It then stopped and has been fine since.
The only thing I did was to blow out the door sills with the Master Blaster. My guess is that was the catalyst. We'll see if it happens again.
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Safety Car
Joined: Jan 2015
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From: Northern Virginia
Haven't had it happen again since, so I'll just chalk it up to a singular cosmic glitch. I've practiced reaching down with my left hand to pull the manual release, holding the door handle with my right hand, and steering with my knees, should this ever recur, so I can secure the door, without having to pull over and put it in park first.
The other thing I might try is, with the door ajar as happened to you while driving, is just grab the door handle and yank it towards you, to see if you can pull it closed.
Racer
Joined: Jan 2015
Posts: 348
Likes: 56
From: Naples FL
Had an odd occurrence one time while driving, and wondered if anyone's experienced it before.
I was driving, taking a right sweeping curve at slow street speeds, when the driver door latch opened on its own. This was at night, so the interior lights come on, not ideal while driving at night.
The secondary latch held the door closed, so it didn't actually fly open on the turn, which was good.
However, because the car is in motion, the door button is locked out, so I couldn't push it to open the door to close it fully. Could use the manual release, but I'd rather have a hand on the door handle when trying the maneuver while in motion, and didn't want to two hand it with both hands off the wheel.
Continued driving until I could come to a stop, to open and close the door again.
Don't think I hit the button with my knee or anything, which was the first thought, and plus hitting the button really shouldn't do anything in motion anyway.
I guess it was an electrical glitch the made it through. Hasn't happened before or since.
Was this the only instance of this happening?
I was driving, taking a right sweeping curve at slow street speeds, when the driver door latch opened on its own. This was at night, so the interior lights come on, not ideal while driving at night.
The secondary latch held the door closed, so it didn't actually fly open on the turn, which was good.
However, because the car is in motion, the door button is locked out, so I couldn't push it to open the door to close it fully. Could use the manual release, but I'd rather have a hand on the door handle when trying the maneuver while in motion, and didn't want to two hand it with both hands off the wheel.
Continued driving until I could come to a stop, to open and close the door again.
Don't think I hit the button with my knee or anything, which was the first thought, and plus hitting the button really shouldn't do anything in motion anyway.
I guess it was an electrical glitch the made it through. Hasn't happened before or since.
Was this the only instance of this happening?
Thread Starter
Advanced
Joined: Sep 2014
Posts: 91
Likes: 2
From: NY NY
Still has never recurred since that one time, but the most annoying thing really was just the interior LED lights coming on and glaring in my eyes.
What I really want to find out is why they made no provisions for turning those lights off entirely, like most other cars.
I don't like how they come on automatically every time the car is shut down- if I happen to need the light on I'd rather to turn it on myself. Some times I just don't need automatic everything, I still like being able to push buttons and turn a few ***** from time to time. I may see about just unplugging them as a workaround.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Jul 2015
Posts: 920
Likes: 87
Had an odd occurrence one time while driving, and wondered if anyone's experienced it before.
I was driving, taking a right sweeping curve at slow street speeds, when the driver door latch opened on its own. This was at night, so the interior lights come on, not ideal while driving at night.
The secondary latch held the door closed, so it didn't actually fly open on the turn, which was good.
However, because the car is in motion, the door button is locked out, so I couldn't push it to open the door to close it fully. Could use the manual release, but I'd rather have a hand on the door handle when trying the maneuver while in motion, and didn't want to two hand it with both hands off the wheel.
Continued driving until I could come to a stop, to open and close the door again.
Don't think I hit the button with my knee or anything, which was the first thought, and plus hitting the button really shouldn't do anything in motion anyway.
I guess it was an electrical glitch the made it through. Hasn't happened before or since.
Was this the only instance of this happening?
I was driving, taking a right sweeping curve at slow street speeds, when the driver door latch opened on its own. This was at night, so the interior lights come on, not ideal while driving at night.
The secondary latch held the door closed, so it didn't actually fly open on the turn, which was good.
However, because the car is in motion, the door button is locked out, so I couldn't push it to open the door to close it fully. Could use the manual release, but I'd rather have a hand on the door handle when trying the maneuver while in motion, and didn't want to two hand it with both hands off the wheel.
Continued driving until I could come to a stop, to open and close the door again.
Don't think I hit the button with my knee or anything, which was the first thought, and plus hitting the button really shouldn't do anything in motion anyway.
I guess it was an electrical glitch the made it through. Hasn't happened before or since.
Was this the only instance of this happening?
Intermediate
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 31
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From: Rochester Minnesota
I have had this happen a few times while parked in the garage. I would shut it and it would be popped open the next time I checked. Yesterday morning it was popped open and I closed it. Now this morning it was popped open again. I locked it this morning and will have to check tomorrow. 2016 convert 2500 miles.
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You can push the "Unlock" button while driving and then the door button will work and you can use one hand to open and re-close the door.
Elmer
Elmer
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Joined: Sep 2014
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From: NY NY
That's good, should have realized the door button didn't operate simply because the door was locked. That'd be way better than trying to go for the manual release while moving.