Door locks not working properly

JEFF1228

MEMBER
2003 FORD EXPEDITION
5.4L
V8
4WD
AUTOMATIC
180,000 MILES

Door locks don't work when the vehicle is off. They will lock but will not unlock all the way. I push the button on the key fob or on the driver door panel and the door locks try to unlock but do not come up all the way to be able to open the door from the outside. The locks do lock when the lock button is pushed. I have replaced the actuator on the passenger rear door, and it is still doing the same thing. When the vehicle is running, the door locks work half the time.

1 Reply

KASEKENNY

MECHANIC
18,907 POSTS

Do all the locks do the same thing? If so, this wounds like a possible module or ground issue.

All the door lock actuators are fed from the vehicle security module, so we need to start with checking the voltage at the actuators. Basically, we should see 12 volts.

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/how-to-check-wiring

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/how-to-use-a-voltmeter

Please see the info below from the wiring diagrams which will give the details that we need.

If you are getting the proper voltage, then it is possible that we have an issue with a single actuator dragging down the voltage. Normally the driver actuator fails as it is the most used and it can cause this issue to happen.

I would unplug them one at a time and see if the others operate properly. If they do, then this actuator is the faulty one.

Please let us know what you find with this, and we can go from there.

Thanks

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