Technical Back door won't open, any ideas

[cd1yat]

2015 panda 4x4 - there is usually only me in the car so I rarely open the back doors but today when I tried passenger rear door won't open. All the locks are fine and the child locks are off. It will open from the inside but not outside. It will be a warranty call but any ideas how this might happen?

Going to get the squeaky rear brakes sorted (again!) while it's in!

 

[R1NGA]

I bet you good money it's just stuck to the door seals. Mine does the same as I rarely use the nearside rear door. Open from the inside (to avoid damaging the external handle), clear and lightly silicon lube the seals and I am sure it will be just fine.

 

[deeyup]

I agree, mine does it too.

Thanks worthy post.

 

[aussiepanda]

I bet you good money it's just stuck to the door seals. Mine does the same as I rarely use the nearside rear door. Open from the inside (to avoid damaging the external handle), clear and lightly silicon lube the seals and I am sure it will be just fine.

I agree, mine does it too.

Thanks worthy post.

I haven't had it on the Panda but did have it on the MG ZR - 2005 build so it could be something in modern 'rubbers'. Push bike tubes are the same, they perish after only a year or so being carried as a spare - you don't find out until you need them

If that is indeed the problem, the obvious way of getting around the problem is to open all doors regularly. Bit daft to just open them for no reason however, I've found that mine throws water and road grime up under the edge of the door and onto the sill - stopped by the seal of course. Therefore, when I wash her, I open every door and just wipe down that sill. Although I'm doing this to keep her clean, it should address the sticky door seals issue too through regular use.

 

[Bob Gill]

Back door on mine (Panda 4x4 TA) won't open but pretty sure it's a dodgy switch - as child lock engaged can't open the darn thing at all - inside or out, manually or electronically. Apart from the intermittent reversing sensors no other problems. Off to the dealer I guess at less than 9 months old.
Cheers
Bob

 

[cd1yat]

Still waiting for a call back from the dealer to book in, sadly it won't open at all now

 

[aussiepanda]

Still waiting for a call back from the dealer to book in, sadly it won't open at all now

Bummer. Doesn't sound like stuck rubbers then

 

[Panda 4x4 TA Antarctica]

May be unrelated, but, both my rear doors were stuck this morning - the -5C temperatures overnight must've frozen something in the locking mechanism, as the handles moved freely, but there was no resistance as if the lock/release was disconnected? Seals weren't stuck, the mechanism itself just didn't seem to work. 40mins of driving with heater on and they freed up. I put it down to the lock having damp in it that had frozen? Coming back to your issue, I wonder if there is gunge/grease build up in your locks?
I'm going to turn off the child locks to see if I could open from the inside if we have a repeat cold-snap...

 

[MikeySkiBoy]

Still waiting for a call back from the dealer to book in, sadly it won't open at all now

Did you get anywhere with this issue?

The rear passenger door on my 14 month old 4x4 has just developed the same problem. The rear door simply won't open from the outside, but will happily from the inside.

The central locking makes the right sounds and the other doors can all be opened from the outside. However, that door's interior handle simply doesn't budge when the central locking is released. The only way to open the door is to pull that interior handle from its locked position, which then returns to the locked position when you let it go.

We've never had the child locks activated - but that would be back to front anyway.

Failing that, anyone got any ideas, or is it a back to the dealer job?

 

[varesecrazy]

Did you get anywhere with this issue?

The rear passenger door on my 14 month old 4x4 has just developed the same problem. The rear door simply won't open from the outside, but will happily from the inside.

The central locking makes the right sounds and the other doors can all be opened from the outside. However, that door's interior handle simply doesn't budge when the central locking is released. The only way to open the door is to pull that interior handle from its locked position, which then returns to the locked position when you let it go.

We've never had the child locks activated - but that would be back to front anyway.

Failing that, anyone got any ideas, or is it a back to the dealer job?

hi,

can you re-read what you've typed.. inside = outside..:spin:

does sound like a rod has dropped out from the latch mechanism..

Charlie

 

[cd1yat]

I got fed up of all the little niggles and sold the car in the end. No solution found for the door problem before it went.

Sorry to hear you are having trouble

 

[MikeySkiBoy]

Sounds like it needs a trip back to the dealer then. Not a huge rush and a bit busy just now. I'll update the thread with what happens.

 

[Phils panda]

I put some Carlube Silicone grease on mine.you can see were the sticky points are on the rubber.Apply the grease to the slighly rough areas.

 

[MikeySkiBoy]

I put some Carlube Silicone grease on mine.you can see were the sticky points are on the rubber.Apply the grease to the slighly rough areas.

It's not a problem with the door not opening at all, It's the fact that it won't open by operating the interior handle. It's just like having child locks enabled.

But it is good practice to put silicone on door rubbers! I have a spray can of the stuff that I squirt onto a cloth and rub that quickly over.

 

[g4jvf]

I use this stuff...works a treat



http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Nextzett-Gummi-Pflege-Rubber-Care-Stick-100ml-/251422930485

 

[MikeySkiBoy]

It's not a problem with the door not opening at all, It's the fact that it won't open by operating the interior handle. It's just like having child locks enabled.

I don't know what I was thinking yesterday when I said that. It's actually the other way round and the door won't open from the outside. It's like having the child lock on, but in reverse. Think I must be going doolally!

 

[babbo_umbro]

...
does sound like a rod has dropped out from the latch mechanism..

Fiat does have a history of using old-fashioned wire coathangers to connect door handles to latches.

 

[MikeySkiBoy]

It's only flippin' fixed itself! Not done anything to it and all of a sudden the door is happy to open again from the outside. Let's see how long this lasts.

So, the fix is to leave it alone for a few weeks, eventually get round to booking it in for a dealer visit and then try the door again the day before it's due to go to the dealer and then cancel the visit. Worked for me.

 

[murphyv310]

I'd be taking the door card off and examine the rods and clips. Also a light greasing on the moving parts, also a look in the bottom of the door for broken bits.

Tell your passengers not to slam the doors

 

[Ventmore]

It's only flippin' fixed itself! Not done anything to it and all of a sudden the door is happy to open again from the outside. Let's see how long this lasts.

So, the fix is to leave it alone for a few weeks, eventually get round to booking it in for a dealer visit and then try the door again the day before it's due to go to the dealer and then cancel the visit. Worked for me.

Glad to hear this has sorted itself out!

Possibly temperature related? We've had some scorchers the past month or so, but it seems to have cooled down over the last week.