Doors won't stay locked
 

Hey guys,

I have a problem with my car. The car is a Ford Mustang 2005 and i've noticed that sometimes the doors keep unlocking and locking themselves. It usually happens when driving but it also happened to find it unlocked in the parking which would suggest it does it by itself even when i am not driving. Sometimes it does this 30-40 times during a drive, sometimes not at all.

At first i thought the remote is the problem so i started using the spare one. This fixed the issue for about 2 weeks but then it started again. I've noticed the problem again after some heavy rain in which might indicate some uninsulated wiring that somehow got moist in it but i cannot be sure about this. I am also thinking maybe the problem is a faulty actuator that is causing the doors to unlock by themselves.

Right now i cannot lock my car at all, i park it, lock it and in 10 seconds in unlocked again. Also using the key to lock it manually doesn't work, the knob just pops out again. Any advice would be appreciated.

wow never heard of that. I would guess a bare wire somewhere. Guess.

Check and see if the SJB (secondary junction box) behind the passenger kick panel is getting wet. That is the most common source of electrical gremlins on the S197's. If it shows signs of getting wet, drain holes in the cowl are likely plugged with leaves, debris, etc. Pull out the cabin air filter and look in there for signs of that.

Thanks for the reply. I've done a bit of search around this and it seems that most people have seen symptoms of water leaking over the passenger side but i never seen that.

pull that passengers kick panel off and stick your hand in there and feel around. Look for signs that water was in there ever.

I didn't see you mention this but it's worth a try. Replace the key fob batteries see if that works. If not then leave the key fobs at home and see if they are the cause. :dunno:

Hi, i have a new theory. So last night my car was outside and it was raining. Came to the car this morning and it's unlocked. I drive to my work where we have indoor parking and the car stayed locked the whole period. I think there is something like you mentioned cleaning the drain holes. Can you maybe give me a bit of details about this process i want to try it out and see if it makes a difference.

I had this happen a long time ago, and it was due to new door lock pins. The new pins had a bigger head on them and they didn't push down quite as far as the OEM ones, and were right on the border line of being locked. A little movement would cause the pins to move up just enough to make them unlock, just as if you had pulled the pin up to unlock them. Just a thought ...

Doall of the rear lights work correctly? Blinking, brake,etc.

yes everything works fine

yes everything works fine

The cabin air filter is located under the hood on the passenger side, up near the cowl. You remove a panel and can pull out (and replace) the filter.

With the filter removed, look down into that space. You should see drain holes in the bottom. If these get clogged, rain water backs up, and finds another route to escape - usually into the passenger compartment and on that SJB.

Search YouTube - there are videos that show the process and cleanout.

Did you get new Door Pins?
 

This still happens to me now and then. The new pins are just a little too thick so I basically loosen them until they lock. Best idea would be to replace them but I'm too cheap (and lazy) to do that. Been playing with that for 13 years now.