Drivers side door will not latch closed

Asked by RossG Jan 03, 2015 at 11:30 AM about the 2009 Ford F-150 FX4 SuperCrew 4WD

Question type: Maintenance & Repair

I have a 2009 F150 4 x 4 SuperCrew Truck and the driver side door lock will not latch
closed when I shut the door.  The actuators sound like they are working for all 4 doors.
Also, I noticed that the driver side manual pull lock will not stay down when I depress
the auto-lock. I have driven around (over 12 MPH) to reset the locks but nothing
worked.  It's cold out this morning too. 30 degrees F.Not sure if that has anything to do
with it.  Do you know what the problem is?

20 Answers

170

Sounds like the door is in the closed position. Try to use the key on the outside of the door to un lock

17 people found this helpful.
73,310

a common malfunction on vehicles, usually the drivers side because it is used more often, is the plastic piece on the door striker (screwed onto the post which the door lock catches) is worn away. Check the striker. If it is missing that is the cause. The plastic inserts cannot be replaced except on the rear hatch, the entire striker must be purchased for the doors. Why is it that way? So the parts supplier can make more money.

18 people found this helpful.
400

I have a 2018 F150 Super Crew Cab and ever since the cold weather hit here in Michigan, I constantly have an issue with the front doors (driver and passenger) not latching. I of course contacted my Ford dealership who said they were aware of this issue on older F150's but not on the 2018. Well, if they didn't improve the latch design, then guess what guys, you will continue to have this issue! Their solution was to (and I quote) "add me to the long list of people having this issue and when Ford figures out a solution, they will contact me." So in the meantime, I have to deal with this issue almost on a daily basis and walk around smelling like WD-40! This is unacceptable! I wonder if I can stop making my monthly payments until this issue is resolved. Somehow I don't think Ford would allow that. Unreal.

40 people found this helpful.
180

I'm having the same problem on my 2018 f150 I'm in Buffalo as soon as the cold came in my passenger door wont close

18 people found this helpful.
100

Same problem in Athens GA when below 28 degrees. 2018 F150 driver door will not latch closed. There is a good bit of lithium grease on the latching mechanism. I guess I will contact the dealership.

10 people found this helpful.
140

I was able to get mine to close by using the key to lock and unlock the mechanism in the door.

14 people found this helpful.
160

Well, I don't the answer. I have a 2017 F-150 and every time there is a frost the front doors will not latch. I have taken this truck to the dealer four, yes four times and each time I am advised that it is fixed. Not so. The recent problem is that by the time I drive to the dealership holding the door by hand, it unfreezes before I get there. Recently I left it at the dealership for two nights and the doors always worked because on those nights we did not get frost, however, one morning it was 13 degrees. I am still fighting the problem and I am going to video this issue at the next frost and keep good records of each event. One morning about a week ago I thought the door closed, but when I got to the end of my drive and started to turn, the door came open. That was scary. This may be a Lemon Law issue because it boarders upon safety. I may pursue this if all else continues to fail. I am not going to wait until summer when the problem goes away and my warranty expires.

16 people found this helpful.
270

2008 Expedition driver and passenger doors will not lock and randomly unlock. They've become "Un-locked" while on the highway and door swings open when turning - thank go the kids are seatbelted in. Brought to deal and they could not recreate and would not take their kids for a road test on the highway.... How this isn't a recall is beyond me. I know why ford is getting out of the car business. I'm done being a ford guinea pig. Get it right Ford Engineering! I'm really thinking my next truck is going to be V8 Toyota Tundra.

3 people found this helpful.
120

same here with a 2018 ford f150. 6 month old truck and I have to always check every door when older kids get in. You never know if theyre gonna lean on it. I worry my grandson will lean on the door and it will open. Hes 9 and gets in himself.. We shouldn't have to check his door every time someone gets in the back. its ridiculous and a danger to children......'

12 people found this helpful.
120

My husband and I just got a 2019 F350 diesel and I am driving it until he retires. Last week I started the truck and it had been cold so I started it and let it warm up. In the meantime I opened the passenger door to put my stuff in. After that it would NOT close and I had to use my scarf to hold the door shut while I drove to work, so I wouldn’t be late! When I got there, I tried locking the door and shutting it about 3 times and it finally worked! Serious safety issue! It would not stay shut unless I held it! I’ll be calling the dealer ASAP! Evidently Ford never fixed it!

12 people found this helpful.
60

I know this isn't a fix but if you put a hair drier or heat gun directly on the handle it works just fine in less than a minute. The problem is not in the lock actuator it is in the handle itself.

6 people found this helpful.
220

Ok guys ive read about this issue before I bought the 2018 f150. The problem finally occured so i may have came up with the problem. There is a little black stopper on the door under the latch. When it gets cold the rubber hardens and will not let the latch catch, so i took the stopper out and bam it worked the first time. I then took the stopper to the garage and shaved down about a 1/4 inch with a sanding wheel. I then put it back in and it works like a champ. I hope everyone has this simple of a solution. I will update if I have any more problems

22 people found this helpful.
100

This has happened to my driver side door the last two nights with my 2007 F150 in December here in Minnesota. My husband just happened to try pressing down on the door lock pin that sticks up from the door at the same time as pressing on the electrical lock mechanism. It worked! The door closed.

10 people found this helpful.
10

I have a 2018 f150 crew cab and I stopped the vehicle for a few minutes. It was 32 degrees and I left the the vehicle for a minute. When i returned and got in the truck I had to close the door twice before it stayed shut. I left this stop and proceeded down the road. About 15 minutes passed and all of a sudden the door opened beside me. I quickly pulled over to the curb and shut the door again. This was certainly a eye opener and hope it doesn't happen again.I don't believe that this only happens in cooler weather as this was an extremely hot day.

1 people found this helpful.
10

My 2014 e350 does this always. I have to pull the handle and let my fingers slip off to let the handle flick in real hard. It seems to reset the latch almost every time

1 people found this helpful.
20

I go through this every time it gets cold with my ‘16 F150. My “workhorse” isn’t so much preferring warmth. My dr door would not close so tried the other 3 doors. They don’t close either now. Door lock will not lock in drivers door. Hair dryer and an hour of my time was the solution. Ford knowing the problem but not sharp enough to figure a solution should put my wife’s solution in the owners manual

2 people found this helpful.
10

I have had this issue with my 2002 Expedition drivers door and my 2012 Navigator both front doors. This is a serious problem that Ford has let go for WAY to long. I am going to try trimming the rubber bumpers.

1 people found this helpful.

The door latch gets water in it and freezes. Ford has two recalls out to attempt to fix this issue. One is to had a shield to direct the water away form the latch. Second is to add spray foam in the door to "seal" the latch from water. Neither of these options work. To "fix" the issue is to always park in a heated garage or move to a warmer climate. No joke. From Ford dealer employee.

20

I have a 2018 Super Crew Cab. All you have to do, and this sounds stupid, is crack your window down a few inches. It will then latch when you shut the door. I guess the doors are so tight, that when closing it in cold weather, it creates some kind of a draft and the door basically bounces back open again.

2 people found this helpful.

The problem is in the locking mechanism. You can unlock with the fob and shut the door, holding it shut and lock it and it will stay shut. Looks like ford could solve this issue.

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