# Electronic Door Locks

**URL:** <https://community.cartalk.com/t/electronic-door-locks/70462>\
**Category:** General Discussion\
**Tags:** explorersport, ford\
**Created:** [January 14, 2012, 10:34pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/electronic-door-locks/70462 "2012-01-14T22:34:36Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![LJB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/41988e/32.png) [@LJB](https://community.cartalk.com/u/LJB)\
**Post date:** [January 14, 2012, 10:34pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/electronic-door-locks/70462/1 "2012-01-14T22:34:36Z")

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We have a 2000 Ford Explorer and the Driver’s side electronic door lock will only unlock during warm weather. The lock will work to lock the doors, but if the temperature is below a certain degree, the door won’t unlock. Has anyone else experienced this problem…what is the fix?

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**Author:** ![texases](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/texases/32/862_2.png) [@texases](https://community.cartalk.com/u/texases)\
**Post date:** [January 14, 2012, 11:22pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/electronic-door-locks/70462/2 "2012-01-14T23:22:14Z")

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May be the mechanism is binding and needs to be cleaned/lubricated. Binding can get worse at low temps.

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**Author:** ![JosephEMeehan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ecc23a/32.png) [@JosephEMeehan](https://community.cartalk.com/u/JosephEMeehan)\
**Post date:** [January 14, 2012, 11:36pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/electronic-door-locks/70462/3 "2012-01-14T23:36:42Z")

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“May be the mechanism is binding and needs to be cleaned/lubricated. Binding can get worse at low temps.”

Good advice. I would add that you should NOT use WD-40. It is great stuff for many uses, but cleaning or lubing locks is certainly not one of them. It can cause problems and BTW it can cause the very problem you are asking about.

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**Author:** ![Dummy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7c8e57/32.png) [@Dummy](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Dummy)\
**Post date:** [January 15, 2012, 12:15am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/electronic-door-locks/70462/4 "2012-01-15T00:15:49Z")

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Switch is fouled by carbon build-up.

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**Author:** ![oblivion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/3ab097/32.png) [@oblivion](https://community.cartalk.com/u/oblivion)\
**Post date:** [January 15, 2012, 7:39pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/electronic-door-locks/70462/5 "2012-01-15T19:39:02Z")

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Will it unlock with the remote in cold weather? If so, then the switch could be going bad. My vote is for the mechanism in the door binding up when everything contracts in the cold. You may just be able to lube it but you’ll have to pull the interior panel off the door to get to it. Just shooting graphite or similar into the lock will not help this.