Rear door won't open from outside

[CitroenC1]

Can someone more mechanical than me (about the level of a hedgehog) check if my conclusions are right.
Seat Leon 2010
unlock door with remote, hear all locks unlock
all doors open apart from rear driver's side. Feels locked.
this door will open from inside
once opened from inside, it will open from outside until locked again

I'm guessing the lock isn't quite releasing properly.

I've tried the "hitting the door hard" method. Next will be to try to take the door card off and check the connections and maybe attack with WD40 assuming I can get the card off. Never done that before.

Any advice gratefully received.

[Winky151]

Does sound like a sticky solenoid so probably door card off & a shot of WD40. Longer term it might be an indication the battery is starting to fail & isn't supplying enough power to the locks. Whats it like starting? Have you noticed it turning over slower recently?

[Little Pete]

It’s most likely the solenoid has failed. When you open the door from the inside you are unlocking the latch at the same time which is why the outer handle will work until you lock it again.

[CitroenC1]

Thanks for the replies chaps. It's starting fine but only does very short journeys so possibly the battery isn't getting charged well enough...

Edited by CitroenC1 on Thursday 19th October 18:08

[N.I.]

This is actually a very common issue with the mk2 leon.

The grease in the door lock module starts to go hard and one the two motors no longer has sufficient power to turn the release mechanism.

The reason why the door opens from the inside is because it is the 'override' for the mechanism that the motor fails to turn.


These modules are actually well built, far superior to the old VAG ones that used to suffer from brittle solder joints. Electronics are now all potted in, they are well sealed and not much to go wrong otherwise.

You could try this https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qWYkjlcR1Ws Drill exactly where he has drilled. WD40 will soften the grease around the inner gears. More is less. This part of the unit is completely sealed and if you spray too much you will flood the motors and it cant escape anywhere.

Do note, this only lubricates part of the mechanism. You have to remove the lock to lubricate the rest, but reading the comments, it seems to have a good success rate. £120 for a new module + labour. Worth a shot imho

These units are a pita to completely dismantle and reassemble correctly if you don't know what you are doing. The gears, springs and sliders all have to be orientated correctly when mating the two halves together.There are no online DIY guides for the leon lock module. It is different to the other VAG cars.

Edited by N.I. on Sunday 22 October 15:42

Edited by N.I. on Sunday 22 October 15:49

[CitroenC1]

N.I. said:

You could try this https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qWYkjlcR1Ws Drill exactly where he has drilled. WD40 will soften the grease around the inner gears. More is less. This part of the unit is completely sealed and if you spray too much you will flood the motors and it cant escape anywhere.

Great answer - many thanks!

Will give that a watch as it's not worth spending hundreds on - can open it without too many problems by leaning in from the front door. More of an issue is safety but this car never carries back seat passengers.

[CitroenC1]

Another "thank" for N.I. He only posted once but that link did fix my Leon rear door!

[Cady]

I have a Peugeot 3008 2011 and the rear drivers door won’t open from outside it will open from the inside fine but nothing on the outside. When it first started happening if u slammed the door it would open but no longer does that I was thinking it’s the door lock but asking just in case before I take the door panel off the car. It is not child locks as we have tried turning them on and off with no change to the opening. thanks!