Driver's door problem/central locking

22nd December 2012, 22:55

I have a 1999 Citroen Saxo SX, and the problem is that the driver's side door cannot open from the inside - to open it I have to open the window and use the handle on the outside to open the door. The central locking also does not lock the doors.

The key does not have any problem turning in the locks, so I was wondering if anyone might know what the problem is here?

Thanks in advance

23rd December 2012, 00:32

Welcome.

Let's break it down into two parts.

First, the handle. Almost certainly an easy fix. Will require removal of the door card. It's probably a linkage that's come off. Pop the door card off and take a peak - they're visible.

Next up, the lock. When you turn the key in the lock, does the central locking work? Ie, in the drivers door, does the passenger door lock/unlock when you turn the drivers door lock?

23rd December 2012, 23:35

Hi Ross, many thanks for your reply.

I'll try taking the door card off tomorrow - I assume this is easy to do on a Saxo? I've only done this once on a Vauxhall before but I assume this is easy enough to remove? I've searched on the forum about this and found a few posts relating to a vtr - is this a similar procedure to a mk1?

The central locking does not work when the key is turned in the driver's door lock - all the doors have to be locked manually.

23rd December 2012, 23:45

Ok.

The door cards come off super easy. The Vtr Guide you found will be very similar. You will struggle to go wrong

Saxos do not have a two way solenoid in both doors, just in the drivers one (ie, locking from passenger side never locks the drivers door - that's normal). But it should work locking the passenger door from the drivers lock.

It sounds like the key isn't actuating the solenoid in the drivers door - you might be lucky and it be just the linkages have come off the lock and the handle all in one.

There is a small linkage from the solenoid to the lock that can sometimes come off. More will be revealed when you've got the door card off.

If you get stuck, don't forget to take lots of pictures so you can post them here and we can help.

2nd January 2013, 15:27

I tried to take the card off, however there appear to be some very strong clips holding the door card in at one point - in other places there doesn't appear to be any clips as it was already loose in places. I've ordered some more clips so if I break the intact ones when taking the card off they can be immediately replaced.

Sorry for the stupid question but what exactly do the linkages look like - are they obvious once the door card is off?

Also (sorry!) a couple more things - since half taking the card off, a couple of days later, when the door is open wide, it is very hard to shut. It sticks in the open position - it is possible to close but there is a rather noticable 'bang' when it moves towards being shut - almost as if something has broken off every time. Any idea what this could be?

Completely unrelated, the airbag light is starting to flash - after the car has been in motion for around 2 - 10 minutes (it varies), the light starts to flash, it does not at any point become solid. I've read about the resistor behind the airbag and wires under the seats - any idea which one is more likely?

Thanks for any help you can give and apologies for all the problems/questions!

4th January 2013, 00:09

Anyone got any response for the above? Hoping to sort this out in the morning so any help would be greatly appreciated, thanks!