Is there a simple way to disable the automatic door locks on my 2000 Focus Wagon? I hate to be locked in every time I take off. And locked out when I stop.

Hey :) , sent you a reply let me know if it works for you

if its not in your owners manual ,then your outta luck not all can be shut off i have a 04 and i shut it off but was unsucessful to do for 00

Tried the method that Ramrod48 told me about. Couldn't get it to work. I guess the trucks are different than the Focus. Anyway, I really appreciate the suggestion. I'll keep looking for a way!!

I really dont like the auto lock either, would you mind posting the defeat instructions for all to see?

Is there a simple way to disable the automatic door locks on my 2000 Focus Wagon? I hate to be locked in every time I take off. And locked out when I stop

There is no locking in on any Ford. Pulling the door handle from inside releases the locks. I've been in other makes and was scared that pulling the handle did squat. Ford cars and trucks ALL unlock with a tug on the handle. Your Autolocks will stop a carjacker from getting in but never stop you from getting out unless the door is too badly damaged to open anyways. Don't sweat the lil stuff.

wait just a minute daddyO!!

when i first aquired my focus i was so happy to be paying so much less for fule that one hot august day here in
delaware i stopped by a friends house. he was not home. i figured i'd leave a note. as i drafted the note sitting in the cool AC
I figured i'd keep the windows up and AC and car running while i walked up to the house to place the note.
I did just that only to find upon my return to the nice cold car I WAS LOCKED OUT!!! What the EFF?! there was no way i bumped the lock button on my way out. The car was still too new i had not developed that habbit yet.

!Auto locks gotta go daddyO!

I like my cars the way i like my girlfriend.
Dont do a dam thing unless I tell em to do it.

I'm not worried about being locked in my car, it just annoys me not to be able to get in all the doors. I use my wagon to work out of and run lots of errands and don't like to go to the drivers door every time I need something out of the car. As for the instructions on how to re-program the auto locks, I printed them out and tried it but now I can't find my printout. You might check with Ramrod48.

Where did you find them in the first place? Ramrod48?

I've heard that on the newer modules of a ford focus there is a green/white wire behind the glove box that you could remove that you could remove and the auto lock would be disabled but I have not had any confirmation on this.

Yea, where are the instructions to defeat that?

ORIGINAL: f0kusrock

I've heard that on the newer modules of a ford focus there is a green/white wire behind the glove box that you could remove that you could remove and the auto lock would be disabled but I have not had any confirmation on this.


where can I find further instructions?

I guess I am not alone. Is there any answer. What a pain in the ---

frustarted in Michigan

I just spent and hour on the phone with ford. It is like talking to a doorknob. Their suggestion is to buy a manual from Helm Inc. What good is buying a manual if there is nothing in the manual to fix a design flaw
http://www.fordforum.com/micons/m7.gifhttp://www.fordforum.com/micons/m7.gifhttp://www.fordforum.com/micons/m7.gifhttp://www.fordforum.com/micons/m7.gifhttp://www.fordforum.com/micons/m7.gif

Here's the Autolock Activate/Deactivate for builds 'from' 8/2001


Autolocking
The Autolocking feature locks all doors when all passenger doors are closed, the ignition is in START/RUN, and the vehicle has a speed less than 7 km/h. This feature relocks the doors if any door were opened, all doors become closed and the vehicle speed is 7 km/h or higher. There will be no flasher feedback if car was autolocked.
Enabling / Disabling of autolocking:

This feature allows to enable the autolocking feature. Within 30 seconds
turn ignition to START/RUN.
push and pull interior door handle 3 times.
turn ignition to OFF or ACC.
push and pull interior door handle 3 times.
turn ignition to START/RUN.
enters autolocking programming mode (short chimer signal).
push and pull interior door handle.
will enable autolocking when previously disabled, and disable autolocking when previously enabled confirmation is.
short chimer signal for disabling Autolocking.
short chimer signal followed by a long chimer signal for enabling Autolocking.
Exiting programming mode is accomplished by the ignition changing to OFF or ACC or 5 minutes have elapsed since programming mode was entered (short chimer signal).[/ul]

Anybody had any luck with this?

Just like so many of you I tried to disable the AUTOLOCK annoyance by carefully following the instructions provided in my official 1998 Ford Taurus Owner's Manual. It explains two different ways of accomplishing this:

• keyless-entry keypad method
• ignition-lock cylinder method

Naturally, both methods FAILED miserably and consistently regardless of how many attempts I made. Needless to say, after pulling-out what little bit of hair I have left, I was completely frustrated and about to give up all hope. When suddenly this idea occurred to me and worked like magic!

================================================== ====================
The key to success is the entire procedure must be performed with the driver's door OPEN
================================================== ====================

Before beginning make sure:

• anti-theft system is OFF
• ignition's in the OFF position
• all other doors and liftgate are closed
• driver's door with the entry keypad is OPEN and remains so,
until the entire procedure has successfully concluded!

Now begin the standard procedure as outlined in your Owner's Manual:
(toggles the state of "autolock" from enabled to disabled or vice-versa)

• enter the 5-digit factory-set entry code (your personal entry code won't work!)
• press and hold-down the 7•8 key, until told to release it
• press and release the 3•4 key
• now release the 7•8 key

The procedure above is what finally worked for me and on the very first attempt. What a pleasure, no longer having to continually battle with a microcontroller chip simply to get out of my own car!

Bear in mind, the Owner's Manual expressly instructs you MUST use the factory-set 5-digit entry code. Any personal 5-digit entry code you may have optionally created WON'T work! If you don't know or have since forgotten your vehicle's factory-set entry code, simply open the trunk or liftgate all the way up. Look on the right-hand underside and you'll see a small oval-shaped plain white sticker (about the size of a jelly-bean) with the 5-digit entry code printed in black. As a last resort, there's also another just like it affixed to the top of the computer module. But it's infinitely quicker and easier to find the label affixed to the underside the trunk cover.

Sure hope this works for you as well as it did for me! In a nutshell, apparently some vehicles require the drivers-side door be open (while others require it be closed) during the entire programming sequence, until it's successfully been completed. The Owner's Manual doesn't acknowledge this distinction. Which explains why the instructions don't work for everyone across the board. Unless of course, you're aware of this strange oversight and do whichever of the two finally works for you. Certainly one or the other should work for everyone. My best intuition says the bug's got something directly to do with what specific combination of options any particular vehicle has installed or not. The outcome of which in turn seems to invert the logic of whether the drivers-side door switch appears open or closed to the microprocessor.

By the way, what was Ford/GM thinking when they designed a keypad having only 5 keys, each having it's own pair of digits? As if they're giving us twice as much of something using only half as many keys. Maybe they figured it'd make things more confusing to someone attempting to hack the entry code. Seems like the same kind of perverted logic responsible for the beloved "autolock" feature. Jeas is it just me or what? Anyone who can figure this mystery out qualifies for Mensa!

The last automotive aggravation which frequently harasses me is the obnoxious fake bell which "dings" incessantly, should the driver's side door be open and the keys are still in the ignition. Exactly as it had to be while stepping out of the car for just an instant, so the infamous "autolock" feature-from-hell wouldn't lock me out of my own car!

I remember with great affection "the good old days," when such unwanted technology wasn't yet invented and shoved-down our throats whether we wanted it or not! On the other hand, the keyless-entry system is a great improvement and I sure love it. But those who don't can simply use their key instead just as they've always done. Something for everyone including freedom of choice, which is just how things ought to be when done right and well.

Undoubtedly some will argue (the ones who always do about everything) the "abandoned-key reminder" feature's the "greatest thing since sliced bread." Certainly the engineer who came up with the idea would. Well I hate, didn't ask for and never wanted it. But more importantly, who in their right mind would worry about leaving their key in the ignition, who has a keyless-entry system by which to quickly and effortlessly get back in? Give me a break!

If any of you know a quick and easy way to neuter it, please let me know! I'll be eternally grateful.