Ford Custom Door Lock is Damaged-What next?

Firstly, if you been broken into and tools stolen, then we’re sorry to hear this. It’s a real problem for any Ford Custom owner at the moment, and tools go missing in seconds. That aside, if you notice your Ford Custom door lock is damaged, you really need to get it sorted out.

Ford Custom Door Lock Damage

The lock should look like this. The key-way runs vertically.

Whereas in these two photos, you can clearly see how the lock has been twisted.

Once you look around, it’s shocking how many owners are buying these vans with locks already damaged. Thieves have got so good at breaking in there’s not alot of obvious damage to the Ford Custom door lock.

How come it’s twisted so easily?

When you look at the design of the standard Ford lock, it’s no wonder that they are so easy to twist open.

The plunger is used to keep the door lock in the correct orientation. However, thieves worked out within weeks of the release that the Ford Custom door lock was easy to break.

The other lock in the photo is a high security lock and the plunger is made from steel and screwed in place to stop the the lock being twisted.

Do I need to change my Ford Custom door lock?

Yes. If your lock has been attacked, you’re vulnerable from another easy break-in and your key will probably won’t work anymore in the lock.

Imagine in the winter when the battery goes flat on the van, you’ll need a door lock that works, otherwise you’ll be locked out of the van! If the battery is flat on the van, then it won’t open off the key!

You must sort it out to prevent these problems ruining your day.

Changing the Ford Custom Door Lock

Before these locks are attacked, they are very simple to change.

1.    Remove the door card.

2.  Remove the ‘C’ Clip that keeps the door lock in place

3.  Turn the lock 90 degrees so the lock plunger can be pressed in.

4.  Once the plunger is pressed in, twist the lock in the opposite direction and pull it out of the door.

It can be quite fiddly to push the plunger in!

Changing the Ford door lock when it’s damaged

This can be tricky.

The problem you have is the the back of the lock has been damaged. On top of this, the lock body may be mis-shapen and this causes two problem

1     The lock cannot be turned to the correct position, so that the plunger can be pressed in. The key may turn in the door, but because the Ford Custom door lock is damaged.

It’s like the lock turns in fresh air!

2   The plunger is broken, as well as the lock body, which means it cannot be pushed in.

3   The lock body it stuck and won’t come out of the van.

When this happens, there’s no simple answer. It’s simply a case of trying to force the lock to turn. It will help if you can remove any part of the lock that’s broken.

Or it may be a case of chopping the face of the lock off to remove and replace the door latch. This is when it gets an expensive repair.

Should I get a high security lock?

Yes. The standard Ford Custom door lock is a joke, whereas the replacement locks are now good quality and don’t require the lock to be modified. This may be important if it’s a hire van.

If your door lock is twisted, sort it out before it becomes a major problem for you.