Hello,

Have a door issue. Rear right door cannot be opened / unlock in any way.
At the very beginning of this problem central lock started not to unlock rear right door. So was able to unlock from inside. Then outside handle open door till the next lock.
But for some bad luck mistake it was set child lock (mechanical switch) for this door. On this case inside handle was deactivated and now can not open the door on any way.

Is there any option to open the door on such conditions? Searched over the internet but was not able to find other such a dumb person like me to have this issue...

 

If you can't get the child lock control switch to remove the 'lockout' status, then the only real option you have is to go in via the handle/trim pieces opening. I'd go scan the car first and look at the trouble codes to see if there were any simple options to release that child lockout before I'd go digging at the door panel trim bits. You might also call a automotive locksmith shop to see if it's possible they could manually unlock it via 'slimjim' tool or similar.

IIRC, I had same exact issue with same door on an older sedan; child locks on w/bad lock actuator, and I had to gain access by removing the door lever trim pieces from inside the car. Since this car supports the double-handle pull unlocking when using exterior door handle, I'd certainly try that too, just for grins...start with the low-hanging fruit, and work your way up to door panel surgery. BTW, there should be an access hole with rubber cover located in edge of the door for the purpose of door latch access/overide/removal/install support, etc...you just can't get at it until the door is open.

 

I have both back doors that within months of each other, would not allow me to open the doors from outside, only inside. Just recently, my passenger front door suffers from same issue. Is there a root cause here causing all to fail sequentially? I recently replaced my alternator that was not outputing adequate voltage, so wondering if too little voltage damaged the circuit board on door actuators. What a pain. Ay ideas? I will run diagnostics later and see, but doubt it will give a code.

 

Most of the time the cables that go from the body through the door to supply power. The power has to come from somewhere.... and if the cables are too tight this might cause problems like this. Check the cables (often covered in a plastic tube) between the door hinges and see if they are damaged.

 

Thanks for the tip, but honestly, I can't imagine that a car with 220K miles suddenly and sequentially starts having this problem, due to short cables.

 

Hey; old cars where things move back and forth repeatedly, automatically, every day forever...eventually things stop working. I've had two other makes of cars where the electric door locks/central locking feature caused the fatigue and eventual failure to occur, and curiously, both were on the otherwise generally unused passenger-side doors.

If you made it 220k miles before they went out, that's cause for celebration, not why, why, why has this occurred...how long does your phone or laptop last you...hmmmm? It's all about perspective.

Now, on a purely troubleshooting and preventative maintenance level, one should maintain the door drains, the HVAC condensate drains, the wiper/air intake plenum drains, the sunroof drains, etc, etc., at least annually, if you don't want to have electrical problems with your car related to leaks/water incursion/corrosion. It takes very little time to avert disaster.

 

Did you find the root cause of this? My passenger rear door won't open from the outside anymore.

 

If you have the Audi 'smart key' system, with the integrated proximity/ touch sensors and locking buttons located on the door handles, then it's likely to be related to the door handles sensors being grounded internally, which screws up how they work or prevents them from functioning normally to unlock the door. It could also be another module inside the door panel that has ceased functioning, but the reality is you need to perform a full diagnostic scan using a VAGCOM capable scan tool in order to locate internal error/trouble codes to allow the car to tell you what is wrong with it. There are a lot of monitored circuits on this car that throw error codes when they ground out or cease to function 'normally'.

The external door handle failures with the Audi 'smart key' entry system are a very common problem on cars equipped with this convenience feature as they age...all the external door handles (proximity sensors/ physical lock actuator buttons) will fail eventually. Along with the problems with accessing the car, grounded door handle sensors also create a constant drain on the car battery.

 

I wish I scanned before I removed the door actuator.

 

Hopefully that means you found something in a scan?

Certainly though, I want you to understand that I don't 'know' exactly what is the issue with your door, but there's plenty of anecdotal evidence that the door handles are often the root-cause for multiple symptoms and issues. I've personally had issues prior where my driver's door suddenly wouldn't allow me access from outside, but if I tried a different door, then I could get in, although it was a bit herky-jerky in how it responded due to the grounded sensors. Once the offending door handle(s) sensor wire (just the one at base of the door handle) is unplugged, then the access system (and secondary protocols...double pull on door handle unlocks it, etc.) will respond normally again. Changing the battery on the key fob is also very important if having door access issues only on the right side of the car, etc.

At issue on this car is there are so many sensors and monitored circuits; you always want to begin troubleshooting with a full systems diagnostic scan to search for any clues (error/trouble codes/ongoing intermittent issues, etc) the car has stored for you that may link back or cross-reference to your issue. Sometimes you won't find anything useful in a scan, but more often than not you will. And then there's the fault codes that don't seem to be linked to an issue, which actually are, such as low voltage error codes occurring throughout the car, which one might assume means a bad battery/charging issue, but it can also just be the door handles are grounded and draining voltage constantly from the battery as a result.