Hi
After some advice from those in the know.

2006 vw passat that drivers door not unlocking with key, inside handle works fine. Started a while back checked online suggested slam door, this worked for while, now not solving prob. Now rear passenger door also dong same.

Wounding what may be wrong and how to fix?

Many thanks and happy new year,

Worn key, try some gt 85 or wd 40 in the key hole

Why are you having to use the key , does the remote not work?

Is it the older shape Passat ? If it is the body computer is in the passenger side front footwell and can be damaged by water ingress causing havack with central locking etc .

No, hang on. There’s no keyhole on rear doors.

What are you saying here, that the central locking is only tripping some doors, or the exterior door handle doesn’t work? By “key,” do you mean a physical key or a remote sender?

I wouldn’t go squirting liquids into mechanical locks, either. Powdered graphite is what you need there. If you need it, anyway.

What honkie said. Check the drains under the battery aren’t blocked and allowing water in through the heater vents.

Is electronic key, no key hole

Is also new shape passat

The key undoes the central unlocking, so can open doors from inside but drivers door and rear passenger door does not open from the outside

So it’s a problem with the door handle, presumably? Either that or the central locking motor isn’t unlocking; but I guess we can rule that out if it unlocks internally. Might be worth taking off the inside panel and having a nosey. Watch what it does (or doesn’t) when you press the button.

inner bowden cable(just like a brake/gear cable)jams up not allowing lock to reset after operation, fairly cheap part but about 1 hrs labour, prob change out of £150 at a vw dealer for whole job. fairly common issue on the early ones

Sounds familiar. 54 plate estate here.

Is it just a case of drop the door panel off and free it up? Ours used to be sporadic but now doesn’t unlock at all.

Door lock module needs re-soldering. Common problem where VAG paired back the amount of solder used on the connections too much. There’s a simple guide to follow somewhere on VW Vortex. Google search ‘VW Door Lock module repair’ should find it.

Hi mk1fan

Thanks for helpful response.

Searched on www and could only find info on older vw.

Taking door apart etc, is it possible to do myself?

Thanks

With the previous model you had to unbolt the window glass and remove it before you could get inside the door; all a bit of a faff!

As pacerc200 says it needs new cables , fitted quiet a few for both internal & extrenal handles on passats .

Door are a pain in the ass to strip if you’ve never done one .

I had a passat which had something similar happen, with mine it was broken wires inside the rubber gaiters where the wires go into the doors.

I used to run a VW specialist garage this is almost a given issue on every Passat (b5 b5.5 and b6) either as mk1 fan said or the dreaded ccm unit in the passenger foot well, get in with the wiper motor and give it a good clean out and check the 2 drain plugs, lift te carpenter and check as it won’t always feel damp on the surface, and remove the connectors and check for signs of corrosion. If these all appear good it’s most likely time to get the soldering iron out.
It rarely but it could be the chip in the key .

Thanks tommy

Can I clear a few things up

Get In with wiper motor?

Will this appear obvious when I get in passenger foot well?

Thanks

Had the same year estate, same problem, as well as the rear hatch opening itself multiple times. After speaking to a local VW specialist, they suggested it may be the rear hatch micro switch in the handle. This unit is a plastic moulding that also incorporates the rear number plate lights. I removed said unit which has a 4 pin plug connected that feeds the lights and micro switch. I cut away the plastic around the moulded in micro switch,. two thin steel strips went through the plastic moulding up to the micro switch. I cut them and soldered two wires to the micro switch contacts, then connected them to the plug direct. All my weird electrical problems stopped 😯

Sorry if you lift the bonnet between the base of the windscreen tucked just behind the bulkhead you should find the wiper motor there is a drain plug underneath, bit of a pain to get to but it collects a lot of crap, only takes a few leaves to block up the then water starts to follow the wiring loom as a drainage route , if it still has the rubber gromet in just pop it out its useless! There’s one on the other side too worth checking.

Was a known problem an internal memo got published a while ago about it but VW never claimed any design fault!!

Was a known problem an internal memo got published a while ago about it but VW never claimed any design fault!!

North America and Canada recall I do believe , might be wrong .

I check mine , never had any crap in there but no trees where i park so no leaves.

More than likely CCM module . Mine wont do rear door on double click of the plipper.

OP .- When asking car problems online worth stating the model ie B5, especially as you are on changeover year

Another major fault was the door lock barrels simply just splitting in to pieces, there are repair kits all over eBay, relatively easy to fix but blissful fiddlely !

Does the key just spin in the lock? This will also sent the central locking a bit mental!!

my golf did the same, it would only open from the inside. I left it assuming (wrongly) it would sort itself out somehow. It didnt and eventualy the door wouldnt open from the inside either.
The garage had to cut the door moulding from the inside and replace the locking unit. it cost £700. I would get it looked at ASAP, if i didnt leave it so long they could have got it fixed for £175.

If you look where the lock is on the Passat (in the door shut) you can remove the actual mechanism with an Allen key but don’t do this unless you have a kit as you will never get a broken one back in!!

i get this on my 55 plate estate (new shape). Hold the unlock button on the remote so the windows drop then open door with inside handle. Now take rubber mallet and ‘tap’ the door edge either side of the recess that the locking bar goes into (the bit that rests against the door pillar when the door is shut). Handle now works again from the outside. Cheaper than a new lock unit 🙂 Had this happen to 2 of the 4 handles on mine so far

Oh yes, the blocked drain holes: I managed to avoid drowning the computer in the footwell (only just) in my 2001 Passat, but the brake servo rusted through allowing the vacuum pump to suck about a litre of water into the crankcase jamming all the brakes on slightly! 😯
The new model has sorted this I hope (?), as I intend to replace the old one soon.

Octavia’s also have a common central locking problem (not sure if passat estate is teh same), where the rear washer hose disconnects from frost/ too much pressure and then pisses all over the junction box in the rear arch causing everything to corrode and the car tries to lock you in (and out) all the time whenever it feels like it.

i get this on my 55 plate estate (new shape). Hold the unlock button on the remote so the windows drop then open door with inside handle. Now take rubber mallet and ‘tap’ the door edge either side of the recess that the locking bar goes into (the bit that rests against the door pillar when the door is shut). Handle now works again from the outside. Cheaper than a new lock unit Had this happen to 2 of the 4 handles on mine so far

That sounds like a typical CCM fault it controls the windows and locks!

I read a while ago that it was something to do with a cable coming out of a cable guide inside the lock mechanism. The trick with pulling the inner and outer handles together or slamming the door can knock the cable back into place.

How would hitting the door with a hammer solve an electrical issue ?

Hi shism14

Any top tips on removing the door panel, as am struggling? Have checked out the area under window screen and not seem an issue, only few leaves and obvious gap at end for water to run away.

If poss could you reply via email (in profile) as easier to check

Many thanks

Email sent mate

While we’re on the subject, can anyone help with my Passat unlocking problem. Rear off side door won’t unlock with either remote or by pulling the handle from inside, even with the other doors unlocked. The button comes up but retracts when I let go of the handle. Now, it wasn’t unlocking a couple of weeks ago but would unlock on pulling the handle.
I’ve had some weird stuff going on with the alarm lately too but that seems to have stopped, coincidence?
I’ve checked for water ingress in the front & everything’s bone dry (I read about moisture affecting the CCM)
Any ideas how I get the bloody door open for a start?

If you can remove your back seat it should give enough room to remove door trim and try to unlock from inside. (done this on a citroen C5) then I removed and cleaned the motorised lock mechanism with GUNK and replaced it worked a treat after that. Refer to haynes manual if possible

Passatproblemsworld.

Got the same issue with cables, takes about 5 pulls of the door handle to open the driver and passenger doors, a Job Knockey tried to break into the car last night and has completely mashed the lock, am looking at getting a new lock mechanism and doing cables to fix this or shall I just do the cables and put a blanking plate from a rear door over the broken lock?

Still got acess via the boot if completely stuck I guess.

I recently bought an old B5 model.

Needed to replace the window regulator (common failure) and while I was there also did the door lock (as the central locking was playing up on that door) along with the Bowden cable which had frayed.

You need to take everything off (plus the window out) and tbh I’d just pay a mechanic to do it – but at cash rates, not Dealer rates.

Not too expensive in the end; Lock £30, Cable £9 and entire regulator and plate £30. All ebay. Cost me £30 in labour.

Cheers b r.

Had to replace the window mechanism about a year ago when the cable went so reasonably comfortable doing that, from reading up a bit I think i’m going to blank the lock off and have a go at the cables.

ours does it now and then. mostly on the rear drivers side door.

holding the inner handle open and repeatedly locking/unlocking with the remote seems to free it up for another couple of months.