In 1992 Ford made an engineering decision that would plague their trucks with an industry wide problem that will affect their trucks till 2024 and beyond by using a plastic end on the Ford Door Latch Cable.
The plastic door latch cable ends are failing on virtually every one of their F150s, F250, F350, E series Vans, Exeditions, Excusions, Navigators, Ford Rangers, and even Mazda B-series trucks after 10 years.
You will know if you are affected by this problem when your Ford rear doors won’t open anymore when you pull the latch handle. You may think they are stuck or frozen shut but it is actually the failed door latch cable ends.
Don’t Let the Dealer Fix It, Fix It Yourself and save hundreds
This problem costs well over $500 at the dealership per door and get this, will fail again after 10 more years because Ford replaces it with the exact same plastic end that failed in the first place.
Ford will only sell you the entire door latch assembly which includes the cables, they do not sell the cables separately. The cost is over $300 for the part and another $200+ in labor for the repair. The highest we have ever heard was $700 to fix a single door.
Ford Door Latch Cable Repair Kit
Luckily there is a fix that is:
- Permanent
- Made of 6061 Billet Aluminum
- Less than $20 per a door to fix
The Ford Door Latch Cable Repair Kit will allow you to fix your rear doors on your Ford for a fraction of the cost and will last for the life of your vehicle. They offer the kit for single doors or two doors and have many videos on their website that will guide you through the installation process.
Many people have already experienced the benefit of fixing their own doors while others don’t feel comfortable making the repair themselves and end up spending the $500 per a door.
Tools That You May Need:
- Phillips Screwdriver & Flat Blade Screwdriver
- Torx Driver set (T20 and possibly more)
- Door Panel Clip Tool
- Wrench or Socket Set
- Flashlight or shoplight or headlight
The Installation
The installation process is pretty straight forward.
- Remove the door panels from the vehicle
- Remove the door latches on the top and bottom of the door with the Torx bit
- Unhook the latches cable ends from the door latch system
- Cut off or break off the brittle end pieces
- Sand the cable jacket end
- Insert the cable jacked end into the door latch cable repair kit
- Reinstall cables into the door latches
- Reinstall the door latches
Now you should have a repaired the rear doors yourself and saved tons of money in the process. Pass the word along if you see anyone or know someone that is affected by this problem to help them save and fix the problem themselves.
