Passat door lock problem.

[Alex k-32]

Hi, my passat drivers door is acting up. The door opens and closes when the car is unlocked. If I lock it and unlock it the drivers door will not open from the inside or outside unless i put down the window at which point it will unlock. The other doors are all fine.
Not sure if its a common problem and I am hoping that someone could help me with the issue or point me in the right direction.

Thanks, Alex

[witblitz]

It is most likely the door lock that is playing up. On the older models the solder joints crack (develop dry joints) and cause all sort of strange behaviour. I had something similar on a MK4 Golf. To fix the problem I could either replace the lock (very expensive) or fix it by removing, opening and re-soldering all the sensor joints. I don't have the step by step guide anymore but if you do a search you should find something. (Externally the lock mechanism for the golf and 2003 Passat look exactly the same so I am assuming similar problems and solutions).
Having said this, it would worth checking and cleaning all connections before messing with the lock. If it is the actual lock you should pick up an intermittent error when doing a vag scan.

[bk.bas99]

I had problems with the central locking on my doors when I had the water ingress issue. Check that you do not have damp carpet in the front and rear passenger footwell. If wet see the many threads on here...