2001 VW Jetta door lock problem

Factual Questions
1

I’m getting pretty close to trading this car in, but if little things like this keep going wrong, I may just have to sell it for scrap.

The problem is that the driver’s side door will not lock via the remote anymore. I also cannot push down on the door lock to lock it as I exit the car (it won’t push down); I have to lock it manually with the key. It also does not automatically lock when the vehicle reaches 10 MPH anymore. The other 3 doors will not lock with the remote, however they will all lock if I push the lock (all lock) button on the inside of the door. The unlock doors and open trunk buttons on the remote work fine.

The warranty just ran out in Feb., and I was planning on trading this car in soon. Does anyone know if this problem is easily or cheaply fixed?

2

You might try squirting some WD-40 or other lubricant in the locks to see if that helps. I doubt that it will, based on the way you described the problems, but it’s worth a shot, and won’t cost much to try.

3

How handy are you with cars? If it was my car, the first thing I would do is pull the door panel off (VERY carefully!!! if you break any of the plastic thingys that hold it on, it may never go on right again.) My guess is that either some of the linkage is broken/stuck or it’s an electrical problem (probably not an electrical problem, but I suppose the actuator could be holding the linkage in one position due to a short).